5 Mins With… Dr Akshay Batra, CEO of Dr. Batra’s

What is your company focusing on?

Our group companies will be focusing on organic as well as inorganic growth this year. Currently we have 93 clinics and we plan to add another 20 clinics in this financial year, taking the total to 113, thus marking our 30 years in the industry. As far as products are concerned, we generally add one new product every quarter and we intend to do the same in this financial year too.

Are you concerned that the current volatile global economic climate will affect your strategy?

In the last 30 years of our existence, we have been through numerous periods of volatile economic states. Thankfully, healthcare is the last one to be affected by such phases. Having said that, we have factored these phases, and have worked a strategy that will help us grow in spite of this volatility.

What are the growth areas currently for your industry?

Since the government health sector in India is overburdened, there is plenty of opportunity for private players. At the moment, we have established our presence in tier one and few of the tier two cities in India. There is a large opportunity for us to explore the remaining tier two and tier three cities, as well as the rural areas in India. We also look forward to increasing our presence in the Middle East.

What new products / services will your company launch this year?

We plan to launch a few new segments this financial year and those include diabetes, asthma, arthritis, obesity, stress and allergies. Homeopathy works well for these conditions and we intend to provide good relief to patients suffering from these ailments, in addition to our current treatment segments.

Will you be expanding into new territory?

Yes. We plan to grow our existing presence in Dubai by starting one more clinic in the city. We also plan two clinics in other Gulf countries, and are looking to expand to tier two and tier three cities in India.

What will be the biggest challenges for UAE businesses in your sector in 2012?

To grow the current business organically in the UAE and to make homeopathy more popular amongst the people of the country.

Will you be hiring this year?

We have been a growing company and have been hiring people every year. Irrespective of the global market scenario, we intend to stick to our growth plans of adding 20 new clinics in India and also one in Dubai – hence we would be hiring aggressively for this.

What’s your leadership style?

My leadership style is participative. I believe in taking my team together with me while moving ahead. I believe in collectively empowering the people under me to become good leaders themselves.

What makes the perfect employee?

What makes a perfect employee is one whose values and ideology match with those of the company. Eventually, for the company’s growth, all employees have to have a shared vision and a common code of ethics.

Define success in five words

‘Sense of fulfilment’ is all that it means to me.

Three tips for becoming the boss

A) Build a core team
B) Get them to share your dream
C) Inspire them regularly

When I’m not at work I like to…

Spend time with my son and my dogs, go horse-riding in the woods, pursue music and adventure sports.