Anirudh Kala: Infrastructure & Engineering Leader With Deep EPC Expertise
Anirudh Kala
Managing Director & CEO
Having domain expertise in government compliance, PPP, and delivery in large projects, Anirudh integrates the technical acumen of an engineer with corporate governance expertise, which he acquired while working with Aditya Birla Group, Bajaj Auto, and Patanjali.
In conversation with CEO Insights India magazine, Anirudh reflects on his time at IIT Bombay, leadership journey and more.
Share a glimpse of your professional growth story and the motivation that keeps you going forward?
My professional journey began with a strong engineering foundation, followed by advanced management education across leading Indian and international institutions.
I was fortunate enough to gain early experience with large corporations before transitioning into entrepreneurship in the infrastructure and manufacturing sector. The initial stage of experimentation and multiple setbacks shaped my execution mindset.
Continuous learning and resilience are two important aspects that inspire and keep me driven. I am focused on creating scalable infrastructure solutions that have measur-able impact. Successful early delivery of NHAI bridge & Kedarnath redevelopment projects validated our infrastructure execution strength. This further rein forced our execution capabilities individually and as a team.
Introduce us to El’stellar? What are the various roles and responsibilities that you handle at El’stellar?
El’stellar International is an engineering and infrastructure company with integrated capabilities in project execution & manu -facturing. My role involves overseeing both infra component manufacturing & government infrastructure projects including buildings, roads, and bridges. At the organization, I centre on vision setting, organizational alignment, and growth execution.
In my role, I follow hands-on leadership approach, engaging across levels, from workforce operations to executive decision-making. I structure focused teams for specialized requirements, enable targeted internal and external training, and lead execution to ensure delivery excellence.
Organizational clarity has helped us built a stable, committed workforce, where early hires have evolved with the company. This foundation has been critical to scaling operation and securing a strong order book.
As an IIT Bombay alumni, what was your experience regarding the accessibility of the faculty?
The faculty at IIT Bombay demonstrated exceptional accessibility and strong mentor-student ecosystem. Their continued support and approachability were truly appreciable and invaluable.
Their approach blended research-driven engineering with practical management perspectives, enabling students to apply scientific thinking to real-world business and technical challenges.
Faculty members provided individual guidance tailored to each student’s interests through continuous access, informal discussions, and long-term goal alignment. The culture at IIT Bombay was deeply nourishing and inspiring, driven by continuous work, curiosity and collaboration.
Professors worked closely with students across various disciplines in an open, mentorship-driven environment, supported by a vibrant academic ecosystem that encouraged learning and collaboration at all hours. Their selfless approach created lasting motivation and a powerful sense of legacy for a lifetime.
How have you made use of the alumni network when you were a student and after graduating?
While my studies at the institute, I focused on building relationships with faculty and institutional platforms to understand long-term resource utilization. After graduation, I leveraged the alumni ecosystem through professional groups and forums, especially in finance, to address strategic funding and working capital requirements.
I have utilized alumni network for strategic introductions and advisory support to expand industry relationships. Alumni connections at senior leadership levels enabled direct business dialogue, capability sharing, and technical oppor -tunities, strengthening our positioning in complex infrastructure sector.
For instance, recently during an important project discussion, I was invited to present our company profile to senior leadership by an Alumni referral. This led to ongoing engagement, future project consideration, and technical training for our engineers highlighting the professional advantage and long-term value of our institutional network, with promising opportunities ahead.
What is one memory that stands out to you the most from your time at the IIT Bombay?
The most memorable experience from IIT Bombay was participating in an inter -national exposure program in the United States. Spending a month together, including a week at the Brookings Institute at Washington DC, was inspiring and deeply engaging.
This American thinktank experience provided first-hand interaction with various policy experts, global economists and US government officials helped me shaping my global perspectives.
Participating in high-level global policy discussions involving leaders and scholars from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia also broadened my approach on geopolitics and international collaboration.
Tell us about your leadership approach. What guidelines or methodologies do you follow as a leader?
I believe effective leadership is built on emotional & psycho -
Their approach blended research-driven engineering with practical management perspectives, enabling students to apply scientific thinking to real-world business and technical challenges.
Faculty members provided individual guidance tailored to each student’s interests through continuous access, informal discussions, and long-term goal alignment. The culture at IIT Bombay was deeply nourishing and inspiring, driven by continuous work, curiosity and collaboration.
Professors worked closely with students across various disciplines in an open, mentorship-driven environment, supported by a vibrant academic ecosystem that encouraged learning and collaboration at all hours. Their selfless approach created lasting motivation and a powerful sense of legacy for a lifetime.
I Believe Effective Leadership Is Built On Benevolence and Clarity of Vision
How have you made use of the alumni network when you were a student and after graduating?
While my studies at the institute, I focused on building relationships with faculty and institutional platforms to understand long-term resource utilization. After graduation, I leveraged the alumni ecosystem through professional groups and forums, especially in finance, to address strategic funding and working capital requirements.
I have utilized alumni network for strategic introductions and advisory support to expand industry relationships. Alumni connections at senior leadership levels enabled direct business dialogue, capability sharing, and technical oppor -tunities, strengthening our positioning in complex infrastructure sector.
For instance, recently during an important project discussion, I was invited to present our company profile to senior leadership by an Alumni referral. This led to ongoing engagement, future project consideration, and technical training for our engineers highlighting the professional advantage and long-term value of our institutional network, with promising opportunities ahead.
