A top ranker gold-medalist from IIM-Ahmedabad, Vijay Aggarwal, the Managing Director of Prism Cement, has plenty of achievements to his credit. He is a professional who believes that the secret of any organization’s success and growth lies in believing in its people.Vijay Aggarwal is the Managing Director of Prism Cement, one of India’s leading integrated building material companies having a wide range of products from cement, ready-mixed concrete, tiles, bath fittings, sanitary ware to modular kitchens.After completing his B. Tech (Electrical) from IIT Delhi, Aggarwal went on to pursue his MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad. As an alumnus of IIM-A, he was conferred with the gold medal honors as the 1st Ranker. He was also awarded the K V Srinivas Gold Medal for being the best all rounder of the batch (1989-1991) at IIM-Ahmedabad.Professional JourneyHis first stint with SBI Capital Markets was for two years where he was involved in investment banking. Later, Aggarwal joined Hathway Investments in 1993. He served in various senior positions in the different companies. He became the Managing Director of erstwhile H. & R. Johnson (India) in 1998 and since then, he has been instrumental in leading a team of professionals known for their aggressive and focused outlook towards achieving the company’s targets. He was actively involved in the turnaround of H. & R. Johnson (India) following the acquisition of the company in India by Rajan Raheja.Challenges:It is his leadership, guidance and support which has taken H&R Johnson from the grass-root level to become the stalwarts of the tile industry. His vision is to take the H&RJ’s current revenues from Rs 1472 crore in 2011 to Rs 4,500 crore by 2016. Vijay Aggarwal is also on the board of several of the companies including Exide Industries, ING Vysya Life Insurance, Aptech, Asianet Satellite Communications, Ardex Endura (India) and Norcros plc.Achievements:Given his rich experience and knowledge of the tile industry, he had the honour of serving as the Chairman of The Indian Council of Ceramic Tiles & Sanitaryware (ICCTAS) for two consecutive terms from 2003 to 2005. He was also on the Managing Committee of Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industries from 2004 to 2006. He has been Vice Chairman of "Ceramics & Allied Products (including Refractories) Panel" at Chemicals & Allied Products Export Promotion Council (CAPEXIL) since 2002. Currently, he is the President of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi Alumni Association (Mumbai Chapter).Vijay Aggarwal, was awarded the "Most Innovative Corporate Leader of the Year" (2011-2012) by Power Brand (Global Superpower Edition). The Power Brand Hall of Fame awards ceremony was held in London recently. Mr. Aggarwal has been instrumental in consolidating the leadership of Johnson brand in India and creating Marbonite and Endura which enjoy strong brand equity in the market today. His emphasis to drive leadership through innovation has resulted in a consistent year-on-year growth of HRJ.Aggarwal believes that the secret of any organization’s success and growth lies in believing in its people and continuously developing opportunities of growth and development for them. He spends most of his free time in doing equity research and long term equity investing.