Mr. Harsh Upadhyay carries a special vibe of a go-getter and is definitely someone who is result driven. He also reveals his extremely dedicated passion of reading with greed which is a clear example why he has an uncluttered thought process. No wonder that he has been with Merino Group since 2004-05, and has grown immensely as an individual as well as a leader, thanks largely to his enterprising, aggressive and an unparalleled ability to work in a team. And it is certain that team men like Mr. Upadhyay will keep getting strong, as the old Ethiopian saying goes, “When spider webs unite; They can tie up a lion”.
Mr. Upadhyay begins by stating that he is really happy to know that his institute remembers him. He is also in touch with most of his batch mates who are all well settled with reputed organisations. After completion of his schooling from his hometown Varanasi, he was aspiring for a technical career and almost got into II T. He then graduated from University of Lucknow and it is here that he developed a knack for management. “Gradually, I could see my career objective shifting from technical to management”, he reminds. Subsequently, he and his friends visited IIPM Delhi campus in Qutab Institutional Area where they also interacted with some faculty members. Mr. Upadhyay thus decided to join IIPM for Spring Summer ’03. “Thus began a two year journey that has been memorable”, he adds with joy.
The best learning from IIPM, is perfectly summed up by him as he says, “Ability to handle pressure and multi tasking are the prime learning that I got from IIPM, and that has helped me till today in my life”. He still holds immense respect for Prof. Amit Bagga, and, Prof. KK Srivastava and Prof. A.Sandeep who counseled him to choose his field in management because at that time everyone was going crazy about finance. It is after this that he got an offer from Merino Group in 2004 and they were looking for someone for sales strategies and planning. “For the first two years, I slogged day in and day out”, he adds. Mr. Upadhyay traveled everyday to Rohat which was 50 kms away from his home in Malviya Nagar. “I left for work at 6.00 am and got back at 12.30 am for almost two years”. In those two years, he ardently put in all the learning he had picked up and soon he was looking after sales of entire North region. “Merino then was preparing to launch a new range of products in association with Besco – a Singapore based multinational”, he affirms. Mr. Upadhyay got the opportunity to set up the business operations for Merino Besco in Mumbai as he was considered to be reliable and aggressive by his Director. So 2006 onwards, he was in Mumbai and set up the entire business operations. “I was the first one from this vertical and in two years, we were a team of 22 people”, he adds. And Merino Besco was spread across Mumbai, Pune, Gujrat, Goa, and, also in central India in Indore, Bhopal, Raipur etc. The turnover had gone up to INR 160,000,000 and then Mr. Upadhyay returned to New Delhi but only after he had developed a worthy successor for the Mumbai area.
Mr. Upadhyay then got to work in another project in association with Hanwa – A Korean multinational. He explains, “Hanwa is the 3rd largest producer of acrylic sheets in the world after Du Pont and LG”. Just when the whole project was ready, recession hit the Indian market and the launch was halted. He then returned to the existing vertical and became the head of the complete Indian market. The turnover moved to INR 220,000,000, and as a result Mr. Upadhyay was now the country head. He adds, “This year, we have had revenue of INR 620,000,000, and the next year we are on fast track mode and are eying INR 1,000,000,000”. Mr. Upadhyay then takes us through some of the amazing clients and projects that Merino has proudly been part of. These ranges from New Delhi Airport’s T3, Mumbai Airport, Formula1 Circuit, Common Wealth Games 2010, each and every multiplex chain’s washrooms, and all the trial rooms in Globus, Lifestyle, Shopper’s Stop, and, Pantaloons. He goes on to add further, “In the past 8 years, Merino has executed 8,000 projects through a dedicated team of 180 professionals across the country, and sold 100,000 units”. The growth of Merino Group has been very good at 35 per cent and they are expecting a 38 per cent growth this year as well. “We are targeting a 100 per cent growth next year and I truly believe that we can achieve that”, adds Mr. Upadhyay with confidence. It is worth noting that Merino also holds 74 per cent of their respective market share.
Mr. Upadhyay believes that his team loves him because he is a hands-on manager. He thinks that it is better to be in the battle front rather than just drawing battleship strategies on paper. He is always involved with his team at all levels and feels that authority can give one power but never respect. “Power and authority fades away with time but the respect and learning you earn will stay with you forever”, he says, and also affirms that it is the basic lesson of life. Getting back to IIP M, he discloses that having worked with so many management graduates from various top ranked institutes, he is convinced that IIP M students are exceptional when it comes to grounded expectations out of life and career. “They are also extremely street smart which is very good”, he quips. He also affirms that he will be more than willing to support the institute in any which way possible
On a personal front, Mr. Upadhyay is a reader with varied taste and choice. He reads everything from Sydney Sheldon, Jeffrey Archer, Lance Armstrong, Henri Charrière, Arundhati Roy, Robin Sharma, and many more. “I think no one can have a favourite author but I go by content most of the time”. His parents are in Varanasi and visit him when they get time.
Cult wishes that his objectives and numbers that he has envisioned for Merino come true, and, he may always, ‘keep walking’ on the paths of achievements in every walk of life.
