BS People: Vivek Venkatachalam

Venkatachalam given task of absorbing Converteam

To lead a team that becomes part of an organisation through acquisition of another company without actually growing from within the organisation can be no less daunting than building a brand new company altogether. This is the challenge that awaits Vivek Venkatachalam, the new president & chief executive officer, Converteam India. “It is a journey that all of us will take over time. As we integrate the business into GE, our goal is to learn, listen and make decisions together,” says Venkatachalam.

GE took over French power conversion company, Converteam, globally earlier this year in a $3.2-billion deal. The American energy company known for working through vertical teams recently announced appointment of Venkatachalam as Converteam head in India.

After a five-year stint with Orchid Chemicals, the chemical engineer from Annamalai University found his first assignment with GE in its water division where he worked till 2005. Then, he went on to head the company’s oil and gas (O&G) vertical. At GE’s O&G unit, he was responsible for defining, developing and executing strategy for the region to increase sales and profitability. He was also responsible for architecting a growth plan which involved establishing strong credibility with key customers.

At Converteam, the focus will be on people, technology and customer relationships. “GE will use its global reach and local resources to scale Converteam up, where energy efficiency and integrated electrical and mechanical solutions are critical to customers,” he says. GE intends to pursue an aggressive growth strategy by focusing on core growth segments including metals while addressing increasing demand for high energy efficiency such as oil and gas, thermal power generation and renewables.