BS People: V Raja

Ex GE hand hopes to Reinvent himself

Healthcare to electronics? That's the leap that V Raja has made. After a stint of about nine years at GE Healthcare where he tripled the business, Raja has moved on to TE Connectivity which was earlier known as Tyco Electronics.

What motivated Raja to move? “Change was necessary,” he tells Business Standard. “I looked at the opportunity of working in a different industry. Having built a business, I wanted to reinvent myself. I wanted to look at an opportunity to learn,” he adds.

The chance to build something new is what seems to drive Raja and TE, with an estimated Rs 600 crore per annum in revenues provides him with that opportunity. “I had my innings in healthcare. I wanted to try something new. I had been a commodity buyer, a HR leader, a financial head and many others,” he says.

Under Raja’s aegis, GE Healthcare was uncommonly successful in generating new products. The company gave birth to 14 of them, all developed them for the Indian market. At least six more are set to hit the market this year. Earlier, only 2 per cent of the GE’s products were “in country for country”. Now, 15 per cent is “in country for country” and this is expected to rise 25-30 per cent. Raja hopes to sow the same fertile seeds at TE Connectivity.