Management Board
The Management Board comprises of highly qualified and experienced professionals from different business areas.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harsh GoenkaHarsh Goanka
Chairman

Harsh Goenka is the Chairman of the Rs 16,000 crore RPG Enterprises.

Goenka has been steering RPG Enterprises as Chairman, one of India’s largest business groups since 1988, when he took over from his father R P Goenka. Today RPG is a major player in domains like power generation and distribution, retail, information technology, entertainment, infrastructure, tyres, plantations and pharmaceuticals, with an annual turnover of around US $ 3.6 billion.

After a brief stint in a textile company, he became the Managing Director of CEAT in 1983, at the young age of 24.

Goenka wears many hats. Apart from being the Chairman of the Board of RPG Enterprises, KEC International Ltd, RPG Life Sciences Ltd, Zensar Technologies Ltd, and Raychem RPG Ltd, he is also the Vice Chairman of CEAT Ltd. He is also a Director of Bajaj Electricals Ltd, and SICOM Ltd. The above are large corporations in India.

Born in December 1957, he graduated in Economics from St Xavier’s College, Kolkata and thereafter pursued his MBA from the International Institute of Management Development (IMD), Lausanne, Switzerland. He has since been inducted on the Board of IMD, Lausanne.

Goenka is a past President of the Indian Merchants' Chamber, a large industrial body in India. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He is a member of the Board of Governors of the National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), one of the leading technical educational institutes in India. He has a vast experience in the field of management.

Sanjiv Goenka
Chairman Emeritus- RPG Enterprises

Sanjiv Goenka is the Vice-Chairman of the Rs 16,000 crore RPG Enterprises.

The scion of a prominent family which has been doing business in Kolkata (earlier called Calcutta) since the 1820s, Sanjiv looks after the Rs 4000 crore power and retail giant CESC, the group’s entertainment venture Saregama India Ltd. (earlier called HMV) and had built up the group’s retail business into a Rs 1000 crore entity spearheaded by the Spencer’s retail chain.

Beyond these consumer businesses, he leads Phillips Carbon Black (today the world’s eighth largest carbon black manufacturer and India’s largest exporter) and the group’s plantations company Harrisons Malayalam.

In 2009-10, Goenka assumed charge as the president of the All India Management Association (AIMA). His focus for the year is on ‘Innovation’ which he feels reflects the restless energy and creativity of young Indians, and can change the lives of communities.

Sanjiv Goenka has been through ups and downs in his business life as the upswings and slowdowns of the Indian economy have impacted the diversified group over the years.

Under his stewardship, CESC has emerged as one of the most efficient power sector players in the country, virtually banishing power cuts from Kolkata, once infamous for its 10-hour daily blackouts.

Today, CESC power plants are among the most efficient and least polluting in the country, and consumers enjoy one of the lowest tariffs as well. CESC power plants earn carbon credits and have won several awards for their outstanding success in combating waste water, fly ash and environmental pollution.

Sanjiv has led from the front to bring Noida Power Company Ltd (in the National Capital Region) into the group fold and taken the group into mining and exploration.
Philips Carbon Black has matured from a small player to one of the largest producers in the world and is setting up a unit in Vietnam.

The plantations operations are setting new benchmarks in the industry at a time when many organised sector players are exiting from the sector.

Beyond business
Sanjiv Goenka is a member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Trade & Industry and currently honorary consul of Canada in Kolkata.
He is the Chairman of Board of Directors of Woodlands Medical Centre Ltd., a premier hospital in Kolkata, at present.

Goenka is the driving force behind two major initiatives in high-end education: the Asian Institute of Power Management (AIPM) to train power sector service professionals in collaboration with Singapore Power; and a management school backed one of the best global names in the discipline.

Sanjiv Goenka is the former chairman of the Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, where his leadership saw the institute achieve unprecedented progress in research and infrastructure creation.

Goenka became President of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) in April 2001, the youngest ever President of CII at only 40 years of age. At 41, was appointed Chairman of the Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-KGP), succeeding his father.

Family & beliefs
The younger son of RPG Group founder Dr. Rama Prasad Goenka, Sanjiv Goenka is married to Preeti, and the two have a daughter, Avarna, and a son, Shashwat.
A man who readily accepts and respects the fact that there are people with great talent and intellect, Sanjiv maintains he has much to achieve.

