Parag Satpute is a man with a clear focus. A man with a steely resolve and an unwavering dedication towards his goals, Parag has carved his way to the top with unflinching commitment to his work. As the Managing Director and Country Manager at Sandvik Asia Pvt Ltd, he comes across as extremely down to earth and approachable. Corporate Citizen chats with Parag Satpute about being at the helm of one of the most respected companies around the globe, his journey to the top and his philosophy of life...
I was one of the first expats from India to be inducted into the Global Sandvik Organisation. I moved along with my family to the UK and I took over as a global marketing manager for one of the product lines
I came to Pune for my engineering in 1991 and graduated from Vishwakarma Institute of Technology (VIT). My first job was in Grindwell Norton, in Mumbai and Bengaluru and eventually I was posted in Pune. This is when my association with Sandvik began as a customer to Grindwell. I developed a great respect for the company while dealing with their representatives as they were highly professional and Sandvik had a great work culture. I was keen to be a part of the company. Soon, I came across an opportunity and eventually joined Sandvik in 1997 as a Sales Engineer.
My career took a great start since then and I managed to move up the ranks consistently while gaining a global exposure as well as opportunity to work with my colleagues in Sweden, headquarters of Sandvik. Due to the progressive journey within Sandvik, I never felt the need to seek opportunities elsewhere. It has now been 20 years that I have been with Sandvik.
I was one of the first expats from India to be inducted into the Global Sandvik Organisation. I moved along with my family to the UK and I took over as a global marketing manager for one of the product lines.
I was based in a place near Birmingham called Rugby, the place where the eponymous game originated. Sandvik had a small facility there.
That’s true, yes. Sandvik is a Swedish company, established globally in 1862, and their first international arm was in UK.
Sandvik is now quite a big company in India. We have six production sites which house around 3000 employees and we have multiple product verticals or business units as we call them. As the MD, my responsibility is to make sure that they are performing to the best. We have several senior people leading these verticals. I would say my main role is to ensure that these team leaders have all the tools, all facilities to be able to their job in a good way, and to act as a mentor and coach.
Our context and heritage is quite different; as a global company, we have thrived for over 150 years. In India we have had a presence for 56 years. Further, we also have a strong foundation in the Swedish culture, which is often seen as a consensus driven culture.
To continue the growth trajectory we need to be agile and adapt quickly to market conditions. We need to be ahead of times, be it innovation, sustainability or technology. Our decisions need to be structured, risks need to be mitigated to ensure minimum chances of failure and as a company Sandvik has proved to be just that. Over the years we have succeeded in understanding the market developments and have periodically developed new products and forayed into new market segments. That is one of the reasons that Sandvik continues to be successful even after 154 years of existence. There are very few companies in the world which can claim that.
So I would say that we aim to have the best of both worlds – the stability and support of being in a successful group like Sandvik combined with entrepreneurial culture that one normally associates with startups. This, in essence, is the magic formula we are trying to make in the company.
Automation will change the nature of jobs . The skills required for jobs will see a paradigm shift. Due to that, the total number of jobs should increase. Rather than fearing automation, we should prepare ourselves to leverage it for our growth
We are living in a world where change is the only constant. Hence the kind of jobs that people are doing today will change from what they were a decade ago. I am strongly in favour of automation as any other progressive organisation would be today. We have seen already a lot of automation into our industry. We have productions plants where automation has replaced labour intensive jobs and are yielding better productivity and profitability.
Speaking of jobs, my opinion is that automation will change the nature of jobs. The skills required for jobs will see a paradigm shift. Automation raises our competitiveness as well as the economy. Due to that, the total number of jobs should increase. Rather than fearing automation, we should prepare ourselves to leverage it for our growth.
I am really not an expert on the education system. However I feel there is always room for improvement. Taking a cue from my college days, I feel our curriculum should incorporate more of industry interface and practical exposure. This ensures that the graduates enter the corporate world more prepared to take on real life challenges. This is beneficial to both the professionals and well as the organisation.
We have 3000 employees. In terms of business, the external market sales in India is around 2000 crores and we export significantly through our state-of-the art manufacturing facilities across India.
No, women are not adequately represented yet. Manufacturing has been traditionally seen as a male dominated industry At Sandvik , we have been encouraging diversity through initiatives such as the Diversity Award, women development programs, facilities such as the day care centre to help women achieve a work life balance. Some reforms by the government such as allowing women to work on shop floors in all shifts, is helping our cause We are also working with organisations such as Lila Poonawala foundation where we sponsor a number of girl students for higher education.
