Customer first, but employee focused: New-age business thinking takes centre stage at MBIFL 2026

The session “Scaling Trust Across Borders” was held on January 31 at Kanakakkunnu Palace, Thiruvananthapuram, as part of MBIFL 2026, themed paradox of pace. Moderated by Mayura M S, Director – Digital Business, Mathrubhumi, the panel brought together leaders from Kalyan Silks, Lulu Group and Muthoot Housing Finance Company Ltd.

While customer trust formed the foundation of the discussion, the panellists repeatedly stressed that trust cannot be scaled externally unless it is built internally among employees.

Customer first, but trust begins inside

Prakash Pattabhiraman, Managing Director of Kalyan Silks, said trust is not created through advertising but through consistent delivery.

“Trust is not something you advertise and gain. You have to go to the market, understand what people want, and deliver it,” he said.

However, he underlined that such delivery is only possible when internal teams are aligned and empowered. As Kalyan Silks expanded from a single outlet to 52 stores, the company moved away from hands-on owner management to professionalised systems.

“Trust starts internally,” he said, explaining that HR, finance, legal and inventory systems were strengthened so employees could perform consistently at scale.

Employees as carriers of trust

V. Nandakumar of Lulu Group directly linked customer experience to employee experience. He said Lulu’s low staff turnover was not accidental but the result of deliberate people-first policies.

“Business is about people—employees, customers, vendors,” he said.

He noted that Lulu prioritises internal growth and promotions, ensuring continuity of values across geographies. According to him, customers do not remain loyal to branding exercises alone.

“Customers are loyal to experience and value, not slogans,” he said.

Empathy-driven service models

Suzannah Muthoot, Executive Director of Muthoot Housing Finance, highlighted how employee sensitivity is critical in businesses dealing with emotionally charged customer decisions.

“Our customer segment comes from low-income backgrounds with limited interaction with financial institutions,” she said.

She explained that employees must be trained not just in process, but in empathy, because customers often approach the company during moments of stress such as medical emergencies, education expenses or home ownership.

“Interest rate is not their primary concern. Clarity, transparency, and empathy matter more,” she said.

New-generation shift: process over personalities

Suzannah Muthoot pointed to a generational shift in business thinking, especially in legacy organisations.

“Values are inherited, but sustainability depends on structure,” she said.

She said new-generation leadership must reduce dependence on individuals and build systems that allow employees to deliver trust consistently, even as organisations grow across regions and generations.

The panellists cautioned against rapid expansion that outpaces employee readiness. Sustainable scaling, they said, requires aligning growth with people and processes.

“Don’t scale faster than your people and processes,” Suzannah Muthoot advised.

Prakash Pattabhiraman added that relevance matters more than long-term forecasting, but relevance itself depends on how well employees understand changing customer behaviour.

A redefinition of ‘customer first’

The discussion suggested a shift in how “customer first” is defined in contemporary business. Rather than treating employees as back-end operators, the panellists framed them as the primary carriers of trust.

When internal systems, fairness and growth opportunities are prioritised, customer trust follows organically.

“If trust was lost, we wouldn’t be sitting here today,” Pattabhiraman said during the audience interaction.

The MBIFL 2026 session highlighted an emerging consensus among Indian business leaders: in an era of rapid expansion and scrutiny, being customer-first is no longer enough. New-generation businesses must be employee-focused to scale trust sustainably across borders.