Writing Her Own Destiny Pooja Jain Gupta, managing director, Luxor Writing Instruments is working to transition from a family-managed business to a professionally managed company

Right from the outset, Pooja Jain Gupta, managing director, Luxor Writing Instruments found immense inspiration in her father's unwavering dedication to his business and the people associated with it. "He has been and will always remain my eternal hero. I have witnessed how he built the business from the ground up with just INR 5,000. His persistence, positive thinking, and sharp focus led to the creation of a company like Luxor," she says.

In 1992, her father was attending a business trip, an international stationery fair in Japan and because she expressed a desire to attend the fair, she was taken along. This trip became pivotal for both her and the Luxor group, an occurrence she now refers to as 'The journey of a lifetime.'

"As it was during this trip, I truly understood the magnitude of the brand and the respect that my father had in front of the big giants and witnessing this was the game changer for me and that's when I knew in my heart that I wanted to follow his footsteps. I wanted to be a good human being and a great business leader like my father," she says.

Upon returning, she started attending office, meeting up with colleagues and felt a strong desire to work alongside her father. This marked the commencement of her venture within Luxor, and she was firmly committed to validating her capabilities and making meaningful contributions to her family business.

In 1996, her father signed the first joint venture with Gillette, a global industry leader owning brands like Parker and Waterman. This was another turning point for Pooja. "My father sent me for training at Gillette where I had the opportunity to meet professionals at such a young age, understanding the nuances of our business and how the global businesses are established. The experience was life-changing," she says.

Being a self-made man himself, he didn't want Pooja to join merely as the promoter's daughter. He wanted her to rise up and build her own identity. "He entrusted me with the role of a 'product manager' reporting to professionals and I am quite fortunate that I interacted with such bright professionals from whom I learned a great deal. Since then, there has been no looking back," she says.

Talking about her journey at Luxor, she says, "I am working to transition from a family-managed business to a professionally managed company. We are making our operations more professional and embracing hybrid thinking." Recently, the company partnered with Schneider Germany, for a technical and brand collaboration, which Pooja feels is a key milestone in Luxor's efforts of bringing in the best international brands to India.

"We believe that by continuously innovating, collaborating, and learning from well-developed markets, we will be able to offer tech advanced and superior quality product categories for India. It is worth noting that the products manufactured are available in more than 100 countries around the world. This is a testimony to the manufacturing, product development, and marketing capabilities that have been instrumental at Luxor," she says.

Pooja shares similar personality traits with her father, such as persistence. "The foundation of Luxor's success today lies in hard work, positive mindset, and unwavering determination, which is the core of my operational style as well."

FACTSHEET

• Age: 46
• Current turnover: Close to 800 crores in FY23
• Number of employees: 3500 employees