Adi Godrej

I feel the Godrej brand has generally come to signify trust to most consumers. 400 million Indians use one or the other Godrej product on a daily basis, and they have come to accept it. We will, thus, continue positioning Godrej strongly on the trust platform. ”

We have a company, Geometric Software, which is into engineering services software. We have a company called Nature's Basket, which is into gourmet retailing. Both are specialized companies. ”

Our expectation is that by 2050, which is a long time away, India will be the largest economy in the world, overtaking both the U.S. and China. ”

It's a mistake to believe technology rests outside India. We compete very successfully. ”

We own only a small percentage in Omnivore, but we manage it. It is basically a venture capital fund to help newer enterprises and provide them with the funding they require in their early stages of development. ”

We continue to look at accretive and synergistic acquisitions both in the domestic as well as international markets. Our emphasis, thus, will be on strategic acquisitions, and we will not be doing it just for the sake of making our name bigger. ”

From our group, we've had joint ventures with a lot of international companies: Procter & Gamble, General Electric, Sara Lee, currently with Hershey's and Tyson. We've learned a lot of the best practices. ”

We have very strong succession plans across all group companies. But we do not comment on it. The retirement age is 60 years, but it does not apply to family professionals who work in the business. ”

Our acquisition strategy is very clear: 3x3. Three continents - Asia, Africa and South America, and in three categories where we have strong positions - personal wash, household care and hair care. ”

When we acquire businesses in the developing world, we estimate if the growth opportunities are strong. ”