What is one memory that stands out to you the most from your time at the IIT Bombay?
The most memorable experience from IIT Bombay was participating in an inter -national exposure program in the United States. Spending a month together, including a week at the Brookings Institute at Washington DC, was inspiring and deeply engaging.
This American thinktank experience provided first-hand interaction with various policy experts, global economists and US government officials helped me shaping my global perspectives.
Participating in high-level global policy discussions involving leaders and scholars from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia also broadened my approach on geopolitics and international collaboration.
Tell us about your leadership approach. What guidelines or methodologies do you follow as a leader?
I believe effective leadership is built on emotional & psycho -
logical safety and accountability. I foster an open culture where experimentation is encouraged, failures are treated as essential learning opportunities, and processes are in continuous evolution to achieve better outcomes. This mindset helps me build stability, maturity and lead the team with confidence.
As a leader, my approach is rooted in learning through execution. I encourage my team to first understand the problem, apply the solution, and then learn from the outcome. I believe both success and failure contribute to building a stronger system for effective decision-making and execution.
How do you keep yourself up-to-date with on-going industry trends to steer your organization towards the future?
I keep myself updated through cross-functional collaboration, capacity-building, and shared learning. For my team members, I foster an environment where perspectives are openly discussed, decisions are validated through experience, and learnings are institutionalized. We continuously upgrade skills through short-term executive programs at reputed management institutes to ensure our leadership stays relevant and future-ready.
Organizational relevance is ensured by studying future-facing construction models evaluating material sustainability, life cycle economics & regulatory direction, and embedding those learning into our business strategy. An increasing preference for steel-based construction in seismic and environmentally sensitive zones reflects our proactive adaptation to emerging industry trends, rather than a reactive response to them.
What is the future destination you are heading towards?
By 2035, our vision is to reach a destination by building a ₹1,000-crore integrated infrastructure organization. We have identified and are addressing a key industry gap by evolving into a one-stop solution provider, capable of handling projects endto-end across buildings, roads, and pre-engineered structures.
We are strategically moving towards positioning ourselves as a single-point solution provider for large infrastructure companies. An integration of roads, bridges, structures, and allied works under one umbrella, we intend to become the partner of choice for clients seeking efficiency, accountability, and seamless execution.
Anirudh Kala, MD and CEO, EL’stellar International
With over ten years of experience, Anirudh Kala is a results-driven infrastructure leader. MD and CEO of El’stellar inter national, Anirudh is committed to building high-quality, future-ready infrastructure and manufacturing platforms. He brings a governance-driven, execution-focused approach shaped by his experience with leading corporate groups such as Aditya Birla Group, Bajaj Auto and Patanjali.
•Hobbies: Offbeat travel, Singing and fitness sports
•Favourite Book: Atomic Habits, Robin Sharma books and thought-leadership magazines
•Favourite Travel Destination: Hill Stations in Uttarakhand, Goa and Rajasthan
•Favourite Cui- sine: Uttarakhand’s regional cuisine and Mumbai-style Pav Bhaji
•Awards and Recognitions:
Recognised in 40 Under 40: The Leaders Redefining Industries in 2025 by World Brand Affairs
As a leader, my approach is rooted in learning through execution. I encourage my team to first understand the problem, apply the solution, and then learn from the outcome. I believe both success and failure contribute to building a stronger system for effective decision-making and execution.
How do you keep yourself up-to-date with on-going industry trends to steer your organization towards the future?
I keep myself updated through cross-functional collaboration, capacity-building, and shared learning. For my team members, I foster an environment where perspectives are openly discussed, decisions are validated through experience, and learnings are institutionalized. We continuously upgrade skills through short-term executive programs at reputed management institutes to ensure our leadership stays relevant and future-ready.
Organizational relevance is ensured by studying future-facing construction models evaluating material sustainability, life cycle economics & regulatory direction, and embedding those learning into our business strategy. An increasing preference for steel-based construction in seismic and environmentally sensitive zones reflects our proactive adaptation to emerging industry trends, rather than a reactive response to them.
What is the future destination you are heading towards?
By 2035, our vision is to reach a destination by building a ₹1,000-crore integrated infrastructure organization. We have identified and are addressing a key industry gap by evolving into a one-stop solution provider, capable of handling projects endto-end across buildings, roads, and pre-engineered structures.
We are strategically moving towards positioning ourselves as a single-point solution provider for large infrastructure companies. An integration of roads, bridges, structures, and allied works under one umbrella, we intend to become the partner of choice for clients seeking efficiency, accountability, and seamless execution.
Anirudh Kala, MD and CEO, EL’stellar International
With over ten years of experience, Anirudh Kala is a results-driven infrastructure leader. MD and CEO of El’stellar inter national, Anirudh is committed to building high-quality, future-ready infrastructure and manufacturing platforms. He brings a governance-driven, execution-focused approach shaped by his experience with leading corporate groups such as Aditya Birla Group, Bajaj Auto and Patanjali.
•Hobbies: Offbeat travel, Singing and fitness sports
•Favourite Book: Atomic Habits, Robin Sharma books and thought-leadership magazines
•Favourite Travel Destination: Hill Stations in Uttarakhand, Goa and Rajasthan
•Favourite Cui- sine: Uttarakhand’s regional cuisine and Mumbai-style Pav Bhaji
•Awards and Recognitions:
Recognised in 40 Under 40: The Leaders Redefining Industries in 2025 by World Brand Affairs