Leaders

In a world urgently pivoting toward sustain­ability, it takes more than ambition to stand out. It re­quires vision, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to innovation. These values guide the journey of new leaders stepping up to reshape the future of packaging, combin­ing entrepreneurial drive with environmental responsibility. With an inclination toward en­trepreneurship and driven by a spark to create something on her own, Madhubala Jupally is a familiar name in the Indian flexible pack­aging products industry. She founded Dhuni Polymers in 2017 with a passion to harness advanced research and development in creat­ing smart, durable, and sustainable packaging alternatives that meet the demands of a mod­ern, eco-conscious marketplace without com­promising on quality or performance.

Completing her civil engineering degree from Vellore Institute of Technology, Madhu­bala developed a strong desire to build some­thing impactful. Her early experience in the construction industry, particularly in quality control and procurement, enriched her with valuable insights into vendor negotiations and the importance of customer feedback. Under her leadership, Dhuni Polymers today employs 500 people with a turnover of over 200 crores.

Madhubala is a doting mother of three lovely children, navigating the challenges of balancing a demanding career with family life. With support from her husband, and encouragement from her children, who understand and respect her work, she strives to keep a healthy work-life balance.

For Madhubala, entrepreneurship is not just a career choice, it's a calling fueled by purpose.

Walk us through your academic background. How did your Alma Mater, VIT, influence your growth as an individual and as a professional?

My time at Vellore equipped me with the discipline and deep insights of integrating technology with business planning. The civil engineering curriculum, including designing manufacturing processes and planning, executing, and maintaining systems, helped me build Dhuni Polymers to be the country’s leading brand today. It taught me how to plan, execute, and maintain systems, which are skills that proved essential during setup and in later expansions of our factory.

VIT also provided me with exposure to real-world experiences, fostering a mindset of continuous learning. The endless interactions with students and teaching staff both in class and at events/fests helped in fostering strong interpersonal skills that have shaped my leadership and management style.

Take us through your professional journey as an engineer. What core areas of expertise did you develop before turning into an entrepreneur?

After completing my civil engineering course, I worked in the construction industry, gaining experience in quality and procurement departments. Understanding the importance of exceeding customer expectations, building trust, and driving vendor negotiations, all at the same time, can be a tough task.

My interest in manufacturing led me to explore the packaging industry. I quickly realized that I could add value to the existing systems and practices by working on lean processes, operational efficiencies, and managing team dynamics to deliver stronger results for our clients. Working with diverse teams, skillsets, and clients from all over the world has helped us remain focused on innovation and continuous improvement in product and processes.

What inspired you to establish Dhuni Polymers? Take us through your initial journey as an entrepreneur and the vision behind the company.

My strong desire to create something impactful and my entrepreneurial spirit kept me restless. I was keen to work on something that could add real value to businesses, be good to the planet, and support the livelihoods of many around me. I could have continued in the civil engineering space where I started, but I was more drawn toward building something different on my own. I saw a gap in the industry, especially in the area of supplying products to cement companies and noticed that the sector was quite unorganized. I wanted to bring in structure, automation, and proper systems.

I founded Dhuni Polymers in 2017 with a capacity of 60 lakh bags a month. Being a young woman entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry was quite challenging, especially in terms of convincing people and earning their trust. However, I stayed committed, grew stronger with every situation that came my way, and built an organization I am extremely proud of today. We now manufacture around 1.8 crore bags a month, and I feel elated every time our team receives accolades from the industry and clients around the world.

Dhuni Polymers specializes in PP woven sacks and block bottom bags, which are technical textiles used for packing cement, fertilizers, rice, chemicals, and other building materials. I believe we made a big difference in this industry by focusing on sustainable practices and recycling waste material to make our products planet friendly. After eight years, I still come to work with the same excitement I had when I started off. Building a team that delivers consistent growth and stays a leader in our chosen space, this is my story so far.

What key challenges do you encounter as an entrepreneur in the Indian sustainable packaging industry? How do you navigate through these roadblocks?

This has been the best adventure of my life so far! This is a constant cycle of learning and unlearning, but I have celebrated every small win and stayed motivated through every setback. We embraced every hurdle and grew stronger as an organization.

I have learnt a lot personally and grown stronger as a professional during this time. Initially, I had to deal with the biggest hurdle of all, and that was to convince myself of my ability to successfully build a business. I carried out detailed research, prepared project reports, spoke to potential clients, and learnt their pain points first. Entering an entirely new industry with a remarkably diverse set of employees, from skilled to semi-skilled and unskilled workers, my journey in finding the right people was not easy. My determination and preparedness earned the support of my family and acquaintances before building Dhuni Polymers.

The real test for every start-up would be to bring in the first set of clients. It took multiple visits, long meetings and a lot of sampling before we gained their trust. Word spread extremely fast about our output after the first few clients, and we were in business! I learnt the technical aspects from the team and clients which built credibility in my conversations with others in the industry.

As a woman leading a successful business, how do you approach leadership? What is your ‘success mantra’?

One of my biggest learning has become my mantra for success now, that balancing work and personal life is essential for success everywhere.

Team first. I consider myself a team member first, and that allows me to be understanding and empathetic towards every person I work with. This is key to connecting with everyone on the floor you work with and in empowering them. My initial preparedness before getting into this business provided me the clarity of thought and a vision for what I wanted to build. This helped the teams to follow me as their leader with a solid action plan to execute on.

It would be so boring to celebrate success if you had not failed a few times! We have faced our setbacks as a team, stayed consistent, and continued to build on our learnings. I also believe that every team member feels a sense of ownership in what they do. They are not just employees, they are contributors who take pride in their work. That sense of ownership and empowerment makes all the difference in building a strong, purpose-driven team.

Madhubala Jupally, Founder & Director, Dhuni Polymers

Madhubala Jupally, Founder and Director of Dhuni Polymers, brings a background in civil engineering from Vellore Institute of Technology. She combines technical expertise with entrepreneurship, focusing on innovation and sustainability. She forayed into her entrepreneurial journey, establishing Dhuni Polymers, a Hyderabad-based company specializing in flexible packaging products, particularly PP woven sacks, incorporating recycled material into their products.