He is deeply spiritual and when faced with a difficult business decision, he instinctively says a silent prayer.

He adds, “I pray everyday and I do not do it merely for compliance.” And if anything, his beliefs strengthened during a particularly tough time of his life.
In his personal domain, he is passionate about food, music and art, and Hindi movies.

A businessman who loves Kolkata, and the people, he would like to see a cleaner city with better roads. He graduated from Kolkata’s St Xavier’s College and retains a deep attachment with his alma mater.

The Goenka family of Kolkata
Since its establishment in 1820 as a family business by Ramdutt Goenka, the Goenkas have constantly innovated and diversified, adapting with changing times and laws.
Earlier, the family was prominent in banking, textiles, tea and jute.

Today, it is a major player in domains like power generation and distribution, retail, information technology, entertainment, power transmission infrastructure, chemicals, tyres, plantations and life sciences.

Dr R P Goenka established RPG in 1979 with turnover of Rs 70 crore. Turnover today stands at Rs 16,000 crore, from 20-plus companies across eight business sectors and 40,000 employees.

 

Sumantra Banerjee
President Retail Sector, President & Chief Executive Power Setor - RPG Enterprises

Mr Sumantra Banerjee is currently Managing Director of CESC Ltd.

He completed his B.Tech from IIT, Kharagpur followed by an MS in Polymer Science and MBA in Marketing & Finance both from USA.

He worked with Monsanto in the US and returned to India after nine years.

In India, he has been with the RPG Group since 1984 in various companies at senior management level.

He became a member of the RPG Management Board in 1991.

He is currently responsible for both the Retail & Power Sector as President & Chief Executive.

During his tenure, the performance of CESC has improved substantially.

Spencer's Retail has grown into a major pan-India operator.

He also serves as Director of Saregama and Noida Power Co. Ltd., and is a member of the Management Board.

Between 1988 and 1990, he served as president of ICIM and guided the turnaround of the hi-tech mainframe company, a joint venture between ICL of UK and RPG.

An avid photographer, he has won public acclaim for his works and is deeply committed to supporting charities through his hobby.

Sumantra Banerjee
President Retail Sector, President & Chief Executive Power Setor - RPG Enterprises

Mr Sumantra Banerjee is currently Managing Director of CESC Ltd. He completed his B.Tech from IIT, Kharagpur followed by an MS in Polymer Science and MBA in Marketing & Finance both from USA.

He worked with Monsanto in the US and returned to India after nine years.

In India, he has been with the RPG Group since 1984 in various companies at senior management level.

He became a member of the RPG Management Board in 1991.

He is currently responsible for both the Retail & Power Sector as President & Chief Executive.

During his tenure, the performance of CESC has improved substantially.

Spencer's Retail has grown into a major pan-India operator.

He also serves as Director of Saregama and Noida Power Co. Ltd., and is a member of the Management Board.

Between 1988 and 1990, he served as president of ICIM and guided the turnaround of the hi-tech mainframe company, a joint venture between ICL of UK and RPG.

An avid photographer, he has won public acclaim for his works and is deeply committed to supporting charities through his hobby.

 

Paras K. Chowdhary
President and Chief Executive Tyres Sector

Mr. Paras K. Chowdhary is Managing Director, CEAT Limited, one of India's premier Tyre manufacturers. He was also the Chairman of the Automotive Tyre Manufacturer's Association, the representative body for the Tyre Industry in India.

In his capacity as Management Board Member and Tyre Sector Head of the over $1.2 bn. RPG Group, he is also Director of CEAT Kelani, the largest Tyre Company in Sri Lanka.
A Physics (Hons.) graduate from St. Stephen College, New Delhi, Mr Paras Choudhary was a position holder in the School as well as College.

He started his career with DCM in 1972 as a Management Trainee and after a stint of two years, he joined Apollo Tyres in 1975 for a long innings of 23 years. During this period he held many important assignments and ultimately became the CEO in 1989 and was elevated as a Board Member of the Company in 1993.

He left Apollo Tyres in 1997 and joined the RPG group as a Management Board Member responsible for the group's initiatives in the areas of Networking, Telecom Services and IT. He took over as Managing Director of CEAT Tyres from January 18, 2001.

In his spare time, Mr. Chowdhary plays bridge & chess, watches movie and love to travel for holidays

 

Arvind Agrawal
President and Chief Executive Corporate Development & HR - RPG Enterprises

He is an IIT Kharagpur and IIM (A) alumnus. Majored in Marketing and Human Resource Development.

