'Navya to prove herself as Escorts looks to future'

At Escorts Kubota Ltd, the 80-year-old heavy A equipment maker, there's much emphasis on the next generation.

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On the one hand, the Indian conglomerate, along with its older Japanese partner, is developing autonomous tractors at a time of dwindling availability of farm labour. And on the other, it's trying to figure the right fit for Navya Naveli, the fourth generation of the founder's family.

Naveli, the 26-year-old daughter of chairman and managing director Nikhil Nanda, has been working with the country's third-largest tractor maker for some time now.

"She is like any other individual who has to prove herself," said Nanda, in a rare instance of speaking with the media about his daughter's role in the company founded by his paternal grandfather in 1944.

"We are...seeing what value she can add. We talked about the youth in the farming sector, who are very different in the decision-making they do, when they make a decision to acquire or buy an asset. So, we hope she can bring that mindset to the company," Nanda said.