“Life-long Learning Broadens my Horizons”

Having obtained his Master’s degree in applied geology, Jagadeesha DJ was ready to follow his dream. The science postgraduate from southwest India entered the ceramics industry when he joined wienerberger India as a geologist 16 years ago. Today, Jagadeesha runs wienerberger’s Kunigal production plant in his home province, Karnataka. He is passionate about his work and still gets excited discovering new aspects to the job.

wienerberger India produces 530 tons of brick per day at its plant approximately 70 kilometers west of Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka state. This enormous output is down to Jagadeesha DJ and his team. How do they do it? “With seamless coordination and a good working atmosphere,” says the plant manager. As head of the fully automated production plant in Kunigal he is responsible for approximately 150 employees. “I am extremely proud of my resourceful and highly-motivated colleagues. I can rely on them completely.”

After eleven years as plant manager Jagadeesha loves his job more than ever. His top priority is the health and safety of all those who work for him. The 47-year-old generally starts work in the morning with a team meeting to get an overview of the day’s business. Topics on the agenda include production and maintenance, raw materials, energy, quality and sustainability: “With a relentless focus on reducing CO₂ emissions, we are constantly working to make our processes even more sustainable.” 

In 2022 wienerberger launched Ready4Expertise 2.0, its group-wide talent program for experienced managers and experts. The program provides long-serving employees with proven track records vital input to enhance their professional development. Underpinned by the Go M.A.D. Results Framework^®, managers learn to think and act differently, empowering them to coach their staff and improve results. These high performers are given support in formats such as webinars, regular check-ins and coaching. At the end of the program, they show off their skills in a pitch challenge at wienerberger headquarters.

The twelve members of the first Ready4Expertise 2.0 cohort come from ten different countries. One of them is Jagadeesha DJ. He is grateful to his boss for nominating him. But the reason he was accepted on to the nine-month-long program was that as plant manager he is a vital element of wienerberger India’s success. Ready4Expertise 2.0 let him develop his leadership qualities and get even more out of himself. His ambition now is to use teambuilding activities at his plant to strengthen team relationships among his colleagues.

One of the things the family man appreciates most about the Ready4Expertise 2.0 program is the diversity of those taking part. “Sharing stories about our own experiences and also working together meant we were able to learn a great deal with and from each other.“ The program encourages him to look at situations from several angles. As he says, “In my work I set clear goals and execute them in a structured way. This includes how I make the best use of my peoples’ strengths, coach them and make decisions with them. This way, we can turn problems into solutions together,” says Jagadeesha DJ.

In his spare time, Jagadeesha enjoys relaxing with his family. Even away from the office he indulges his love of strategy and learning by playing chess with his children or reading. The head of plant operations says that Ready4Expertise 2.0 has given him more confidence looking head: “My team and I have set our sights high. Ready4Expertise 2.0 was a great help finding the best way to go forward and achieve our goals and to approach the challenges we face with confidence.“ The more he learns, the more he realizes how much there is still to be learned.