Armaan Siddiqui
Executive Director
Armaan Siddiqui has completed his Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, he was always fascinated by doing something of his own, and right after he finished college, he started his own retail venture, West wood Lifestyles. Later, he went on to explore new opportunities like international trading between India and Africa for frozen proteins and then he established his own processing unit in India. Finally, in 2016, he was formally inducted into his family business, and with his grit, determination, and passion for hard work, he has brought many laurels to his company.
Armaan Siddiqui engages in an exclusive interaction with the CEO Insights Magazine.
How would you describe your professional journey so far?
I was born into a family that holds deep roots in the business world. From a young age itself, I have watched my parents work tirelessly to build a successful business with international export ties. Their dedication and resilience inspired me to start working in our family businesses during my school and college days.
After my college, I started my own venture Westwood Lifestyles. But, as fate would have it, the global financial collapse caused cracks in our export businesses, and I realized that I needed to pivot to a different line of business that would be recession proof. This is when I saw an opportunity and ventured into international trading between India and Africa for frozen proteins in 2013. The experience taught me valuable lessons in global trading, commodity cycles, and establishing
international relationships. But, as with any business, there were ups and downs. In 2014, I established my own processing unit in India to gain pricing power and delivery reliability, but unfavorable government policies in this sector forced me to move on. Finally, in 2016, I was formally inducted into the family business of furniture exports. While excited to join a business that I had grown up watching and learning about, I was equally distraught looking at the challenges at hand. Over the next three years, I worked hard to turn around a loss-making unit into a profit centre. It was a challenging task, but I was determined to succeed. And, I did succeed. By 2020, I had introduced systems and processes into the business for predict ability and scaling up. Today, our family business is thriving, and we are expanding our global reach with new clients and partners.
My journey as an entrepreneur has been nothing short of thrilling, full of ups and downs, lessons learned, and successes achieved. It is a testament to the grit and determination required to thrive in the business world. As I continue to grow and explore new opportunities, I am excited to see what the future holds.
Describe your leadership approach and what is your success mantra.
As a leader, I strongly believe that success is a threefold approach. Firstly, it is imperative to establish a strong foundation for the organization, which includes a well-defined reporting structure, streamlined processes and systems, and a clear strategy. Secondly, it is important to empower the team by establishing clear key result areas and key performance indicators. This ensures that every team member is aware of their responsibilities and is held accountable for their work leading to increased transparency and productivity within the organization. Lastly, I believe in staying focused on long term profitability.
My success mantra is to lead by example, remain committed to the organization's vision, and consistently strive for excellence. As a leader, I believe in building a culture of transparency, trust, and open communication, where every team member is encouraged to voice their opinions.
Define Evergreen International as an organization and its position in the market. Also, tell us about your offerings and what makes customers choose your company.
Evergreen International is a leading organization in the furniture export industry, renowned for its sizable presence and exceptional performance. As a top five player in sales and profitability, we have established ourselves with a formidable presence in the market.
In terms of offerings, we help global furniture retailers and importers develop the latest indoor furniture
Taking on new challenges helps people as well as organizations to grow
My journey as an entrepreneur has been nothing short of thrilling, full of ups and downs, lessons learned, and successes achieved. It is a testament to the grit and determination required to thrive in the business world. As I continue to grow and explore new opportunities, I am excited to see what the future holds.
Describe your leadership approach and what is your success mantra.
As a leader, I strongly believe that success is a threefold approach. Firstly, it is imperative to establish a strong foundation for the organization, which includes a well-defined reporting structure, streamlined processes and systems, and a clear strategy. Secondly, it is important to empower the team by establishing clear key result areas and key performance indicators. This ensures that every team member is aware of their responsibilities and is held accountable for their work leading to increased transparency and productivity within the organization. Lastly, I believe in staying focused on long term profitability.
My success mantra is to lead by example, remain committed to the organization's vision, and consistently strive for excellence. As a leader, I believe in building a culture of transparency, trust, and open communication, where every team member is encouraged to voice their opinions.
Define Evergreen International as an organization and its position in the market. Also, tell us about your offerings and what makes customers choose your company.
Evergreen International is a leading organization in the furniture export industry, renowned for its sizable presence and exceptional performance. As a top five player in sales and profitability, we have established ourselves with a formidable presence in the market.
In terms of offerings, we help global furniture retailers and importers develop the latest indoor furniture
collections using mixed materials, designed by Indian and international designers. What sets us apart is that we test each product in globally recognized labs under specific parameters, so our customers can mitigate risks that may arise during or after mass production. With 25+ years of experience in furniture manufacturing, our production team is committed to best practices, ensuring our factories are socially and technically audited.
What are the factors you investigate when delivering innovative solutions? What is the approach you take throughout the lifecycle of these solutions?
When it comes to delivering innovative solutions, there are a few key factors that I always keep in mind. First and foremost, I focus on understanding the needs of the customer and the market. Next, I emphasize the importance of staying ahead of the curve. This means keeping a close eye on emerging technologies, industry trends, and market developments, and using that information to drive our innovation efforts.
Throughout the lifecycle of these solutions, my approach is all about agility and adaptability. We start with a clear vision, we focus on continuous improvement, gathering feedback, and at the end of the day, delivering innovative solutions is all about staying focused on the customer.
How do you encourage and foster a learning culture in the workforce?
To foster a learning culture, it is important to create an environment that encourages experimentation risk taking and collaboration. I believe in providing my team with opportunities for growth and development, by offering them training programs, workshops, and mentorship. I also encourage open communication and feedback, as it helps to create a culture of continuous improvement.
What is your advice to upcoming industry leaders in this domain?
My advice to upcoming industry leaders is to prioritize innovation and continuous learning. Staying abreast of the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in the industry is critical to creating benchmarks and driving growth. Additionally, it's important to foster a positive and collaborative work culture that encourages and supports the growth and development of employees. Finally, don't be afraid to take calculated risks and explore new ideas, as these can often lead to breakthrough innovations and set new benchmarks for the industry.
Armaan Siddiqui, Executive Director, Evergreen International
A result-oriented and strategic thinker, Armaan is passionate about creativity and innovation. He has completed his Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California.
What are the factors you investigate when delivering innovative solutions? What is the approach you take throughout the lifecycle of these solutions?
When it comes to delivering innovative solutions, there are a few key factors that I always keep in mind. First and foremost, I focus on understanding the needs of the customer and the market. Next, I emphasize the importance of staying ahead of the curve. This means keeping a close eye on emerging technologies, industry trends, and market developments, and using that information to drive our innovation efforts.
Throughout the lifecycle of these solutions, my approach is all about agility and adaptability. We start with a clear vision, we focus on continuous improvement, gathering feedback, and at the end of the day, delivering innovative solutions is all about staying focused on the customer.
How do you encourage and foster a learning culture in the workforce?
To foster a learning culture, it is important to create an environment that encourages experimentation risk taking and collaboration. I believe in providing my team with opportunities for growth and development, by offering them training programs, workshops, and mentorship. I also encourage open communication and feedback, as it helps to create a culture of continuous improvement.
What is your advice to upcoming industry leaders in this domain?
My advice to upcoming industry leaders is to prioritize innovation and continuous learning. Staying abreast of the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in the industry is critical to creating benchmarks and driving growth. Additionally, it's important to foster a positive and collaborative work culture that encourages and supports the growth and development of employees. Finally, don't be afraid to take calculated risks and explore new ideas, as these can often lead to breakthrough innovations and set new benchmarks for the industry.
Armaan Siddiqui, Executive Director, Evergreen International
A result-oriented and strategic thinker, Armaan is passionate about creativity and innovation. He has completed his Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California.