MPW 2022: Arathi Krishna's main aim as MD of Sundram Fasteners Ltd is to see more women in workforce

Very few women in family businesses can proudly say that they’ve earned their leadership position in the company. Arathi Krishna, who hails from one of the oldest business families in Tamil Nadu, is certainly one of them. Krishna, who returns to the Business Today Most Powerful Women in Business list for the first time since 2015, began her career at Sundram Fasteners Ltd (SFL) in 1990 as a management trainee after her post-MBA on-the-job training in the US. She grew through the ranks; it took her more than a decade to become the MD. No wonder ethics are of high value to her. “It sounds clichéd when we say it, but the idea of being ethical and fair towards everybody, is to be powerful in the true sense of the word,” she says. Her approach towards her work is hardly that of a business, it’s more like a legacy that she has been entrusted to carry forward. “I only think about how do I make this into a winning company and ensure that SFL is looked at with pride.”

She looks after corporate strategy and general management at SFL, among other things. Her constant aim, she says, is to see more women in the workforce. While hiring, she ensures that a certain number of female graduate engineers get recruited. The challenge, according to her, is to move them through the ranks. “There are challenges but still the number of women in leadership roles is increasing,” she says. Under her stewardship, several new product lines have been launched by the company. She has also been instrumental in making the workforce at SFL younger, and the work culture more performance- and technology-oriented. At present, the average age of employees at the company is 35 years.

The way she approaches failure is fascinating. While taking decisions, she says, perfection is not something one should be aiming for. “One can manage fear in a better way... While taking a decision, you have to be open to failure and if something wrong happens, learn to change it,” she says. 

@PLidhoo