Author, coach and Managing Director: Sagar Kulkarni gives Komax Testing India personality
Inside Komax
The Komax Group is home to countless specialists, experts and professionals. The density of knowledge is huge and covers the entire métier of the wire processing industry. Among them are personalities such as Sagar Kulkarni, who have far more to offer than just their professional knowledge. The award-winning businessman has been Managing Director of Komax Testing India since 2024. He drives the growth of the testing business in India and shares his life lessons as an author and leadership coach. We caught up with him to find out what his newly published book is about and what advice he has for young people.
Sagar Kulkarni (5th from the right), with his team from Komax Testing India.
Initially, in 2023, he was commissioned by a recruiter to look for a Managing Director for Komax Testing in India within his own company. In the end, he left his company, passed it on within the family and took over the management of Komax Testing India himself. Since 2024, Sagar Kulkarni has been responsible for the growing testing business in India and is one of the personalities within the Komax Group worth taking a closer look at. Not only does he have decades of experience in corporate management and was awarded with the Man of Excellence Award by the Indian Achievers' Forum in 2024 for his professional and personal successes. Sagar Kulkarni is leadership coach, business consultant, author. He is a poet, karaoke singer, passionate motorcyclist. And last but not least, he is the great-grandson of V.V Shirwadkar (Kusumgraj), one of India's most famous poets.
His learnings came from one of the best: John Mattone, a world-renowned CEO coach who has mentored personalities such as Steve Jobs and PepsiCo. CEO Roger Enrico. Sagar Kulkarni's professional career began in European companies, particularly in Switzerland, Germany and Spain. “My strength was transforming businesses, transferring technology and developing leaders,” he recalls. At the age of just 32, he was promoted to CEO of a Spanish company in India - “a challenge for which I was not fully prepared at the time. In order to achieve the required performance, I immersed myself so deeply in this profile that I can hardly remember my children's childhood. ”Yet, there are absolutely no regrets, as his now 25-year-old twins have developed into successful young adults. “I firmly believe that if you lead a purposeful life and work passionately, dreams can come true.” He has successfully led and developed the company for fourteen years, managing around a thousand employees in the process.
Leadership style keeps people on their toes
Sagar Kulkarni's leadership style is a dynamic mix of democratic, transformational and disruptive leadership. He emphasizes the importance of systems and structures: “I believe in implementing systems by considering each individual and then motivating them to lead the company through the systems. This brings a lot of stability and transparency to the business processes and people generally know how to react in any situation without being dependent on the management.” He places great emphasis on leadership development and promotes a culture of continuous improvement. “I don't allow people to get comfortable in a certain situation for a long time and try to break inertia as soon as certain goals have been achieved. This keeps everyone moving, growing and allows them to learn new techniques, implement them, achieve results and then move on to the next level. Just like in an addictive video game.”
Since the Komax Group started operating Komax Testing India in Pune, India's ninth largest city, in 2022, the technology and production of testing systems has been significantly ramped up locally. “Komax Testing India is an extremely dynamic organization with many young people, which brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to work. The amount of change our team has embraced and the way we have progressed in building our capacity and capabilities over the last three years is remarkable,” says Sagar Kulkarni. “We are not just another manufacturer of test systems for our customers, but a solution provider in the field of wire harness quality management. We use our knowledge and that of the entire Komax Group to fully and efficiently design the testing processes of our customers on site.”
The book about happiness
Sagar Kulkarni has not only benefited from around thirty years of management experience in the further development of Komax Testing India: “I was particularly influenced by my superiors in the early years of my career. The books I read also made a big contribution to shaping my career.” Reason why Sagar Kulkarni definitely doesn't want to keep his insights, life experience and recipes for success to himself: His first book titled “You are born to be happy” was published in mid-January 2025. He calls it a “happiness manual”. It is intended to show how happiness can be taken into our own hands if certain principles are followed in everyday life. “In India, happiness is an industry and there are many so-called godmen who deceive people in their quest for happiness. My book is meant to help people find their own happiness,” he explains when asked about the inspiration for writing this book. His second publication is already in the works. “The book is based on my experience as a leadership coach and management consultant and explains that small companies can and should be managed like large corporations.”
“From the age of 25 to 45, which is a good twenty years, I was fully dedicated to my job, to the business and to earning money. Over the last eight years, my personal life has become stable and for the last few years I have no longer worked for the sake of money. I avoid working after hours and don't allow my team members to do so either. This way, professional success and personal fulfillment can go hand in hand.”
Clear goals and messages
Sagar Kulkarni has specific goals for his professional future. “I still enjoy learning new technologies, which is why I started working on AI in business applications. Over the next five years, I would like to develop my skills in the field of artificial intelligence, take on some global responsibilities and ensure that Komax Testing India continues to grow with its highly motivated team and our solid customer base.” In his private life, he needs to catch up, at least when it comes to health. “In the course of my professional career, I have taken a toll on my health and am now working on regaining what I have lost through sport and fitness.”
Last but not least, he also has a message for the new generation: “Young people should live a purposeful life and be passionate about every aspect of it. They should understand the difference between 'having success' and 'being a master in a certain area'.” He also recommends dividing life into three 25-year phases, with the first dedicated to education, the second to career and the third to personal fulfillment. “If you are still breathing after the last 25 years, the final phase is extended by the rest of your life,” he smiles.
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Sagar Kulkarni has been Managing Director of Komax Testing India since 2024 and is responsible for the growing testing business in India.