The first 12 years of his working life was spent in the HR function in companies like Escorts and Modi Xerox. Thereafter, he assumed additional responsibilities for TQM in Modi Xerox, a move which brought him closer to the business environment and issues. The exposure gained in TQM equipped him to take on the role of Corporate Strategy and Marketing at Modi Xerox itself.

During the years 1994 to 1999, Mr. Agrawal was Chief Executive at Escorts responsible for the two Construction Equipment Business Companies i.e. Escorts JCB and Escorts Construction Equipment Limited.

Since 1999, he is President – Corporate Development and Group HR in RPG Group. His current responsibilities in RPG comprise of HR and TQM.

On the professional front, Mr. Agrawal has been active in Management & HR forums in the country. In 1992, Mr. Agrawal was awarded the National HRD Award. He served as the National President of National HRD Network during the year 2000 - 2002.

Ramesh Chandak
President and Chief Executive Transmission Sector - RPG Enterprises

Mr. Ramesh Chandak, is the Managing Director & CEO of KEC International Limited, one of the leading power transmission and distribution infrastructure companies in the world with current turnover of over Rs 3500 cr. At KEC, Mr. Chandak led a remarkable turnaround by taking several innovative measures driving structural changes. He is on the Management Board of the RPG Group and a recipient of RPG Outstanding Achiever Award.

Mr. Chandak is a qualified Chartered Accountant and has been a merit student of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of India. He has successfully completed an Advanced Management Programme on 'Leading Change and Organizational Renewal' at Harvard Business School, USA.

Mr. Chandak is a recipient of the prestigious CA Business Leader: Corporate by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Prior to joining RPG group, Mr. Chandak has had a varied geographical and industry experience. Apart from India, Mr. Chandak has also worked in the USA and Malaysia. Mr. Chandak has been earlier associated with Textile, Edible Oil and Engineering industries.

A professional with commitment to all round excellence, Mr. Chandak is currently the Chairman of Transmission Line Division of CII (Confederation of Indian Industry), Chairman of the Indo-Kazakhstan Business Council, FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry), an Executive Council Member of IEEMA (Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers Association), and a Governing Body Member of the Vishwakarma Institute of Management, Pune.

Ashok Goyal
President and CEO Carbon Black Sector - RPG Enterprises

Few People have made a more positive and lasting impact on hearts of people and operation of companies as Ashok Goyal. He is now better known as a "Turn-Around Artiste" in the RPG Group and is a power to recon with in the Carbon Black Industry.

Career

Ashok is currently the Managing Director of Phillips Carbon Black Limited (PCBL), the largest Carbon Black Company in India with revenue of over Rs 1000 cr. He is also an RPG Management Board Member and is the President of the Carbon Black Sector.

He has over 30 years of multi domain and cross industry experience across the globe. His previous stints within the Group were as President (International Operations) in KEC International, General Manager in Harrison Malayalam Limited and Dy. Purchase Manager in CEAT. Outside the Group his stints were as Joint Managing Director of a cycle manufacturing unit and Joint Managing Director of a textile unit in East Africa.

Academic Credentials

Ashok has an enviable IIT-IIM tag attached to him. He is a Mechanical Engineer from IIT, Kharagpur and MBA (Finance) from IIM, Kolkata. He also successfully completed Accelerated Development Program from London Business School.

Professional Achievements

Ashok under his captaincy has made PCBL a jewel in the RPG group. He has taken the company through a journey of turnaround and consolidation in just 6 months and the company is now on an ambitious growth path with a vision to be No.6 in the world by 2010. Apart from receiving wide accolades from the Industry, he was bestowed in 2007 with the prestigious 'Outstanding Achiever Award' and PCBL received the 'Best Company' and 'Best TQM Team Award'. Under his leadership PCBL received the 'SAP ACE 2007' award by SAP in Chemical Vertical.

Industry Association

Ashok has a multi faceted personality. He has been invited by IIM-A, IIM-C and ISB to give a talk and share his experiences with the future leaders. He was also invited to give a key note address on Current Economic and Market Scenario in South Asia at the Carbon Black 2009 Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. He has also delivered a similar key note address at the Carbon Black Conference 2007, in Korea.

