Dr. Amitabh Verma currently provides leadership to the Technology and Solar Power Plant Operations, a new line of business for the Aditya Birla Group. The Solar Power Business, is focused on the Independent Power Producer part of the solar value chain. A typical solar project has three phases, namely, project development, project execution and operations and maintenance for close to 25 years. Dr. Verma provides technical and commercial inputs to all the three phases of the projects and also provides key inputs to the Business Development and Finance and Commercial team for project development.

Prior to joining the Aditya Birla Group, Dr. Verma worked in many Indian and global companies, resulting in him gaining a varied experience with organisations such as GE, Moser Baer, Thapar Group of industries and Scatec Solar India. He filed 10 US patent applications in different areas of materials research. He holds an M.Tech. degree in Materials Science from IIT Kanpur. He is a certified Green Belt and trained Black Belt in Six Sigma from GE.

Quote: The Aditya Birla Group's global mindset plays a pivotal role for success in manufacturing.

Dr. Bir Kapoor, Chief Operating Officer – South East Asia & China for Pulp & Fibre Business is a Chemical Engineer from IIT Kanpur and also holds a Ph.D in Chemical Engineering from University of New York. He is also listed as a co-inventor on 13 patent applications.

Dr. Kapoor joined Aditya Birla Group in 2003 and prior to his role as COO, he has been President and Unit Head for the Viscose Filament Yarn (VFY) Business of Indian Rayon (a Unit of Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd.), Veraval. In addition to managing a large manufacturing site with a workforce of nearly 3500.

Dr. Kapoor was also responsible for formulating and ensuring the implementation of strategic plans for the Business of Viscose Filament Yarn (VFY) to maximize shareholder/stakeholder value.

Recently, he provided a major technological thrust to VFY manufacturing by bringing the world-renowned ENKA technology to Indian markets. At Aditya Birla Science & Technology Co. Ltd., Dr. Kapoor also led the Science & Technology vertical as Jt. Executive President. He was responsible for the development of long-term technical and Research & Development strategy for various businesses and was part of the senior leadership team.

Prior to joining the Aditya Birla Group, Dr. Kapoor spent nearly 10 years with companies like Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL)., Molten Metal Technology Inc., USA, Modipon Ltd., as well a technological start-up company.

Quote: It is exciting to be a part of the Group with its strong and deeply engrained culture of manufacturing excellence and people sensitivity. The leadership role challenges one to raise the bar higher and provide opportunities for others to do the same, with excellent support from Corporate and Group companies. It also inspires one to be closer to society and make a difference to the lives of many in the surrounding areas through enriching CSR activities.

Mr. Bob Wagstaff leads a team of 40 Molten Metal Processing (MMP) experts across all four regions of Novelis in North America, South America, Europe and Asia as the Global Technology Leader. Some of his team members have been working with him for more than 20 years.
Mr. Wagstaff has invented several leading edge processes for aluminium Direct Chill (DC) casting that have improved efficiency, reduced energy and saved millions of dollars in cost reductions for customers in the aluminium industry. A colleague who has worked with Mr. Wagstaff since 1991 said, “Some might consider his greatest achievements in those areas closely linked to the technology at play in our re-melt operations. His greatest achievements lie in his ability to organise, lead and positively motivate people. He makes the vision forward crystal clear for those around him and fosters his team members to work toward that vision. He knows each of our strengths and weaknesses; he supports those weak areas and lets us do our thing in the areas where we are strong.?
Upon completing his Degrees in Mechanical and then Metallurgical Engineering, Mr. Wagstaff accepted a challenge in the Sales/Marketing of the AirSlip® technology, which was still in its infancy at that time. During this period, he gained valuable perspectives and a unique understanding of how the solidification process fits into the metals business.
About that same time, Mr. Wagstaff began to devote a considerable amount of time to the Low Head Composite LHC® Rolling Slab Ingot Casting Technology. He focused on the age old problem of minimising heat transfer at the start of the cast while maximising the heat transfer (and consequently, the solidification rates) during the run portion of the process. His next three patents demonstrated the clear advances in the field of Tribology and Heat Transfer, to the point where this remains the dominant technology used all over the world while producing premium cast surfaces which are coupled with amazing metallurgical properties. The high quality ingots produced with LHC Technology continue to yield significant savings in subsequent scalping and rolling processes at the rolling mill while providing a safer environment at the start of the cast.
Mr. Wagstaff’s journey from intern to President sent him around the globe where he built connections with aluminium plants in North America, South America, the Middle East, India, Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia, solving cast house problems that led to stronger processes and better products at the downstream extrusion or rolling mills around the world. His fluency in Japanese served him well during this time.
Mr. Wagstaff possesses a strategic vision that is well ahead of his time. His lifelong passion in solidification started on that day in 1982 when he was introduced to that ‘silvery metal’. That passion and excitement continues to drive his actions each day as he makes time to review and keep abreast of the latest industry work and contributions of his friends and peers. His strategic vision matches his commitment to using his work as an introductory platform for the next generation of engineers. According to a close colleague, “Bob sees a need for strong technical leadership in the future. He supports hiring and training of new engineers recognising that he was once in their shoes. I knew him in those days; it has always been fun working with him on his crazy ideas?.

