Hear Out From the Best: How Namita Manages 7,500 Employees at Alembic Pharmaceuticals

Pharma Now: Welcome to Pharma Now, Ms Namita Patwari. You're the Chief Human Resource Officer at Alembic Pharmaceutical Limited, leading a team of approximately 7,500 people. From my research, I know that you've worked in different industries. You have more than 10 years of experience, is that correct? Also, you've managed large teams–40,000 people at DHL and 7,500 people at Alembic Pharmaceuticals. How do you stay calm when you're managing such large teams?

Ms. Patwari: It's a pleasure to be here. I have more than 20 years of experience. I think my journey has been very challenging, and I’ve had a different set of problems. I probably came up with some creative solutions. I have spoken to well-respected industry leaders. I've read books that most Gen Z people don't, but I still believe in such books. Through this all, what has kept in the zen mode is the belief that “You do your best and ensure that it's delivered in the best way.”

Pharma Now: Yes. As they say, “You do your best, and the rest will follow.” You seem to enjoy your work in Human Resources (HR). What was your philosophy when building a career in HR?

Ms. Patwari: Yes, I think HR has become a core part of me. Even when I'm not working, I'm still an HR because HR is more about human relations. Your employees, stakeholders and bosses–ultimately, HR is maintaining relationships. Over the years, I have learned that these relationships are the benefits and the currency you’ve earned in the industry.

Pharma Now: Yes, I agree. HR is more about human relationship management. Can you share how you joined this field? When you were studying, did you want to pursue HR?

Ms. Patwari: On the contrary, I was pursuing Chartered Accountancy and studying for my CA Intermediate exam. I stumbled upon the topic of taxation and thought, “Do I really want to do this?” I cleared my CA Foundation along with my graduation. After that, I cleared my first group of CA Intermediate. I realized that I had set myself up to just work on numbers, but I was probably more inclined towards people. Then, everything unfolded. It was a fluke, and I decided that I didn’t want to do CA anymore, but I wanted to do something to do with people. I  finished my graduation and was pursuing my Master’s in Commerce at Bombay University. At the same time, I was looking for a job in administration or HR. 

I started in payroll and recruitment at a construction company. I was so different. When I got that job, my family members were like, “What are you up to? Everybody is either a CA or pursuing an MBA in Finance. What are you doing? You're wasting your time in the wrong field!” I said, “No, this is what I want to do.” From there, I started. God has been kind, and I’ve got good people around me—whether they be from organizations I’ve worked at or family members. They have always supported me and that's what brought me here—to this stage.

Pharma Now: What was it like working in recruitment and payroll? I know working in the construction field—however indirectly—is quite challenging. Did you think they hired you in payroll because you had a CA background?

Ms. Patwari: It was indeed very difficult. We had daily wage calculations, and I remember I used to punch in numbers manually. I was good with numbers, and that was the reason I was hired and my competency was used in payroll. So, I used to punch numbers manually, and I requested access to a computer. Back then, there were desktops. I was told, “Why do you even need a desktop for payroll?” I remember filling out those pink-coloured forms, and I remember filing them by myself. 

Those were very strangely funny episodes in my life. I happened to meet my bosses from that company 10 years ago, and they said, “You were the first person to speak about desktops and computers. Now we see how technology has changed the world.” I pushed them so hard to adopt technology that after 3 months of me joining the company, they got their first desktop. We did a Pooja for the computer because it was the first new thing. You know—just like a new car. It was fun working on Fox Pro and other languages in the early 2000s. 

After that, I did my post-graduation from the Symbiosis Institute, Pune. I worked at Larsen & Toubro for a while. Then, I moved to financial services, which gave me a lot of experience in current acquisitions, strategising with market dynamics and recruitment and retention of people. I learned about performance and top-line work in organisations. 

I think that has been a wonderful journey. Then, I moved to the logistics space, where I worked with supply chain and last-man delivery. It was a different field altogether. I had to work with people from different countries and nationalities. I had to face the real concepts of diversity, inclusion, equity, and belongingness. I learned how to deal with difficult situations because people have different challenges. You cannot lose your cool and say, “This is not going to work.” You have to make it happen with the help of data, research, technology, leadership, and influence.

