It has been twenty years since Malathi Pande joined Tata Steel - just for kicks! A B Sc (Honours) in Chemistry, Malathi responded to a vacancy in the Data Processing Department. She took the aptitude test and came out with flying colours. In the years since, this former housewife worked very hard to prove herself, which she obviously did, because today she is rated among the top professionals in the company.

The elder daughter of Mr K N Kailasam of Tata Steel’s erstwhile Production Control Department, Malathi spent an idyllic childhood in Jamshedpur. She got married immediately after graduating at the age of 20, and became a mother soon thereafter. Eight years later, once her daughter was relatively independent, Malathi took the decision to find a job.

“In those days, it was essentially a 9 to 5 job so I did not experience any difficulty in switching over from being a full-time mother and housewife to becoming a working woman. I had the support of my in-laws, therefore, handling all my roles was a lot easier.”

Malathi’s career made fairly dramatic progress as she took the opportunities presented by the Company. The turning point for her career, she says, was her decision to apply for the Technical Officer scheme. “I would say it was a bold decision. I had always felt till then that my lack of qualification might be a deterrent in my progress. But I was selected and only then I realised that ability is what matters most at Tata Steel.” Malathi was immediately catapulted to the position of a Training Executive in the Scientific Services department. Her job now entailed positional training of workmen and officers as well as documentation of work instructions. The job required her to use her analytical ability, an attribute which has turned out to be Malathi’s forte.

Once again in 1998, a turning point came in Malathi’s life. With the Company focussing on improving its Supply Chain Management, Malathi was chosen to join the Task Force working with

consultants Booz Allen. A completely new area for her again, but by now she had begun thriving on the challenge of change. Needless to say, she excelled at her task, was inducted in the mainstream of Purchase at Tata Steel and was assigned to Vendor Management in the Services section.

Today, as Tata Steel looks at the world as its oyster, Malathi as Head, Global Sourcing, has a very challenging role. “I like to get into new things. When ISO had just come in for the Company I was responsible for its implementation in ITS, then we adopted the Tata Business Excellence Model and now ASPIRE. I have enjoyed every challenge thoroughly.”

Amresh and Malati Pande enjoy a moment shared with each other

An extremely methodological person, Malathi puts down all her tasks for the day first thing in the morning and checks each out as she completes them. “I like to have systems for everything I do. In the department the systems are so much in place that when one person is on leave we might feel the work pressure but work goes on smoothly,” she emphasises.

Malathi realises that she was fortunate that her daughter grew up, when she had the luxury of working an eight-hour day. “The Company has changed a lot in the last two decades. But so has the environment, and the Company had the foresight to recognise what was coming. As a boss I can understand the pressure that women in my department face. It is difficult to do justice to all that needs to be managed.”

In the early days, the one person who she drew a lot of inspiration from was Mrs Rupa Mahanty, then an employee of the Company and now a well-known management consultant. “Even today, I look up to Rupa, who has always been a great source of encouragement. I also admire Mr B Muthuraman and look up to him because I believe he is a great motivator for all of us.”

When she and her husband Amresh Pande, also a senior Tata Steel executive, get home after a tough day, they like to relax with a good book, watch television or meet up with friends.