Quote: In my job, in the Aditya Birla Group, I get an opportunity, while extending the known frontiers of Aluminum Metallurgy to benefit humanity, (People I work with and our customers) in a way comforting to me as outlined by Horace Mann, as he taught in those simple words, 'Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for Humanity'.

Currently the Director for Aditya Birla Management Corporation Private Ltd (ABMCPL), Mr. Dilip Gaur has been associated with Aditya Birla Group for more than a decade.

Prior to his role at Aditya Birla Management Corporation Private Ltd (ABMCPL), Mr. Gaur was Deputy Managing Director & Chief Manufacturing Officer for Ultratech Cement Ltd.

Throughout his tenure at the Group, he has led businesses like Hindalco’s Copper Business and Carbon Black business in Egypt as Managing Director. Mr. Dilip Gaur has also been Country Head/President of the Aditya Birla Group’s Edible oil & Oleochemicals business in Malaysia.

He is a whole time Director on the Board of UltraTech Cement Ltd, a Director, Dahej Harbour and Infrastructure Ltd. India and a Director, SKI carbon black Pvt Ltd, India.

He has been recognized for his stewardship in the Non-ferrous Metal industry and has given lectures at international forums on copper. He is actively involved in driving the sustainability and HSE effort at Hindalco and is a recipient of the Fray International Sustainability award. He continues with the same focus at Ultratech Cement.

Quote: By virtue of its global foot print and varied technological diversity, the Aditya Birla Group offers unparalled opportunities to a manufacturing professional - every operation I have headed so far in the Group, across 3 geographies, has been the largest in the world in its category! Implicit to such size and scale dominance is the role you play in shaping the global industry trends in your domain.

Mr. Dale Clark currently leads the Process Technology Group for Birla Carbon in Marietta, GA. Previously, he has held positions that include Manufacturing Director for Special Blacks Business and General Manager for a Manufacturing Unit in West Virginia.

Prior to joining Birla Carbon, Mr. Clark worked with Cabot Corporation in various roles.

Mr. Clark is a Six Sigma Green Belt, and has been a part of programs like 5S, TQM, The Manufacturing Game – Defect free maintenance, Team Technology, Market Driven Management, Behavioural Safety and SPC.

Mr. Clark has a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology (1987) and has completed his management program from Louisiana State University (1994).

Quote: Leading a Manufacturing Unit can be challenging but also very rewarding. Manufacturing is definitely a team sport and when a Unit Head can bring together a group of people to collectively solve the many challenges we face today, the results can be very rewarding for all members of the organisation.

Mr. Eric Tonkowski, presently based in Europe, has been associated with Novelis for more than two decades and became part of Aditya Birla Group through the acquisition of Novelis.

Mr. Tonkowski has handled various responsibilities at Novelis and progressed in his career over the years, starting from a Finance trainee, moving to a Finance Controller and then the Plant Head for the Luedenscheid foil plant to currently handling the complete operations of three Novelis plants in Europe -Goettingen, Luedenscheid and Ohle plant.

He is presently responsible for the determination and implementation of operation strategy within corporate/regional guidelines, as well as for managing the total profitability of the underlying organisation. He has to establish current and long-range objectives and set adequate operating plans for future developments, including investment proposals. He represents the company and its values in its relationships with communities, customers, suppliers, commercial, workforce and other professional bodies. Under his leadership, 1,150 employees generate revenue of more than 1 billion in markets like cans, pre-painted sheets, lithographics, packaging, technical products like cable foil, flexible tubes and impact extruded products.

Prior to joining Novelis, Mr. Tonkowski worked for Kleinewefers, Germany as a Project Engineer in the area of calendar manufacturing. Kleinewefers was a machine builder for paper processing equipment.

Mr. Tonkowski studied Mechanical Engineering and studied Business Administration at the University of Siegen, Germany.

