Vision for a Healthy Future

HOW IT ALL STARTED

Vision to a healthy future has been the underlying philosophy for ICPA Health Products Ltd (ICPA) right from its inception in 1972. It was this philosophy that was the key guiding force for my father – Rohit Mehta, Founder & Managing Director to venture into the field of dental hygiene. At the time, dentists practically had no products to prescribe as most of the pharma companies did not find the segment rewarding. So, while most entrepreneurs were looking at lucrative pharma segments as business opportunity, ICPA remained rooted in the business of manufacturing and marketing products for dentists so that they could enhance the oral hygiene health for people.

AS A WOMAN, HAS IT BEEN A CHALLENGE IN THE PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY SO FAR

I am the younger of the two daughters and the onus of carrying the torch fell on both, my elder sister and me. Both of us were inducted into the business right after we graduated. We started from the shop floor and then slowly worked in every department of the company so that we could have a thorough business induction. The key challenges have been the acceptance of us as women directors, which I feel is faced by every women entrepreneur, but we were taught to be patient and eventually, the fact that we are women no longer mattered.

YOUR VIEW ON SUCCESS

Since I head the HR and Sales Administration functions as the key areas, I view success in a very different manner. For a business, healthy growth and high market evaluation may be viewed as success. However for me, it is the employee happiness and work ethic that matter the most and these are the benchmark with which I measure success. I feel that there is a direct correlation between the employee happiness index and growth chart of any company since it is them who are on the ground, putting in their best efforts every day to make the company successful.

ICPA remained rooted in the business of manufacturing and marketing products for dentists so that they could enhance the oral hygiene health for people.

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Our company values an individual’s capabilities over their gender when it comes to filling positions and providing new opportunities. This helps ensure that all employees have the opportunity to advance in their careers based on their skills and potential, rather than being held back by gender biases or stereotypes. We prioritize employee management and values to create an inclusive work culture. Offering education programs to improve skills and technical abilities help our employees stay up-to-date with industry developments and improve their job performance. Additionally, we strive to provide a work environment where women feel safe and supported which help create a more diverse and equitable workplace.

Many times, I receive feedback from the HR department about someone who had left the organization but is expressing interest in re-joining us. For me, this is an important parameter on how I evaluate success. It is here that we realize that for quite a few employees just good pay does not cut ice, they want to be able to cherish the environment they work in whilst being able to carve out a career that allows growth.

MESSAGE ON WOMEN’S DAY

There is still a lot to be done when it comes to women’s health especially, in the rural areas. In a family, a woman’s health is often ignored or is not considered as important over others’. The onus of educating not only lies on the Government but also on us individually. All of us will have some kind of opportunity to work in this direction and we must do so wholeheartedly. Like in our case, our CSR efforts have a strong focus on how to provide good education to underprivileged girls. At an individual level it may seem like insignificant work but if all of us contribute, it becomes a movement.

(A marketing initiative by Open Avenues)

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