Mallika Srinivasan is the Chairman and CEO of TAFE Motors and Tractors Limited, the third largest tractor manufacturer in the world. She has steadily risen through the ranks over her career, starting as a trainee and gaining experience in various roles. Under her leadership, TAFE has grown into a highly profitable and successful company. Srinivasan focuses on strategic planning, quality products, and social responsibility initiatives in health, education, and the environment. She serves as an inspiration as a successful female business leader in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
Mallika Srinivasan is the Chairman and CEO of TAFE Motors and Tractors Limited, the third largest tractor manufacturer in the world. She has steadily risen through the ranks over her career, starting as a trainee and gaining experience in various roles. Under her leadership, TAFE has grown into a highly profitable and successful company. Srinivasan focuses on strategic planning, quality products, and social responsibility initiatives in health, education, and the environment. She serves as an inspiration as a successful female business leader in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
Mallika Srinivasan is the Chairman and CEO of TAFE Motors and Tractors Limited, the third largest tractor manufacturer in the world. She has steadily risen through the ranks over her career, starting as a trainee and gaining experience in various roles. Under her leadership, TAFE has grown into a highly profitable and successful company. Srinivasan focuses on strategic planning, quality products, and social responsibility initiatives in health, education, and the environment. She serves as an inspiration as a successful female business leader in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
Mallika Srinivasan is the Chairman and CEO of TAFE Motors and Tractors Limited, the third largest tractor manufacturer in the world. She has steadily risen through the ranks over her career, starting as a trainee and gaining experience in various roles. Under her leadership, TAFE has grown into a highly profitable and successful company. Srinivasan focuses on strategic planning, quality products, and social responsibility initiatives in health, education, and the environment. She serves as an inspiration as a successful female business leader in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
The strength of a woman is not measured by the impact that all her hardships in life have had on her; but the strength of a woman is measured by the extent of her refusal to allow those hardships to dictate her and who she becomes.
allika Srinivasan is the woman steering the fortunes at the worlds third largest and Indias second largest tractor company. Not only does she sell tractors, but she is completely comfortable getting behind the steering wheel of one. She is a thought leader and a strategist, recognized for entrepreneurship, commitment to excellence and contribution to Indian agriculture machinery business and academia. Meet the Chairperson of the Rs 80.2 billion Tractors and Farm Equipment Company.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Ms. Mallika Srinivasan MA, MBA serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Tafe Motors And Tractors Limited and has been its Chairman since January 2011. She serves as a Member of Executive Board of Indian School of Business. She joined Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd as a Trainee in October 1981 and worked in various positions, including as Executive Assistant to the Chairman and Managing Director, General Manager (Planning and Coordination), Vice President and Vice Chairman. Ms. Srinivasan has been the Chairman and Director of the United Nilgiri Tea Estates Company Limited since January 25, 2011. She has been a Non Executive Director of Tata Global Beverages Limited (formerly Tata Tea Ltd.) since October 22, 2008. She has been an Independent Non-Executive Independent Director of Tata Steel Limited since May 21, 2012. She serves as a Director of Tafe Access Ltd. and Tafe Motors And Tractors Limited. She serves as Director of Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited. Ms. Srinivasan has been a Director of AGCO Corporation since July 2011. She has been involved with various industry and trade bodies, including as President of the Tractor Manufacturers' Association. She holds a graduate MBA from The Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, and an MA degree in Econometrics from the University of Madras. Born 1959 Nationality Indian Alma mater University of Madras University of Pennsylvania Occupation Industrialist Organization TAFE-Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited Home town Chennai Title Chairman & CEO
WHY WE HAVE CHOSEN WOMAN BEHIND THE WHEEL Mallika srinivasan is a fascinating woman with a compelling story. Hers is the story of a young girl who learnt the basics of doing business, by listening to the conversation of the family elders, during meal times. From her father she learnt the importance of building enduring relationships and the fine art of listening carefully and learning from every possible opportunity. Mallika joined her father, A Sivasailam at TAFE and steadily worked her way up under his mentorship till he passed away a couple of years ago. The youngest kid in the company had to make do with an office that was actually a portion of the corridor partitioned off. I had no job profile, no office of my own, not even a window to look out from. But every time I asked my father what I was supposed to do in the organization, he would merely ask me to find my own niche! Simmering with discontent about her paltry pay and the lack of recognition for her fine education, she marched into her fathers office one day to express herself. I had a sense of superiority because I had a business management degree but he effectively reminded me that he had grown the company founded by his father without any fancy degree to his credit and mostly with just home-grown business sense. That incident taught Mallika the value of humility and she worked to put her company in the envied billion-dollar plus club, along the way destructing the myth that women are no good in engineering and manufacturing profiles. She says, she learnt something new about life and business- Adversity brings out the best qualities in you and makes you tough and tenacious. The lessons that you learn during the tough periods last you for a long time. TAFE is today one of the most profitable tractor companies in the world.