Quote: Life is change! As a manufacturing leader, I am part of the exciting transformation of Novelis and the aluminium industry.

Currently responsible for Grasim Nagda plant in India.
Spent major part of over 2 1/2 decades of working life with ABG, in various businesses, across geographies and different roles in Manufacturing. Started as a Trainee Engineer at Grasim, SFD-Nagda in 1987 gradually moving up the ladder to become a Unit Head in 2011. In the course of time learnt the science and art of making Viscose Fibre & Filaments, Epoxy Resins, Caustic soda & allied products and continue to learn the art of managing people.

During 1997 to 2002, worked briefly with NRC Ltd., Kalyan as Head of Rayon Plant & SIV Ind. Ltd., Coimbatore as Head of Operations for Pulp/ Fibre/ Filament Plants at Sirumugai.

Graduated in Chemical Engineering from University Institute of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Panjab University, Chandigarh in 1986.

During the course of employment at Nagda, pursued successfully Masters in Engineering in Industrial Production from BITS, Pilani in 1994.

Quote: Being in a leadership role at a manufacturing location, I have ample freedom to perform my duties towards meeting my KRA's & beyond, be it Asset Care, Stakeholder Satisfaction, Technology, People Development, Care for near-by Communities to name a few. Learning and Growth are the hallmarks of today's ABG.

Executive President and Unit Head
Eastern Cluster Cement Units (Rawan, Hirmi, Durgapur, Jharsuguda) UltraTech Cement Limited

Mr. Patil has been associated with the Aditya Birla Group for almost 10 years and is currently heading the Projects and Manufacturing of the cement business for the Eastern Cluster cement plants of UltraTech Cement Limited, which includes two integrated cement plants - Rawan Cement works (Capacity: 5 MTPA) and Hirmi (Capacity: 3 MTPA). Two more grinding units with a capacity of 1.4 MT Cement (Jharsuguda and Durgapur) are part of this cluster. Additionally, he is also responsible for the expansion of the 1.6 MT Brownfield at Jharsuguda and two Greenfield projects at Dhankuni (West Bengal) and Patna (Bihar).

Prior to joining UltraTech, Mr. Patil worked at Tata Steel and Lafarge India Pvt. Limited.

Mr. Patil is a Mechanical Engineer from Gulbarga University and has an MBA in Finance from Sikkim Manipal University.

Quote: I feel proud to be a member of this Group where values are strongly believed in and demonstrated in their true spirit at various levels of the organisation. The Aditya Birla Group is a highly people-oriented organisation that believes in developing and retaining leaders.

Mr. Ungdae manages the Aditya Birla Group’s carbon black business in Korea, where he works towards making it the most respected and sustainable and dynamic plant. He has been working with the Aditya Birla Group’s Columbian Chemicals company for the last 13 years.

Before joining Columbian Chemicals, he worked for 10 years with Kumho Petrochemical Company.

Mr. Ungdae graduated from Jeonnam University in 1991, where he majored in chemical engineering.

Quote: The 17 carbon black plants are located across different countries and to understand the diversified culture of each country makes me excited.

Mr. Panda is currently the Unit Head of the Iron-ore Business Unit at Barbil, Odisha, where he is responsible for achieving the desired volumes of production and profitability. And he is working towards increasing the current production levels from 5-6 Million TPA to three times through a planned expansion strategy.

Mr. Panda has been working with the Aditya Birla Group for 2 years. Previously, he was associated with the Vedanta Group and National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO). He has a First Class Certificate of Competency (Restricted) from the DGMS, Dhanbad, which is a pre-requisite for managing opencast mining operations and is a life member of mining associations - MEAI and SGAT.

Mr. Panda has a B. Tech in Mining Engineering with Honours (1984) from Regional Engineering College, Rourkela (Currently NIT Rourkela). He also holds an Executive MBA degree and a Diploma in Management.

Mr. Panda was associated with the Planning Commission of the Government of India in formulating the IXth Five year Plan for the Non Ferrous sector. He was also associated with the Group of Non Ferrous Metals for the Xth and XIIth Five Year Plan constituted by the Ministry of Mines. He has published a number of papers in national and international conferences.

Quote: Being a part of a vibrant, growing conglomerate such as the Aditya Birla Group in itself is a great motivating factor. Leading a Unit involves leading a team of very competent professionals. Harnessing their myriad abilities to achieve a common goal is challenging and exhilarating. The kind of support one gets from the senior management is enabling and motivating. Lastly, the recognition of achievements at the Chairman's Awards or other avenues of recognition is truly rewarding.