Pharma Now: You’ve worked in a construction company, Larsen & Toubro, logistics & supply chain companies, and financial services—which is a diverse set. Have you handled many different tasks in these positions?

Ms. Patwari: Absolutely. I have managed all the rules at construction sites, like daily wages. I also have handled many C-suite hirings and hiring of people with 8-figure salaries. Some people still whine about the one small bill not cleared by the HR. So, I handled all sorts of categories in my life.

Pharma Now: Can you recollect any crazy or astonishing moment from your career? How did you handle that situation?

Ms. Patwari: I’ve had to handle an astonishing situation once—a C-suite executive was fighting with me for 20 rupees of tea expense. I was dumbfounded at that moment. I mentioned that these are the company rules, and we will have to stick to it whether it is 20 rupees or 2000.

Pharma Now: Wow, that’s unbelievable! Now, you have to handle situations like these for 7,000 people. How do you manage that?

Ms. Patwari: We have a very strong governance, which helps even if you’re managing 40,000 people. During COVID, we were also in the red zone, which had the highest number of COVID patients. I think connecting with those people at that time, and making them feel like we cared for them helped, and we genuinely did care. 

As an HR professional, it is imperative for me to understand what every person in the company is feeling about the organization. Do we really understand their needs? Do we really cater to their needs and make them feel comfortable? Because at the end of the day, that person will face our clients, vendors and partners. If that person is not happy, we are never going to get those numbers. A happy employee or a happy customer will stay with me for the longest time.

I believe that, regardless of industry—logistics, financial services, or pharmaceuticals—if your employees are happily satisfied and contented, they will stay with you. My medical representatives, who are servicing doctors, ensure that the doctor is fully aware of our pharmaceuticals and medicines and how they are beneficial. Instead of talking about finishing the job. I personally believe that connecting with people will always make a difference.

Pharma Now: From an HR professional’s perspective, what are the differences in people–employees, customers, aspirants—pre and post-COVID?

Ms. Patwari: Everyone loves Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meets. Technology has played a vital role in each of our lives. I strongly believe that technology is helping us look at things differently. I used to do some things physically without using tech-enabled versions, but now, I’ve started to get into tech-based versions. For example, I don't call people who are at or above a certain level in the company hierarchy for the first interview round. I prefer a call on Zoom, Google Meet or Teams because a visual interview will give them some flare. It’ll help me evaluate whether the person is really worth going into the second round. It saves a great deal of time for the applicant, especially those living in metro cities because most metro cities have heavy traffic and offices have 9-5/6 timings. So, it's challenging for applicants to attend.

Pharma Now: I think this is one of the best changes. Before COVID, companies were focused on in-person interviews and that is difficult to manage all candidates within a timeframe. Now, even managers can extend their working hours by 1-2 hours to hire interview applicants.

Ms. Patwari: Yes, absolutely. The world has become faster. The pace of training has also picked up. We are saving a lot of money because we can do online training. Some of our safety training programs are done online. Instead of wasting time, spending thousands of rupees, and meeting people in different cities, we can use tech to do the job.

Pharma Now: Technology has its pros and cons. HR is an area where you have to really focus on people. For example, in offline training, you can easily determine whether the student is learning. But in online training, the scenario is a little different. Have you encountered other such differences in in-person and online discussions or training?

Ms. Patwari: Technology is just an enabler. It's not everything. It's not the end of the story. Human connection and physical meetings cannot be replaced, but we can leverage technology to maximize our time. We are in a fast-paced world. So, we leverage technology but we can’t replace human connection.

Pharma Now: That’s true. So, what philosophies are followed in Alembic Pharmaceuticals?

Ms. Patwari: At Alembic, we say, “Stay with Alembic, Grow with Alembic”. We have people whose grandsons and granddaughters are working with us. Generations of the same family have worked for us, and it gives us so much pleasure because Alembic is a part of the value system. Such families bring in so much value to the organization. 

At Alembic, we are very particular about contriving tech. We are very focused on making our employees’ lives easier. In the last 8 months, I think we have made many changes in terms of the way employees work and report in the organization. I think the employee value proposition is a focus area for us.

