This year, India witnessed veterans from various fields step up and take a bow for their extraordinary achievements at the Padma Awards. Years ago, these civilians embarked upon a journey to dedicate their lives to causes that were closest to their hearts. Their work has changed the lives of people across the country and continues to inspire many to pick up the mantle. One such name in this year’s list of recipients is Padma Bhushan awardee Venu Srinivasan for his contributions towards Trade and Industry. He was also conferred the Padma Shri award in 2010.

An alumnus of Purdue University, University of Warwick and the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Venu Srinivasan is the Chairman of the TVS Group, which includes Sundaram-Clayton (SCL) and TVS Motor Company, India’s third largest two-wheeler maker. In 1979, he became the managing director of SCL and went on to become the chairman of TVS Motor Company. In the late 1980s, Srinivasan drove a turnaround for the company by upgrading plant machinery, investing in new technologies and implementing Total Quality Management (TQM), a Japanese method of process-driven manufacturing.

In 2002, TVS Motor Company Ltd won the Deming award and in 2019, Venu Srinivasan himself was conferred the Deming ‘Distinguished Service Award for Dissemination and Promotion Overseas’- the first Indian industrialist to receive this prestigious award. As the former President of CII and Chairman of the National Committee for Quality, Venu Srinivasan actively accelerated TQM promotion in India. More than 100,000 practicing managers were trained in TQM methods and since 2000, Indian companies have won the maximum Deming Prizes.

Venu Srinivasan is also known for his deep commitment to the environment society. Under his leadership, TVS Motor Company has also recently announced that it has joined United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest sustainability initiative, becoming the first Indian two-wheeler and three-wheeler manufacturer to do so. He is also the Managing Trustee of Srinivasan Services Trust (SST). The trust, set up by Venu Srinivasan in 1996 as the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of TVS Motor Company and SCL, operates in over 5000 villages and focuses on economic development, health, education, infrastructure, environment, women empowerment, afforestation and social and cultural development. It employs TQM principles for community development. Along with CII, he was instrumental in initiating the Village Buddha program to implement systematic and organized activities for development by learning from the CSR experiences of other Indian companies. SST’s aim is to take the model of empowerment and transformational change to over 20,000 villages in India to make them sustainable and self-reliant. Learn more about Srinivasan Services Trust’s success here.

By constantly giving back to society while achieving business goals, Venu Srinivasan has time and again proved that true leadership lies in leaving no one behind. His rock-solid vision, hard work, persistence and right work ethos has set the bar high for future leaders and left behind a legacy of learnings and experiences for businesses and societies alike.