Aparna Reddy
MFAB 2015





Tell us a little about your family background/ history. How has it influenced you?
The Aparna group of companies is divided into two companies - Aparna Enterprises Limited and Aparna Constructions and Estates Private Limited. The group has grown phenomenally over the last two decades from a tiny tile trading company to a huge conglomerate involved in trading, manufacturing and fabrication of a variety of building materials ranging from tiles, to ready mix concrete, to sanitary fittings to doors and windows and also into crushers (metal aggregates required for RMC & other building of infrastructures) .The group is also a major player in construction of residential and commercial spaces in Hyderabad (completed 28 projects) and also started in Bangalore a year back. The group is poised for further growth in the near future and the company's current turnover is 1000 crores.
It’s been started by my father Mr.S.S Reddy and I have seen my father grow from a small tiles dealer to a huge business tycoon. He succeeded in doing so as he built a reputation for quality and prompt service.
Business interested me the most as I have been influenced by his commitment and hard work since childhood and on completion of my under-graduation in engineering, I embarked into business.

Briefly describe your personal and professional achievements (including recent awards/ special projects).
I wanted to start business on my own in addition to the existing family business – with minimal involvement of others; something that I could call solely my achievement. From in-house experience, I had sufficient practical knowledge to formulate and execute a plan for a start up operation and understood what it meant to be ultimately responsible for the outcome. I spearheaded the project of an online portal for house hold services named ‘Homecues,’ which I will be launching by end of July, 2015. Although this accomplishment gave me a sense of self-reliance, it also taught me that I could not accomplish my plans alone. I learnt that the assistance and commitment of every employee is necessary for any successful venture.

Tell us about your profile prior to attending ISB and recap your professional life after ISB, including your career progression.
The quality learning during the programme equipped me with latest management methodologies, tools and techniques, which in turn complemented and enhanced my management and decision making in the family business setting. Most importantly, our experience is in only one segment of the industry, Construction and all our business activities and expansion plans are primarily in this sector. Nevertheless, this is a very risky endeavor as the business can suffer in times of recession. Hence, the MFAB program at ISB has given me insight about risk management and diversification into other industry domains. That is how I started a business venture on my own named Homecues.

How do you think your time at ISB has contributed to your career and personal growth?
Firstly, it provided me with a diverse learning opportunity through interactions with global faculty and international exposure and industry interventions that helped me to understand global trends and management practices, which in turn helped me to use this knowledge for the development of my company. Secondly, the contextualization of the course content to the needs of my business enabled me to understand and manage my business more professionally so that the business is able to expand and sustain in an environment of increased competition.

What do you enjoy most about your current career position?
Keeping my team motivated and loyal which I believe is instrumental in a healthy running of an enterprise.

Briefly describe a typical day at work, in a way that illuminates the kind of challenges and opportunities your role involves.
Primarily, in my family business, I take care of the trading division, accounts and finance, and purchase departments.
Managing the inventory at the least possible levels and yet ensuring that the requirement of all our dealers and clients is met with forthwith requires a lot of planning and monitoring. The price of the products is dynamic and negotiating for the best possible price is an art in which I have rich experience. Working out additional discounts and extra credit with the manufacturers has been my forte. Managing logistics is another subject wherein I have a lot to share. Likewise, I have rich experience in managing finances and monitoring the recoveries. Additionally, measures for cost cutting and optimization of activities so as to achieve the greatest possible returns have been a major part of my business.
In additional to above routine activities, I am currently involved in the new manufacturing set up ceramic tiles plant in Kakinada as well as my new startup, which is an online service providing portal.

What is the next new thing in the industry or vertical you are working in? Are there any trends that you can identify?
I plan to embark on my vision of building Aparna Enterprises into a one stop source for all construction and building products. Currently I am working in on the ceramic tile plant, which is coming up in Kakinada.
Many of today’s flooring tile manufacturers have grown through investment in smaller and less developed companies. Through my involvement with different tile manufacturers in different sectors, both organized and semi organized, I have found that there is a tremendous void in the tile business. Although upper management can operate the company efficiently, designers can churn in a creative mosaic, and distributors can sell them, there is rarely a conglomerate that can form a production company, oversee the production process, channelize the distribution and execute the project in a socially responsible and profitable manner. As our family has been in the distribution of tiles for over two decade, this is an area where I see my niche.
Apart from the above project I am setting up a startup of my own, which is an online portal to provide home services names Homecues.

What was the main highlight or most memorable aspect of your programme at the ISB?
My experiences in different roles in my family business have provided me with different perspectives and have taught me significant details in the running of a business. But my aspirations were to harness these different experiences into a cohesive execution and it was possible to realize my plan with conviction with the knowledge gained at ISB .

If you could offer a word of advice to the current class at ISB, what would it be?
Make the most of your time at ISB. Meet people outside of the school you want to work with. Meet people inside the school you want to grow with..

How do you feel you can contribute to ISB?
As I shall be part of the alumni pool of ISB, I would like to contribute my bit to the school by giving back in terms of an annual monetary fund. Likewise, to further strengthen the alumni network, I would like to volunteer in School activities.