A Chip Off the Old Block – an Interview with Shobhit and Ankit Gupta

The Gupta brothers, Shobhit and Ankit, are Joint Managing Directors of the Holostik Group – a diversified business conglomerate in sectors including chemicals, biodegradable products, real-estate, warehousing, and digital technology.

But to readers of Holography News®, the company is synonymous with anti-counterfeiting and packaging enhancements and their father (Mr U K Gupta or ‘Guptaji’, who died in 2021) is widely acknowledged for laying the foundation of the hologram industry in India (see HN June 2021).

When U K Gupta founded Holostik in 1991, security hologram technology was still in its infancy and the technology was limited to only a few companies. He is credited with his early realisation of the tremendous potential of security holograms for the Indian government’s revenue protection, as well as the modernisation of the India Voter Identity Card and the use of security holograms as excise adhesive labels, starting with Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in 1998-99 and later expanding to 23 states.

We caught up with Shobhit and Ankit to find out more about their mission to make Holostik an international leader in anti-counterfeiting solutions, marking its presence outside the borders of India.

Q: Hello Shobhit and Ankit and thank you for reaching out to the HN readership. Firstly, let me say that having met and worked with your father that his passing is a loss to the whole holography community – as I’m sure it has been to your family. Perhaps, I can start out by asking you about your early life and upbringing?

A: Let me first start by saying our father really valued the hologram industry and always wanted to grow the industry and not just us. His heart belonged to the industry. His loss to us as a father and our biggest mentor can never be filled. We thank each and every industry member of International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA) and ASPA (Authentication Solution Providers’ Association) who reached out to us in the moment of grief for help, support and wishes.

We were raised in a family that has a strong connection to its roots and where values and relationships are given priority over money at all times. Our upbringing reflects our lives today. We had seen our father building the business from scratch. This instilled in us the importance of hard work from an early age. Our father taught us to be bold yet humble at the same time. We inherited our father’s risk-taking attitude and zeal.

Q: You both have international academic and business qualifications as well as extensive commercial experience. How do you divide up responsibilities for running the security holograms division of Holostik?

A: We both are Joint Managing Directors of Holostik Group. At Holostik India, for the last decade I was taking care of Strategy, HR & Marcom while Shobhit was looking after the International Business. After the loss of our father our roles evolved. Today, all strategic and financial decisions are taken collectively by the board. The Anti-Counterfeiting & Digital Sales business is handled by me, while Shobhit leads the Packaging & International Business.

Q: There must have been a risk, after your father’s passing, that the business might stall – but if anything, the opposite is true. How did you manage this?

A: Like in any balance sheet there are assets and liabilities. For a second-generation entrepreneur, assets are the power and wealth, and liability is the responsibility to manage, and we have been groomed by our parents to accept this responsibility.

With the passing away of our father the learning phase for both of us ended. As second-generation leaders we have huge responsibility towards our customers, shareholders, and employees. Earlier our father was our guiding force in every business decision. We knew business operates on decision making and an excellent team. Hence, we prepared ourselves and our team to take tough decisions and stand by them, not just in wins but also in losses.

This change in mindset has prepared us to take the challenges of the future. Recently, a new manufacturing unit was launched in Greater Noida which required huge investment. We were able to make the critical decision with the mindset of a leader.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about the scale and scope of the security holograms part of the business? Number of employees, sites, offices, turnover?

A: Security holograms contribute to 50% of our overall business revenue at Holostik India Limited. We are backed by 500+ professionals with 12+ nationwide offices. With 5+ state of the art manufacturing facilities located pan India; we cater to customers in 90+ countries as of today.