Women are increasingly taking the lead and heading big and small enterprises. And taking cognisance of the fact, entrepreneur Sanjay Budhia, chairman, CII National Committee on Exports, and managing director Patton Group, had a hearty chat with members of the CII Indian Women Network (IWN) Entrepreneurship panel who had assembled at Patton House on Camac Street. A leader with a vision, Budhia spoke to them for over an hour on driving their entrepreneurship zeal and also important life lessons that go beyond the realm of economics.
The exclusive interaction began with Shaleni Biswas, chairperson, IWN Entrepreneurship Panel, talking about the increased participation of women in the business sector. “Women entrepreneurs represent the fastest growing category of entrepreneurship worldwide. This has led to significant economic growth in the country and they are playing a prominent role in the society by generating employment opportunities and inspiring the next generation winners,” said Shaleni, managing director, Easy Note Stationary Pvt Ltd, introducing Patton as an export house and star exporter having multi-locational engineering in plastic manufacturing units. She also introduced Budhia as a key industry player in Eastern India holding multiple posts in different capacities. Taking up from her, Sriranjani Joshi, chairperson and director, The George Telegraph, introduced IWN, its aim and how it is strengthening women entrepreneurs.
The session kicked off with Budhia sharing the interesting story of Patton’s launch in the city, which left everyone perplexed with its unique campaign that caught everyone’s attention. Before giving out more information about his company, he talked about CII and its relevance and the importance of having a positive outlook. Moving on, he rebuffed the common notion of Patton being synonymous with just water tanks. “Patton goes beyond plastic tanks. Tanks are part of our plastic business, of course, but apart from that there are many products that we manufacture and export to different countries. The plastic division gives us the branding but our engineering sector is also strong. Patton has an extensive range of electrical conduit fittings designed to meet the requirements of overseas wiring practices,” said the entrepreneur, pointing out how the world’s perspective towards India has changed. “This is a great time for India. The question is how fast and how much we can do it,” added Budhia who took his audience through the portfolio of Patton with a PPT and encouraged them for a visit to his plants in Bengal.
The next half of the session saw the enterprising minds asking questions to Budhia who with his humility and candour answered them with a hint of humour. Vinita Kejriwal, director, Vinsan Financial Services Pvt Ltd., enquired Budhia about his personal and professional values and how he balances multiple roles and personal life. “Network without work doesn’t work. So, if you do just network and don’t work, then it doesn’t work,” remarked Budhia who also informed everyone of his daily schedule and his cardinal rule of having dinner at home despite attending four to five dinner invitations.
Fielding the question about changing the perception of Bengal, Budhia asked the house to be more optimistic, like him. “It’s about us and how we showcase our city and state. We are our biggest critics. There’s so much good happening around us but we don’t talk and promote that. Ultimately the state belongs to us and we need to change our perception. We have to spread the good word,” emphasised Budhia who also later talked about the altruistic initiatives taken by him and his family to make the world a better place.
His talk was interspersed with interesting and insightful anecdotes that reflected his core values, worth emulating. His statements like “Give respect to get respect”, “Credibility is today’s currency” and “Santri to mantri everyone is important”, were great takeaways.