Q: Your work in health came after 18 years as an automotive entrepreneur. How did that change come about—and how has your background informed your current role?
A: I transitioned from being an entrepreneur who built and ran an automotive company with a national footprint to leading a national HIV prevention project for India’s truckers, whom my past experience in the automotive sector positioned me to understand well.
I was able to apply an understanding of the “buying” behavior of the community in a commercial setting to preventive practices and health-seeking behavior in their personal lives. It was immensely satisfying to be able to apply business metrics to scaling up a national HIV prevention program among a high-risk group.
I moved from business without a clear idea of transitioning to heath—the truckers became the connection! As a trained engineer and businessman, I could relate to the need for structure, scale, analytics, and accountability to deliver impact.
Q: What brought you to this work—and keeps you motivated?
A: Initially it was the thrill of applying business skills and experience to a new setting and scaling services using the same variables—cost, quality, and reach—to sustain service uptake and generate measurable impact. Apart from being deeply satisfying at a personal level, I engaged with India in many ways that I would not have as an urban businessman. So there is deep personal enrichment and transformation in the work.
Through our work, I have learned that no matter how underserved or economically deprived communities may be, people will come forward and take charge to improve their lives and the lives of those around them, once they become aware and come together as community groups. There is great satisfaction in catalyzing that latent self-esteem in every individual and helping to translate it into personal and community wellness.
Q: Can you tell us about the history of PATH’s work in India and some of the program’s unique strengths and challenges?
A: PATH has been in India for over three decades, with a country office since 2001. Our India portfolio is diverse, representing most of PATH’s global focus areas and collaborations with national and state governments, research and academic institutions, and the private sector. I’d say diversity across the value chain is a key strength. India presents a unique opportunity to connect our products and technologies with the health delivery system and communities to deploy innovations at scale.
A changing donor landscape consequent to India’s recent economic growth will challenge international development organizations such as PATH to rethink their evolving role in India. PATH is well-poised to accelerate our product development work and support Indian efforts to grapple with emerging health challenges in a rapidly urbanizing population.
Update: Tarun Vij left his role as PATH’s India Country Leader on April 30, 2015. This profile originally ran in Spotlight, PATH’s internal newsletter.