Dare to take a path less travelled

Why take the road less travelled? Because those roads unearth our potential, bring us challenges to overcome, and as a result, it increases our insights and experience, she smiled. Meet Bhavana Bindra, Managing Director, South Asia, REHAU, who has broken barriers by taking unknown paths. And in the process, she has not only grown leaps and bounds in the corporate arena, but she has also touched several lives. She is a highly experienced business leader credited with driving strategy formulation and execution while creating performance benchmarks. In conversation with the Corporate Citizen, Bhavana talks about her life and career journey so far, why she prefers working in India, surviving in the corporate world, and more

"If I can make a difference and show others the way to, I was willing to accept the challenge. That is the way I have always lived my life-take the path that is less taken and make a difference so that people have that confidence that this can be done too"

- Bhavana Bindra

Corporate Citizen: Give us a sense of your growing up days.

Bhavana Bindra: Let me start from the beginning. So, owing to my father’s corporate job, we had to move places. I studied at a convent school and was raised with several values, love, and affection. My father, Rana Pratap Bindra, was a corporate stalwart, who spent over four decades serving people and worked beyond his retirement age. Such was his love for work. While my mother Beena Bindra is a homemaker, who held the fort and supported everyone through thick and thin.

The values and traits that I possess-being selfless, hardworking, loyal, disciplined, caring, and believing in potential, are what I get from my parents. And this is what has helped me sustain myself so far. There is one thing about my elder sister Ruchi Arora-the conviction and precision with which she understands people’s potential is commendable. It is because of her faith in me, that I decided to move out of the town for my further education.

Soon, I got a scholarship for Cambridge A level, Singapore. While I was studying there I had a revelation, which motivated me to come back to my country. It was quite a surprising decision, but I did what I had to do. Later, I pursued my graduation in Economics Honours from Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC). Well, that journey wasn’t straightforward. Even after getting the highest possible grades and not being recognised for what you did was one of my initial encounters with the education system. But somehow I overcame it. In 2001, I completed my MBA in Strategy and Finance from IIM, Bangalore and then, started my corporate journey.

CC: Before we move on, tell us about your Swades moment. Why did you come back to your roots, when most people back then wanted to pursue their education and career abroad?

India is where my passion has always been, and I had the opportunity to take this decision at a young age. I wanted to be in India and make a difference. Ever since then, I’ve had multiple chances where I was offered several senior roles in the USA and Europe. But I chose to stay back. India is facing a lot of challenges, and I wanted to be a part of the solution. This is a big part of why I chose to stick to my country.

CC: You have spoken quite highly of your family so far. So, whatever success you have achieved today is because of your family values?

Certainly. Family values play a big role in a person’s life. These values are something we are brought up with. And it is ingrained in you at an early age. Another person who has added value to my life is my spouse, Soumitra Narain. He is someone who believes in calling a spade, a spade, and does not shy away from questioning the status quo. Being upfront, being able to question the status quo, pushing the boundaries, and not being restricted is what I learned from him. These values that I spoke of, have been an important part of me.

CC: Walk us through your corporate journey.

To be able to learn continuously, grow, and touch people’s lives is what I take away from my corporate journey. Amidst my placement at IIM, Bangalore, I had an offer from Hindustan Unilever. I had to pick one role, either it was Unilever or consulting, as it has a lot in the offing. So, I picked The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). When BCG happened, it also had a posting in the US, where I had to choose between Boston, New York or Washington. However, India was my obvious choice, and I wanted to be in their Delhi office. Within BCG, I worked with pharma and financial services.

Next, I wanted to indulge in manufacturing which is why I moved to Cummins. When I joined the organisation, the percentage of women was only seven, mostly in the support roles. And then it struck me, that neither age nor gender was on my side, and to add to that, I did not come from an engineering background. It was quite an anomaly to be a part of the organisation. The challenges were limitless, and that’s what motivated me to stay back. I wanted to make a mark and break barriers. The idea was if I can make a difference and show others the way to, I was willing to accept the challenge. That is the way I have always lived my life-take the path that is less taken and make a difference so that people have that confidence that this can be done too.

The stint with Cummins lasted for 13 years and at different levels. I was a part of the strategy, set up one of their businesses, and later went on to run their automotive business. Soon, I entered the distribution business where I handled the aftermarket for Cummins. This included servicing and maintaining engines in mining, construction, power generation, oil and gas, railways, and defence. This was the first time they had a woman at the helm of the role, but for me, it wasn’t more about proving a point but doing the job well. In the five years, the business experienced unprecedented double-digit growth. And we were also able to set a global benchmark for customer support. That was the biggest part of my journey. Before moving to REHAU, I had the opportunity to be part of other companies in very diverse industries. The same has added to my learnings and experience.

CC: Where do you think you learnt the most in your career path?

To be honest, we learn everywhere. So, it is slightly difficult for me to pick a certain experience. In all fairness, every day in this corporate journey has been a great learning experience. I believe in enriching myself. For me, when I joined Cummins, it was about learning a product that was not my basic degree. I wasn’t an engineer, but I had to learn the engines. From there on, I started to understand and manage teams who were designing, developing, manufacturing, and maintaining the engines. When you learn how to add value to your knowledge and broaden your horizons, things change for the better. It’s not just about the technicalities but the perspective you bring in with it. It’s been a great 21-year journey of learning and adding value.

