Upwardly Mobile

Ruston & Hurnsby, in the 60s, was one of those rare and progressive engineering companies which employed women. With her excellent qualifications, Lila soon joined the force as a trainee on the shop floor in 1967, after graduating from the College of Engineering, Pune. From the very start, she maintained good relations with the grass-root workers.

After ten months, she left R&H and joined Vulcan Laval as a trainee in 1968. She was the only woman in a batch of 13. Her first post was in the costing and estimation department, where she designed the basic format for standard costing. She worked on the shop floor, looking after manufacturing operations. She then quickly moved to take charge of the design and drawing office.

Lila’s ability to work hard at the given task came from a habit, which she inculcated into her lifestyle from her childhood. She emulated her elder brother, who was her inspiration.

“ It became a habit with me to work hard because I saw my elder brother Mohan. He used to start his day at 4 o’clock in the morning, never caring for time or self. He always said, “Work as much as you can, not as much as you should.” And to this day, I follow this and don’t tire very easily. Working hard is a way of life for me!”

It is her hard work, which shaped her career graph. She soon assumed responsibility for central co-ordination between works and all-India sales. Her next assignment as executive assistant to the MD gave her a clear insight into the company’s operation and a knowledge of the nitty-gritty of Long Range Planning (LRP), marketing and business strategies.

The turning point came when she was transferred to the export department in the mid-70s. This culminated into her first remarkable achievement, when she was appointed as Export Manager in 1979. Her approach of cost effective managment and good customer relations resulted in maximization of sales.

She notched her first major success when she got an order of INRM 260 from USSR for 40 pasteurizing units, the company’s largest order till then. With the stupendous success of the Russian deal, the management started to notice her potential.

“ At this stage, I was in the forefront and got the opportunity to show my managerial capabilities. The management realized I had the potential. I enjoyed the job as export manager the most.”

Besides exports’ sales, Lila invested her energies in forging better ties with customers and employees – these proved to be her chief strengths in the future. Increased interaction with both the customers and workers gave her the point of advantage at the negotiating table.

“ People don’t usually value keeping in touch with customers, who are actually the partners in the company. So I used to make it a point to contact them even when there was no business in the offing. I made it a point to call up at least 8 – 10 customers every day. I maintained a good rapport with them. Which gave me a good response later.”

Lila Poonawalla remained loyal to Alfa Laval throughout her career and saw no cause to join another company, because it gave her a chance to work and evolve as a person. She worked in every possible department and had no problems in working with people. She was honest with customers. In fact, customer relations were her strong point because she came through as a transparent and genuine person with them. Besides, she loved negotiations and still loves them.

“ Actually, there was no time to think of a change, because I was entrusted with challenging responsibilities all the time. The organization gave me plenty of opportunity in achieving the role given to me. I never really faced any obstacles either.”

In her first year as Manager Exports in 1984, she increased the export sales 10 times, from INRM 0.5 to INRM 5 , and followed it up with an increase of INRM 10 the subsequent year. Within the next six years, the export earnings rose to be close to a Billion. She was appointed General Manager Exports and Marketing in 1985.

Lila loved challenges, they were like adrenaline to her system and the mainstay of her life! The financial rewards were not her main incentives; it was excellence that she sought. She was determined to be the best in every assignment she took up.

With each superlative performance, her stock rose and she was the natural choice for the Vice President in 1986 and the top slot, Managing Director, in 1987.

"I am always in search of something new to do… To constantly achieve something better and bigger! Meeting challenges came naturally to me; I never really planned anything. I did not employ any special methods. My philosophy was, Just Do It.”