Bala V. Sathyanarayanan, a seasoned global leader, has made a significant impact on the corporate world. As the Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at Greif Inc., a multinational industrial manufacturer, he has consistently demonstrated a commitment to excellence and innovation.
Bala’s leadership philosophy is rooted in building high-performing teams and leveraging digital technologies to drive organizational growth. His ability to navigate complex business challenges, coupled with his strategic thinking, has enabled him to deliver exceptional results. As he states, “As an NACD Certified Corporate Director, I’m committed to advancing the highest standards of boardroom excellence.”
By focusing on key areas such as competitive strategy, innovation, diversity, equity, and inclusion, Bala has helped Greif achieve new heights. His expertise in leadership development, governance, and succession planning ensures the organization’s sustainable future.
Bala’s legacy is a testament to the power of leadership and the importance of fostering a positive and inclusive work environment. His contributions to the global business community will continue to inspire future generations of leaders.
Rise of the Titan
His journey into the dynamic ecosystem of digital thought leadership and human resources began with a strong foundation in technical roles and a passion for leadership. Starting his career in Asia and transitioning to the United States, Bala has held significant positions at renowned companies such as Xerox Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Inc., Avaya Inc., Coca-Cola Inc., and United Technologies Inc.
His motivation to enter this field was his desire to transform organizations through strategic human resources practices and business transformation initiatives. Bala has been recognized for his contributions to the field, including being named to the list of Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business by the Asian American Business Development Centre and being honoured as Executive of the Year by Columbus CEO Magazine.
Throughout his career, Bala has focused on creating cultures of continuous improvement and operational excellence, aligning HR functions with business strategies, and driving significant change management initiatives. His approach is deeply rooted in servant leadership, breaking down organizational silos, and promoting a unified direction under the “One World, One Greif, One Team” philosophy. This dedication to leadership and innovation has been a key motivator in his journey, inspiring many in the industry.
Bala has emphasized several guiding philosophies that have propelled Greif’s success. These include a strong commitment to values, operational discipline, and a focus on building high-performing teams.
The Greif Competency Framework outlines key competencies such as being results-focused, operationally disciplined, and holding to account. These competencies drive behaviours that are essential for achieving successful business outcomes. The framework also emphasizes the importance of building capability in all colleagues, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development, and leading with clear communication and integrity.
Additionally, Bala’s leadership philosophy includes leveraging technology for operational efficiency and transparency, promoting digitalization, and ensuring data fluency. This approach has been particularly beneficial in navigating the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling Greif to maintain strong global collaboration and adapt effectively to remote and hybrid work models.
Overall, Greif’s success is underpinned by a commitment to The Greif Way, which includes principles of servant leadership, customer understanding, and a dedication to continuous improvement and innovation.
A Distinctive Dazzler
Bala is recognized for several unique selling propositions (USPs) that position him as a leading transformational leader. He is a respected strategic partner to C-suite executives and board members, driving both organic and inorganic growth. He has a proven track record of expanding and building people and process capabilities, creating cultures of continuous improvement and operational excellence, and strengthening the alignment of the HR function.
Bala’s Key USPs include:
Business Model Redesign: Bala led the redesign of Xerox Corporation, focusing on building an effective and efficient customer-centric organization that contributed to $900M+ savings to the bottom line.
Change Management: He drove significant change management initiatives at Hewlett Packard, streamlining operations to build agile organizations that executed business strategy, achieving a return on sales (ROS) expansion from 8.5% to 12.5% of revenue.
M&A, Separation & Integration: Bala successfully led the separation of a 90,000-employee, $7B services business from Xerox, creating two independent Fortune 500 size organizations. He defined and executed the target operating model for both separate organizations, including organization strategy, design, structure, and talent.
Governance: He established governance structures and streamlined management processes to facilitate smooth strategy and execution updates to the board.
Currently, Bala is widely acknowledged for his extensive experience and successful track record in leading large-scale transformations. At Greif, Inc., Bala has led a culture transformation, delivering on the vision of becoming the best-performing industrial packaging firm in the world. He has redesigned the company from the outside, building a customer-centric global organization and driving top-decile employee and customer engagement. This has resulted in over $2B of top-line stakeholder value creation for Greif.
A Legendary Leader
Bala’s leadership style at Greif is deeply rooted in servant leadership, which emphasizes the importance of supporting and empowering team members to achieve their best. His approach to leadership and team building is characterized by a commitment to creating a dynamic and inclusive work environment. He focuses on business transformation through the intentional development and empowerment of leaders, which he believes is key to delivering an engaged workforce capable of executing the company’s business strategy.
Under Bala’s leadership, Greif has seen significant achievements, such as sustaining global gender pay parity, expanding colleague resource groups, and launching global training programs in human rights and fair treatment. Bala’s focus on genuine engagement and commitment to inclusion among colleagues has been instrumental in fostering a positive workplace culture. He also supports leadership development through various councils and committees, ensuring a continuous pipeline of qualified candidates for future leadership positions.
Overall, Bala’s leadership style is centred on fostering an environment where opportunities for growth and learning are available to all, aligning actions with the company’s purpose and vision, and building a cohesive and motivated team.
Embracing Tech Innovation
Greif strikes a balance between operational efficiency and customer satisfaction by leveraging digital transformation initiatives that focus on innovation and disruptions while enhancing the end-user experience. The company integrates advanced technologies such as AI, IoT, and data analytics to optimize machinery performance, improve operational efficiency, and provide better customer service.
