What Ravi Prasad has achieved is quite Himalayan. Having joined The Himalaya Drug Company (HDC) in 1991 as a Sales Development Manager, where he was involved with the training and development of field personnel, he worked his way up to the level of CEO in seven years' time.

Ravi Prasad

Today HDC is a Rs. 300 crore company, which is readying to set up its second R&D facility in Bangalore by the end of next year. In fact, it is slowly becoming a household name, with its personal care products snaring sizeable shelf spaces across the country.

To trace Prasad's achievements is to trace the company's feats. In 1993 he was made the export manager and then progressed to VP-International Marketing in 1996. To his credit, he started the export division of the company and worked to take Himalaya to the global markets. He has been instrumental in taking the company to over 58 countries.

In April 1998, Prasad took over as President and CEO of The Himalaya Drug Company and soon launched its consumer products division and integrated the different business divisions under the umbrella brand, "Himalaya", which has been positioned as a herbal healthcare provider for the entire family. Its Ayurvedic Concepts range of products had by then established a connect with the consumers.

To be a globally recognized brand in the herbal healthcare space Himalaya realized the need to have a single, coherent brand identity and strategy. This resulted in brand unification under a single brand name Himalaya. Ever since the brand unification, Himalaya has been able to gain substantial strength, and is now counted upon as India's biggest herbal products company.

A fitness enthusiast, Ravi Prasad, is now keen to make Himalaya a mass brand, and convince the masses that "herbs are not a heritage or an esoteric science", as is the perception now.