The Audacious Leader: Priyanka Chigurupati of Granules India Chigurupati started her career with the family business as a Divisional Manager in Hyderabad in 2012. But no, joining the family business was never on the cards for the second-generation entrepreneur

Dasra, a philanthropy foundation, in late 2023 reported that women's workforce occupied only 18 per cent of leadership roles in India's healthcare sector. Simply put, healthcare continues to be a male-dominated sector. But women are rising to the occasion to take charge in leading prominent healthcare and pharmaceutical businesses and among them one is Priyanka Chigurupati—a second-generation entrepreneur who now serves as the Executive Director at Granules India.

Chigurupati started her career with the family business as a Divisional Manager in Hyderabad in 2012. But joining the family business was never on the cards for the second-generation entrepreneur. Her aspirations evolved from becoming a professional badminton player to a film actor, and then to pursuing fashion through blogging and establishing her label.

Ultimately, she was presented with the opportunity to enter the pharmaceutical industry. "While the initial entry was straightforward, the subsequent journey has been a challenging ascent. Currently, my motivation stems from the desire to sustain and elevate the family legacy to the greatest extent possible," she shares.

Priyanka believes that entering this industry was a bold move on her part. Despite a limited knowledge of chemistry, she immersed herself in the job. How? By being fearless about asking questions, doing extensive reading, and taking on more than she could handle initially. "At times, it is necessary to set aside one's personality and engage in activities that push one out of their comfort zone to effectively integrate with the team and peers. In my views, this also constitutes audacity. As leaders, every decision we make daily must be "audacious" to create a meaningful impact," Chigurupati adds.

The firm's products include active pharmaceutical ingredients; pharmaceutical formulations intermediates; finished dosages; and highly potent products.

So, is her operating style different from that of senior Chigurupati? "Our operating styles are both very different and quite similar. The similarity lies in our need to have a comprehensive understanding of a subject before making decisions. In contrast, the difference lies in my concerted effort to bring about a cultural shift within the company, aiming to make it more professional." The propensity for losing temper is another similarity. Does being in a family business mean ease of bringing changes? "Introducing changes in a family business is nearly impossible without a well-defined charter and a clear-cut strategy in place. To be entirely candid, I believe that the concept of separating family and family business is somewhat illusory."

"There's a constant internal struggle between "why won't my father listen to me" and "why won't my boss listen to me." Similarly, for him, it's a battle between "am I making this change because she's my daughter" and "is it truly necessary for the company?" she adds. The rampant advancements in Artificial Intelligence are making her optimistic. She hints at investments in start-ups which align with their long-term vision and have the potential to revolutionize their industry.

Factsheet:

Current turnover: INR 45064 million - FY24

No. of employees: 6525+