Adi Godrej

“The Godrej group is expanding rapidly. However, we are not diversifying much.”

“In 2008, when the global financial crisis struck, it was a bad year for a lot of developing countries, and it manifested itself in consumer confidence.”

“We were licencees of Sara Lee Corp's air freshener brand Ambi Pur, which they sold to Procter and Gamble. So we handed it over to Procter and Gamble. Now we will introduce our own brand of air freshener.”

“Our acquisition strategy is very clear: 3x3. Three continents - Asia, Africa and South America, and in three categories where we have strong positions - personal wash, household care and hair care.”

“A good monetary policy follows inflationary expectations and not historical numbers.”

“We have very strong succession plans across all group companies. But we do not comment on it. The retirement age is 60 years, but it does not apply to family professionals who work in the business.”

“We have a company, Geometric Software, which is into engineering services software. We have a company called Nature's Basket, which is into gourmet retailing. Both are specialized companies.”

“We are not into financial services, and we are not interested also because we find we are better in branded marketing enterprises.”

“We own only a small percentage in Omnivore, but we manage it. It is basically a venture capital fund to help newer enterprises and provide them with the funding they require in their early stages of development.”

“I feel the Godrej brand has generally come to signify trust to most consumers. 400 million Indians use one or the other Godrej product on a daily basis, and they have come to accept it. We will, thus, continue positioning Godrej strongly on the trust platform.”

“There are too many politicians in the world and too few statesmen.”

“We find it much better not to try and take the Godrej brand across, but use very strong brands we have acquired in different geographies and push them.”

“When you are growing at a rapid rate, there is bound to be some inflation. I think a 5% rate of inflation is something that we should take in our stride.”

“Our expectation is that by 2050, which is a long time away, India will be the largest economy in the world, overtaking both the U.S. and China.”

“If global oil prices or commodity prices are high, then it is bound to create inflation. So, we should not be too worried if the inflation is created by global commodity prices. When they come down, inflation will automatically come down.”

“There must be an opportunity that matches with our strategy. Just because we have a gap, we don't want to go and acquire anything and everything. What we acquire should fit in with our strategy, human resources and market expectations.”

“When we acquire businesses in the developing world, we estimate if the growth opportunities are strong.”

“Politicians and bureaucrats must learn to stay away from the day-by-day functioning of business.”

“I'm not too involved in day-to-day matters. I only supervise at the board level.”

“People should be encouraged by things like awards given for corporate governance practices.”