Few Industry leaders in India have built a truly global, technology-led manufacturing company from a Tier-2 city.

All this while staying rooted in values, long-term thinking, and a people-first culture. Dr. Jairam Varadaraj is one of them.

As Managing Director of ELGi Equipments Limited (founded in 1960, now present in 120+ countries with 400+ products), Jairam represents the finest of third-generation Indian entrepreneurship.

From navigating India’s 1991 liberalisation and painful divestments in the 90s to now leading one of the world’s most respected air compressor brands (including the game-changing oil-free AB Series), his journey is of patient, principled scale.

An alumnus of PSG Coimbatore, George Washington University (MBA) and University of Michigan (PhD in International Business), Jairam spent years teaching in the US before returning to steer the family legacy into a modern, innovation-driven global enterprise.

What makes him truly stand apart:

• Obsession with reliability (“Always Better” isn’t just a tagline)
• Pioneering all-women production lines and ELGi Vocational Training School
• Bold global expansion while keeping manufacturing in Coimbatore
• Recent strategic move into vacuum pumps via partnership with Italian giant D.V.P. Vacuum Technology

In this powerful 90-minute conversation, Jairam opens up on:

• How to hold on to a singular “North Star” vision while staying open to new opportunities
• The evolving role of the leader as the company scales from ₹100 Cr to ₹3000 Cr+
• Why diversity, equity & inclusion are non-negotiable for building a world-class Indian company
• Lessons from 30 years across textiles, polymers, appliances and now compressed air

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, second/third-gen business leader, or just love stories of quiet courage and long-term thinking, this episode will leave you inspired.