Wockhardt. The company name sums up the philosophy of founder and chairman Habil Khorakiwala, who is also the president of Ficci. Fairness, hard work and setting an example are three qualities that describe him the best. Life is all about setting an example. ?Whatever I do, I must make a difference. If I don?t make a difference, I don?t feel happy inside,? he says. Khorakiwala, 65, has always been a dreamer. But, ?I don?t dream in numbers or quantity. Whatever I do, I must establish a kind of mark. People should look up to you for running an organisation. For me it is very important to be accepted as a leader.?
He founded the company in the early 1960s and today Wockhardt has a market capitalisation of over $1 billion and an annual turnover of $650 million. His leadership has seen the company spread its wings from India to the UK, Ireland and France. It has subsidiaries in the US, the UK, Ireland and France and marketing offices in Africa, Russia, Central and
South East Asia.
So does this obsession with hard work affect his family life? ?I have always carried two jobs. It makes me feel that I am contributing to something. And my family is understanding.? He adds, ?It?s not the amount of time you spend with your family, but the kind of connectivity that you have with your family members that makes a big difference. Spending two hours here and eight hours there is not going to make a difference if the time is not spent well. Even half an hour of quality time with family is enough,? he says. He dotes on his two sons Huzaifa and Murtaza and one daughter, Zahabiya.
His wife and companion for the past 40 years, Nafisa does demand her share of time, though. He admits, ?She does complain at times.? He makes up in his own way. ?We go on holidays, particularly to visit new places.? So, what?s his favourite holiday spot? ?Oh! there are a number of places. The world is too large.?
His holiday destinations should be away from the usual life. A safari or going to the beach with friends relax him the most. ?A two-week break is the maximum I take at any point of time. I take two-three breaks a year.? But when he is not vacationing, he finds time to indulge himself. ?I like to swim or work out at my home gym or read books.? Of course, there is nothing like spending time with friends and family. ?I like to know what?s happening in their lives.?
Time flies by. People come and go. So do friends. ?At different times of my life, I had ?very good friends?. Some of them have remained friends, but have lost contact with others due to differences in time and distance. But for the past 40 years the only person who has remained with me as my best friend is my wife,? he says with a smile. ?She is very caring and understanding.?
But life was not been always that beautiful. ?A long time ago when we were putting up our first factory in Aurangabad, I had very little money. I borrowed from all kinds of lenders.? Today, Wockhardt has grown to become one of the top pharmaceutical companies in India employing more than 4,500 people. ?It was the most challenging part,? he says. ?Moving out from Mumbai to establish a manufacturing facility was a huge risk.? During 1980s, biotechnology was not much heard of. ?Surviving the first three-four years was a big challenge,? he adds. Today, Wockhardt is present in more than 90 countries and has businesses ranging from manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical formulations, bulk drugs, vaccines, medical nutrition and health products to hospitals.
He says, ?I believe that every time there is a difficulty, it provides opportunities and challenges. Overcoming them proves your mettle.? His courage to venture into the unknown has paid rich dividends is quite evident today. ?Sometimes you have to venture into the unknown. You come across totally new experiences. It happened with us when we developed new technologies or sometimes brought in new technologies,? he says.
Khorakiwala in his younger days came across many doomsayers but still kept moving on. ?We started engaging with scientists and biotechnology.? That was before liberalisation when people were not very optimistic about the prospects of biotechnology. But courage of conviction helped him.
?That is how we built our industry even in bad economy. And we built up our capabilities. In the late ?80s and early ?90s, we were an Indian company with small exports. After liberalisation, our ambition to do business and establish manufacturing facilities grew. We went on to buy companies in the UK and Europe.?
He says, ?Buying new companies and working with new people was a new experience for us.? He adds, ?When you buy a loss making company, you work a lot during the initial years. You invest money and rework the strategy, but still continue to lose money. So, finally we decided to bring in Indian leadership to get results.?
That was the time when he says he learnt his biggest lesson in life. ?Good management is good management and it works everywhere,? he laughs.
But treading an uncharted road does have the element of uncertainty. ?Any major change you bring about has a degree of uncertainty. Let?s accept that. Our first bold step was acquisition outside India. That had a huge degree of uncertainty because we always looked at western countries with a degree of awe. When we acquired our first company abroad, India did not enjoy an image like what it has now.? It was an early stage of globalisation.
?Even the people working abroad (managers and directors of the acquired companies) did not respect you the way an Indian manager would. And now, they respect us for what we have done. Once you overcome that initial challenge, you know how to respond.?
For tackling similar pressure situations, Khorakiwala follows some basic philosophies. ?Stretch yourself and never compromise with the quality of your output.? He adds, ?If you follow these rules, it makes work much easier for everybody in the organisation. People who do not focus on quality will not be seen in good light. And they will know it.?
However, does doing the same business day in and day out make life monotonous? ?I was lucky,? he says with a smile. ?I stayed with what I started with and just built around it. I don?t look at it as a monotonous job. What I was doing five-seven years ago is not what I am doing now. My job is changing all the time,? he laughs.
The quality that sets leaders like Khorakiwala apart from the rest is their courage. ?One should try to do what others have not done. Try to go where others have not gone before. If you don?t do that, you can?t be successful.?
He adds, ?You should have the courage of conviction.? And the ever-humble Khorakiwala has reasons to believe in it. He explains, ?That?s how we built our company. There are ups and downs in life,? he says. ?It happens all the time. What helps is steadfastness. It is very essential.? And who inspires him? ?Mahatma Gandhi,? he says reverentially.
?He had little resources but his ability to influence and motivate people were extraordinary leadership qualities. His fundamental ideas were pathbreaking. There are many people who find it difficult to implement ideas. And they break under pressure. He had the ability to be steadfast.?
There is one more quality that is important for being successful, Khorakiwala believes. ?You need to be aggressive to succeed. Not in a literal sense but aggressive in ideas, by aiming high and getting people follow you. One should accept people who have unconventional ideas.?
He adds, ?When you follow innovation and out-of-the-box thinking, you have a better chance of being successful.? He has always believed in one thing. ?If you passionately believe in something, go by your instinct and do it. Don?t be discouraged by what others say.?
Fact File
* He has a Master?s degree in pharmaceutical science from Purdue University, USA
* Advanced management programme from Harvard Business School, USA
* He took over as Ficci president in February 2007
* Wockhardt is amongst the top five Indian pharmaceutical companies
* In 2002, Wockhardt and Harvard Medical International set up WHARF (Wockhardt-HMI HIV/AIDS Education and Research Foundation) to scale up training of healthcare providers
* Wockhardt runs hospitals, too
