Syed Sajjadh Ali brings to the table over three decades of experience in the electrical equipment industry. Currently, managing director (MD), India, electrical sector, Eaton, he is responsible for managing the electrical businesses (including power distribution, power quality, bussmann and power systems) of Eaton in India. He oversees operations, sales, finances and HR management of these businesses. Prior to this, he was MD of Cooper Bussmann in India before the global acquisition of Cooper Industries by Eaton in 2012. In the past, he has worked in the areas of technology development, supply chain management, sales and finance in organisations such as GE, Alstom, GEC and English Electric. He has also been an active member of various industry bodies, educational institutions and social service organisations.
According to Ali, “India has made good progress in terms of power generation and accessibility. We have gone up 73 spots to 26th rank on the World Bank’s list of electricity accessibility, in 2017. Besides, the government’s plan of providing electricity to every rural household is encouraging.”
Ali believes that in the coming years, sustainable energy sources will account for the lion’s share of installed capacity and as renewable energy sources become a significant part of the energy mix, microgrids with energy storage solutions will see increased adoption. Further, the infrastructure created for electric vehicles under the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan will eventually lead to a drop in battery prices and make the energy storage market commercially viable.
Looking back, Ali feels that his most memorable assignment was establishing an integrated electrical entity for Eaton in India. This involved consolidating multiple entities of the erstwhile Cooper Bussmann and Eaton’s power quality and power distribution businesses. Multiple locations, complex operating systems and a not-so-well-connected customer base made the job more challenging.
Ali believes that for successful operation of businesses, it is necessary to build strong teams by motivating people, fostering an environment of continuous learning and encouraging accountability. In addition to being performance driven, he feels it is important to maintain ethical and transparent operations. Ali spends his spare time reading and travelling. His home town is Puducherry, where he has been actively involved in philanthropic programmes with the local community.