Newsmaker: N Srinivasan

Raising the bar

N Srinivasan,
Director-General-Designate, CII

The announcement couldn't have been timed better. On Thursday, when Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) President Anand Mahindra announced that N 'Srini' Srinivasan would take over from the old warhorse, Tarun Das, as the director-general of the industry association from June 1, little did he know that it was also the birthday of Srini's late father, N Natraj.

Even as Mahindra was reading out a text specially prepared for the occasion, Srini was remembering his father, his role model in life.

"'Do your work hard. You never know what pleasant surprises are in store for you,' I was taught by my parents," Srini told Business Standard a day later.

Work hard, Srini certainly will have to if he wants to become a worthy successor to Das. "Tarun's is not an easy act to follow," Srini admits. "It's a challenge. Fortunately, we have in CII a strong, dedicated and competent secretariat."

Srini is hardly undeterred by his predecessor's awesome reputation built brick by brick over 40 long years. In fact, Srini has his agenda ready and it is 'CII' "" Customer focus and competitiveness, Innovation in products and services and Institutionalisation of the changes recently initiated.

In other words, CII under Srini will aim at improving the competitiveness of India Inc through its various services, strengthen its network of offices in India and abroad (including Pakistan) and consolidate the changes initiated recently "" in the last one year, the association has hired over 100 professionals to strengthen its various departments.

In Srini's extended family, there is a joke that his roots are in steel. In the 1920s, his parents left their home in Tamil Nadu for the steel city of Jamshedpur, where his father took up employment with Incab.

After doing his primary and secondary schooling from Jamshedpur, Srini enrolled in the Banaras Hindu University for a degree in metallurgical engineering.

By the time he got his degree, Srini had made up his mind: he would work for an industry organisation, not for a company. Thus, he signed up with the Indian Lead Zinc Centre, a British consultancy outfit that promoted optimal utilisation of lead and zinc in the country.

Five years later, he was on the rolls of the Federation of Indian Exporters' Organisations, which was setting up its engineering consultancy export division. And 20 months later, on November 27, 1974, he joined CII (it was then known as the Association of Indian Engineering Industry).

Over the next 30 years, Srini headed CII's UK office, CII Western Region and led the Automobile Components Manufacturers' Association as executive director for 5 years.

Within CII, Srini is best known for his TQM (total quality management) initiatives. In 1988, three years before the Indian economy was opened up, he started the TQM movement within CII as he was convinced that Indian companies would soon have to face competition from hugely efficient multinational corporations. His efforts resulted in CII setting up its centre of excellence, the CII Institute of Quality, at Bangalore.

Those who have worked with Srini also talk of his interests in cricket, football and tennis.

So far, a hectic schedule has kept Srini from celebrating his new appointment. But over the weekend and Holi, he has plans to let his hair down. Though his two daughters, Sunita and Arati, will not be there, he will celebrate with wife Bhama and close relatives.

"Holi is a festival of joy," says Srini, the excitement palpable in his voice.