CMA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Executive Chairman of the K C P
Dr V L Dutt is the Executive Chairman of the K C P group of companies, which has interests in cement, sugar and heavy industrial machinery. A graduate of the Business Institute of Management, London, Dr Dutt has been awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters by the Nagarjuna University, Andhra Pradesh, and is the Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Turkey in Chennai, for Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry.
Dr. Shailendra Chouksey is a Ph.D in Management, Post Graduate in Physics and is a MBA from the Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University. Dr. Chouksey has over 42 years of corporate experience out of which over 32 years of association has been with JK Lakshmi Cement. He joined the company when its capacity was 0.5 million & he has been an integral part of the company senior management team in its journey to current capacity of about 13 million tons.
A strong believer in nurturing team spirit has led several innovating initiatives such as to becoming India's first ISO 9002 certified cement company, use of colored packing bags, introduction of ERP solution and use of other high end software to improve the processes and improve customer relationship with an eye on continuously improving company's brand equity. He has introduced number of brands including first Premium Cement Brand in the Northern market besides other brands and products to cater to niche segments. He is passionate about having HR practices which are most conducive to attract and retain talent. JKLC today is the only cement company to be in the list of Best Place to Work. Dr. Chouksey is responsible for all the commercial, financial and marketing activities of the company and is responsible to lead company's large distribution network of over 6000 stockists / dealers, sales promotors and transporters. He attributes his achievements to a strong people centric approach and team work.
Dr. Chouksey has spearheaded various delegation to the government, both at Central and State level. He has successfully led the Cement Industry as a President of Cement Manufacturers' Association from July 2016 - December, 2018 in which capacity he has led from the front Industry meets at the level of PMO, Finance Ministry, Environment Ministry, GST Council. He has also headed National Council for Cement and Building Materials as its Chairman for 3 years. He was nominated by Government of India in 2017 to head Development Council for Cement Industry.
Mr A L Kapur retired as the Managing Director of Ambuja Cement in April 2010, a position he held since 2007. Mr Kapur, who joined the firm's Board of Directors as Whole Time Director in May 1999, led the company through the transition phase after the Holcim take over.
Prior to joining Ambuja Cements, he was the Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer of Birla Corporation Limited (erstwhile Birla Jute & Industries Limited), Managing Director, Zenith Limited, Chief Executive Officer of Cement Manufacturers Association, New Delhi, Whole-time Director, ACC Limited, and Whole Time Director (Finance) of Cement Corporation of India Limited.
Mr Ashok Kumar Jain was the Chairman of Bennett Coleman and Company or the Times of India group and is best known for being a patron of literature. He was the Chairman of the Times Research Foundation, the Times Fellowship Council and Managing Trustee of Bharatiya Jnanpith which gives away the highest literary awards in India, the Jnanpith Awards.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant from Pratapgarh
Mr B.L. Jain, a Chartered Accountant from Pratapgarh in Rajasthan, served as Senior President of Cement Division for 37 years and 17 as Whole-time Director in Century Textiles, a BK Birla Group company. He was instrumental in setting up 4 modern Cement Plants - Century Cement at Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Maihar Cement at Maihar (M.P), Manikgarh Cement, Chandrapur (Maharashtra) and Sonar Bangla Cement (KoIkata).
He was conferred with "Second Rank among'st India's Most Valuable CEO" in Materials Sector in 2008 and again in 2010 by "Business World" as per their survey. During the tenure of his services, he was the President of CMA and Chairman of NCBM in the year 2002 - 04.
Mr J R Birla, former Managing Director of Birla Jute & Industries Limited (now Birla Corporation Limited), was Factory Manager of Rameshwara Jute Mills Limited at Samastipur. In 1960, Mr M P Birla, the founder of the MP Birla Group, brought him to the newly established Satna Cement Works. He became President of the Cement Division in 1964 and oversaw the setting up of the cement units at Chanderia and Durgapur. He became the Whole Time Director of the Company in 1977 and was elevated to Managing Director in 1980. Mr J R Birla was a founder-member of the Cement Manufacturers Association and was its President from 1983 to 1986. He passed away after a brief illness in 1994.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of UltraTech Cement Limited
Mr K C Jhanwar, Managing Director of UltraTech Cement Limited, is a veteran of Aditya Birla Group with a career spanning more than 38 years in the Group.
