An Experimenter Cloaked with Optimism
Change is the only constant. Not just in life, but even in the business world, only those who adapt to changes can rise to become an entrepreneurial superhero. Varun Budhiraja, Director & CMO at Euro Safety Group of Companies, accepted this reality early on in his professional journey. It is for this reason that he and his company could adapt to and meet the rising need for PPE kits during the pandemic of 2020.
Euro Safety Group started as the Safety Footwear manufacturing arm of Roger Industries Limited (a manufacturer of fashion footwear for export est. 1979), and then gradually diversified into other safety products. It has manufacturing facilities in India, sourcing offices in the far east, and marketing offices spread across the globe. The company’s subsidiary Boa Safety Solutions, which manufactures and distributes PPE to Africa, operates in South Africa. Soon, Euro Safety Group plans to expand aggressively and become a multinational PPE conglomerate.
As the scion of a forty-year-old company, Varun intends to lead with vision and purpose to elevate Euro Safety Group to towering heights. He shares his two keys for long-term success- dedication towards work and commitment to quality. “To that end, I try to hire and empower the right people at every stage,” he adds about his work personality.
Being the leader of such a big company requires one to trust those working for them. In this regard, Varun discharges most of his administrative duties through delegation. He claims that it makes motivating team members more effective because they get a sense of trust.
The year 2020 was the one in which Varun and his team worked relentlessly to provide the best quality PPE kits for the warriors of the health department. Keeping with India’s drive, “Make in India,” they tried to source maximum raw materials locally. With help from the Rajasthan government and local vendors, and with Varun’s vision of providing high-quality products to the Indian workers, Euro Safety Group produced around fifty-thousand PPE kits per day!
Varun feels responsible for the lives of the many people that depend on the products manufactured by his company. Thus, quality control is of paramount importance at Euro Safety. “For us, quality is not just a piece of certification. Instead, it is a piece of a mindset that we use as a canvas to draw our products on.”
Before becoming a savior for the people of India fighting COVID, the world of literature and design was Varun’s passion. He authored the book “VD Artistic Verses” while following his dreams. Varun is also a certified footwear designer and developer for the luxury fashion footwear market. Today, even though he is in a completely different profession, his zeal for literature and art helps him oversee the creative content and design used by the Euro Safety Group.
Varun also actively oversees the CSR wing of their business group called Roger Foundation. Over the years, he also redesigned his passion to providing well-designed PPE kits to the Indian workers and scaling Euro Safety into a world-class brand. In this regard, Varun exclaims, “If anything, Euro Safety gives me a comprehensive outlet to channel all of my interests, keeping my mind balanced.”
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Varun’s dream is half-way there for the recognition and appreciation Euro Safety Group receives regularly. Different ranking agencies, publishing houses, and individual companies admire the firm for its quality in manufacturing, productivity, performance, and branding in India. In a short period of its operations in the PPE market, Euro Safety has been awarded many titles and accolades for its quality manufacturing. The Government of India has recognized Euro Safety Group as the “Most Innovative MSME” and “Most Productive MSME.”
While that is about his company, Varun, too, is the achiever of many prestigious awards like the Visionary Leadership Award by World Quality Congress, India’s greatest brand & leader Award 2017-18 by Asia One Magazine, Young Achiever Award, and Northern Regional Export Award (CLE), to name a few.
Varun Budhiraja cites the research by Angela Duckworth from the University of Pennsylvania to explain his route to success. The researcher hypothesized that any task requires dedication for a minimum of ten years to become the best at it. He asserts how other aspiring businessmen/businesswomen and professionals should not fall back on such dedication and long-term commitment. It is only then that they can become the best version of themselves.
He reminds people that India stands on the cusp of something extensive today, with its domestic economy poised to be one of the fastest-growing for the next twenty-five years. And so, he urges people to make the best of the situation at the moment and embrace whatever new is in store for the future.
