Dr. Pramod Chaudhari is a Mechanical Engineer from IIT, Bombay. (Distinguished Alumnus of 1971) and an alumnus of Harvard Business School (AMP 1995). Dr. Pramod Chaudhari’s career spans over 53 years of professional and entrepreneurial endeavour.
As a first generation techno-entrepreneur, Dr. Pramod Chaudhari founded Praj in 1983. He dreamt and developed Praj into a world-class engineering company specialized in Agri-processing opportunities.
He is Promoter and founder of Praj Industries Ltd., Holding Company.
In the recent past, he had held many leadership positions, some of which are:
- President of Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries & Agriculture (MCCIA) Pune for 2016-18 (till Sept 2018).
- President of Science & Technology Innovation Park Pune during 2016-17; Chairman of CII National Committee on Bio-Energy / Biofuels / Renewable Energy from 2007-08 till 2016-17.
Dr. Pramod Chaudhari’s recent recognitions include:
- Prestigious ‘George Washington Carver Award 2020’ by BIO-Impact, Washington DC, USA – he is the first Indian to receive this global honour.
- 2022 William C. Holmberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in Advanced Bioeconomy.
- ‘D.Litt.’ by Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth (TMV). This is in recognition of his exemplary contribution to the Biofuel Industry worldwide, and for establishing & institutionalizing quality benchmark of Indian products & services at global level.
Mr. Abhijit Dani is Chief Business Officer and Whole Time Director of Praj GenX Ltd. which is dedicated to advancing energy transition and climate action. With a background in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Marketing and Finance, he received a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship in 2013 for the "Advanced Management" course at Carnegie Mellon University, USA.
During the initial 13-year of his career, he worked in various leadership roles in the Automobile Industry, including Manufacturing, HR, IR, and Corporate Strategy.
In 2009, he joined Praj Industries, where he led the Process Equipment and Modularisation Business Unit for 15 years, achieving notable milestones in the Process Plant Industry.
He has been actively engaged in the Process Plant & Machinery Association of India (PPMAI) since 2012-13. Since last year, he is also working as a Chairman of PPMAI, further underscoring his commitment to the industry's growth and development.
Ashish brings over 34 years of professional experience in industrial automation and digitalization, industrial software applications, process technology and energy / renewable energy transition, AI and Autonomous Manufacturing – the Future of Automation. Ashish’s last professional engagement was at Honeywell, where he spearheaded Honeywell Automation India Ltd., successfully for over seven years as its Managing Director.
Ashish holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Honors) degree in Electrical & Electronics, from Birla Institute of Technology & Science at Pilani, India.
Ashish began his career as Automation and Process Control Engineer in Honeywell. Over the past three decades, he served at Honeywell in multiple roles of increasing responsibilities. Ashish has work-experience in several geographies including India, Southeast Asia, Asia Pacific, and the USA. He has worked in various disciplines including project engineering/ delivery, Strategy and Business Development, Sales Leadership, General Management for Profit Centers, Executive Leadership, Corporate Governance, and Board directorships.
Ashish has been recognized for several professional achievements including Honeywell’s highest recognition – the President’s Club Award. Under his leadership, Honeywell Automation was recognized as India’s Best Multi-National Company and was awarded ‘Star MNC of the Year 2019’, by Business Standard. Ashish was also recognized among the top 100 Wealth Creators of India – by Fortune, India (July 2021).
Mr. Ashish Gaikwad is a Managing Director of Praj Industries Ltd., Holding Company.
Mr. Sachin Raole is a Cost Accountant and Chartered Accountant with around 29 years of experience in varied fields of finance and accounts.
He has worked in the areas of divestment, mergers & acquisitions, financial restructuring, treasury, accounts and taxation. He has very rich experience in the wide spectrum of finance across industries; manufacturing, project, financial services and pharmaceutical. Additionally, he also has an experience in heading Human Resources, materials, IT, legal & secretarial.
He is the CFO & Director-Resources at Praj Industries Ltd., Holding Company.
Mr. Iyer is a qualified Chartered Accountant from Institute of Chartered Accountants of India since 1987.
He has over 30 years of experience in corporate finance and advises companies on debt/equity fund raising, mergers/amalgamations, capital structuring for new/expansion projects etc. He is actively engaged by various private investors in India for advising them on their investments.