Lakshmi Arun Kumaar: Strategically Recruiting Skilled Professional For Responsible Planning Of Organizations Growth
Lakshmi Arun Kumaar
Director
Lakshmi is a an MBA holder from IIM Trichy and an active participant in corporate social responsibilities. In her long career of thirty years, she has also been honoured with the Long Service Award from CII and GSH.
Lakshmi Arun Kumaar engages in an interactive session with CEO Insights.
Tell us about your educational background and professional journey.
My career began with CII. Having spent half of my career time there, I had an outstanding start at Orril Energy Services, and the journey proved successful. Later, I also joined the French company Dalkia and the English company GSH, where I acquired more knowledge on the market for outsourced energy services and the global business models that were tailored to the Indian industry.
My experience with Orril has been difficult because we had to work through several obstacles when establishing a company to offer energy and facility management services in a cutthroat market amidst national and international leaders. It was difficult to qualify for many RFPs because of the additional problem of being a true Indian start-up with few foreign credentials. Being a woman entrepreneur, CBRE provided us with a chance during this time that enabled us to expand and survive. There have always been ups and downs, but the chance to hire the impoverished as well as women has
always been a major source of inspiration and makes me feel good. The guaranteeing of asset efficiency to consumers has always been another driving factor at Orril.
Define the market position of Orril Energy Services. What are the various unique prepositions provided by the firm to its client?
Orril Energy Services was founded to offer Utilities (Steam, Air, Water, Heat, and more) as a service to the Indian manufacturing sector with guaranteed efficiency on engineering assets that can result in cost savings and emissions reduction for its customers. Orril's DNA, on the other hand, is to support its clients' journeys toward Net Zero while lowering costs through increased efficiency.
For our customers who use utilities (such as steam, treated water, heat, cold fluids, hot fluids, compressed air, industrial gases, effluent water, and more) for their buildings and manufacturing process, we can offer a cost as well as emission reduction through a systematic process of improvements (plus investments) carried out across people, assets, processes, and automation.
What has been your success mantra to achieve success during three decades of perseverance?
I never quit, which has been a major factor in my success. No matter how difficult it is,I firmly believe in and take steps to complete every role or challenge. A recent example would be when at the age of fifty one, I successfully completed my MBA from IIM Trichy despite having to balance work, family and school obligations simultaneously. The success of Orril has also been significantly attributed to customer centric management, something I firmly believe in.
How Chennai has been favouring you as your headquarters? What are the market changes you foresee and opportunities you anticipate?
Chennai was chosen as the location for our company because firstly, we are from Tamil Nadu, and secondly, young graduates from TN are known to be resistant to moving around India. Next advantage is it is one of the states that produce a large number of engineering graduates, and Chennai has a strong affinity for
Define the market position of Orril Energy Services. What are the various unique prepositions provided by the firm to its client?
Orril Energy Services was founded to offer Utilities (Steam, Air, Water, Heat, and more) as a service to the Indian manufacturing sector with guaranteed efficiency on engineering assets that can result in cost savings and emissions reduction for its customers. Orril's DNA, on the other hand, is to support its clients' journeys toward Net Zero while lowering costs through increased efficiency.
Be customer focused to address their problems rather than simply marketing the products
For our customers who use utilities (such as steam, treated water, heat, cold fluids, hot fluids, compressed air, industrial gases, effluent water, and more) for their buildings and manufacturing process, we can offer a cost as well as emission reduction through a systematic process of improvements (plus investments) carried out across people, assets, processes, and automation.
What has been your success mantra to achieve success during three decades of perseverance?
I never quit, which has been a major factor in my success. No matter how difficult it is,I firmly believe in and take steps to complete every role or challenge. A recent example would be when at the age of fifty one, I successfully completed my MBA from IIM Trichy despite having to balance work, family and school obligations simultaneously. The success of Orril has also been significantly attributed to customer centric management, something I firmly believe in.
How Chennai has been favouring you as your headquarters? What are the market changes you foresee and opportunities you anticipate?
Chennai was chosen as the location for our company because firstly, we are from Tamil Nadu, and secondly, young graduates from TN are known to be resistant to moving around India. Next advantage is it is one of the states that produce a large number of engineering graduates, and Chennai has a strong affinity for
energy because the majority of energy companies are there and lastly, the state has experienced exponential industrial growth for decades.
As the world is undergoing climate change due to increased GHG emissions, the market is in search for products & services that can help minimize the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Conclusively, there’s a strong demand for renewable energy-based utilities as a service model, and the customers might outsource the entire utility plant to service partners. In the field of facilities management, it can also develop into sustainable facilities management, where customers might demand greenhouse gas emissions reduction included in the overall service rather than just a ‘nice to have’ option.
The main opportunities I see in the shifting environment are, Renewable energy based utilities as a service (for instance, replacing coal and oil with biofuel, solar, and more), Secondly, sustainable facilities management, where investments and projects are incorporated into standard services with exact KPIs. Thirdly, GHG-based performance contracts, and lastly, automated services with fewer employees.
As per your wide experience in the industry, what advice you would like to give to budding industry leaders?
I would advise aspiring business leaders to first, stick with their ideas if they are passionate about them. Second, be customer-focused to address their problems rather than simply marketing the products, and third is to treat the staff like family and keep them close. Additonally, give back to society and the environment.
Lakshmi Arun Kumaar, Director, Orril Energy Services
An MBA holder from IIM Trichy, Lakshmi Arun Kumaar is a dedicated Director, entrepreneur and CSR volunteer. She is a firm believer in equality and strives to provide employment opportunities to underprivileged youngsters and women.
•Hobbies:Reading books, Visiting temples
•Favourite cuisines: South Indian Dosas and North Indian Parathas
•Favourite books:Crime novels by Rajesh Kumar, and Vishnu Sahasranamam, Novels by Indra Soundar Rajan
•Favourite Travel Destination: Swamimalai (Kumbhakonam)
•Awards and Recognitions:
Long Service Award from CII and GSH
As the world is undergoing climate change due to increased GHG emissions, the market is in search for products & services that can help minimize the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Conclusively, there’s a strong demand for renewable energy-based utilities as a service model, and the customers might outsource the entire utility plant to service partners. In the field of facilities management, it can also develop into sustainable facilities management, where customers might demand greenhouse gas emissions reduction included in the overall service rather than just a ‘nice to have’ option.
The main opportunities I see in the shifting environment are, Renewable energy based utilities as a service (for instance, replacing coal and oil with biofuel, solar, and more), Secondly, sustainable facilities management, where investments and projects are incorporated into standard services with exact KPIs. Thirdly, GHG-based performance contracts, and lastly, automated services with fewer employees.
As per your wide experience in the industry, what advice you would like to give to budding industry leaders?
I would advise aspiring business leaders to first, stick with their ideas if they are passionate about them. Second, be customer-focused to address their problems rather than simply marketing the products, and third is to treat the staff like family and keep them close. Additonally, give back to society and the environment.
Lakshmi Arun Kumaar, Director, Orril Energy Services
An MBA holder from IIM Trichy, Lakshmi Arun Kumaar is a dedicated Director, entrepreneur and CSR volunteer. She is a firm believer in equality and strives to provide employment opportunities to underprivileged youngsters and women.
•Hobbies:Reading books, Visiting temples
•Favourite cuisines: South Indian Dosas and North Indian Parathas
•Favourite books:Crime novels by Rajesh Kumar, and Vishnu Sahasranamam, Novels by Indra Soundar Rajan
•Favourite Travel Destination: Swamimalai (Kumbhakonam)
•Awards and Recognitions:
Long Service Award from CII and GSH