Pankaj Agarwal
CEO
As a steward of governance, Pankaj ensures the alignment of various stakeholders within and outside the organization. He firmly believes that communication without any ego and the goal of achieving a win-win situation is crucial to attaining this alignment.
CEO Insights engage in an exclusive conversation with Pankaj Agarwal to know more about his personal and professional journey.
Give us a brief detail about your educational background & professional background and how has it helped you in your journey so far?
I completed my B. Tech (Civil) and Masters of Technology (Management & Systems) from IIT Delhi. In the 40 years of my professional journey, I have worked with Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON), IJM Corporation Bhd, and GVK Project & Technical Services Pvt. Ltd. Currently, associated with Dhaya Maju Infrastructure (Asia) Sdn. Bhd. (DMIA), since 2018.
My educational and professional experience has played a significant role in enabling my journey from humble beginnings to where I am today. Rigorous education at IIT Delhi provided me with technical expertise and the ability to perform under pressure, both of which are crucial to lead projects to completion. I have planned my career to ensure wide-ranging work experience across several countries and infrastructure sectors.
Early on, I focused on Design, with work including designing the Locomotive Depot & Repair Centre for the Samawa Railway Project in Iraq, designing the Major Maintenance Workshop and its Ancillary Buildings in Saudi Arabia, followed by the design of the Rail Coach Factory at Kapurthala in India.
Then I moved to Planning, working on railway, road and bridge projects in India and Malaysia. Finally, my experience within Construction, in the form of rehabilitation and double-tracking (as well as box pushing), and PTP Port Connectivity Project within railways in Malaysia; Renaissance and New World Hotels, Mid Valley City Mega Mall, and Hampshire Park Complex within real estate in Malaysia provided me with a comprehensive tool to consistently deliver high-quality projects.
With this background, I led IJM in India as Chief Operating Officer and was involved from Securing to Development, including monitoring a committed bottom line for projects in Roads, Metro, & Building sector in India for clients like NHAI, State Highway Corporations, Delhi Metro Corporation, and MCD. This experience and subsequent roles as President EPC at GVK and now CEO at DMIA India have made me a strong and credible infrastructure leader.
What are your responsibilities at DMIA and what is the most crucial leadership skill that you've learned in the business?
Behind closed doors at DMIA, I am always hands-on, leading by applying my knowledge of business and management principles about construction, development, resource allocation, planning methods, and people management.
Having started with no family background of business, I have built my career by dreaming big and going after my dreams without the fear of failure. The most crucial leadership skill is the ability to communicate and instil this attitude within the employees. This ensures that they are motivated to achieve organizational as well as personal goals.
What were the initial challenges you faced during your journey?
I have faced the challenge of establishing an organization from scratch twice in my career, first in 2010 when I set-up GVK's EPC arm and again in 2018 when I started my journey at DMIA, starting their operations in India once again with long term plans.
The presence of multiple players in
Then I moved to Planning, working on railway, road and bridge projects in India and Malaysia. Finally, my experience within Construction, in the form of rehabilitation and double-tracking (as well as box pushing), and PTP Port Connectivity Project within railways in Malaysia; Renaissance and New World Hotels, Mid Valley City Mega Mall, and Hampshire Park Complex within real estate in Malaysia provided me with a comprehensive tool to consistently deliver high-quality projects.
With this background, I led IJM in India as Chief Operating Officer and was involved from Securing to Development, including monitoring a committed bottom line for projects in Roads, Metro, & Building sector in India for clients like NHAI, State Highway Corporations, Delhi Metro Corporation, and MCD. This experience and subsequent roles as President EPC at GVK and now CEO at DMIA India have made me a strong and credible infrastructure leader.
As a CEO of DMIA Pankaj envisions to list DMIA in India by 2025.
What are your responsibilities at DMIA and what is the most crucial leadership skill that you've learned in the business?