However we have great room for improvement and my target is to double the representation in our company in the coming years.
To act as a role model, we have instituted an award called Sandvik India Diversity Award, where we will recognise outstanding people who make contributions to increase the diversity.
Every year we will ask for nominations from people or organisations which have done exemplary work in the field of gender diversity. This is the first year and we expect to get in excess of 100 nominations. These will be evaluated and the winners will be recognised and felicitated.
The idea is to give them and their projects visibility so as to encourage people who are stepping out and taking a lead in this very important area.
When you compare Scandinavian culture or broadly European culture with Indian culture, there is no difference in intellects or education levels, we are all equally well educated or intellectually capable. One major difference I see is the ability to work in teams in a highly structured manner. In the European culture, especially in the Swedish culture, people work mostly in teams, follow systems and processes and as a group deliver results. The other thing which is a double edged sword is the jugaad mentality that we have sometimes. On the positive side, we Indians are more flexible in taking on tough challenges and will generally make a valiant effort.
I think we are catching up and will continue to do so. In the last 5-7 years China has started to become less competitive; inflation has driven wages up and the currency has become stronger. So companies are looking for more competitive locations. Within Sandvik we have a great foundation in India with our history and a strong image. India therefore, represents an important manufacturing base for the Sandvik group.
I believe many companies are realising the potential of India as a manufacturing base. With the support and focus from the government through initiatives such as Make in India, this can only improve. The other area of improvement to make Indian manufacturing more competitive would be to improve the infrastructure and regulations as captured under the ease of doing business index. It is heartening to see focus on these areas and I firmly believe that the next 10 years will see a big boost for the manufacturing sector in India.
Many companies are realising the potential of India as a manufacturing base. Sandvik has a great foundation in India with history and a strong image. India represents an important manufacturing base for the Sandvik Group
The world has changed a lot today. During my days of career aspirations, I was told that you could either be an engineer or a doctor in order to be successful. Today however, there are multiple career options and avenues. This does not in any way mean that the value of engineering has reduced. We still have more engineers graduating every year and carving success all over the world. With the manufacturing industry raising bars of culture and competitiveness to be at par with other lucrative sectors as an employer, we see more talent being attracted to this sector. Take the example of Germany, where vocational courses are much more popular. They provide a good opportunity for young people to try out what they like and are good at; later they can of course opt to go for engineering fields if that is what they are good at. It takes away the pressure to make a choice at a very young age. In India sometimes children were constrained to make that choice at age 16. That is why the availability of options is great help.
That is a very deep question, what does money mean to me? It is an enabler. In the world we live in, you need money, but beyond a certain point it does not have any use, because after a point you look for satisfaction in your job, you look for happiness in your family, you look for meaningful relationships. All these things do not come with money. But of course if you struggle with your day to day food to eat or to send your kids to the right college money becomes an issue. That’s why I believe money is an enabler.
My motto or philosophy with life is to Live life King Size, to experience all that we can and not regret anything.
Shivani and Parag Satpute make the perfect couple. He is ambitious, dedicated and at the zenith of corporate success, and she is pragmatic, adventurous and full of zest. From humble beginnings to lofty highs, they have seen it all together, and grown as individuals in the process. They tell their heart warming story of how they met, fell in love and share the secret of their remarkably successful marriage
One look at Shivani and Parag Satpute and you realise that they were meant for each other. She is demure and sophisticated; he is suave and composed, and they perfectly complement each other. The story of how they came together is equally enthralling. Shivani and Parag knew each other from quite an early age, but they didn’t meet much growing up. They realised that they were made for each other, much later when Shivani was studying homeopathy in Ahmednagar and rooming with Parag’s sister. Parag, studying in Pune at that time, used to visit often and that’s when sparks flew. “We got along really well and eventually came to the realisation that we were meant for each other” says Parag. “We got married in 1996, and it will be our 21st anniversary this year,” adds Shivani.
In the beginning, their lives were very hectic. Their work timings were just not compatible. Parag came home from work around 5 pm, and Shivani’s shift at the hospital was from 5 pm to 9 pm. A doctor and an engineer’s timings are most often at odds with each other, and it was very apparent in the Satpute’s case. Around that time, Shivani and Parag were expecting their first child. It soon became clear to them that they would have to find a way to devote more time at home. Shivani decided that she would leave her job at the hospital and instead started working with Medical transcription. Shivani was perfectly suited for this task, and it gave her the flexibility with work timings and therefore she could take care of their son.
Parag credits Shivani for being able to advance in his career. “She never complained. She did everything with a smile. Any other person would have said this isn’t working and you need to slow down on your job. She never did that. That allowed me to continue giving my best towards my career”. He says with affection visible in his eyes.
