{"id":118512,"date":"2022-09-06T12:51:54","date_gmt":"2022-09-06T12:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.controleng.com\/articles\/2022-engineering-leader-under-40-srividya-govindarajan-40\/"},"modified":"2025-04-23T18:15:03","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T23:15:03","slug":"2022-engineering-leader-under-40-srividya-govindarajan-40","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.controleng.com\/2022-engineering-leader-under-40-srividya-govindarajan-40\/","title":{"rendered":"2022 Engineering Leader Under 40: Srividya Govindarajan, 40"},"content":{"rendered":"

Srividya Govindarajan, 40<\/strong>
\nPlant Director
\nUnilever<\/a>
\nKhamgaon, Maharashtra, India
\nBS Manufacturing Engineering, College of Engineering, Guindy<\/p>\n

Why Srividya is an Engineering Leader<\/strong><\/p>\n

Becoming a Unilever Site Director marked a significant milestone in the pursuit of Srividya Govindarajan\u2019s career dreams. As a child she witnessed her father\u2019s 30-year career as a factory operator and always hoped she could one day run a factory of her own. From being the only woman in her first role straight from college, to becoming the only female Factory Manager for Unilever in South Asia, Srividya has succeeded in working in environments dominated by men and inspiring females to pursue manufacturing careers by becoming a role model and demonstrating success path.<\/p>\n

Achievements, Advancement & Career-related Industry Contributions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Looking back on Srividya\u2019s 19 years of experience, there were many significant breakthroughs that enabled her to achieve, advance in her career and contribute to Unilever\u2019s successful building and commissioning of machines, 50% reduction in quality defects in water purifier, turnaround of a closing factory into a top performing factory and enabling digital transformation and improving efficiencies. That last one delighted many consumers and provided cost savings. As someone who always dreamed of securing a leadership position in manufacturing, it’s been Srividya\u2019s ambition that has helped her overcome the problem of a lack of female role models. Using the lack of role models as a personal driver, she made it her purpose to become one herself. Now that she\u2019s reached a position where women entering the industry might look up to her for guidance, that purpose has evolved. Now what keeps Srividya motivated is becoming a great example of success, a powerful role model that future generation can look up to and be a hope to others.<\/p>\n

Non-work-related Activities & Hobbies<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a site director, Srividya has led the corporate social responsibility agenda in nearby villages to the site with water conservation as the main theme. 1.58 billion liters of water have been saved, enabling 138 tons of additional agricultural produce, benefitting 685 farmers over past 2 years. Srividya advocates for child education and volunteers with Women & Child Malnutrition by providing skill development programs and contributing to nutrition development centers. The team has reached out to more than 5,000 rural women and children, empowering them with career-building opportunities and better decision-making abilities on health.<\/p>\n

Interesting Details<\/strong><\/p>\n