I started my career at IBM heading its Financial Services Group for the ASEAN region. I followed that up with 18 years as CFO & COO at a leading Paper, Chemicals & Engineering Group. I have also served as the Founding CEO of ING – Barings first India PE fund before taking over as CEO of Essar Telecom and pioneering the consolidation in the industry with a merger with Hutchison Whampoa (and later Vodafone).

As the Founder Chairman of Mahindra Aerospace , I have helped pioneer the design, engineering and manufacturing of utility aircraft in India and Australia.

After 20 years at Mahindra &Mahindra as CXO in different line and staff functions, I have elected to step down to be able to better focus on my responsibilities as Advisor to Clayton, Dubilier & Ricea Global $ 50 bn PE Fund. I continue as a Senior Advisor at Mahindra CIE ( MCIE ), one of the three companies I founded and chaired for Mahindra & Mahindra. Mahindra Engineering (MES) and Mahindra Aerospace (MAPL) are the other two .

I am on the Board of several companies and serve as Senior Advisor to Mahindra & Mahindra and Tech M, companies with a market cap of US$ 12 bn and US$ 10 bn respectively. I have served as an Advisor to Temasek the Sovereign Wealth Fund of the Government of Singapore and am now an Advisor to Clayton Dubilier & Rice. At CD&R, I am charged with creating large (>$500mm) cross border (between Asia and Europe /North America) opportunities in IT, Business Services, Healthcare, Industrial and Consumer & Retail to complement the strategy of CD&R Portfolio Companies

I am an alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (1970) and of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program (AMP115, 1994). I am also the Managing Trustee of Lina Luthra, foundation created in the memory of my late wife and have served on the Board of Trustees of Save the Children. I am an active supporter of SPIC MACAY, a society to preserve and promote a respect for the traditional arts of India amongst the student community .

My extended exposure to establishing and nurturing new ideas and businesses and passion to work for causes that benefit the society in general ensures that I keep looking for new and innovative ventures.