Learning the traits

"A life without challenge, a life without hardship, a life without purpose, seems pale and pointless. To be honest and in all modesty, I wouldn’t take up a task if it wasn’t challenging. I’d say, the time when I had to decide to stay in India or for that matter enrol in a university when I came back from Singapore and when they refused to acknowledge my grades, was challenging"

There are times when we become very comfortable as introverts. And when that happens, their inputs may not be considered. Now sometimes people may be extroverts as well and maybe their thinking is different from the general population. So, if you are sitting in the meeting room, and there are other people who as a group think alike, unlike you do; it becomes very difficult to make your point heard.

Now, what that means is that when we talk about diversity, it just does not mean gender, colour, caste, etc. Diversity is the way of thinking. What happens is, that when there are people who think differently, and you have a different thought process, you should have the courage to point it out. This helps in making an optimal decision, and for that, it is important to take into consideration diverse perspectives. This, indeed, was my biggest learning, which also led me to encourage people who may not be naturally sharing it.

CC: Walk us through your current role and the experience of working with REHAU.

I completed a year in this current role and the experience has been amazing. While I enunciate my journey, it takes me back to the beginning days in this organisation. I used to tell my manager that this experience is like drinking water through a firehose. Let me explain this. When you start the firehose, although the opening streamlines the outcome, the pressure of water is high. Now, try drinking this water. You might manage to quench your thirst, however, in the process, you will surely get drenched. This is the metaphor for trying to learn and adding value to your knowledge and the organisation at the same time.

Being inquisitive drove me to soak up all the information to make a difference at once. In the process, I also learned to take my team along with me on this journey. And amidst all this, life showered me with plenty of opportunities. That explains the term ‘drinking through the firehose’. I embraced those opportunities and tried to make the most for myself and the organisation. With this, motivating the team and inspiring them to give their best has always been my top priority. It is impossible to achieve the organisation’s goals while your people are not on-board. So far, the journey has been exciting. I continue to look forward to what life has in store for me.

"Women are not here to tick the diversity box; they are here to stir a wind of change. And in a lot of cases, men are willing to support us. And at the same time, women cannot be giving up"

CC: You firmly believe that teamwork, strategy, and right communication can help people achieve business excellence. Can you help us with a few examples of how these virtues come in handy?

As a leader, you ought to have a vision, strategy, and people, who can drive the organisation to achieve its goals. That said and done, people should know where the organisation is heading, so they can strive harder and give their best. Teamwork is crucial because it is the people who will make a difference for the organisation. Without people, we won’t achieve much. Hence, I strive to keep my team together and see that everyone works in alignment. Now, coming to the communication aspect. We are all humans, and it goes without saying that without communication there is no growth. Whenever we talk about strategy or goals, if your people have no clue about them, how will they work towards them. That’s where communication plays a bigger role. The more you communicate, the more they understand, and the more they can make things happen. So, it is all interlinked.

CC: Which is the most challenging role you’ve handled so far?

A life without challenge, a life without hardship, a life without purpose, seems pale and pointless. To be honest and in all modesty, I wouldn’t take up a task if it wasn’t challenging. I’d say, the time when I had to decide to stay in India or for that matter enrol in a university when I came back from Singapore and when they refused to acknowledge my grades, was challenging. But when I look back, I am happy knowing that it has helped me grow. When I started my career, I was in my early 20s, and I was consulting a public sector bank. Imagine when you’ve someone in the late 40s and me being half their age and trying to make difference for that organisation. Now that is challenging because you need to get past this person’s attitude, where they think I’ve nothing to bring to the table. Secondly, you need to build credibility, and thirdly, you’ll have to add value, that too was a task.

Likewise, when you enter an organisation where the majority are the people with qualifications you don’t have, and you strive to make a place for yourself in that organisation such that you become a leader of one of their biggest businesses. That is a challenge. You come into an industry where you haven’t worked in the past and you are at the rudder of the organisation, to make sure that you lead it to profitable growth. All you ought to do is face the challenge head-on, the rest will follow through.

CC: Tell us about your affection for writing. How did you fall in love with this art?

As a child, my father encouraged me to keep a diary that captured my day, thoughts, feelings, and other life happenings. The seeds were sown then. As a professional, there is so much one experiences and reflects on. For me, writing is a way of reflection, clearing my thoughts, and sharing what I learn. On the personal front, I believe, the more one shares, the more it provides a catharsis for the readers as they associate with your experiences.

CC: Have you penned down anything recently?

Yes. For the first time, I have written from a professional and personal standpoint - ’The Queen Bee That Never Was’. I wrote this copy as an ode to women’s day. It highlights how women are trying to do something different to make this world a better place in a patriarchal society. To begin with, people have a lot of preconceived notions. These sometimes hold women back from making things happen. The Queen Bee is someone who is at the helm of the entire colony—the reason for the colony’s existence. When you look at it from a patriarchal point of view, what is happening is more and more women are trying to come out of their comfort zone. And they want to make a difference. As men are used to certain ideas, even they need to leave their comfort zone. Women are not here to tick the diversity box; they are here to stir a wind of change. And in a lot of cases, men are willing to support us. And at the same time, women cannot be giving up. To make a difference we all have to get over our inhibitions. We need to be conscious and drive that change.

CC: A word of advice for the budding corporates.

Believe in your potential and never shy away from taking challenges. They make you realise what you are made of.

CC: What’s your philosophy in life?

Taking the path less taken provides the opportunity to make a difference.