BOARD OF DIRECTORS

A postgraduate in Chemical Engineering from the Imperial College of Science & Technology, London, Meher joined Thermax as a trainee engineer in August 1990. A year later, along with her husband Pheroz Pudumjee, they took over the responsibility of turning around a Thermax subsidiary company in the UK.

After her return to India in September 1996, she was appointed on the Board of Directors. With her newly acquired interest in Finance, she worked closely with the treasury and working capital management functions of Thermax. She was involved with overseeing a Joint Venture Company in the area of drinking water as well as the Air Pollution Control businesses of the company. In January 2001 she became a non-executive director and was appointed Vice Chairperson in 2002. During this period she played an active role in the turnaround of Thermax.
She took over as Chairperson on October 5, 2004, after the retirement of Mrs. Anu Aga.

Ms.Pudumjee represented India at the Asian Business Women’s Conference in Osaka in 2006. The World Economic Forum in 2008 selected her as a Young Global Leader for her professional accomplishment, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world. She was selected CEO of the Year, 2009 by Business Standard.

Ms. Pudumjee served as the Chairperson of Pune Zonal Council of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). When a member of CII’s Young Indians, she chaired the National Employability initiative.

Meher has a keen interest in music, especially western classical and is a member of a Pune based choir. She lives in Pune with her husband and has two children.

Pheroz Pudumjee has been the Non-Executive Director of the company since January 15, 2001.

He facilitates the company’s international initiatives, including the incubation and development of new businesses and relevant organisational changes. In the past, Mr. Pudumjee managed Thermax’s overseas venture in the UK.

Mr. Pudumjee was the Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Pune. He was also a member of CII’S National Committee on Export and a member of the Maratha Chamber of Commerce’s International panel.

He has a Master’s in Business Administration and a Diploma in Automobile Technology from Stanford University.

Before joining Thermax, Ashish was the Vice President–India and South Asia region at Baker Hughes (formerly a GE company). He joined GE in 2005 in Houston, USA and relocated to Gurgaon in 2011. He is credited with building GE Oil and Gas into one of GE’s biggest businesses in India and for the successful integration of Baker Hughes and GE Oil and Gas during a time of significant transition. Over his 15-year GE career, Ashish has worked in a variety of industrial businesses, including GE Enterprise Solutions, GE Energy, and GE Oil and Gas. He has been instrumental in consolidating legacy businesses and at the same time, looking at new technologies and opportunities for growth.

His prior work experience includes a stint with Schlumberger, consulting with McKinsey & Co. and two start-ups overseas.

Ashish completed his Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering (B. Tech) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai. He received his master’s degree in Business Administration from Duke University.

He is the Chairman of Marico Limited, and is also Chairman & Managing Director of its wholly owned subsidiary, Kaya Limited. Mr. Mariwala has transformed Marico, a traditional commodities driven business into a leading consumer products and services company in the beauty and wellness space. From a turnover of Rs. 50 lakhs in 1971, Marico’s products generated a turnover of INR 6,132 crores during 2015-16. The company has won several awards and recognition under his leadership. He established the Marico Innovation Foundation in 2003 to fuel innovation in India. He started ASCENT in 2012, a not-for-profit and unique peer-to- peer platform for high potential entrepreneurs to exchange experiences and ideas.

Mr. Mariwala was the President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in 2011. He has been a part of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), held the position of YPO Education, Membership and Chapter Chair for the Bombay Chapter, and was a member of the International Forum Board of YPO International. He is now a part of the World Presidents Organization (WPO).

He is Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India having qualified in the year 1973. He spent most of his career with Ernst & Young and its Indian member firm, S. R. Batliboi & Co., Chartered Accountants, and its predecessor firm, Arthur Young, being a partner from 1974 to 2003.

He has contributed to the accounting profession, being a speaker or the chairperson at a large number of professional conferences in India and abroad.

As a philanthropist, he is actively involved with Childline, an all-India NGO for abused and distressed children. He is also Honorary Treasurer of the Indian Red Cross, Maharashtra and a trustee of the Narielvala Fire Temple in Mumbai.

Since 2003 Mr. Mirza has been involved in the movement for improved governance in the corporate sector. He is also involved in propagating knowledge of the threat to humankind from climate change and an appropriate response.

He is the co-founder, chairman and group CEO of KPIT Technologies Ltd. His vision has steered the company from product engineering, IT consulting and services, to three industries namely automotive & transportation, manufacturing and energy & utilities.

He is a gold medalist and member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, an associate member of the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India, and holds a master from Sloan School of Management, MIT, Cambridge, USA. In 2014, Tilak Maharashtra University decorated him with an honorary D.Litt.

Having run a Chartered Accountancy firm for close to a decade after finishing his master’s studies, Mr. Pandit decided to venture into information technology consulting and services, thus setting up KPIT with his co-founder in 1990.

For his commitment to conducting business in an ethical manner and for the value KPIT partnership has brought to Cummins, Mr. Pandit was honoured with the J Irwin Miller Award of Excellence by Cummins. He has also been conferred the Rotary Excellence Award, Maharashtra Corporate Excellence (MAXELL) Award and the Samata Award.

