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Vasundhara Oswal: Swiss-Indian entrepreneur making waves in the African petrochemicals and mining industry

Vasundhara Oswal, 24, has always had a passion for business. Born to Pankaj and Radhika Oswal in 1999, Vasundhara hails from the prestigious business family of the multibillion dollar global conglomerate ‘Oswal Group Global’. She grew up in the fast-paced world of business and views entrepreneurship as an avenue for making a positive impact and making novel solutions accessible to the masses.

These beliefs are apparent in the way she handles the working at PRO Industries PTE LTD, and Axis Minerals where she is the executive director and director general respectively.

PRO Industries is one of the largest ethanol plants in East Africa and Axis Minerals is one of the largest mines in West Africa. Before she joined the board in 2020, the companies had never had a woman leader. Even in Africa and the petrochemical and mining industry at large — having a woman serve as the head is a rare sight. Vasundhara doesn’t let this gender imbalance throw her off her balance, and isn’t afraid to let her voice be heard.

Ever since she took over, she has made scores of savvy business moves and has made it clear that she is here to stay. As the person holding the reins, a lot of responsibilities fall on her shoulder and she effortlessly carries out all her duties and leaves no opportunity to go above and beyond. She has brought several ambitious expansion projects to completion, reduced debt levels and introduced new initiatives within the companies. Her initiatives invest in the well-being of the workforce and uphold the values of diversity, inclusivity and sustainability.

She is frequently spotted staying at the company plants and camps. According to her, staying connected with the ground helps her have first-hand experience with the challenges the workers may face and how meaningful change can be introduced. Inspired by these insights, she set out to solve the connectivity and sustenance issues prevalent in East Africa and set up drinking water facilities and roadways in the region.

Vasundhara brings progressive sensibilities to this established industry and is a huge champion of environmental rights. She is a huge voice within the petrochemical industry for the cause and has implemented several practical measures that help her strike the balance between her business’ needs and the needs of the environment. She has set up a CO2 Capturing Plant at PRO Industries through her ZLD scheme and provides recycled drinkable water to beverage companies and is very close to achieving a 100 per cent waste water recycling rate.

Anti-Bullying and empowerment are also high on her list of social causes; her anti-bullying campaign ‘Stop The B’ - which she founded with her sister Ridi is a youth-led anti bullying platform that allows victims of bullying to use their voice to break the stigma around bullying. The campaign gained international acclaim and was a part of the speaker session at the UNESCO World anti-bullying forum.

Vasundhara's journey as an entrepreneur is just beginning and has already become a tale of inspiration. Through her work, Vasundhara has opened many doors for women in her field and proved that women can be dynamic, capable and empathetic leaders.

— Belal Tarique is the content strategist at Teamology Softech and Media Private Limited.