Anilkumar Manibhai Naik
Group Executive Chairman
Larsen & Toubro Limited | Mumbai (INDIA)
Native:
Endhal (via Bilimora)
Birth:
Endhal (Dist. Navsari), Gujarat
Residence:
Mumbai (Maharashtra)
The Path to Success is Directed by Vision & Paved with Action
Mr. Anilkumar Manibhai Naik heads an organisation that is among the most admired companies in the country – Larsen & Toubro (L&T). He is leading the organization to heights it has never before attained. L&T is reputed for the technological sophistication that characterises its projects and products. It is respected for its contribution to the development of indigenous engineering capability and for its inherent professionalism and value systems.
Passion and Dedication Make an Unbeatable Combination
The story of Mr. Naik’s rise to the highest echelons of Indian industry is all the more remarkable because of its humble beginnings in rural Gujarat. He was born in an Anavil Brahmin family in village Endhal in district Navsari to Smt. Maniben and Shri Manibhai Nichchhabhai Naik. He hailed from a prominent family of educationists. His grandfather – a Gold Medalist – was reputed far and wide for his intellect. His father was a freedom fighter and a Gandhian in thought, spirit and action. Heeding Gandhiji’s call to serve the villages of India, he resigned from a prestigious post in a reputed Mumbai public school and moved with his family to Kharel, south Gujarat.
For Mr. Naik the change meant moving from a posh institution to studying in a small village school equipped with no modern facility. But great minds do not let themselves be limited by circumstance. He performed brilliantly in school and engineering college and soon found himself an opening in Larsen & Toubro.
Your Dream Job Does Not Exist. You Must Create it
Mr. Naik’s journey up the management ladder is truly inspirational. He joined the Company as a Junior Engineer in 1965 and rapidly rose to positions of increasing responsibility as he moved from General Manager to Managing Director and CEO, culminating in his appointment as Chairman & Managing Director on December 29, 2003. Effective April, 2012, the Board of Directors extended Mr. Naik’s tenure as Group Executive Chairman for a period of five years.
He played a pivotal role in transforming L&T into a world-class conglomerate and also led a broad-ranging, transformational process aimed at boosting shareholder value. Some of his significant decisions like the move to de-merge L&T’s cement business to unlock value for shareholders earned him lasting goodwill. He played an active part in conceptualising the proposal of an Employees’ Foundation Trust to strengthen the employees’ sense of belonging and to enable L&T retain its identity and unique character.
Mr. Naik infused a global perspective into L&T’s business orientation by changing mindsets and institutionalising systems. He virtually benchmarked every critical activity in the Company against international standards. The international thrust under Mr. Naik has seen spectacular breakthroughs into the Gulf, US and South-East Asia.
While he was all for globalization, he nevertheless created an organisation where nationalism and patriotism are embedded in the very consciousness of the employees. This is the principal reason that L&T is regarded as a ‘private sector partner’ to India’s key national endeavors – the Green Revolution, development of nuclear energy and the quest into space. L&T has also provided indigenous engineering expertise for critical defence projects. Infrastructure is in prime focus, and L&T is described as ‘the builder of the India of the 21st Century’.
Strength & Growth Come Only Through Continuous Effort & Struggle
The familiar L&T logo has come to represent a benchmark of excellence on its wide range of products. To lead L&T on a path of sustained, profitable growth, Mr. Naik set in motion the process of organisational re-modelling. The Company was restructured into Independent Companies that facilitated aggressive growth across a large revenue base. Mr. Naik has been principally responsible for the extensive use of IT as a major enabler across L&T’s businesses. The organisation, under his leadership, is taking major initiatives to attract, retain and groom talent.
Lasting Progress is Shared Progress
A concern for social and welfare issues complements Mr. Naik’s keen business interests. He is now Chairman & President of Kharel Education Society which runs a high school with the latest education facilities. Under his leadership, L&T has embraced the platforms of health and education as a part of its commitment towards creating a more equitable community in and around the company’s facilities. L&T has also brought healthcare to the underprivileged. Countrywide, a large number of health camps target specific diseases and specific groups. HIV/AIDS awareness, care & support continue to be a thrust area. Besides this Mr. Naik was instrumental in setting up the Larsen & Toubro Public Charitable Trust. Its skill training centres have changed the face and future of sections of society, giving opportunities to school dropouts and unemployed youth.
L&T also contributes to education in many different ways. It builds schools, donates computers, sets up libraries & laboratories, distributes books, organises enrichment classes, donates gym equipment, offers vocational guidance and awards scholarships.
Distinct from the Company’s CSR activities, Mr. Naik has set up personal trusts that meet vital needs. The Naik Charitable Trust and the Nirali Memorial Medical Trust are contributing significantly to education, community building, social service and providing critical medical assistance, especially for cancer patients. Mr. Naik is also associated with several educational and charitable trusts to uplift the rural populace of India. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Indian Business Trust for HIV / AIDS.
In an age where loyalties run thin and jobs are switched many times over, Mr. Naik’s steadfastness and single-minded devotion to advancing the interests of L&T serve as an inspiration to the youth of the country.
Mr. Anilkumar Manibhai Naik’s Perspective on Gujarat
According to Mr. Naik, Gujaratis are everywhere – from the board rooms of blue chip majors though the hotspots of trade to the bustling little store down the road. This demonstrates a tremendous sense of enterprise. Gujaratis are adaptable – but amazingly they never abandon their native characteristics. Rather, they change the environment to suit their needs. This reveals persistence. For the future, Mr. Naik advises the Gujarati to look within himself and at the rich and glorious past of the community and find answers for the challenges ahead. From the days of Narsi Mehta to Gandhiji to more recent icons, the state has many heroes. He is pretty sure that the enterprising Gujarati will come up trumps always!
Family
Mr. Naik is married to Gitaben A. Naik, and this year (2014) the couple celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary. They have two children. Daughter Dr. Pratiksha and her husband Dr. Mukulbhai Shah are practicing in Louisville, USA.
Mr. Naik’s son Jignesh and his wife Rucha are pursuing careers with leading American companies in California.
Although well-settled in the US, the whole family remains very much in touch with developments in India and visit often. We can be sure that their hearts still beat for their home state Gujarat.
Gallery
ISBN : 9788192722146