Pharma Now: Generations of the same family have worked with you! That’s excellent, and I think that implies you have an excellent culture at Alembic. What’s interesting is Alembic Pharmaceuticals is more than 100 years old. How are you managing culture penetration in the organization? What are your strategies considering that you have worked in so many organizations?

Ms. Patwari: The unique thing about us is: on the field, we only have freshers. I won’t say we don't hire others, but for the front line or for the MR level, we only hire freshers. Then, they are trained very rigorously. We have a training centre, and they stay there for the longest time and grow. There are so many growth stories within the organization as well.

Pharma Now: So, you build them up–from the ground level. But, is this challenging? Today, most people work in a company for 2-3 years and then switch—which creates new challenges for a company. How do you tackle this challenge?

Ms. Patwari: This is invariably there. We have hi-pots or HiPo (high-potential) people. We focus on these hi-pots, and we ensure they are trained well. We constantly talk to them and engage with them on different platforms. Hi-pots promise productivity and numbers, so we ensure they get the kind of atmosphere that they want. They want to be challenged, they want to have new projects, they need to be connected. Their managers know how to deal with them. We have a constant connection with the corporate office. A person from our recruitment will always be on the field, connecting with employees so we don't lose them.

Pharma Now: That’s interesting. They are trained thoroughly before being sent in the field, and I’m assuming you evaluate their potential during their training. How do you plan your training programs? Does the HR department execute all training or are technical managers involved as well?

Ms. Patwari: So, we blend training with technical or and our team. We also invite different business types to help further management development programs. We do a lot of simulations. It's a mixed learning, and there are a few assessments along with training. Some assessments are done post-training. We offer blended and experiential learning based on the candidate’s needs, and we ensure the candidate enjoys it because we take training very seriously. We have constant training for changing, improving and delivering.

Pharma Now: Still, I’m sure there are some people who leave. So, how do you handle change management? Because Alembic is such a big and old company, you will have people from different age groups.

Ms. Patwari: I think it's a singular way of looking as an organization and also there is a great amount of support from our management who believe in delivering at the pace that we have decided. We believe in connecting, committing and celebrating. First, we create a connection. Second, we commit what we will deliver. Then, we celebrate. This has gone well for us especially from our Generation Z to the baby boomers–all of them are looking into it.

Pharma Now: Excellent. Now, I’d like to ask you a little about your role. As a Chief Human Resource Officer, what does your day look like?

Ms. Patwari: My day is full of challenges. I sometimes feel that the day just vanishes from my eyes. My only focus is on how I can do something everyday to help people accomplish their goals.

Pharma Now: As a CHRO, you probably have many tasks at hand and have to juggle many challenges. Yet, you mentioned that you enjoy reading. Why do you prioritize reading?

Ms. Patwari: When I was at the Tata Institute of Social Science, the entire pattern of reading changed. My peers used to say, “We read three different books at a time because ultimately what you get is a juice which remains in your brain and that is what helps you in develop solutions.” That's why I had the courage to switch between cities and countries.

Pharma Now: Who were your inspirations throughout this journey?

Ms. Patwari: One of them is Simon Sinek, of whom I’m a very big fan.

Pharma Now: Do you like the concept of The Golden Circle written by Simon Sinek?

Ms. Patwari: Yes absolutely. It starts with why and it's always why, it's never how.

Pharma Now: Who are your real-life inspirations?

Ms. Patwari: Indira Gandhi is someone I really respect. A very strong leader. I think the decisions that she had taken in the capacity she was, it takes a lot. I think that the world needs more women like her. Also, my mother because it really takes a lot to be a mother, to raise a child and to be dynamic. Especially in that era, it surely takes a lot. Some of these women leaders have inspired me.

Pharma Now: I think a strong inspirational person drives you to become strong. One final question: As you’re in a field that interacts regularly with freshers, can you share some words of wisdom?

Ms. Patwari: I think that pharma, as an industry, has a lot to explore. People need to be open to checking on digitized and tech-driven options and engage differently.

Pharma Now: Excellent. Thank you for joining us at Pharma Now and sharing such excellent insights. It was a pleasure to have you.

Ms. Patwari: Thank you.