Piya Thakkar, Mechemco: Follow your passion no matter what

As a child, Piya was always interested in cars and Formula 1 racing. She also had a keen interest in architecture. Engineering was a good fit for Piya’s interests and she went on to obtain a degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University in the United States.

“Apart from having an aptitude in science and mathematics, I had a curiosity to understand how things work. Also, my father was a chemical engineer and it amazed me how he approached different problems. So engineering was an obvious choice when I finished high school. I chose electrical as it interested me the most and was also a growing field at that time.”

After graduating, Piya returned to India and joined Reliance Industries Ltd, one of India’s largest companies, where she worked in procurement for two years.

“I learnt many things during this job related to engineering, procurement, resource management and people management.”

In 2007, she moved to Mechemco, a manufacturer and exporter of unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins and gelcoats, where her father was chairman.

“I joined Mechemco to help my father to tap into the potential of our growing business and industry.”

She had already been learning about composites, helping to organise the International Conference and Exhibition on Reinforced Plastics (ICERP) in India.

“My father was passionate about the growth of the Indian composites industry and I was helping him organise the ICERP exhibition during my free time. Following this, I attended the JEC Composites Show with my father. I was very impressed with the applications of composites and the potential that composites have. They could be used in sports cars, aerospace, corrosion equipment, medical devices, railways, infrastructure, renewable energy, etc.

I was even further impressed when I often saw highly respected Indian scientists, like the former President of India ‘rocketman’ Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission Mr R. Chidambaran, speak about the limitless possibilities of composites materials. These things got me more interested in composites and I got motivated to get involved in this industry.”

India’s potential for growth

Piya joined Mechemco in a business development role. She is now a director. Over the years, the company has grown to become one of the largest in India, with customers across the globe, and catering to a wide range of industries.

“Currently, as one of the directors of the company, as well as deciding the strategic direction of the company and making long term decisions, I also oversee several activities like procurement, finance, and international business. The skill which has been most helpful for me has been the ability to manage and get the best out of people. Apart from this, being good at resource management and allocation and being customer focused have also been vital.”

Piya has also been very active in supporting the growth and development of the Indian composites industry. She served as vice-chairman of the FRP Institute, an organisation aimed at promoting the Indian composites industry, from 2019 to 2023. She is currently on the Committee of Administration of the Plastics Export Promotion Council (Plexconcil), where she chairs the composites panel.

She is still closely connected with the ICERP event, which is organised by the FRP Institute. Held biennially, ICERP is the only international exhibition of composites in India and has grown to become the second largest composites exhibition in Asia. Piya has played a leading role in organising seven ICERP shows and was chairperson for ICERP 2023, held in Mumbai in January 2023. In her role with the FRP Institute she has also helped organise the India Pavilion at JEC World in Paris jointly with Plexconcil for the past 15 years, and she was on the National Executive Council (NEC) of the PLASTINDIA 2023 exhibition.

Piya sees a bright future for the Indian composites industry.

“The per capita consumption of composites in India is very low compared to most developed nations in the world. There is a lot of potential to grow. The demand within the country is growing with a lot of infrastructure spends. Apart from this, with our low manufacturing costs we are well placed to become the preferred sourcing hub for the world. India is committed to improving sustainability and reducing GHG emissions and composites will play an important role in areas like wind energy, solar energy and electrical vehicles. India’s budget allocation to defence and aerospace has also been steadily increasing which proves to be a promising market for composites. The lack of our own carbon fibre plant is a major challenge, but I feel it’s only a matter of time before private companies take an interest in this.”

Working in the composites industry continues to provide a source of inspiration.

“Composites materials prove to be a solution for many of the world’s current problems. Since this industry is relatively young you often come across promoters and founders passionately involved in driving their company and industry forward. Interacting and working with such people is very inspiring.”

Women leaders bring a different perspective

Piya has become a successful female leader in an industry that in the past was very much dominated by men.

“I am fortunate to have had immense support from my colleagues in my organisation and industry in India and overseas.”

Things are very different today, she observes.

“More women are graduating in various engineering disciplines. There are many opportunities for them if they are willing to take roles which typically used to be male dominated. Not only do many companies have women at the helm today, but some of the top countries have women Presidents and Prime Ministers who are extremely successful in driving these countries. Women leaders bring in a different perspective and approach to modern day problems which give their companies another dimension and an advantage.”

In the composites industry particularly, Piya has been inspired by the achievements of Frédérique Mutel, past president and CEO of JEC Group.

“Over the course of my career I saw Frédérique Mutel take JEC to new heights and build the strongest network for the global composites industry. Her dedication, knowledge, involvement, attention to detail and effort to build and maintain a rapport with the entire industry has been key to her success.”

Skills and commitment

Piya says women should not be apprehensive or fearful about venturing into a male-dominated industry.

“My advice would be to follow your passion no matter what. Take any setbacks that come in your way in your stride and don’t let the unfounded opinions of others weigh you down.

I think, if women have the skill set and commitment, there is an equal opportunity in almost all professions. Mechemco has certainly grown through the contribution and hard work of women in key roles and this will continue. As well as engineers, today’s composites industry requires job skills like product designing, packaging, automation, IT support, advertisement, branding, human engineering, etc., where women have proved to be very good.”

She is looking forward to continuing her journey in the composites industry.

“We have very ambitious plans for Mechemco considering the growth seen in India as well as exports. We’re expanding our capacity and increasing our product line through our focus on R&D. I will also continue to contribute to the Indian composites industry through my work at FRP Institute, ICERP and Plexconcil. Another area that I would like to focus on in the future is reducing the environmental impact of composites and improving sustainability.”