Ravi is a founder trustee of NGO Janwani which focuses on improvements in urban India. He is a founder trustee of the Pune International Centre, a national level think tank working on policy issues. Mr. Pandit was a member of the Government of India’s Automotive Research Program Committee and on DST’s Technology Development Board. He has served as the president of the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture and has been on the NASSCOM executive council twice.

He is also Managing Director of Elgi Equipments Ltd. and is also on the Board of Elgi Rubber Company Ltd., Precot Meridian Ltd., Magna Electro Castings Ltd, Elgi Sauer Compressors Ltd, Elgi Ultra Industries Ltd., Elgi Ultra Ltd., Dark Horse Portfolio Investment Ltd. and ATS Elgi Ltd.

He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from George Washington University, USA and Ph.D. in International Business from the University of Michigan, USA. He has varied experience covering textiles, polymers, mechanical machines and consumer appliances.

Dr. Varadaraj has spent about four years in teaching and research in the United States, studying computerized marketing simulation as well as researching Euro-bond markets. He has also conducted research studies on international financial markets, joint ventures, corporate strategy and technology transfers in the United States. He was the Chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Committee of CII.

Ms. Rajani Kesari has been an Independent Director of the company since November 14, 2018.

She is currently the CFO of Nayara Energy Limited. Nayara is a downstream oil company operating the second largest single-site refinery in India and contributes to 8% of the refinery capacity of India. Prior to this, she was the CFO for Holcim India, handling finance for listed entities of Ambuja Cements and ACC Limited.

Rajani has diverse experience in strategic planning, business partnering, M & A, internal audit, taxation and investor relations. She has also played a very meaningful role in driving business impact both in India and overseas.

She is a commerce graduate, Chartered Accountant, Cost Accountant and Certified Public Accountant from the US.

He is also the Chief Strategy Officer at AVEVA plc, a FTSE listed software company. He joined AVEVA in 2018 through the merger of Schneider Electric Software with AVEVA. Prior to the merger, he was the Executive Vice President of Schneider Electric Software. He joined Schneider Electric in 2014 following the acquisition of Invensys plc by Schneider Electric, where he was President of Invensys Software.

He started his career as a research scientist in Tata Consultancy Services in 1994 and eventually led the global Engineering Business and the Manufacturing Practice for the company. He left TCS in 2006 and joined Geometric Ltd. as the MD and CEO. He held that role from 2006 to 2009, when he joined Invensys.

Dr. Gopinath holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York and a M. Tech in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.

Before joining Thermax, Mr. Bhandari was the Vice President – India and South Asia region at Baker Hughes (formerly a GE company). He joined GE in 2005 in Houston, USA and relocated to Gurgaon in 2011. He is credited with building GE Oil and Gas into one of GE’s biggest businesses in India and for the successful integration of Baker Hughes and GE Oil and Gas during a time of significant transition. Over his 15-year GE career, Mr. Bhandari has worked in a variety of industrial businesses including GE Enterprise Solutions, GE Energy, and GE Oil and Gas. He has been instrumental in consolidating legacy businesses and at the same time looking at new technologies and opportunities for growth.

His prior work experience includes Schlumberger, consulting with McKinsey & Co. and two start-ups overseas.

Mr. Bhandari completed his Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering (B Tech) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai. He received his master’s degree in Business Administration from Duke University.

Mahesh joined Thermax as a graduate trainee in 1988 and handled the Materials function for various businesses, including global sourcing, till 1996. He moved to the Power division (P&ES) and grew to the position of Sales Head and subsequently Head of Projects. He took over as the Head of the SBU for Medium Power Plants in 2009 and finally as Head of Power business in 2012. Mahesh has worked with Thermax for over 30 years in many functions such as manufacturing, supply chain, sales and marketing, and project management, and has played a significant role in the strategy, expansion and diversification of the Power business.

Mahesh completed his Mechanical Engineering from the Visvesvaraya Regional College of Engineering, Nagpur in 1988.

He has been with Thermax for over 13 years and has a rich experience of over two decades in manufacturing, management, procurement, project management, engineering, business development and strategy. Before joining Thermax in 2008, Dinesh worked with Ion Exchange Ltd. and CIBA.

At Thermax, he has helmed multiple roles in the Chemical business. Dinesh was instrumental in establishing the Jhagadia plant for specialty chemicals. He was also responsible for the overall operations of the business, expanding the ion exchange resins capacity at Dahej, and diversifying the business. Prior to his current role, he was the SBU Head of the Chemical business.

Dinesh is a Chemical Engineering graduate from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad. He has also completed the leadership development programme from the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.

Mahesh brings with him a rich experience of 24 years in the areas of technology and business development, including alternative energy technologies such as fuel cells, hydrogen, batteries, supercapacitor and advanced materials.

Before joining Thermax, Dr. Murthy was part of the Group Technology and Innovation Office (GTIO) with Tata Sons for over five years, based out of Bangalore. His primary responsibility as a technology leader involved developing next generation energy related technologies like fuel cells by leveraging synergies within the group. Prior to Tata Sons, he had a long stint of 19 years in varying roles and responsibilities at W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., based in Delaware, USA. He was involved in developing fuel cell membranes, water purification technologies and business development activities, primarily with automotive OEMs.

