Launched at a virtual event on Sunday, it tells the story of how a woman with no prior business experience or technical knowledge turned around a company on the verge of collapse.
‘Goodininda Baanige’ (From the Nest to the Sky), published by MyLang Books, tells the story of the transformation of Conzerv, a company in Electronic City, now recognised as a market leader in energy efficiency in the Indian market. Co-authored with Ashish Sen, ‘Lift Off’ has been translated into Kannada by Samyuktha Puligal, and is available in print, e-book and audiobook formats.
Hema, who took over in 1996 as CEO at the insistence of her husband Ashok Hattangady, transformed the company into a 100-crore market leader.
The book describes Hema’s leadership experiences in a male-dominated world. “As a woman and mother, I relate to her inspiring story. Every woman can tell you how she still lives in a male-dominated world,” said Samyuktha.
Hema turned the company around in 12 years and made it one of India’s largest energy management companies. Its organisational practices and business model went on to become the subject of a Harvard Business School case study.
In 2009, the firm was acquired by Schneider Electric, a French energy management and automation company, and Hema turned her attention to community service projects.
“Today, members of the Conzerv family are spread across the world and continue to carry forward the values of the company. The honesty that they are upholding is what I am really proud of,” said Hema. She hopes women across Karnataka get to read the story and are encouraged by it.
The book, priced at Rs 350, is available online on the MyLang Books website.