Mr M Karnani was the Executive Director & President (Operations) of the cement business of Larsen & Toubro Limited
In 1962, he was elected a Member of Parliament and appointed Member of the Planning Commission in Uganda, apart from being conferred the Head of State Commendation (HSC) of the Republic of Kenya. Also known for the welfare programs he has started, Mr Mehta is credited with building thirteen primary schools, three nursery schools and a secondary school in and around Lugazi that is open to all citizens. Moreover, the Group operates a sixty bed hospital that provides free medical care to employees and their families.
Mr. Mehta now lives and spends most of his time in Uganda.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director and CEO of Dalmia Cement ( Bharat ) Limited
Mr Mahendra Singhi is the Managing Director and CEO of Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited and been associated with the growth and development of the cement sector in India for the last 41 years. Dalmia Cement is well recognised globally for its lowest carbon footprint cement, water positive operations and bold commitment to become carbon negative cement group by 2040. For playing very active role in awareness generation, actions and commitments on climate change mitigation in industry, Mr. Singhi was recognised as one of the 5 Climate Defenders by BBC in their "Climate Defenders" Series broadcasted in November 2019. Mr Singhi also serves following organisations and commissions in India and abroad as a
Mr Singhi is a spiritual person and an avid reader of behavioral psychology.
Mr. Mridu Hari Dalmia has been associated with OCL India Ltd, the flagship company of the Dalmia Group of companies, since 1970. He is a member of the Dalmia family with substantial business interests mostly in India, UK and USA. A member of the Managing Committee of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry, he was the President of Indian Refractories Manufacturers Association and of Cement Manufacturers Association. He was also the President of National Council for Cement and Building Materials during 1986-89 and a member of the Managing Committee of FICCI during 1987-89.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chairman and Managing Director, India Cements Ltd
Mr N Srinivasan, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, India Cements Ltd, joined the company in 1968 soon after the demise of his father, Mr T S Narayanaswami, Founder of Sri Cements.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CMA Leadership Team
- President
- President, Cement Manufacturers' Association
Mr Neeraj Akhoury brings with him over 30 years of rich experience in the steel and cement industries. He has worked in leadership roles in India and other emerging markets. He began his career with Tata Steel in 1993 and joined the Holcim Group in 1999. He was a member of the Executive Committee of Lafarge India, heading Corporate Affairs followed by Sales. In 2011, he moved to Nigeria as CEO & Managing Director of Lafarge AshakaCem PLC. Thereafter, he was appointed as Strategy & Business Development Director for Middle East & Africa at the Lafarge headquarters in Paris. He was also CEO of Lafarge Surma Cement Limited and Country representative of Holcim Bangladesh.
In February 2017, Mr Akhoury was appointed as Managing Director & CEO of ACC Limited. In February 2020, he took over as CEO India, Holcim, Managing Director & CEO, Ambuja Cements Limited and Non Executive Director, ACC Limited.
Currently, he is Managing Director at Shree Cement Limited.
Mr Akhoury has a degree in Economics and MBA from the University of Liverpool, General Management from XLRI, Jamshedpur and alumnus of Harvard Business School
Mr Om Prakash Puranmalka, a Chartered Accountant by qualification, started his career as an Industrial Management Trainee in 1976 in Grasim Industries, Nagda. Thereafter he joined the Central Cell of Advisors to Mr G D Birla where he was head of F&C, Grasilene Division of Grasim Industries, Harihar. He went on to become President of Saurashtra Chemicals in Gujarat from 1981-1994 and then the Head of Cement Business of the erstwhile Indian Rayon and Industries Limited after the unit's merger with Grasim Industries and Group Executive President of Cement Marketing.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CMA Leadership Team
- Vice President
- Managing Director of JSW Cement
- Vice President, Cement Manufacturers' Association
He earned his MBA from Harvard Business School in 2016 and his Bachelor in Arts in Economics and Political Science from Brown University in 2012.
Today, Mr Parth Jindal is the Managing Director of JSW Cement, Managing Director of JSW Paints, Director on the Board of JSW Energy, Founder of JSW Sports that owns and manages ISL 2018-19 Champions Bengaluru FC, Pro-Kabaddi League team Haryana Steelers and is Chairman and Co-Owner of the cricket team Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League. Parth Jindal is also the Founder of Inspire Institute of Sport (a visionary project to elevate India's Olympic caliber), Director of JSW Ventures and Director of JSW USA.
