After about a year at Zee Entertainment Enterprise as president, Rajesh Jejurikar, former chief executive of Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M)’s automotive division, is keen to return to the manufacturing sector. In an interview with Swaraj Baggonkar, Jejurikar, who would take over as chief executive of M&M’s tractor and farm mechanisation division in February, says he is excited about the “rural challenge”. Edited excerpts:
What pulled you back to the automotive sector?
It was a good year at Zee, both personally and professionally; I learnt a lot. It was an exposure to a business that is actually very B-to-C (business-to-consumer). You are not just thinking about your product; you are also thinking about the life of your consumer. Overall, the company did very well and I enjoyed my stint. But at the end of it, when I was thinking what I wanted to do, I felt the complexity and scale of manufacturing were much larger than what I was doing here (ZEE). I guess I needed oil in the engine.
What made you choose M&M?
The scale and complexity of what was on offer was probably what pulled me back. I was very clear (if) I wouldn’t stay in Zee, there was no need for me to look at other media companies, the same way I didn’t want to look at other automobile companies when I was leaving M&M. So, if I had to return to manufacturing, it would be best to return to Mahindra. Fortunately, such an opportunity came about. You don’t always get such an opportunity or a role of this kind.
Selling sports utility vehicles in cities and utility vehicles in semi-rural areas is different from selling tractors.
It’s a very exciting role. I haven’t had this kind of a rural connect in my career. In Marico, it was there to an extent. But through the last 15 years, the rural landscape has changed a lot. The tractor business would be the ultimate rural connect. Though it is connected to automotives, it is a very different business, with different buyer behaviour and a different role of the brand. I am going to enjoy discovering the real ‘rural’.
You spent less than a year at Zee. Was the opportunity at M&M too good to let go?
I spent about 11 months at Zee. Yes, I wish it was longer than that. But as I said earlier, when some opportunities come your way at a certain time and if that is where you intend to go, you can’t let that opportunity pass because it wouldn’t come when you want it. It is a large opportunity with a big and complex business.
You have been associated with passenger vehicles, a segment in which customers were different from those you would now face. Do you think this is a challenge?
Though one would broadly classify these as parts of the automotive industry, it is very different and that is part of what I am excited about. I am not going back to something I already know.
What made you accept M&M’s offer?
There were two factors. First, the industry is going through a challenging period; it has seen a year of flat growth. Second, the new business, especially the rural connect, is a challenge. Tractors have a very different B-to-C connect than automotives, in terms of approach to brand building.
During your earlier stint at M&M, were you exposed to the tractor business?
Yes, to the extent there was a cross-sector leadership team which met on broad areas of synergy---the auto and farm equipment sectors came under one umbrella. I have great respect for late Gautam Nagwekar, who leveraged his roles in both sectors. I hope to acquire in-depth knowledge of the sector, which plays a significant role in boosting the Indian economy.
