Entrepreneur India – July 2019

JULY 2019 l ENTREPRENEUR l 37

A

s a teenager, Thomas Muthoot Jr would often
visit Muthoot’s branches across Tamil Nadu and
Kerala with his grandfather Mathew Thomas
Muthoot, who would often interact with his customers
to understand their pain points and advise them. This
is when Muthoot Jr learnt his first lesson about the
business – purpose over profit.
He says, “Most of our customers came from lower
strata of the pyramid and hence were not eligible
to get a bank loan. Our purpose is to build a better
tomorrow for them where they can access banking
services. This value system is also imbibed in me. ”
Prior to joining over a century-old Muthoot
Pappachan Group, Muthoot Jr took up a risk analyst
and advisory role with KPMG. In 2015, he joined the
family business as a marketing manager. Currently, he
is a part of the technology and innovation lab. “The lab
helps us garner insights with the senior management
about technology and innovation around. There are
a lot of employees who have grown with us, so we
want to broaden their insights and develop them into
leaders,” 29-year Muthoot Jr adds.
As a fourth generation entrepreneur, his focus is
to reboot the business. The group recently launched
MSME loans, catering to the needs of businesses
starting from Rs 15,000 to Rs 3 lakh.

B

hairavi Jani,

Managing

Director, SCA

Group of Companies,

can seamlessly operate a

majority of machines and

forklifts owned by her

company. If the preceding

three generations of

your family is engaged in

logistics business, you

are more or less groomed

to be a part of the legacy.

But Tushar Jani, co-

founder of domestic

courier giant Blue Dart,

tested Bhairavi’s acumen

in entrepreneurial arenas

first. After graduation,

she worked with KPMG

for a few years and then

returned to India.

In 2001, she launched

her independent venture,

i3pl, a fourth-party

logistics company. Jani

had always cherished

memories of ports and

airports she used to visit

with her father during

childhood where trucks,

containers and aircraft

would whiz past. But

her personal experience

was harrowing. “I was

a 21-year-old woman

entrepreneur. It was hard

to recruit talent as older

men didn’t want to work

for a woman,” she iterates.

Though logistics was

infused in her blood,

Jani says that massive

potential of supply chain

industry as a driver for

global trade augmenting

business outcomes is

what prompted her to

find her calling in this

sector. In 2005, she was

elevated as the director of

all companies under SCA

Group.

“The industry provides

an opportunity to work

with a wide range of

skilled professionals –

from ground operations

team to supply chain and

distribution strategists.

This provides an

excellent opportunity for

leadership development,”

says Bhairavi. In 2008,

she established a

30,000-pallet multi-user

warehouse which didn’t

go down well with market

players. “We eventually

managed to convince the

players,” she says. “We are

also setting up a logistics

venture accelerator to

support exciting ventures,”

adds Jani.

THE LOGISTICS

THOMAS MUTHOOT JOHN, Director, TASKMASTER

Muthoot Microfin BHAIRAVI JANI, Executive Director,^

SCA Group of Companies

Muthoot Pappachan

Group Financial

Services’ company’s

gross turnover for

2017-18 is over

Rs 3,000

cr.

LOGISTICS & BEYOND

Apart from investments in

several logistics start-ups,

Jani has pooled money

in platforms that connect

India’s artisans and farmers

to global markets

FINANCIAL WIZARD