Mr. Somani has been the President of the Mahan Aluminium Project since 2011, where he is in charge of implementing and managing the operations of the Unit. This project, which is one of the large Greenfield projects of the Aditya Birla Group, comprises of a smelter with a with a capacity of 3,60,000 thousand tons of aluminium per annum and associated captive power plant of 900 MW, at a total investment of about USD 2 Billion. The project is being commissioned in phases and managing operations in a cost effective manner is one of the key challenges here. The plant is based on the state-of-the-art technology at M/S Aluminium Pechiney, Rio Tinto, Alcan and is first of its kind in India.

Mr. Somani has been associated with the Aditya Birla Group for 29 years. He started his career as an Assistant Engineer in Hindalco's Projects department. He joined Hindalco, Renukoot in 1984 after graduating with a Mechanical Engineering degree from Karnataka Regional Engineering College, Suratkal. Later Mr. Somani headed the Mechanical Engineering Design department of the Hindalco's Renukoot plant, which recently completed fifty years of being operational, has a full-fledged Project Division which has contributed in cost effective growth of the plant- twenty times from meagre 20000 MT of Aluminium metal since 1962, one of the unique turnaround strategies implemented by Mr. Somani and his team.

Mr. Somani was later transferred to an aluminium smelter in 1997, where he had the opportunity to contribute as Lead Mechanical Engineer in Planning for an Aditya Aluminium project in Orissa. This opportunity gave him the exposure to study the technology of various smelters across the globe. In 2006, he was entrusted with the mantle of leadership at the smelter, which made him responsible for operations and maintenance. He contributed to the growth of the smelter from 3.6 lakh tons to 4.0 lakh tons with increased efficiency and strong manufacturing systems.

Quote: Learn, challenge, think out of the box, value the Values and grow – this has been the hallmark of the Aditya Birla Group.

Mr. Ratan Shah, a Chemical Engineer by training from IIT Mumbai also holds an M. Sc. Engineering degree from the University of Michigan, USA.

Currenty Chief Mentor – Manufacturing, Mr. Shah has been with the Aditya Birla Group for over 3 decades, worked in India and overseas with the Group's Carbon Black, Cement, Aluminium, Sponge Iron and Acrylic Fibre Business. In his current role, he mentors and guides manufacturing leaders of the Group.

In his previous role, he was responsible for the Aditya Birla Group's Cement Manufacturing and Projects Division, the largest cement manufacturing in the country.

Prior to this, Mr. Shah was Unit Head of Aditya Cement and later became the Unit Head of Rajashree Cement.

He also held the position of Chief Officer Operations, Hindalco, post which was elevated to the rank of a Business Head for the Acrylic Fibre Business. He has considerable expertise in the areas of operations, manufacturing and supply chain management.

Quote: If you can dream, the organization provides the resources to make it a reality.

Mr. Ravi Khanna serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Solar Power Business of the Aditya Birla Group, providing strategic leadership and direction to the solar power business.

Prior to joining the Aditya Birla Group, Mr. Khanna worked as the CEO and President of Scatec Solar AS, Oslo, Norway and also served as Director at Scatec AS. He has also served as Chief Executive Officer of Moser Baer Photovoltaic Ltd., and PV Technologies India Limited. Before entering the solar sector, he worked with Delphi Corporation US in various management positions globally.

Mr. Khanna served as a member of the Indian Prime Minister’s solar technology mission and also engaged very closely with Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), IREDA (Indian Renewable Development Agency) and NORAD (Development agency of Norway) on development of the future renewable and sustainable energy platforms in India. He has also served on the board of American firms HelioVolt Corporation, Sol Focus, Solaria and Stion Corporation.

Mr. Khanna has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigargh and an MBA degree from Symbiosis Institute of Management, Pune. He is also trained in top-of-the-line Leadership Programs administered by the University of Michigan Business School and Thunderbird Business Leadership Program. He has also been certified by Lean College at Ann Arbor, Michigan (2002) and Manufacturing Academy (2003) Delphi Headquarters Troy, Michigan. He also holds a Certified Innovation and Continuous Improvement Methodology (I & CIM) Six Sigma Green Belt.

Quote: Manufacturing systems are a critical resource for global competitiveness and innovation. We at Aditya Birla are seeking a specialised approach in developing technologies and practices in this domain.

