An Orchestrator: Arpit Agrawal, Executive Director, Vishal Group Arpit has always known that for him, leveraging technology would be the fulcrum of transformation at Vishal Group
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Born into the illustrious Agrawal family of the Vishal Group, Kathmandu, Arpit Agrawal has emerged as the torchbearer of the one of the largest corporations deeply woven into the fabric of Nepalese commerce. His journey is not just one of sharpened business acumen; it is also one of a profound love for the legacy he inherited.
"I watch my son enter a sand pit with a kid he's never known, and they bring their toys together, their skills – they make new castles, they have an operating dynamic, and they are constantly innovating new ways to play. And I think – this is how work has to be. You have to see it as play," says Arpit. "You have to keep the play alive for all of us employees to feel engaged. You have to keep innovating, with play."
Arpit has always known that for him, leveraging technology would be the fulcrum of transformation at Vishal Group. What began as enhancements of infrastructure hardware and adoption of cloud platforms has become a technological evolution that birthed a new Vishal Group – one that harnessed the power of data-driven decision-making. Today, Vishal Group's digital infrastructure serves as the nerve centre overseeing efficiency in demand management, supply chain optimization, warehousing, front-end sales, and international collaborations. In industries, where the top firm invests heavily in R&D, it is predicted that most competitors take 5-10 years to catch up despite aggressive strategies and tech investment. The Vishal Group not only holds the largest import portfolio in the country, but also a 100% retention on its partnerships.
"Expansion isn't a goal," muses Arpit, "It's a journey. We are not just serving customers; we're mastering efficiency across every facet of Vishal Group." Leveraging tech-savvy solutions has created avant-garde tech-based accountability and efficiency within Vishal Group.
Arpit's impact is evident in the group's widespread distribution each, an extensive network that touches every household in Nepal. Arpit's vision for the future transcends growth as a metric on a financial report to meet the burgeoning demands of the middle class, and of the needs of the next generation. "We have brought the world to Nepal for decades now - and we are cognizant of working towards a selfsufficient Nepal for future generations, which means investing in manufacturing and capacity building. This is the balance that each multi-industry corporation in Nepal must gauge starting today." The sentiment is mirrored in the work of The Vishal Group Foundation, which works largely on education supporting the biggest scholarship of the nation and capacity building across various industries, alongside gender and sustainability initiatives.
As the Vishal Group transforms industry after industry in Nepal, the conglomerate is appearing to be the next big powerhouse in the labyrinth of South Asia's business landscape, and Arpit Agrawal, the orchestrator behind the symphony.
