-Mr. Raja Sivaji Ghosh, Country Managing Director, Sonepar India
Self and Company Introduction
My name is Raja Sivaji Ghosh and I am the Country Managing Director of Sonepar India. I have been with Sonepar for the past 10 years now and have been Managing Director for the past 8 years. I have been privileged to see Sonepar India grow from just 10 M Euro in 2014 to a 100 M Euro company today in India.
Sonepar India is part of the Sonepar Group , headquartered in France ( 32.4B Euro sales in 2022) the leader in the world for B to B Distribution of Electrical Products, Services and Solutions.
Sonepar in India has 4 vertical business segments of Automation, Telecom ,Integrated Supply and Masibus. Masibus is a company which is a leader in India for Instrumentation and Automation solutions for Industry.
What are the business and investment opportunities you see between India and France?
Inspite of the changing landscape of Geopolitics in the last few years, India and France have remained steadfast partners in all areas including many areas of mutual business interests like sustainability, infrastructure projects, consumer packaged goods and white goods. There are significant trade opportunities in all these areas.
We also see that in the journey towards sustainability for industries and the net zero pledge signed in the Climate talks in Paris, there exists many opportunities where Sonepar can execute Technology offerings to achieve this Net Zero objective
What are some of the key challenges faced by your industry in the Indian market as well as by your company specifically? Can you describe some of the strategies you’ve implemented to overcome these challenges?
Some of the challenges faced are in the infrastructure projects, where the project timelines are not strict and get extended due to delays in regulatory approvals or mandatory clearances. This has resulted in huge cash flow stress especially during the COVID period. We have now adopted a strategy of selecting opportunities for infrastructural projects where we are sure of the project timelines
What have been the biggest accomplishments of your company in the last few years?
Sonepar started as a distributor for simple electrical goods but has now become a total solution provider for the Automation and Instrumentation Industry. Sonepar has been on the forefront of executing large networking projects in all the Metro Train lines of the country .
Sonepar is also contributing to the Make in India initiative by now designing, testing, and assembling products for Telecom and Renewable industry. Sonepars latest acquisition Masibus India have been the leader of products for Automation and Instrumentation for the last 45 years.
How has IFCCI added value to your organization in India?
IFCCI has added to the Sonepar story by providing platforms for networking, events and discussions over the years. They have provided many opportunities for business through the different events conducted by them