Additionally, Greif’s approach to digital transformation includes aligning IT and operational technology (OT) to create a coordinated roadmap that increases the utilization of emerging technologies. This alignment helps in creating an agile system that ensures value creation in the factory matches the value created for the customer, including tamper-proof and end-to-end product tracking and traceability.
By focusing on these strategic initiatives, Greif enhances both operational efficiency and customer satisfaction, ensuring that the digital transformation journey is aligned with its business and operational objectives.
Digital Dynamics
Greif integrates digitalization and technological advancements into its core functioning through several initiatives aimed at fostering a technovative future.
Key activities include:
Smart Manufacturing Capabilities: Greif focuses on sustainability, safety, physical and process automation, quality modernization, factory synchronization, and execution excellence. These capabilities are supported by key enablers such as cybersecurity, leading solutions, emerging technology, and infrastructure.
Digital Tools and Automation: Greif is also investing in operational automation to modernize plants, improve labour efficiency, reduce scrap, and enhance quality. This includes using advanced quality sensing technologies and digital connectivity to streamline operations and increase scalability.
One Transformative Project
Greif’s sustainability innovation strategy showcases its commitment to excellence and innovation. This initiative is designed to inspire colleagues to reach their dreams through innovation, fostering a dynamic and engaging work environment that encourages creative problem-solving and continuous learning.
A key component of this strategy is the In-House Entrepreneur Program, which establishes a coordinated approach for colleagues at all levels to contribute ideas and foster innovation. This program has been highly successful, with approximately 70 per cent of innovations having sustainability benefits.
Additionally, Greif’s commitment to sustainability is evident in its efforts to reduce its environmental footprint. The company has implemented various projects, such as reconditioning, remanufacturing, or recycling containers through its Global Industrial Packaging (GIP) division. These efforts not only support customer demands for sustainability but also improve processes and reduce the use of virgin materials.
Greif’s approach to innovation is holistic, involving all parts of the company in transforming its product portfolio and organizational processes. This is further supported by the Director of Sustainable Innovation, who facilitates a cohesive and collaborative environment for idea-sharing and cross-enterprise collaboration. Quarterly project reviews with the Executive Leadership Team and the Board of Directors ensure that innovation priorities and industry trends are communicated and addressed effectively.
Constant Team Empowerment
“At Greif, fostering a culture of growth, skill development, and empowerment among employees is deeply embedded in our organizational practices and values,” says Bala. This is primarily guided by “The Greif Way,” which outlines its culture, character, values, and beliefs, serving as the foundation of the company strategy.
Competency Framework: Greif has developed a comprehensive Competency Framework that communicates performance expectations and supports individual development. This framework helps colleagues understand how their contributions impact the company’s overall success. It includes creating Individual Development Plans (IDPs), receiving feedback from managers, colleagues, coaches, and mentors, and conducting self-evaluations of strengths or career aspirations.
People-Focused Approach: Greif is a people-first business that prioritizes the well-being and growth of its colleagues. Bala adds, “We invest in our employees by fostering collaborative teamwork, effective communication, and embracing feedback.” Managers are encouraged to coach and mentor team members, helping them identify improvement needs and opportunities while motivating them to take responsibility for their career development.
Continuous Learning and Development: Greif promotes a culture of continuous learning and self-development. Employees are encouraged to engage in regular coaching and feedback sessions, utilize resources available at Greif University, and participate in leadership programs and initiatives. This approach ensures that colleagues can develop behaviours and skills within specific competency areas through various methods, including formal training, on-the-job development, job simulations, observation, feedback, informal coaching, and reading.
Servant Leadership: Greif emphasizes servant leadership, where leaders prioritize the goals and growth of their teams above their own. This involves leading by example, fostering a culture of trust, collaboration, and support, and empowering team members to take ownership and accountability for achieving goals and objectives.
Innovation and Creativity: Greif encourages a culture of innovation and creativity by promoting active listening, understanding diverse perspectives, and encouraging constructive feedback. Employees are given the freedom to think creatively and support new ideas that can lead to significant innovations within the company.
Conquering Challenges
Greif has implemented several measures to prepare for uncertain events similar to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the 2022 Sustainability Report, Greif has developed a global contingency plan and emergency procedures. These measures are part of Greif’s broader strategy to manage risks and ensure business continuity in the face of unforeseen events.
Sharing the Success Strategy
Bala’s valuable advice for budding entrepreneurs aspiring to venture into the digital space is pragmatic:
Adaptability: Always be ready to adapt to change, as it is the only constant and comes with opportunities. This is crucial in the fast-evolving digital landscape.
Self-Advocacy: Take your seat at the table, advocate for yourself, and find a coach, mentor, and sponsor who will advocate for you. Building a strong support network is essential for growth and success.
Continuous Learning: Always be curious and never stop learning. The day you stop learning is the day you stop growing as an individual and a businessperson. Staying updated with the latest trends and technologies in the digital space is vital.
Comfort Zone: Get outside of your comfort zone. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and stretch yourself to the point of growth, not breakage. This mindset will help you navigate the challenges and uncertainties of the digital world.
Foresights for a Brighter Future
Bala’s vision for Greif focuses on leveraging advanced technologies to drive growth and innovation. He emphasizes the importance of trust and communication in achieving these goals. The vision includes integrating cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and Industry 4.0 concepts to enhance manufacturing operations and overall business processes. This approach aims to create a high-performance culture, maximize value, and balance costs and capabilities to meet performance commitments.
“We will continue making a significant impact on India’s transformational future landscape by fostering innovation, enhancing communication, and integrating advanced technologies to drive growth and efficiency,” Bala concludes.
