In the sprawling manufacturing hubs of Indore and Vadodara, Hettich India is quietly orchestrating a talent transformation that defies conventional corporate thinking. The 136-year-old German furniture fittings manufacturer, employing over 2,000 people across India, has created an uncommon bridge between technical expertise and business acumen—one that may serve as a blueprint for industrial firms worldwide.
At the heart of this transformation is Akademie—an internal management-development programme that resembles a full-fledged MBA. Unlike traditional corporate training initiatives, Akademie doesn’t merely supplement skills; it fundamentally reshapes career trajectories.
“The first question we asked ourselves was simple but critical—how do we prepare our people for the future?” says Amit Prasad, CHRO, Hettich India. “It was a question born out of necessity, not novelty. As a company deeply embedded in engineering, both in operations and sales, we realised that technical prowess alone was not enough. We needed business thinkers, decision-makers and leaders—people who could marry technical insight with management acumen.”
From shop floor to boardroom
The Akademie programme represents a significant investment in human capital. The HR team partnered with Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning in Pune to create a two-year Post Graduate Diploma in Management tailored specifically for Hettich’s workforce. The programme carries national accreditation from the Distance Education Bureau and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), ensuring participants receive recognised qualifications.
“As a company deeply embedded in engineering, both in operations and sales, we realised that technical prowess alone was not enough. We needed business thinkers, decision-makers and leaders—people who could marry technical insight with management acumen.”
Amit Prasad, CHRO, Hettich India
What distinguishes Akademie from standard distance learning is its hybrid approach. While primarily remote, each semester includes a week-long campus immersion at Symbiosis, giving participants the authentic business school experience—complete with peer discussions, faculty mentorship and structured learning environments.
“We always strive to fill roles internally. But that’s only possible if our workforce is future ready. That vision became our mandate,” explains Prasad.
The initiative specifically targets engineers who might otherwise never encounter formal management education. “We have engineers in both manufacturing and sales. About 12 to 15 per cent of our sales force comes from engineering backgrounds,” Prasad notes. “They know products and processes but lack exposure to core business functions such as marketing, finance and operations management. That’s the gap we wanted to bridge.”
With specialisations available in marketing and operations, the curriculum mirrors traditional MBA programmes—covering strategy, leadership, project management and business communication—without requiring participants to leave their jobs or relocate.
The results have exceeded expectations. In a country where distance learning often suffers high dropout rates, Akademie has maintained perfect retention. Participants report greater confidence, sharper business acumen and improved cross-functional understanding. As one participant reflected: “Earlier, I looked at things functionally. Now I think cross-functionally. I understand how a sales delay can impact operations, and vice versa.”
Merit and inclusion
Perhaps most remarkable is how Akademie operates. Unlike many corporate-development programmes that rely on nominations or managerial discretion, admission is open to all eligible employees and based entirely on merit.
“We receive about 300 applications for just 20-21 seats,” says Prasad. “That’s a clear indicator of the internal pull this programme has created.”
Applicants take a formal entrance examination administered by Symbiosis, with Hettich funding the entire programme for successful candidates. The company also ensures participants have sufficient flexibility to balance work responsibilities with academic demands.
The programme’s first cohort lacked female representation—a shortcoming the HR team immediately addressed. The second batch successfully integrated two women participants, one from manufacturing and another from finance. “We’re building this brick by brick.
There’s no resistance from leadership. In fact, everyone is supportive. The culture is growing, and our policies are encouraging more women to step forward,” Prasad explains.
Beyond the workplace
While Akademie builds professional capabilities, another initiative—My Daughter, My Pride—extends Hettich’s cultural values into employees’ personal lives. When an employee welcomes a baby girl, the company sends a celebratory package to the family, establishes a Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) account (a government-backed savings scheme for girls), and makes an initial deposit.
Originally focused exclusively on daughters, the programme now acknowledges all new births with congratulatory kits, though financial contributions remain reserved for girls to promote gender equity. This initiative aligns with India’s national Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter) campaign.
“It’s not about monetary value,” Prasad emphasises. “It’s about saying—we see you, we celebrate with you, and we care.”
Convergence of philosophy
These seemingly distinct programmes—one focused on professional development, the other on personal celebration—converge to illustrate Hettich’s integrated approach to organisational development. Akademie represents investment in intellectual capital, while My Daughter, My Pride embodies emotional and social commitment.
Neither initiative operates through top-down enforcement. Leadership involvement emerges organically, and employee enthusiasm has created demand that outpaces capacity. The success of Akademie is measured not just in completion rates but in transformative thinking among participants. Meanwhile, My Daughter, My Pride generates less quantifiable but equally significant returns: strengthened loyalty, emotional connection and organisational pride.
“When I interact with our Akademie participants,” Prasad shares, “they tell me how much more confident they feel, how they now understand the bigger picture of the business.” For the HR team, these responses constitute the true return on investment.
Looking ahead, Hettich plans expansion on both fronts. Growing pressure has emerged to launch a third Akademie cohort within the same calendar year, while My Daughter, My Pride may extend through community outreach or educational partnerships for employees’ daughters.
In an industrial landscape often fixated on technical specifications and production metrics, Hettich India demonstrates that human development isn’t peripheral to business strategy—it is the strategy. The company isn’t just crafting furniture fittings; it’s engineering human potential, one programme at a time.