BS People: Abhijit Roy

A Team player

Abhijit Roy is a team man. This attribute is said to have catapulted him to the helm of affairs at Berger Paints.

When he takes over as the CEO of Berger Paints in June 2012, he would have spent over 16 years with the company in different capacities. He had begun this journey in 1994 as a product manager.

A marketing graduate from the batch of 1989-91 at the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) and a BTech from Jadavpur University, Roy has undertaken the roles of product manager, general manager (marketing) and senior vice-president (sales & marketing) in the company.

 

During these years, Kolkata-based Berger Paints has also grown — from a Rs 120-crore to a Rs 2,000-crore company — and occupied the second position in terms of sales, behind only Asian Paints.

“I think his greatest asset over the next few years will be the fact that he has been part of, and grown with, Berger Paints, through its growth over the years,” said incumbent CEO Subir Bose.

Roy had played a major role in the investment Berger Paints had made in the area of green/lead-free paint — an initiative announced a year before and received well in the market, Bose said. The company has evolved from a two-factory to an eight-factory unit.

“The biggest challenge that he will face emanate from the growing competition that Berger faces with multinational companies increasing their footprint in India. Creation of niche segments and portfolio diversifications will also pose challenges,”, Bose explained.

It is the length of his stint with Berger which will be Roy’s greatest asset for the management, as he is cognizant of the company’s strengths and its weaknesses.