Under his stewardship, JSW Sports was honored with the "Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2018", by the President of India, for Encouragement to Sports through Corporate Social Responsibility. He is the youngest Business Leader on the ‘2019 Economic Times 40 under Forty' list, ‘GQ's 50 Most Influential Young Indians for 2018' and felicitated by News24 as 2018 Youth Icon for his contribution to the Nation.
At the Group level, Mr Jindal continues to lead and provide direction to the Human Resources, Information Technology, Sustainability and Digital functions
Mr R D Shah served as the President of CMA from 1970 to 1973. He was the Director of the Andhra Cement Company Ltd
Mr Rameshwar Prasad is the person who brought the idea of Hindustan Sugar Mills to life. While the original idea belonged to his mentor Jamnalal Bajaj, it was Rameshwar Prasad who moulded and shaped it.
His career started in 1927 and witnessed several achievements and laurels including Member of Lok Sabha (1952-56); President of Indian Sugar Mills Association (1952) and Cement Manufacturers' Association (for two terms in 1979 and 1980). Further, he was the Director of the Central Bank of India (1979-81) and leader of the Indian Delegation to the World Congress of the International Society of Sugarcane Technologists held at Barbados (West Indies) in 1953. He also led the Indian Delegation sponsored by the Indian Productivity Council to study layouts of industrial plants in Japan, US and West Germany in 1960.
Mr S Krishnaswami served as the president of the Cement Manufacturers Association from 1981 to 1982. He was also Managing Director of ACC.
Mr T M M Nambiar, Managing Director, ACC, joined the company in 1975 as Financial Controller. A Chartered Accountant by training, Mr Nambiar had held senior positions in finance and accounts in large multinational companies such Burmah Shell and Indian Oxygen Limited. He was appointed Whole Time Director of the Company in December 1988 and was later elevated to Managing Director on April 1996.
Mr Vishnu Hari Dalmia, former President of Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited, was associated with the group since the very beginning in 1939. He was the President of various industry groups like Indian Sugar Mills Association, Indian National Committee of International Chambers of Commerce, Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industries of India and Committee of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. He was also Director of Export - Import Bank of India from 1983-85. He was also an Advisor to Dalmia Bharat Sugar & Industries Limited and a Management Trustee of Dalmia Charitable Trust.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of Dalmia Bharat Limited
Mr Yadu Hari Dalmia, Managing Director of Dalmia Bharat Limited, holds a B. Com (Honours) degree from Delhi University and is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. In more than 40 years of experience he has in the cement industry, Mr. Dalmia served as President of the Cement Manufacturers Association and is a well-known figure in the cement industry.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Bangur Family
Mr. Bangur is a member of the Bangur Family - a family engaged in Trade, Industry & Commerce for over a century. Over a span of past 40 years, he has proven his mettle as an astute strategist, hard negotiator and skilful articulator. He has over the years successfully managed and expanded a large spectrum of industries such as agro waste, plantations, man-made fiber, textile, paper and cement as well as entities engaged in financing & investment business.
Mr. Bangur takes active interest in playing Volleyball, Bridge etc. He has sponsored various national Bridge Competitions and is an active participant therein.
Job Titles:
- Executive Chairman of Jaiprakash Associates Limited
Mr. Manoj Gaur, Executive Chairman of Jaiprakash Associates Limited, the flagship company of Rs. 21,000 Crore Jaypee Group is a distinguished alumnus from BITS Pilani. After completing his B.E (Honors) degree in Civil Engineering, he joined the company during the construction of Jaiprakash Associates Limited's first Cement Plant - 1 MTPA at Rewa (M.P). He has closely been associated with the Cement business of the company and has the distinction of participating in various capacities over the years and leading this line of business as it grew from 1.0 million tonne per annum in Dec.1986 to over 33 MnTPA Million tonnes per annum in 2014.
His vision of making the company a leading cement player has put a number of expansion plans in place to expand the cement business to 22.80 MnTPA by FY10 and 33.20 MnTPA by FY14 with Captive Thermal Power plants totaling 702 MW by setting up new capacities and giving the Group a pan India presence in cement sector.
While driving the cement business forward during the last 24 years, he has also been instrumental in developing a well-knit marketing & logistic set up, converting the disadvantage of not having an in plant railway siding to the company's advantage by developing a unique network of road transportation, largest of it's kind in the country. Starting from a very humble beginning in 1986, the Cement Division of Jaiprakash Associates Limited is today a nationally known entity with a dominant position in North, Central & Eastern India operating the largest single location cement complex of the country.