Mr. Sanjay Sarkar provides leadership to the team at Birla Copper and is responsible for overall operations of smelters, engineering, refinery, power plant, technical, jetty (port), HR, finance & commercial functions of the Dahej Unit. He has been a part of the Aditya Birla Group for the last nine months.

He has a rich 27 years of experience in diverse sectors in the industry like metals –steel and iron, energy, utilities and gas. He also has cross-functional exposure in the operation, engineering, projects, finance and commercial fields. Before joining the Aditya Birla Group, he worked at Hindustan Development Corporation for 5 years and with Essar Steel for 22 years.

Mr. Sarkar holds a B.Tech degree in electrical engineering from NIT, Allahabad, an M.Tech degree in power systems from NIT, Surat, and an MBA degree in Finance.

Quote: Great Leaders infuse in their people a hope for success & belief in themselves. They handhold and empower the team to accomplish the goal.

Mr. Satish Pai in his role as the Deputy Managing Director, Hindalco Industries Ltd., India, is responsible to set strategic direction/vision for the Aluminium business of Hindalco in India and providing operational leadership in order to continue building sustainable competitive strength and maximize shareholder value.

Prior to joining Aditya Birla Group, Mr. Pai worked with Schlumberger Ltd as the Executive Vice President, Worldwide operations, where he was responsible for all aspects of operations for Schlumberger globally, including HSE, people management, input to R&D and also P&L performance of Schlumberger globally.

In his 28 years long career with Schlumberger Ltd., Mr. Pai has held various important positions including large P&L responsibilities. He has led many Mergers and Acquisitions for Schlumberger Ltd, apart from holding global roles leading Oilfield Technology Services, IT Services, Human Resources and large Manufacturing units.

A Mechanical Engineer from IIT Madras, Mr. Pai joined Schlumberger Ltd. as a Field Engineer in 1985.

Quote: Manufacturing is a core part of the Hindalco operations excellence strategy to become a world leader to Aluminium. We are deeply engaged in implementing best practices and latest processes obtained from worldwide developments in this field. High calibre manufacturing professionals is key to making this all come together.

Mr. Thomas Varghese is the Business Head of Domestic Textiles, Overseas Spinning and Acrylic Fiber businesses of The Aditya Birla Groups Textile Businesses. It comprises of three companies in Domestic Textile, 5 Companies in Overseas Spinning and 2 Companies in Acrylic Fiber businesses.

Mr. Varghese has been with the Aditya Birla Group since the last 14 years holding multiple positions across Businesses. He joined Grasim Industries in 1999 as Chief Marketing Officer for Grasim’s Pulp & Fiber business and has been instrumental in leading his team to assume a leadership position in the global VSF scenario.

In 2004 he moved to Head the large manufacturing complex of Pulp & Fiber at Harihar in Karnataka. He was also instrumental in VSF’s first M&A in China in 2006. In mid 2007 he moved as Business Head of the Pulp Operations in Aditya Birla Group looking after the 5 Units viz. Grasim Industries Limited, Kumarapatnam (Pulp & Fibre Units), AV Cell, Canada, AV Nackawic, Canada & Birla Lao Pulp & Plantations Co., Ltd., Lao PDR.

His last assignment was as MD & CEO of Aditya Birla Retail Limited. As Business Head of Aditya Birla Retail he oversaw the growth of all formats across India. ABRL has within a short span of 4 years emerged as one of India’s foremost Supermarket & Hypermarket Retailer.

He has been the Chairman of the CII – National Committee on Retail for last 3 years (2009-11) and also a member of Services Council of CII. He is also a member of the Coca Cola Retail Research Council for Eurasia & Africa. He has just been appointed as the new Chairman CII National committee on Marketing (2012). He is also a recipient of the Images Coca-Cola Golden Spoon Award for the “Most Admired Retailer in India (Food & Grocery) 2010. He was also awarded the Images award for India's “Most Admired Retail Professional of the Year" at IRF, 2010. In Feb 2012 he was conferred the “CEO of the year" by the Asian Retail Congress at Mumbai.

An engineering graduate from IIT Delhi and an AMP Harvard Alumni he is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus award of the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi in 2002.
He is also a recipient of the coveted Aditya Birla Group award of “Outstanding Business Leader" in 2004.
Quote: There is a sense of satisfaction in leading Textile business which requires collaboration of human labour and intelligence with efficiency of machines to create tangible goods necessary for our daily life usages. With focus of the group on sustainable manufacturing, the tasks required in conceptualizing and implementing less material wastage, better working conditions and more positive social impact on environment drives us to create better solutions and gives us scope to challen