Dear Friends,
This month, I turned 50. It’s a significant milestone in my life and has led me to reflect deeply on my purpose for the future — a purpose that will inevitably influence the way I work. Based on the areas I am involved in, I now feel it’s time to slowly begin stepping back and allow the next generation to step forward. This transition has already begun.
It was my heartfelt wish to have my family close during this milestone, and to spend quality time with my children. We all gathered in Tanzania, a beautiful African country. Surrounded by breathtaking nature and each other’s company, I felt deeply fulfilled. My mother lovingly preserved many of my childhood pictures and writings, and my children gave me thoughtful gifts straight from the heart.
The natural beauty of the place and the warmth of its people left a lasting impression on me.
Project Jagruti is progressing. Despite financial delays and challenges, the team is fully committed, and I am hopeful we won’t face major setbacks. There have been some obstacles during the shutdown, but I trust we’ll give it our all and achieve our goals.
In the area of innovation, we had begun to fall behind — partly because I struggled to place the right leadership. I’ve realized that even while we continue to search for the ideal leaders, we can still move forward meaningfully. With this mindset, many of us came together to discuss multiple projects. As a result, around 8 project teams have now been formed to drive innovation forward. Our internal search for leadership continues. We must succeed in innovation — not only to influence our customers with better products but also to bring about real, lasting change. As of now, our work is limited by our own thinking.
Two major areas of focus for me this year are Delivery Solutions and Non-Metallized Flexible Packaging. Encouragingly, both have made strong progress. The delivery team has conducted extensive trials and is close to its target. The flexible packaging team carried out a pilot study in England, which provided several important learnings and has set us up for future success.
We also made key decisions in our Food Service Business that will lay the foundation for future growth. We plan to expand our Ayodhya plant and form meaningful partnerships to reach new markets. Our team in the USA has also made remarkable progress, with orders now flowing in — a golden opportunity for us. The world is looking towards India, and we have immense potential to grow. As part of this momentum, we had the opportunity to host a visit from the globally renowned company RePack and discussed possibilities for collaboration.
After a long time, our Board Members also visited Ayodhya. We are continuously working to strengthen our board, and recently, we welcomed Ms. Dinika Bhatia, a successful entrepreneur in her own right, as our newest board member.
There are many challenges ahead — but we also have the courage to face them. And together, we will keep moving forward.
With warm wishes,
Yours,
Ved