He is the President of Association of Carbon Black Manufacturers (ACMB) and member of several professional bodies and associations. He was also a member of the International Advisory Committee for Carbon Black 2009 perspective in Asia Pacific.

Ganesh Natarajan
President and CEO IT Sector - RPG Enterprises

Dr. Ganesh Natarajan is Vice Chairman & CEO of Zensar Technologies, a global firm that transforms Technology and Processes for Fortune 500 companies. He is also President of the IT Sector and a member of the Management Board of the 3.25 billion USD RPG Group.

An alumnus of IIT Bombay and the Harvard Business School, Ganesh is a member of the Chairmen's Council of NASSCOM and Chairman of the National Committee on IT, IT Enabled Services and e-Commerce for the Confederation of Indian Industries. A member of the Board of Governors of NITIE Mumbai and the Europe Asia Business Schools, Ganesh chairs the Task Force on Higher Education for the CII in Western India and is spearheading a Skills Transformation initiative across Asia through a new entity he has co-founded called Global Talent Track.

Ganesh is the author of four McGraw Hill Books on Business Process Reengineering and Knowledge Management and other publications on the IT industry and inspired leadership. He has been recognized by Ernst & Young for exceptional entrepreneurship and elected Fellow of the Computer Society of India.

Ajit Singh Chouhan
President and CEO Speciality Sector - RPG Enterprises

Mr Ajit Singh Chouhan is President and CEO of the Speciality Sector and a Management Board Member of the RPG Group. The Speciality Sector includes 3 group companies: Raychem RPG Limited, RPG Life Sciences Limited and Harrisons Malayalam Limited.

Mr Chouhan is a Mechanical Engineer and a Rank Holder from MSU, Baroda, a Certified Marine Engineer with Masters in Business Administration from FMS, New Delhi, and Alumnus of London Business School.

Mr Chouhan has over 26 years of varied work experience in India and overseas across Industries of Engineering, Marine, Telecom, Power, Pharma and Plantations.

Mr Chouhan has been with the RPG Group since 2002 and in his initial years he has been responsible for the South Asia operations of KEC International Limited and RPG Transmissions Limited. He now heads the Speciality Sector with a diversified portfolio of Companies in Engineering, Pharmaceutical and Plantation businesses.

Prior to joining the RPG Group, he worked with Ingersoll Rand, a US multinational in the Engineering industry and Emerson, another US multinational, in their Network Power Group.

Mr Chouhan leads the Transmission industry as the Chairman of the Transmission & Distribution Division of IEEMA (Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers` Association). He is also a member of the IEEMA Council, an apex body of the Association.

Dr. Rama Prasad Goenka
Chairman Emeritus- RPG Enterprises

Inherited part of the family business (Phillips Carbon Black, Asian Cables, Agarpara Jute & Murphy India) as eldest son of Keshav Prasad Goenka, following partition. These he consolidated into RPG Enterprises (turnover Rs 105 crore in 1979) and expanded into a Rs 15,000 crore (FY2009) venture comprising Phillips Carbon Black, CEAT, KEC, CESC, Spencer's, Harrisons Malayalam, Zensar, Saregama (then Gramophone Co.), RPG Life Sciences, Raychem RPG, Noida Power Co., RPG Cables, retail, coal mining etc.

Designation: Chairman Emeritus, RPG Enterprises; Also Chairman, CESC Ltd., Ceat Ltd. & Saregama India Ltd.

Current engagements:

a) Member, Advisory Board of Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce & Industry

b) Chairman, Board of Governors, International Management Institute, New Delhi

c) Trustee, Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund

d) Trustee, Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust

e) Trustee, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation

Former Engagements:

1. Former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha

2. Past President: a) Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce & Industry

b) Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)

3. Former Chairman: Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

4. Past Director: a) Central Board of Reserve Bank of India

b) General Insurance Corporation of India

c) Steel Authority of India Ltd

d) Industrial Development Bank of India

Honours:

*Received from the Emperor of Japan "The Order Of the Sacred Treasure Gold and Silver Star"

*Received Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. The honour was in recognition of his unique contribution to Indian business, Indian management and his deep commitment to spread education, particularly in the field of technology and business management

*Received D.Litt. (Honoris Causa) from Institute of Advanced Studies in Education (IASE), a deemed university of Rajasthan, for contribution to industry and his involvement in social work

*Lifetime Achievement Award from IIPM for outstanding contribution to the corporate world