Magic happens if you believe in it. And here is one example, which proves that impossibles do happen if you have the conviction and will for it. The man in question is no one but Ravi Uppal, Managing Director, ABB India who has helped the company achieve unprecedented growth trajectory in recent years. Known as the man with the Midas touch, Uppal took over the company in September 2001, when it was going through a bad phase with its financial performance declining. ABB India, a subsidiary of the ABB Group, a Swedish-Swiss engineering conglomerate, attributed the sluggishness in the power and industrial sectors as the primary reason for its dismal performance.

This is when Uppal stepped in. Before him lay the challenge of doubling the revenues of ABB India in less than five years. He rose to the challenge and ushered a new era for the company. An MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad, Uppal completed his BTech from IIT Delhi. Starting his career with BHEL in 1975, Uppal joined Asea Ltd in 1980. In the merged entity Asea Brown Boveri Ltd he held the position of vice president power projects and then of industrial electronics and systems segment.

After a 16-year stint in ABB he took over as Managing Director of Volvo India Pvt Ltd before returning to ABB in 2001. Soon after joining he launched a restructuring exercise. Besides a disheartening financial performance, the company was also saddled with an indifferent workforce. Over the years its organizational problems went up, with its workforce gradually losing interest in the company. Uppal's restructuring exercise focused on changing the work culture, overcoming bureaucracy, introducing performance based compensation system, increasing the number of channel partners, cost cutting and thrust on exports and services. He transformed the ABB India from a project-centric company to a customer-centric one. Today, the ABB is one of the fastest growing companies with a greater presence in the Indian market and tapping ever-expanding consumer base. Uppal’s hardwork has been showing results. The net profit rose 54 per cent while revenue grew 44 per cent during the full year ended December 2006. He now proposes to invest Rs. 250 crore over 2-3 years for capacity increase and to set up four new facilities in Karnataka.

Uppal derives his motivation from his aim to make ABB known to the wider public. He wants the common man to see and use ABB products. With this desire, he has spent over 20 years with the ABB Group and under his guidance, ABB's India operations have seen a meteoric growth in recent years. Undeniably, it is people like Uppal who, with their unyielding courage and hard work have been able to transformed the future of the company. The results speak volumes for Uppal's inspiring leadership.

Moreover, Uppal is the recipient of the "Royal Order of the Polar Star" awarded by His Majesty the King of Sweden and named a knight of this Order. He has also been honoured with Helen Keller Award for facilitating employment of physically and mentally challenged. He has taken keen interest in the growth of his Alma Mater and has been responsible for the setting up of ABB Chair Professorship in Power and Automation at IIT Delhi. He has also helped in the setting up of ABB Scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Department of Electrical Engineering.