Mahesh has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of South Carolina and an MBA from the University of Delaware.

In a career spanning 34 years, Hemant worked with Tata Auto Comp Systems Limited, Indian Seamless Metal Tubes and Bharat Forge. His vast experience encompasses business development, strategic planning, M&A, technology development, and setting up of JVs and greenfield projects.

Hemant joined Thermax from Tata Auto Comp Systems (TACO), where he was President and Member of the Corporate Business Group, overseeing the Interiors and Plastic division, Automotive Composite business and Tata GS Yuasa battery business.

A Mechanical Engineer from Nagpur, Hemant has done his MBA from Symbiosis, Pune and has completed a Diploma in General Management from Netherland’s Maastricht School of Management.

Jasmeet brings over 20 years of experience in Human Resources, including lean management, diversity, succession planning, compensation and benefits, compliance, global staffing, and HR transformation. As part of his tenure across companies, Jasmeet has been instrumental in setting up HR Change Management initiatives, designing strategies for harmonious industrial relations and establishing a safe working environment.

Prior to joining Thermax, he was with Carrier Corporation for five years as Director HR, South Asia Pacific. He was also associated with companies like Honeywell India and Valvoline Cummins in HR leadership roles.

Jasmeet is an MBA in Human Resources from Management Development Institute (MDI) and a Bachelor of Science in Computers from Delhi University.

He joined Thermax as an MBA graduate in 1995 in TBWES (formerly TBW), as a Product Manager for Oil and Gas fired boilers and has risen through the ranks to hold critical positions. He moved to the Cogen division in 1997 to handle the business development for the power portfolio. After successfully pioneering the EPC concept sale in the industrial captive power space in India he was chosen to lead international sales in 2005. Post this successful stint, he handled the Large Power Plant SBU as the Operations Head in 2010.

Prior to his current role, he was instrumental in turning around the solar renewables portfolio and strategically growing the Power-O&M business as the SBU Head.

Adept with business strategy, operations planning and control, global business development, service delivery and asset integrity, Kirtiraj overlooks the operations of over 100 plants across three continents.

He completed his Mechanical Engineering and MBA from the Maharashtra Institute of Technology and the Institute of Business Management and Research – Pune, respectively.

Pravin joined Thermax as a Graduate Trainee Engineer in 1984 and has worked in various functions like sales, proposals, field sales, international marketing, sourcing, operations, etc. He was part of the core team leading the company’s transformation initiatives. Before taking over the current role, he was the Chief Executive Officer of TBWES. Prior to this, he was the Business Unit Head for Boiler & Heater (TBWES) division and has also headed the Air Pollution Control (Enviro) business.

Pravin is a certified Executive Coach and works very closely with emerging leaders to help them exceed their potential by working on their inner transformation. He is also an active volunteer with The Art of Living Foundation.

Pravin completed his Mechanical Engineering from Walchand College of Engineering, Sangli, in 1984.

Starting his career with Thermax as a Management Trainee in 1993, he worked for 15 years till 2008 across departments and businesses, including the role of Finance Controller for Chemical and Power businesses. He worked with Tata AutoComp Systems from 2008 to 2013 and subsequently moved to Gabriel India Ltd., where he was the CFO heading Finance, Secretarial, Legal & IT functions before rejoining Thermax.

A Certified Public Accountant, Rajendran has completed his Masters in Management Studies (MMS), Integrated Program of Engineering & Management from BITS Pilani and Advanced Management & Leadership Program from Oxford University in the UK.

He has worked with the Thermax group for over 25 years in various functions like sales, proposals, field sales, international marketing, operations, and leadership roles. Shekhar has extensive international experience and has been responsible for developing markets for various
Thermax products in countries such as Indonesia, Brazil and Thailand.

Shekhar had a stint with the Caterpillar group for a few years before rejoining Thermax in 2007 to head the Small Power Plant performance unit. He implemented the lean EPC model and successfully grew the performance unit into a full-fledged Strategic Business Unit (SBU). Later, he headed the Cooling SBU, followed by the Boiler-Utility SBU, as well as Thermax’s largest SBU – Boiler & Heater.

Before his current role as the CEO of TBWES, he led the group-wide ThermaxNXT transformation initiative as the Chief Transformation Officer.

A Mechanical Engineer from the College of Engineering Pune, Shekhar has also completed the Leadership Development Programme from the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad.

He has more than 23 years of digital and IT experience spanning digital strategy and execution, P&L leadership, Industry 4.0, ERP and digital technologies.

Prior to joining Thermax, Amit was working with Baker Hughes as the Middle East, Africa, Turkey and India regions’ CIO (spanning 40 countries). He has worked on the board of PIDX, an energy industry body that defines the electronic business and energy transition standards for the oil and gas industry.

Amit is a PhD in Marketing from IIM Lucknow. He has completed his management education from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow and his degree in Electrical Engineering from VJTI, Mumbai University.

In his free time, Amit runs an NGO focused on road safety, Covid support and greenery. He also likes to spend time in heritage libraries as well as travel.