Collective ownership: an Expo Mart for the exporter by the exporter
Anuj Sharma
Till early 2000s, barring few, there was lack of exhibition facilities in National Capital Region (NCR) of India. Rakesh Kumar who was heading Export Promotion Council for Handicraft felt that this was one of the major problems in improving handicraft exports from India. To overcome this, Rakesh consulted the industry and government bodies and as a result, Expo Mart having state-of-art facilities for organising exhibitions in NCR was conceptualised. This was planned as special purpose vehicle (SPV), primarily funded by exporters, and supported by other government and non-government bodies. The case highlights the challenges faced by Rakesh Kumar at every stage of development of Expo Mart, from conducting the feasibility analysis, allotment of land and till the complete facility was developed and the future challenges like fighting the competition and arranging finances for future growth. The case also highlights the leadership qualities like shared ownership, mutual trust, determination, integrity, empathy, employee empowerment, crisis management, stakeholders' integration and financial acumen that led to the success of Expo Mart.
Published in: International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management