Rajesh Krishnamurthy on the Himalayan task of spreading smiles

Rajesh Krishnamurthy, Business Director, Consumer Products Division, Himalaya Wellness Company, has been part of the company for more than a decade. Prior to this, he was with Colgate Palmolive, where he was Vice- President, Marketing. At the launch of Himalaya Wellness Company’s latest Flagship initiative – ‘Ek Nayi Muskan’, which aims to support kids for cleft lip surgeries – Rajesh Krishnamurthy spoke exclusively to Adgully on this initiative, the challenges faced while implementing it, their association with cricketer Yuvraj Singh, and much more.

Could you provide us with an overview of the Ek Nayi Muskaan initiative and its impact so far?

If you look at the journey and purpose of wellness driving through all our new products and existing categories, this is not a revenue generating activity. We believe in it, that is why we are here consciously, making sure we support our partnership with Smile Train and help facilitate 250-300 cleft lip and palate surgeries every year. We have helped 300 kids and their parents to live a fulfilling life – that is the kind of impact that we want to have.

What motivated Himalaya Wellness Company to partner with Smile Train Foundation and Yuvraj Singh for this initiative?

Every year we take this activity to different states to tackle the challenges of cleft lip surgeries. This year, we focussed on Bihar. We involve celebrities or well-known people because when they support us, the message gets delivered very well as there is awareness about the celebrity. For ‘Ek Nayi Muskaan’, Yuvraj Singh was a very apt personality to be associated with, as he had gone through challenges in his own life and he could bring out the fact of how he could overcome his challenge and achieve his goal. Thus, he is a natural fit or this initiative and we are excited about this partnership.

How does Himalaya Wellness Company plan to further expand and strengthen its efforts in addressing cleft lip and palate in children?

Our endeavour has always been to do this initiative every year with Smile Train. We only wish and hope that it will be able to create lot more awareness with our campaigns through media, social media, and digital platforms. We will also go to rural areas and distribute pamphlets in stores so that people become more aware and support these surgeries. Our aim is to increase the number of surgeries from the previous year. We are doing this by getting more media mileage and creating more support for the surgeries.

What are the key challenges that you’ve faced in implementing this initiative, and how have you overcome them?

Initiatives such as these require lot of hard work, because we need to reach out at the grassroot level, meet with parents and trained doctors. There is a lot of physical and leg work that needs to be done. One of the biggest challenges that we face every year is how do we keep up the momentum and find a new state. I am very thankful to the marketing and advertising teams at Himalaya, who are passionately doing this initiative.

What role do you see CSR initiatives such as Ek Nayi Muskaan playing a role in shaping the reputation and brand image of Himalaya Wellness Company within the healthcare industry?

We hope it will help the brand keep alive the purpose of wellness and happiness in everybody’s hearts. There are multiple initiatives that we undertake throughout the year at Muskan, such as planting Neem trees, helping our farmers, and many more. There are many initiatives and this is just one of them.

How does the partnership with Smile Train Foundation and Yuvraj Singh align with Himalaya Wellness Company’s broader corporate goals and values?

If you want to bring wellness and happiness, you cannot do that alone. Smile Train has been creating smiles for the past few years, and we have a great partnership. Yuvraj Singh is a living proof of overcoming challenges and living life with confidence despite numerous hardships. Through this partnership, Yuvraj is helping us overcome challenges and Smile Train is helping us in fulfilling dreams.

From a business perspective, how do you quantify the return on investment (ROI) or long-term benefits of participating in initiatives like Ek Nayi Muskaan?

There is no return on investment, it is purely a noble cause. We are just happy to be here and be able to make a difference in the lives of the families and these kids. We are not expecting any returns.