MPW Repeat Winners: Dipali Goenka and the phenomenal growth of Welspun Living

Ask Dipali Goenka to describe Welspun Living, and pat comes the reply: “A home solutions company.” The excitement in her voice is palpable as she gets into the finer points. “We have a very robust integrated supply chain for our (home textile) business. Cotton is sourced from the farmers, and at least 2,000 of them are women,” she says. For a home solutions company to flourish, it must have a suite of offerings. “The whole idea is to own the consumer,” Goenka says. She travels extensively to meet her customers and to have a finger on the pulse. This is a business where trends change quickly, and product offerings need to keep pace with that. One way to get all that right is to harness technology and use it smartly. “A good supply chain only sharpens the overall customer experience. Technology plays a crucial role in its ability to forecast,” says Goenka. She speaks of AI and Industry 4.0 as being important ways to further enhance customer experience. Besides, she sees India playing a much bigger role in the global supply chains going ahead. She’s also excited about getting an R&D centre off the ground by next year. Pausing for a second, she corrects herself to say, “We are a home solutions company established by technology with the bedrock being sustainability.” That vision has ensured that she is a regular on the BT MPW list.