Leaders Q&A: Mr. Mahendra Singhi, CEO of Dalmia Cement

In an exclusive interview with India Cement & Construction Materials Magazine, Mahendra Singhi, CEO of Dalmia Cement, explained the secret of the company's success, discussed the increased focus on sustainability and shared the expectations for the Indian cement industry.

Q: Dalmia Cement has been a leader in cement manufacturing in the past few years. What is the secret to the company's success?

A: We have been at the vanguard of the industry since 1939, and are in the top quartile of cement manufacturers in India. While there are several attributes which define and drive us, the salient ones are: a deeply imbued sense of ownership, and therefore desire to excel, by each employee. This is enabled by our practiced values, which promote innovation, team-play, collaboration, speed, excellence and leadership. In addition to this, we have fostered a strong culture of performance quality, innovation and lateral thinking. We have not only been eager to embrace technology, but also use it to customize and tweak it to the nuance of our businesses. Strong corporate governance, a ÔÇÿcan doÔÇÖ attitude, and a zeal to grow are other attributes which have helped us.

Q: The Company undertook a major restructuring exercise recently. Explain to us the merger rationale and what kind of synergies you expect to play out.

A: We reorganized the businesses with a view to simplify the group structure, create one listed entity, consolidate into a single operating cement company and pursue focused growth towards Pan India presence.

This created a renewed and sharper focus to realize our corporate vision (to be a leader in building materials that evokes pride in all stakeholders through customer centricity, innovation, sustainability and our values). It further strengthened our position as one of the leading cement players in India, uniquely placed to support the country's economic growth, and demonstrates our commitment towards achieving simplification and consolidation.

Read more of this exclusive interview in: ICCM Magazine Issue 35