Dr Prashanth Reddy: Leading with elan

Dr. Prashanth Reddy, Managing Director, Fundermax India

‘Our Destiny is not created by the shoes we wear, but the steps we take. Every person is unique and has an identity which one should be proud about. Everyone has to work on their strengths and build opportunities based on strengths.’
Working on this success mantra is the dynamic Managing Director of Fundermax India, Dr Prashanth Reddy, a BTech MBA with a PhD in change management, who has truly achieved success on his own merit.
With over 31 years of experience donning various hats in the corporate world, this seasoned entrepreneur has had humble beginnings. His first job was in an SME way back in 1993 with a meagre salary of INR 800 per month where, in his words he ‘understood the value of money’. He later switched over to his family business for 5 years where he learnt corporate lessons on ownership and commitment, before joining Hirsch Bracelets, an Austrian MNC in 1998.
After a 10-year stint at Hirsch, in 2008, Dr Reddy joined Fundermax India, a leader in architectural products for interior and exterior applications headquartered in Austria. He is also on board of another subsidiary concern, Isotrack India; “The role is to profitably and sustainably grow Constantia Companies, which is our holding company,” he explains.

Dr Reddy has steered his companies with much elan and been responsible for many a milestone in each company. In Hirsch bracelets for example he set up 2 new plants in Bengaluru and Dehradun respectively. At Fundermax he has been responsible for delivering 15,000 projects in 12 years and has been instrumental in making Fundermax a preferred architectural brand today.

A huge advocate of sustainability, a matter for pride for Dr Reddy is the fact that Fundermax products are sustainable and he is able to make a difference to the environment.

“Sustainability is basically serving the purpose- to protect the building, be environment friendly, low on maintenance, energy efficient, easy to install & look aesthetic. Our products are sustainable in every sense. Our oldest project in India is over 18 years and internationally over 50 years.” says a proud Dr Reddy.

A leader is known by how he faces challenges. Here Dr Reddy’s calm demeanor speaks for itself. “Every project is not only an opportunity but comes with challenges too. We have an excellent team and fantastic partners which makes the execution relatively easier with our rich professional experience together. We also have excellent support from our principal company at Austria and our other supporting partners,” he adds.

Upon how he achieves work-life balance, Dr Reddy gives complete credit to his life partner, Dr Radha, an MDS, PhD and Professor in Community Dentistry (Public Health) to whom he is married for over 20 years.

Dr Reddy’s dynamism and leadership qualities are definitely something one can emulate. He has a message for all aspiring entrepreneurs. In his words, “Success is about sense of achievement only when all stakeholders feel good about it equally. Success is not final; failure is not fatal; It is the courage to continue that counts.”