Welcome to the next edition of Leadership Matters where we ask leaders for their insights and advice about leadership matters to support our continuing journey of personal and professional development.
In this edition, we hear from Executive Vice President International Operations and member of Schneider Electric’s Executive Team, Manish Pant. Manish is responsible for the Pacific, Greater India, Middle East Africa, and South America zones. Prior to his recent appointment, Manish was Zone President, East Asia, and Japan.
Manish has been with Schneider Electric for 23 years, working across most of Schneider’s portfolio and multiple geographies in the International division, including Executive Vice President, Home and Distribution division, Country President Thailand, and general manager of JV companies in the energy management sector in China.
Manish started his career in Larsen & Toubro in India, spending six years leading sales and marketing and was previously the first CEO of Luminous, a business that has developed to a large scale in the prosumer space. He is based in Singapore.
What motivates and excites you about your role at Schneider Electric?
I would say the diversity of the International Operations region – culture, people, go-to-market, ways of doing business – and its growth potential.
Today the countries within International Operations account for a large proportion of the world’s population. Most of the countries are emerging or developing economies, which hold great global growth potential from the geopolitical perspective.
This provides a great sense of ownership for our teams, an outstanding level of resilience (demonstrated during the COVID pandemic, for example) and an entrepreneurial spirit.
However, we are also on the cusp of an energy transition. We’re going fast with sustainability and decarbonisation. And this is made possible through electrification and digitisation, which are core business areas for Schneider Electric.
My objective is to increase our contribution to this, helping our customers to make the most of their resources and to accelerate the transition in this part of the world.
What makes you most proud of your team?
We have a high performing team that has been driving consistent profitable growth over the past years. The team is customer-centric, going the extra mile to achieve the best customer satisfaction. We have also seen a high level of engagement among our people and we have been recognised as a ‘Great Place to Work’ in several countries. I am very proud that we can deliver the same consistent level of service and solutions in all the countries in which we operate in International Operations.
How do you see the market for Schneider Electric evolving in the next 5 years?
I’m very optimistic about the future, with the shift to digitisation and electrification unfolding. We are in the right industry at the right time.
Our energy management and industrial automation EcoStruxure solutions are specifically designed to improve productivity, efficiency, and help companies drive their growth and profitability and bring sustainability into the equation.
Industry 4.0 presents new opportunities to unlock process innovations to develop sustainable, environmentally friendly materials, decarbonise energy, tap digital innovation for doing more with less, and extend the life cycle of goods within a ‘zero waste to landfill’ framework.
Early adopters of automation already see measurable gains including increased energy efficiency and a better return on capital expenditure.
The average energy consumption per capita in International Operations is below the average worldwide, representing huge opportunities for access to energy, as well as in electrification, in regions such as Africa and South America. We will see this increase tremendously with the drive for electrification as part of the net zero commitments of government and enterprise. Schneider Electric is at the centre of this electrification and digitisation journey and will benefit from the opportunities arising from this evolution.
How is International Operations supporting our leadership in Electricity 4.0 in the Pacific Zone?
Electricity is the most efficient energy and the best vector for decarbonisation. We know that electricity production and trading are no longer limited to large, centralised generators and retailers,  leading to what we call the ‘New Energy Landscape’. I see Pacific playing a very relevant role within the company due to its high growth of renewables and being a world leader in decentralised energy.
We see this energy transition accelerating globally, with opportunities emerging and competitors entering the market, as well as our offers (hardware, control, software, services) evolving to capture new requirements. This is happening across all our markets and we also see new go-to-market that will emerge such as energy retailers, solar installers, and solar developers.
There are some great customer examples in Pacific, such as McDonalds, which demonstrates this journey for others and highlights the great opportunities in International Operations, as many of our countries accelerate their energy transition.
We’re one of the leading companies in the world when it comes to sustainability. How is your part of the business contributing to this leadership?
We are very proud to have been an active supporter of sustainability for over 15 years – even before sustainability became a hot topic. Across the region, the level of maturity differs from one country to another but the prospects are very promising.
Our Sustainability Business consulting services are attracting increasingly more customers needing support with their decarbonisation journey, as all sectors are accelerating action to make sustainability practices real.
As we progress, we should keep our focus on evolving from a ‘product-centric’ approach to a consulting and solutions approach, becoming the trusted partner for sustainability, energy management, and digital transformation for our customers.
Sustainability is at the core of our business, and I count on all our teams to keep raising the bar for ourselves and for our customers and partners.
Describe a ‘customer first’ moment that you’ll never forget.
In 2009, a globally-leading chemical organisation in Thailand was setting up its first solar captive power plant and trusted us to be its supplier. It was among the first megawatt scale plants being built in Asia and we had demonstrated we were in a good position with our engineering and execution capabilities to deliver the project, which we did very successfully.
Which of our other values resonates with you most and why?
All our company values are important, but I believe we must keep ‘customer first’ at the core of everything we do. It makes us externally focused to keep excelling and exceeding customer expectations. This drives us to understand our customers’ current and future needs and develop offers and solutions for them to ensure the full value chain is well-oriented to deliver it.
Who has influenced you most during your career and how?
I have been fortunate to work in different geographies and businesses across Schneider Electric, which has also given me opportunity to work with diverse leaders. I have learnt from each of their leadership in different ways and been blessed by their guidance at every step of my career journey. This includes making choices for certain roles that gave me exposure to almost all businesses in the group.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice received was from Bhagavad Gita: ‘Karmarye Vadikaraste ma phalesu kadhachana’ – perform your duty but do not have any expectation for the results.