They’re ambitious, diligent, driven and have found the key to unlock innovation. RITZ Magazine meets these promising men of substance from Karnataka who have made a mark in their respective fields and are making waves not just nationally but also across the globe.
They reveal what kept them going and how they carved out a niche for themselves…
BY NAMITA GUPTA
Arjun Ranga, Managing Director, Cycle Pure Agarbathies and Managing Partner of NR Group, the world leader in incense manufacturing, returned to India after his education in the US and joined the family business to become an integral part of the growth story of the NR Group.
TURNING POINT: The turning point in my life was when I decided to grow up as an entrepreneur. I was in my 8th grade when I had gone for a market visit in a rural town of Kerala with my father. That’s when I saw him work and I decided I wanted to be the same, an entrepreneur.
PURE PASSION: Every step of my journey has been a revelation for me. The biggest highlight for me, so far, has been seeing the level of commitment among the senior staff of our organisation, who have been with us for so many years. With this satisfaction there are multiple milestones that we’ve been able to cross together, like becoming the first ISO Company, the first carbon Neutral Organisation, all of these things I believe are innovative and have set leadership milestones for me.
CROSSING HURDLES: Right from my childhood I’ve been trained to do what I am doing today, but I took my time into getting into management in the organisation, I started with managing smaller bits and then about four years later is when I took the responsibility of managing this company as a whole. There were cultural changes that I had to face besides understanding the organisational behaviour. I would have definitely been an entrepreneur any which way, as I enjoy working for myself.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY: I take out time from work for indulging in active sports and fitness. I would probably have been a professional sportsman, if my venture had not succeeded.
BENGALURU, A STARTUP CITY: I think it’s the culture and the people, and the proximity and the opportunity to meet talent. And Mysore being an educational capital of South India, talent was never a great challenge for us, and Bengaluru being just two hours away, gave us a huge advantage in connecting with the latest technology as well as people. We are very well placed, being in Mysore we had the best of both worlds and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
