Leadership in Action: An Interview with Mr Venkatesh Kulkarni, GM – Sales, Marketing & New Product Development

‍Interviewer: Can you tell us about yourself and your role?

Mr. Venkatesh: My name is Venkatesh and I look after multiple functions—marketing, sales, new product development, production, and quality. My role involves aligning with the management, understanding their vision, and translating it into departmental planning and execution. I would call it a mix of forward planning and backward innovation, ensuring that we scale projects efficiently and sustainably.

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Interviewer: What does a typical day look like for you?

Mr. Venkatesh: Every day is a challenge and every day is customer-oriented. From the moment I start my day until I return home, I’m handling operations across multiple projects. Since we’re a small company with a limited team, the workload is high—but that also means each of us plays a critical role.

When I joined, the company was at ₹61 crores. In five years, we have scaled tremendously, and our directors have set a target to reach ₹200 crores in the next three years. This requires passion, focus, and constant effort. There’s no room for relaxation—we have to always stay on top and make sure customers never face issues.

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Interviewer: How do you collaborate with customers and internal teams?

Mr. Venkatesh: For customers, two things matter most—what benefit they receive from the product and how capable we are of supporting that product. Business today is highly competitive, so we can’t rely only on our capabilities; we must also prove we can scale with our customers’ needs.

Customer relationships are built on trust. Any failure in quality or delivery damages that trust. That’s why I believe in keeping ego aside, being transparent, and ensuring clear communication. Internally, I work closely with teams to make sure everyone is aligned. Manufacturing is not a one-person job—it’s a chain of 100 links, and if one link breaks, the entire order is at risk. So communication and teamwork are critical.

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Interviewer: What is the most interesting part of your job?

Mr. Venkatesh: The most satisfying part is completing a project successfully and seeing the customer’s satisfaction. Starting something from scratch and taking it to completion, despite challenges, gives me immense pride. Also, I enjoy working with my team—I don’t believe in keeping knowledge to myself. I share every detail so that the workflow is smooth, and the whole team benefits.

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Interviewer: What kind of challenges do you usually face in projects, and how do you solve them?

Mr. Venkatesh: Challenges usually come from three areas:

1. Product development – It requires deep application knowledge, technical design, and foresight to avoid potential failures.
2. Processes – Engineering processes must be followed strictly; assumptions don’t work here.
3. ‍People – Having the right team is crucial. Skills can be taught, but behavior and attitude matter the most. A stubborn or non-team player can derail a project, no matter how intelligent they are.

Time is also a challenge—customers often expect results yesterday. That’s why I insist that my team clarify doubts internally as many times as needed, rather than risk failure in front of the customer.

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Interviewer: Can you walk us through how you customize solutions for customers?

Mr. Venkatesh: Every customization begins with understanding the customer’s requirements and application. Then we assess whether we have the right machinery, sourcing capability, and expertise. After that, we prepare quotations and prototypes. It’s a detailed engineering process involving failure mode analysis, design validation, and cost considerations. At the end of the day, no matter how good the design is, if it isn’t cost-efficient, it won’t succeed. We need to balance quality, performance, and price to stay competitive.

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Interviewer: What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

Mr. Venkatesh: The most rewarding part is achieving difficult goals that once seemed impossible. For example, in five years, we have scaled at a pace that earlier took 25 years. We’ve added over 60 new customers and maintained an annual growth of 13–14%. That gives me immense satisfaction. Success for me is not just about numbers but also about growing my team—ensuring they are comfortable, learning, and contributing meaningfully. I strongly believe that leadership is about enabling others to succeed.

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Interviewer: What advice would you give to someone who wants to follow a similar career path?

Mr. Venkatesh: Believe in yourself and don’t look for shortcuts; Be ready to face challenges—success is never easy; Focus on teamwork and communication. No one succeeds alone; Learn continuously. Every day brings something new, and every mistake is a chance to improve; Most importantly, remember that business is built on relationships—whether with customers, suppliers, or colleagues. Trust and collaboration are the real foundation for growth.

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