While pursuing an MBA or any course on business studies, we come across a surfeit of case studies about different businesses, their failures, and success. Some tend to be forgotten once we are through with the examination, but there are some of them that leave an indelible imprint on our minds. Stories that inspire us to go beyond the beaten track, that fan our desire to be a successful businessperson while also helping us develop the acumen that is needed to prove our mettle in today’s competitive world. One such brand that has a strong presence across nations and occupies a special niche in the lives of billions of people is Aditya Birla Group.Thus, having got an opportunity to interview one of the leaders of such esteemed conglomerate is a dream come true situation for anyone. IIM Ranchi fraternity would like to express its gratitude to Mr. Ravi Mishra, Senior Vice President – HR & Admin. at Birla Carbon, for sparing his precious time and giving some invaluable insights and advice. The enthusiasm and passion with which he answered the questions and explained about the business were indeed contagious and it made us fall in love with ABG all the more. At IIM Ranchi, we always strive for humility and hard work for individual and corporate success. Hearing Sir talk about the same values as being ingrained in ABG filled us with immense pride in our alma mater and also encouraged us to abide by these all through our personal and professional lives.Here is an excerpt from the interview that we are sure would inspirit every reader to consistently strive towards success.How is ABG different from other conglomerates?We value all our stakeholders equally and for us, professionalism and work ethics come first before everything else. Also, we value our employees immensely due to which our employee value proposition is very high.How has EVP impacted your loyalty as an employee to ABG?Employee care and belongingness are very high in ABG. The value and support I get is more valuable to me than just measuring everything in monetary terms. Our EVP ensures that an employee’s family is also taken care of in good as well as bad times.What are some of the core values of ABG?I have been with ABG since 2005, and in all these years, I have been so influenced by the work culture and values that are followed here that I have never said no to anything. I have always been open and flexible to work primarily because my company is flexible and I feel pride and privileged to be a part of the conglomerate. The values that I treasure the most are integrity and commitment.How do you think is digitization having an impact on the business?It has a massive impact on the business such as manufacturing facilities are being significantly improved. Also, internet connections are improving even in remote areas. Even the older generation employees have been made familiar with the new technologies and they no longer shirk from using it. But, we are also aware of the need for the human touch in the world of digitization. Whenever our employees are facing a problem, we connect with them and help them through meetings and discussions. We at ABG strongly believe in human touch and making our employees feel heard and respected.What is the importance of sustainability in business?All the processes at ABG are very robust which is bolstered by the fact that we were able to survive the great recession of 2008-2009 and every employee of ABG got his/her salary and increments in time. Also what is commendable is the fact that there were no layoffs or reduction in manpower and this was only possible because we always strive for sustainability. ABG does not believe in gambling. We make things very clear to all and always follow ethics. We move out of businesses if we don’t see growth or sustainability in them.How is growth associated with training?Learning and developing is a very defined process in ABG and we spend a huge amount on this. We have tie-ups with some of the best companies & institutes for talent management because we understand the importance of training for growth. We also are an ardent follower of the 70:20:10 principle. To exemplify I can say that we have job rotation programs for newbies and Birla Carbon’s young GETs are sent to the US for training and exposure.How do you handle success/failure in business?I firmly believe in the saying, ‘Rome is not built in a day.’ It always takes time to grow and bloom, hence, we look forward to failures as well because they tend to teach us a lot. However, it is important to judge if one is climbing up or going down and act accordingly. Birla Carbon wasn’t doing well at a point of time but we analyzed the situation, acquired Columbian Chemicals and we rank number one today. We continue exploring new business options but aim at staying among the top three in any business we get into. Thus, I can say that we only need to evaluate how we can make things better and consistently work towards improvement, rest everything falls into place eventually.How do you stay number one in business?We strongly believe in work ethics and always follow a professional approach. We give due importance to analysis, safety precautions and tests. It is also our consistent efforts that have helped us stay at the number one position.What does ABG offer to the youth of today?At ABG we emphasize on fast-paced growth. We also give all the new hires a chance to interact with the leadership. Our open-door policy ensures that each idea is heard and pondered upon. Moreover, having a strong presence in the manufacturing industry provides young minds with an opportunity to learn things from scratch. Also, they have the opportunity to explore different avenues because of our diverse businesses. We encourage and help everyone develop an open mindset and eagerness for learning at ABG.