The calm on his face and his easy style belie the aggression about this corporate honcho. He puts it simply, ?It?s mostly inside me and aggression is what drives me.? For Sandip Somany, the joint managing director of Hindustan Sanitaryware Industries Ltd (HSIL), achieving what he wants and achieving it fast is important. It?s perhaps the reason why one of his favourite hobbies is car racing. ?You?ve got to be on the move,? he says.

HSIL?s results for FY-2007-08 showed a revenue of Rs 576 crore and Sandip wants this figure to touch the Rs 1,000 crore mark by 2010.

Born in Kolkata and brought up in Delhi, Sandip, 45, has fond memories of his childhood. ?Even though we stayed in Vasant Kunj (an upmarket locality in South Delhi), we were never made to feel like we were a privileged lot. The only luxury I remember is a car dropping us at school.? The rest, he says, was the same for him and his two sisters. They weren?t given pocket money till they had reached high school. So being born with a silver spoon was an adage Sandip never really understood much.

What he did understand, however, from an early age was business. ?I didn?t know the intricacies of it, but since business families always talk business, it made its way into my system,? he smiles. His family, he tells you, were stockbrokers in Kolkata who got into business in 1944 with their first company Somany Glassworks. In 1952, they set up Hindustan Glassworks. The business was expanding and that is when Sandip?s father, RK Somany, moved to Delhi and set up HSIL in collaboration with Twyfords of the UK in 1962.

It was during his second year of college that Sandip started going to his factory in Bahadurgarh in Haryana. ?It wasn?t like I was ever told by my father that I had to take over the business. But I think it always interested me,? he explains. It doesn?t mean that Sandip stepped in as a boss immediately. In fact, he joined the company as a trainee. ?When you are the boss, people expect you to know it all. But I was like any other employee, which made my learning so much more meaningful.?

It was during his second year at college that he also convinced his professors at Bhagat Singh College in South Delhi to let him go for a year to study ceramic engineering from the University of California. That one year gave Sandip an edge when it came to his career growth. But the best lesson he considers is the one he learnt in 1989 when he decided to buy Krishna Ceramics, a sick unit in Bibinagar in Andhra Pradesh, when he was all of 24.

Of course, elders in the family thought it wasn?t a wise decision. It was the reason that made it easier for him, Sandip says, to take complete charge. ?They just let me be, which was the best thing that could have happened. The company at that time was running into losses of Rs 30 Lakh and I kind of took it up as a challenge to turn it around.?

So right from reassessing the staff (only 4 of 24 employees were retained) to solving labour problems, Sandip handled it all to finally start producing 4,000 tonne units per year. Today this figure has grown by almost four times. Sandip says, ?It?s very important to coach people and to mentor them because that is what makes all the difference.?

Although the Somany family was very happy with this turnaround, there were other issues that were beginning to show up. ?My father took his elder brother?s words as sacrosanct. On the other hand, I am all for respect and taking elder?s advice but to think that just because somebody is an elder and will come up with the right advice isn?t acceptable to me. I have a simple logic. Let everybody give ideas and let the best idea win. This idea could come from anyone. Since the younger generation in the family was coming up, the differences were bound to surface. We decided it would be best to part ways. It wasn?t easy but it seemed like the best thing.?

In 1995, the Somany family split businesses and did it amicably. ?Back then we had PwC settle our accounts. It was done professionally which, I think, helped in leaving no bad blood behind. We still visit each other and are on good terms,? says Sandip.

The new development was positive for Sandip who now wanted to take the sanitaryware business to a new high. ?When you want to grow, you have to look at various aspects. Take salaries, for example. Elders in the family were never for big salaries. I, on the other hand, believe that if you pay peanuts, you?ll only get monkeys. You have to pay according to the talent.?

So from salaries to working style, a lot changed in the company when Sandip took over. The senior Somany knew that his son?s working style was different from his but the father son-duo learnt the balancing act. ?We always have a discussion. It?s the best way of dealing with issues,? Sandip says matter of factly.

Also thanks to the division, they also acquired a glass company. Today AGI Glasspac supplies bottles to corporate biggies like GlaxoSmithKline, Dabur, Unilever and Kingfisher. Thanks to his efficient team of managers who he trusts completely, Sandip gets to focus on Hindware and the other new projects. ?It?s important to trust people. Once you trust them, they deliver more.?

His father is very much the chairman but when it comes to strategy and planning, the senior Somany lets his son do all the planning. ?Dad likes to attend a lot of seminars and conferences. While he focuses on all this, I look at strategy, planning and new products.?

Sandip admits that he is aggressive, but it?s that kind of aggression, he assures, which is not harmful. He gives his work the best and expects the same from his employees. His old friend Arvind Singhania, chairman, Ester Industries Ltd, who has known him for 34 years, agrees as much when he says, ?I have known Sandip since 1974 and my fondness for him only increases with each passing day. The growth of his company is enough evidence of his capabilities as an owner/manager. He is very professional in his approach towards his work and team. Sandip is a very dedicated worker, a loving family man and a dependable and loyal friend.?

Sandip is also very competitive. ?You have to be a fool to believe that there won?t be competition. Gone are the days when you would be the only player. Today you don?t have just Indian companies as competition, but also foreign brands vying for the customer?s attention. So, you have to be the best.?

Last year, Hindware came up with about 200 new designs. ?We were the ones to come up with a urinal that saves 28,000 tonnes of water a year. We were the first ones to come up with a waterless urinal. These are achievements we are most proud of,? he boasts. In fact, being environment friendly is something the company pays a lot of attention to. ?All the credit goes to my father. He started water recycling in our plants long before it was even heard of. Today all our plants are recycling water,? explains Sandip.

In fact HSIL not only has an ISO 9001 (quality management system) but also 14001 (environment management system) and OHSAS 18001(the world?s most recognised framework for occupational health and safety management systems) certificate.

This year also saw the company foray into retail. Sandip hopes to take the retail business to another high with Evok, a company run by Hindustan Home Retail Pvt Ltd. ?We want to be a one-stop shop for customers. From sanitaryware to carpets to cushion to decor to chimneys, we want to take care of all their needs. We plan to start three more stores in six months and 50 in three years,? he says.

But he also knows where to draw the line when it comes to work and life balance. ?I never take work back home,? he says. Sandip usually tries to take two holidays in a year with his wife Sumita and 13-year-old-son Shashvat.

But he makes sure he also finds time for his personal interests. ? I always watch the F1 season,? he says proudly. He finds time to race, which is one of his favourite hobbies, ?The last I raced was in Malaysia about two and a half year back. It?s been a while and I?m looking forward to getting back to it. He also loves to dive. In fact, he is a certified diver. ?It?s amazing to see another world beyond ours. The water is so calm and all you hear is the sound of bubbles you let out when you breathe out. The colours are amazingly vivid. It?s fascinating.?

Fact File

* Sandip?s father, RK Somany, moved to Delhi and set up Hindustan Sanitaryware Industries Ltd in collaboration with Twyfords of the UK in 1962.

* Sandip, who joined the company as a trainee, is today leading the company as joint managing director.

* The comany also forayed into retail business this year to offer a one-stop solution to its customers for home care needs.