VISION Let us pledge that, together, we will build a global enterprise reputed for its products and product quality, spearhead innovations in making agriculture development sustainable, and further our vision of Cultivating the World." A strong believer in giving women their due, she believes: "Success at work is too limited a parameter of a woman's real value. She has the power to change the destiny of an entire family".
MISSION From a small beginning with just one tractor model in 1961, TAFE today is recognized as a high quality mass manufacturer with an extensive product range to meet every farming need, innate engineering strengths, uncompromising focus on quality and an immense reserve of experiential knowledge gained through designing, developing, manufacturing and supporting tractors that are synonymous to reliability and ruggedness. To achieve the distinction of the first choice among the farming community of India and ensuring a growing presence in international markets through setting leadership standards of performance and customer care in the agricultural machinery business.
A STRATEGIC THINKER Every day I look for satisfaction from the things around me. I dont get intimidated by things. My business decisions are taken after a good assessment of the risk so that they are well thought-out decisions, she says. Having successfully seen the company through many setbacks, there are experiences that give one the ability to see things in a different perspective. Constantly raising the bar and addressing challenges makes you more robust emotionally and gives you a sense of inner calm. Your spiritual experiences also become part of your development process and make you a complete person. "Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together." She says, Life is so multi-dimensional that if you can have a positive approach, you can continuously learn from it. Occasionally, some bad things come your way, but if you can look at those too as an opportunity to learn from, you are on the right track. If you become critical or bitter about your experiences, then you have lost the game. Circumstances can never be ideal or perfect for you to become what you want to be. Example: As per the strategic plan of mallika srinivasan, Captain Tractors Private Ltd (CPTL) designed, developed and manufactured compact tractors in the sub-20 hp segment for TAFE. TAFE would then be the sole distributor of the tractors produced by Captain. Well, we are actually thinking we need to recast. We believe it is a good market niche. It is a long-term play. But we need to keeping in mind our quality standards and our value proposition to our customers we would like to recast our strategy in that direction, Her strategy is based on a clear definition of her long-term vision, and this sharp focus has been the driving force of her strategy. She did not lose focus during time of crisis and this has been the key factor behind the pattern of resource allocation over the years. Her entire plan is derived not just from this vision- it has a well defined, clearly articulated and well- understood link to it.
CSR ACTIVITIES
Mallikas corporate social responsibility efforts are laudable, the latest being TAFEs cooperation with the Chennai Traffic Police in bringing in awareness against honking by vehicles in Chennai. She has an avowed passion for making sure that development of education and healthcare, in the country should be there in place. In fact, she has been instrumental in backing entities like Sanakara Nethralaya, renowned eye care organization, Adyar Cancer Hospital in Chennai and a slew of educational and healthcare facilities in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. What is more, Mallika has been a patron of arts through her support of one of the countrys leading musical tradition of Carnatic music through the Indira Sivasailam Endowment Fund. Other CSR activities are: Women and child care, rehabilitation of disabled women contribution to management education. Kidney scan camp Corporation school Sri bala vidyalaya
WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED FROM MALLIKA Mallika srinivasan is an inspiration to all of us- it is because she followed her dreams and pursued a career of her own choice that she is successful and happy in life today. Many of us pursue higher studies in areas that we are not interested in fact, we simply pursue higher studies to attain high paying jobs. We should never pursue a career for its monetary gains alone we should pursue something that we are interested in and the benefits will surely starts seeping in. This is a message to not only the youngsters but people of all ages- We should always make a contribution to the society. No matter how rich or successful we become in life, we ought to spare a thought for the underprivileged and the poor and help them in any way possible. This way we will we see growth in the entire society.
MOMENT OF PRIDE
On January 25, 2014, Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman& CEO of TAFE Group, was conferred the Padmashri by the Government of India for her contribution to Trade & Industry. This is indeed a huge honor and a big moment of pride for all of us at TAFE!
Let us pledge that, together, we will build a global enterprise reputed for its products and product quality, spearhead innovations in making agriculture development sustainable, and further our vision of Cultivating the World."
HONORS & AWARDS BBC (1999) First Business Woman of the Year award for India. Zee TV (2005) Zee Astitva Award for Exemplary Women. India Today (2005) Business Leadership. IIM Lucknow Lakshmipat Singhania Award (2005) National Leadership Award. Economic Times (2005 - 06) Business Woman of the Year Award. Business Today Awards (2004 - 10) Recognized as one of the - 25 Most Powerful Women in Indian Business. The Economic Times Corporate Dossier (April 2010) Most Powerful Women Leaders of India Inc. Ernst & Young (March 2011) Entrepreneur of the Year Manufacturing. Business Today Six Most Powerful Women of India Inc. Fortune Magazine Ranked 3rd among Indias 50 Most Powerful Women in Business. Forbes Asia Recognized as one of the Top 50 Asian Power Businesswomen.
Do not get bogged down by the constraints you face, search for opportunities. But most important, you must be happy doing what you do.