Mr. Mehul C. Choksi (Chairman and Managing Director, Gitanjali Group) interacts with Keshia Sirohi about his passion and initiatives for societal development, contributing his share to a better world.
Resonating the very essence of grandeur across the globe, Mr. Mehul C. Choksi is the face behind Gitanjali’s creativity, quality and innovation. The leader who has grown up playing with diamonds, he has added a dazzling saga to India’s gems and jewellery industry with his glittering brands, including Nakshatra, D’damas, Gili, Asmi, Diya and Sangini. Backed by his quest for perfection, invincible zest and innate brilliance, this harbinger of wisdom has rewritten the rules of the industry with his unequalled instinct and skill. Let’s unravel the dynamic journey of Mr. Choksi…
Q. Taking us back to your roots, tell us about your childhood. What were the expectations when reins of the business were passed to you?
A. My father had entered the diamond business, so it was a prominent part of my growing-up years. When he passed away in 1985, I was barely out of college, and it was always understood that I would steer and grow the business from the foundations that he had built.
Q. Being at the helm of the group known for making breakthrough contributions to the industry, would you agree that the most successful businesses are the ones where people know how to break the rules?
A. Success is not so much about breaking rules merely for the sake of doing so, but about being willing to go beyond established frontiers and explore new opportunities when the situation requires it. Even then, it must be done only by combining a careful analysis of the possibilities, along with the hunch or gut feeling of what is going to work.
Q. How does Gitanjali retain its position of being world’s largest integrated-branded jewellery manufacturer-retailer?
A. There is no simple formula, but I would say that our success is based on keeping our fingers on the consumer pulse, delivering what they desire and winning their trust through constantly delivering quality. The name Gitanjali and of each brand of ours have become synonymous with these aspects.
Q. Brief us about the initiatives of the Gitanjali Group to bring a remarkable change in the society.
A. Gitanjali has set up a dedicated CSR team to coordinate our social initiatives under the banner ‘Sambhav’. I can say proudly that we have taken steps to give back to the society long before the government made it mandatory. Our initiatives cut across many segments, like health, education, women’s upliftment, environment, employment generation, etc. But the one that is closest to my heart is ‘Saksham’ and is related to providing employment opportunities to People with Disabilities (PwD). We realised that the specific nature of manufacturing in the gems and jewellery industry made it possible to employ people suffering from a range of physical disabilities, and so we set up a project to train such candidates. Today, we have over 400 persons with disabilities working in our company and are also training more while encouraging other diamond companies to recruit them. Our Saksham programme is a benchmark for the industry.
Q. What are your expectations from the HR department?
A. The HR department plays a key role in training and development of employees, keeping motivational levels high, and ensuring enthusiastic participation in work. The HR team shows employees that the company and management care for them.
Q. Tell us about the work culture at Gitanjali.
A. There is a great stress on collective decision-making as well as individual responsibility at Gitanjali. Teams are encouraged to take initiative and every individual is given great incentives to deliver the same.
Q. Going forward, what can we expect from Gitanjali? Do you have any plans to diversify in other sectors?
A. Gitanjali has already made several new forays by branching out from our roots in the diamond business. The company is rooted in India, but has global operations. Manufacturing is still a key area for us, but we have a presence right down to branded retail. Gems and jewellery is still at the core of our business model, but we have many ventures in related segments, including watches and apparels, of the luxury lifestyle sector. Going forward, this will continue to be our key approach. We will consider extending our brands to related verticals while keeping gems and jewellery at the centre, and definitely explore new geographies even as we consolidate existing ones.