Mr. Gaur has been associated with setting up of Group's hydropower assets since year 2000. Jaypee Group, being pioneer in creation of hydropower plants in private sector, under his leadership was also the first to successfully list Jaiprakash Hydro-Power Limited in the year 2005, thereby paving the way for Group to consolidate its power business. The current Power Capacity is 2220 MW & is slated to be 4200 by March 2016
In addition to the above, Mr. Manoj Gaur has special interests in promoting the Education related initiatives of the Group. Mr. Manoj Gaur is the Chancellor of Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida, U.P and Pro-Chancellor of Jaypee University of Information Technology, Solan, H.P.
Group's Founder Chairman and Visionary, Shri Jaiprakash Gaur, after placing the Group amongst the top 50 business conglomerates of the country entrusted the rein of Jaiprakash Associates Limited - the flagship company of the Group, to Mr. Manoj Gaur in December 2006, who was then Managing Director, shouldering various responsibilities including finance and corporate functions.
Mr. N. S. Sekhsaria, one of the most respected business personalities in India, founded Ambuja Cement in April 1983 and grew it from 0.7 million tonne capacity to 15 million tonnes, from a single location to a pan-India footprint till January 2006 when management control was passed on to Holcim. The market capitalisation of the Company increased from the original Rs. 18 crores in the year 1985 to over Rs.14,000 crores.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CMA Leadership Team
- Secretary General
- Secretary General of Cement Manufacturers Association
- Secretary General, Cement Manufacturers' Association
Ms Aparna Dutt Sharma is the Secretary General of Cement Manufacturers Association, the apex body representing the Cement Industry in India.
A Brand Strategist and Communications Expert, she has been the Founding Member and Chief Executive Officer, India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), a US$ 40 million Trust established by the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, to promote the Made in India label in markets overseas.
She also consulted with Ernst & Young LLP, India, where she enabled various state governments articulate their brand management and positioning strategy with a particular focus on investment promotion campaigns, both within India and overseas markets. She has been an Expert Observer - Asia with the prestigious Place Brand Observer journal, New Zealand, and a Member of the Advisory Board, Nation/Place Brand Global Forum, London. Ms Sharma has also been a guest lecturer at IIT, Roorkee, on the subjects of nation and sector branding.
Ms Aparna Dutt Sharma has about 30 years of rich work experience in leadership roles in dynamic environments across national, international and corporate institutions of repute. Her specialisms include nation/state/sectoral brand strategy, marketing communications, public affairs, media, international trade promotion and business advisory. Ms Sharma has a successful track record of leading high impact led nation brand initiatives across all forms of media globally in more than 25 countries besides strategic sectoral brand promotion campaigns under the aegis of the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India.
Ms Sharma has been Vice President of World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) based in Geneva. WAIPA comprises investment promotion agencies from more than 130 countries in the world.
Ms Sharma is credited with leading country brand and investment promotion modules and strategy workshops for UNCTAD for overseas markets. She has been a Member of core group invited by the Prime Minister of Bhutan in 2015 to promote Brand Bhutan. She has been the spokesperson for the Department of Commerce, Government of India, for major advocacy sectoral campaigns.
Ms Sharma holds a Masters degree in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, India. Well versed in digital media marketing, she has successfully completed SEO Tool SET Training with the US based firm Bruce Clay.
Fluent in the Italian language, she has also studied Spanish language. She is passionate about engaging and writing on nation, state and sector brands. A Member of the Swiss Women's Brain Project, mental health and well being is a subject of interest for her.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chairman and Managing Director of JK Lakshmi Cement Limited
A couple of decades later, Vinita Singhania is no longer referred to as the wife of Mr Singhania. She is better known as the first female president of the Cement Manufacturers Association, and the woman who, within five years of taking over, raised the turnover of the organisation from Rs. 100 crore to 450 crore and expanding capacity from 0.5 million tonnes to 1.5 million. The pace of growth has continued to be phenomenal and today the company has touched 12.50 million tonnes capacity and the current turnover of the Company is about Rs. 3,000 crores.
Ms Vinita Singhania, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of JK Lakshmi Cement Limited, a group company of the JK group, took over the business after the sudden demise of her husband Sripati Singhania in 1988.
Job Titles:
- Ceremony on Invitation from Ex UN Secretary General, Mr Banki - Moon
Shri P K Mistry served as the President of CMA from 1974 to 1976. He was a whole time Director of Associated Cement Companies Ltd.