“Only through dedicated work does a man fulfil himself.” – William S Carlson, Academician
Every human being has a dream, but few dare to live that dream. There is no realization of dreams without hard work and dedication. Persistence and hard work have no substitute and hence one must keep looking for opportunities and build on them, step-by-step with each one leading closer to the ultimate goal. One such dedicated and highly passionate leader with a great vision and the ability to translate it into reality is Madhav Kurup, CEO (Middle East), Hellmann Worldwide Logistics LLC.
Madhav is a visionary leader who is an eclectic mix of high ambition and humble personality. He started as a trainee with Maerskline Agency operations in India and then took over as Integrated Logistics Manager for Schlumberger IPM, thus managing a multinational workforce in India right from his initial days. In the year 2000, he moved to Dubai and joined RHS Group and scaled up to be the General Manager for all the integrated logistics units. In 2008 took over as the CEO for the Middle East for Hellmann Worldwide Logistics. His new role saw him transforming the company into a key player in the market by establishing new verticals by joint ventures in automotive and healthcare. Since his tenure, Hellmann has become market leaders in the said vertical and has expanded its activities within the region employing more than two thousand staff within the region. The company has also established new joint ventures in chemical in UAE and fashion in Sri Lanka. Madhav is presently working on creating niche integrated solutions in E-commerce space.
Bring on the Challenges!
Madhav is known to have great people management skills and has created a highly motivated true multinational team that is the pillar behind his success. But even this source of motivation for others needed to draw energy to keep himself motivated and stay ahead. For Madhav, the results of his work motivate him the most. He says, “Results give me new strength and the desire to tackle more tasks and if possible improve myself. I get inspiration from directly visible effects and successes of my work.” Success at the end of time and effort consuming project infuses more inspiration and acts as a driving force leading one to take a chance and do something great with a great result. So he cites all self-made successful people as his inspiration.
Reflecting on Moments
One’s life is made of memories and events, both good and bad, on which one can reflect on looking back. Madhav’s most memorable and remarkable moment personally was when his daughter was born. On the professional front, his remarkable moment is his journey of taking Hellmann from a loss-making company into one of most successful players in the Middle East. His efforts saw Hellmann achieve market leadership in the Automotive as well as in the Healthcare vertical.
Reminiscing about the toughest deal to crack, he says, “When I took over Hellmann, the Middle East in 2008, and the company was in trouble. It also coincided with global and local financial crisis making it the most difficult turn around process I have ever dealt with in my career. “
A Company, a Culture
Established in the year 1871, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics L.L.C. has since, expanded and diversified itself and now holds a strong presence in major countries of the world. The company provides logistics services across the globe and of all kinds.
A company of such stature requires employees who are highly motivated and thorough professionals. Madhav takes to motivating the employees through involvement and visibility in important decisions at an early stage as well as an appreciation of the performance. He feels it is important to let the employees feel that the company values them on a professional and personal level.
The work culture in the Middle East office is following the global corporate DNA, as the core of who they are, reside in the fact that they have always been and remain an F.A.M.I.L.Y owned company. The word Family creates its office culture and lets everyone stick to the following main DNA: First people first,
All about the Customers; always
Making it work better; every day
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Live Sustainability and
You and Me.
Miles to go
Madhav’s success has made him a leader to reckon with and a guiding light for young entrepreneurs. He says,” I would advise an entrepreneur to make sure you only commit to goals that you personally consider as realistic.” He says it is important to analyze the starting position and the possible routes to one’s goals. One should take action for what one wants to achieve and focus on oneself. Becoming successful in business is a lot about one’s mindset and determination to achieve the set goals.
For Madhav, the ambitions never die and no destination is unreachable as he leads his team to create new benchmarks for the world to meet. He sums up his life experience as “Never compromise on your integrity, take calculated risks and take ownership for your actions.”
Source :-The 10 Most Influential Indian Business Leaders in the Gulf
Madhav Kurup: A Dedicated and Uncompromising Achiever