I couldn’t have achieved what I did without her. She took great care of our kids, took the full responsibility and supported our family through the relocations every few years - Parag
Around that time, Parag got an opportunity to work in the UK, and it was a big career move. “We were expecting our second child at that time. Shivani reminisces. “I encouraged Parag to go to the UK alone and I followed once our second son was born.” Once she got there, Shivani realised it would be difficult to practice medicine again-in a foreign land with a two month old baby and a three year old son at home, it just wasn’t feasible.
Parag’s work made him travel two to three weeks in a month, and Shivani felt she just couldn’t leave the kids with someone and work. She decided not to continue working but rather to devote her time to bringing up their kids. But she never gave up on her love for learning. Shivani quips, “I was interested in my children’s education and so I began working as a teaching assistant just to go into the education field and have a schedule similar to my kids. I also learnt and soon began teaching yoga in the UK. I really love yoga and have continued to practice and teach it since.” Shivani continued to teach yoga even when they moved from the UK to Germany and then onto Sweden. Apart from yoga she also spent quite some time in the kids’ school helping to spread awareness about Indian culture through the international days and school events.
Parag can’t stop gushing about Shivani. “I couldn’t have achieved what I did without her. She took great care of our kids, took the full responsibility and supported the family through the relocations every few years. I have been used to moving since I was a kid, but this was a new lifestyle for her. Now she has really adapted to this and has helped the family integrate into the new environments with her enthusiasm and outgoing nature.”
Shivani, too, is full of admiration for Parag. “If he decides something he will follow through on it. I remember, even when we used to go around on a motorbike in the early days after marriage, he was very ambitious. He had told me that his aim was to head up Sandvik one day. At that time he was a just a sales engineer. And he has worked really hard, and made that dream come true. I love his dedication and his attitude towards life.”
Parag is full of praise for Shivani. “Shivani is very positive and she is a daredevil. She wants to try many adventure activities and is not afraid of anything. She constantly encourages our kids to do the same, which I really admire.” He feels that their children Akash (17 years) and Anish (14 years) have turned well thanks to her upbringing. “Our kids are very enthusiastic, they never complain about our moving, they take it very positively. They both love sport and are good at football. Through our various relocations, they have indulged in the sports of the host countries. Their adventurous streak comes from Shivani, at least that’s what I feel.” He says with a smile.
When it comes to parenting, Parag believes he and Shivani are more friends than parents to Akash and Anish. He elaborates “We are friends because they take quite some liberties with us. But then we want them to be open and talk to us without hesitations about everything. We off course do have some ground rules. In that way we are traditional parents, we have held on to our culture even though we have lived in many countries. We continue to speak in our mother tongue, Marathi. We have also tried to instill our family’s values of spiritualism and respect into them. For example, our kids regularly join us in praying and the credit for that goes to Shivani. We have wanted to instill grounding in our culture and values, and empower them so that they will be able to make their own decisions”. Shivani completes his thoughts by adding that kids nowadays need their freedom and will not accept if you try to control them too much.”
You need to respect each other, even though it is very hard to show it to them all the time. And of course love is there, you cannot express it every time but it is definitely there. It is the bedrock of every successful relationship - Shivani
In the corporate world, especially as you climb higher in stature, it becomes difficult to strike a balance a between work and home. Parag agrees to this. He recalls a time when he was extremely busy when they were in the UK. He used to spend more time in the office and travelling than at home. But still on the weekends the family used go for trekking or hiking or for the boys’ football matches. Shivani adds to Parag’s point, “We always used to do some activities as the family together on the weekends. That’s why we enjoyed our stay where ever we were. I finished household work and shopping during the week so that I could spend quality time with the family on weekends. Even now, we play sports together, badminton, trekking, going for a walk in the hills, or any activity that the four of us enjoy together. Our boys are like us and they are very much into adventurous activities, and they have even gone bungee jumping.”
That their marriage is successful is obvious for everyone to see, but what is their secret to a happy marriage in an age of nuclear relationships? Parag believes that there will be ups and downs in a marriage. That is inevitable. The key is to carry on and not give up. If couples gave up every time they fought, they wouldn’t last the first year of the marriage, he feels.
Shivani echoes Parag’s thoughts, and adds, “You need to respect each other, even though it is very hard to show all the time. But at least in your mind you respect the person and also admire what he or she is doing. And of course love is there, you cannot express it every time but it is definitely there. It is the bedrock of every successful relationship.”
By Neeraj Varty
