For Arathi Krishna, MD of Sundram Fasteners, “to be powerful in the real meaning of the word is to treat everyone with justice and ethics.” The 56-year-old, who joined Sundram Fasteners as a trainee in 1990, has spearheaded the company’s strong global expansion in both auto and non-auto sectors despite the cyclicality of the business, the global recession of 2008, and the impact of Covid-19.
For Krishna, the main focus has always been growing the company at double-digit annualised rates and to encourage home-grown talent within the organisation. “The loyalty and goodwill of my employees have been the foundation and real achievement of my career,” says Krishna.
Despite leading the company in a male-dominated sector, Krishna acknowledges that the participation of women in the manufacturing sector is quite low, unlike in sectors like banking and IT. “We are predominantly in a traditional manufacturing industry with low female participation. I have striven hard to increase the participation of the female workforce,” says Krishna. She says that’s changing now with government support.
Going ahead, the company aims to become the most trusted and innovative auto components player in the domestic market. “We are rapidly evolving from a component manufacturer to a supplier of sub-assemblies for EV players. We are working to increase our exports to non-auto sectors and to provide new and innovative parts in the auto sector to achieve scale,” says Krishna. With all that she’s managed to achieve, you wouldn’t bet against her.