'Catch' me if you can, says Rajiv Kumar.

Indian Inc. is dotted with family run businesses that have metamorphosed to diversified blue chip companies but DS Group, is perhaps the sole group that has done it in a very short span of time. After tantalizing the taste buds of Indians for almost seven decades with leading tobacco brands like Rajnigandha, Rajiv Kumar, the present MD was futuristic enough to realize the importance of diversification and that the mantra of survival lies in becoming a conglomerate. Today the group is not only limited to mere tobacco business but is present across wide spectrum of industries – right from chewing tobacco, food & beverages, real estate, hospitality and packaging.

Q: When did you join the organization ?
Rajiv : “I don’t remember when I started visiting the organization, but one thing in my 20s I realized that with only tobacco one cannot survive long. Tobacco players all over the world were diversifying and I wanted to do something innovative that at the same time was compatible with our product portfolio. So I ventured into the spices and salt business at a point of time, when Indians hardly could think of having branded table salt. And hence, in 1987 we created ‘Catch’, which till today has dominated the market.

Q: And how do you think this success of Catch has been possible ?
Rajiv : You need to have a distinct brand identity along with constant updation of your product. At the same time you should never compromise with your brand image even in face of competition. Tata’s swere into cooking salt so I never focused on that idea. My focus was limited to a distinct brand image in branded table salt and spices. When I ventured into beverages. I kept in mind the same thing. We were the pioneer to unleash several variants under branded water portfolio.

Q: Apart from food and beverages, what are the other areas where DS Group has created a strong presence?
Rajiv : Apart from these, we produce aluminum foil. We have even tied up with Swiss packaging technology major, CANPAC for that Today the group has spread its arms in Canada, US, South America, Africa, Europe and Middle East. We are also into real estate, which we started by acquiring heritage buildings in tier II cities and then we converted it into Three Star hotels. Like we acquired a Mannu Maharani in 2000 at Nanital and renovated it into a Five Star hotel. Then we tested with a heritage Congress office in the heart of Shimla and converted it into a confectionary shop without disturbing the legacy of the building. Now we are even planning to make it a big restaurant with the aura matching that period. This experience will enable us to open heritage and Five Star hotels in metros across the country. We also have acquired Calcutta Airport Property and will unravel hotels and resorts in Goa, Jaipur and several other places across the country under the flagship brand.

b : We want to become a conglomerate. We want to do what ITC has done. But at the same time, unlike ITC we want to create a separate brand for all our ventures and place that brand in consumers’ mind. We don’t want to place DS Group in consumers mind.

Q : What role-does your employee play in decision making activities ?
Rajiv : My employees come from diverse background and when my people are so experienced I can always give them the power to take decisions for everything. My father and uncles days are over, you need to have a professionally run organization. And even if I am hiring a fresher, today’s generation is technically so efficient and buoyant that I have full faith in them. But in this case I believe in collective decision making. I firmly believe in team spirit.

Q: What is your definition of a true leader ?
Rajiv : People should not be afraid of a true leader, rather his employee should do the work with passion and responsibility assigned to him. At the same time, a leader should always be ready to protect his people. I think a classic example of this is Lord Krishna, from Hindu mythology, who assigned responsibilities to people but always was prepared with the ultimate strategy to rescue the team.