Behind closed doors at DMIA, I am always hands-on, leading by applying my knowledge of business and management principles about construction, development, resource allocation, planning methods, and people management.
Having started with no family background of business, I have built my career by dreaming big and going after my dreams without the fear of failure. The most crucial leadership skill is the ability to communicate and instil this attitude within the employees. This ensures that they are motivated to achieve organizational as well as personal goals.
What were the initial challenges you faced during your journey?
I have faced the challenge of establishing an organization from scratch twice in my career, first in 2010 when I set-up GVK's EPC arm and again in 2018 when I started my journey at DMIA, starting their operations in India once again with long term plans.
The presence of multiple players in
the Indian infrastructure industry necessitates the need for differentiation. Therefore initially, it is important to remain focused on a niche scope or on projects which require innovation. In doing so, the organization can develop highly specialized, skilled, and talented human capital, which is crucial for success. Further, the focus is necessary to define the mission of the organization which provides stakeholders with the necessary confidence to extend fund and non-fund-based seeding commitments. With these two components in place, my mantra is to align the organization and various stakeholders on a Joint Destiny to accelerate towards and scale, establishing a sustainable cycle of acquiring, implementing, and delivering projects.
Which are the milestones that bestowed you with utmost satisfaction?
Through my professional journey, I am proud to have accomplished about 1500km of highway, 500km of railway, and 20 million square feet of realty projects.
Projects that stand out as major milestones during my time as COO at IJM include the Delhi Metro project, including the Airport line which in total constituted 23km; MCD Civic Centre which is the tallest building in Delhi.
Setting up GVKPTSL within a short period was very satisfying as we were able to deliver on projects including the Alaknanda Hydro (330 MW) Project, Deoli-Kota Road Project including Tunnel, Goindwal (540 MW) Thermal Project, and Rail Connectivity to Tokisud Coal Mine.
At DMIA, the highlight has been securing and commencing work on two projects as part of the Delhi-Vadodara Expressway, Package 10 and Package 14 approximately 25 Km each. These projects are of national importance to NHAI and the Government of India.
How has been the company's growth and what is the future roadmap set ahead?
Being the largest EPC railway contractor in Malaysia, our aim at DMIA is to contribute to the Government of India's massive development plans within three infra structure sectors - Highway, Railway, and Property. We have commenced work on both Package 10 (Rs. 905 Crores) and Package 14 (Rs. 786 Crores) projects.
Pankaj Agarwal, CEO, DMIA
Recognitions
· M.I.E - In 1989 from Institute of Engineers, India.
· M.I.I.R.S - In 1989 from Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, India.
· Professional Engineer - In 1992 from Board of Engineers, Malaysia.
· F.I.P Way (Railways) - In 2014 from Institute of Permanent Way Engineer, India.
Which are the milestones that bestowed you with utmost satisfaction?
Through my professional journey, I am proud to have accomplished about 1500km of highway, 500km of railway, and 20 million square feet of realty projects.
Projects that stand out as major milestones during my time as COO at IJM include the Delhi Metro project, including the Airport line which in total constituted 23km; MCD Civic Centre which is the tallest building in Delhi.
Setting up GVKPTSL within a short period was very satisfying as we were able to deliver on projects including the Alaknanda Hydro (330 MW) Project, Deoli-Kota Road Project including Tunnel, Goindwal (540 MW) Thermal Project, and Rail Connectivity to Tokisud Coal Mine.
At DMIA, the highlight has been securing and commencing work on two projects as part of the Delhi-Vadodara Expressway, Package 10 and Package 14 approximately 25 Km each. These projects are of national importance to NHAI and the Government of India.
How has been the company's growth and what is the future roadmap set ahead?
Being the largest EPC railway contractor in Malaysia, our aim at DMIA is to contribute to the Government of India's massive development plans within three infra structure sectors - Highway, Railway, and Property. We have commenced work on both Package 10 (Rs. 905 Crores) and Package 14 (Rs. 786 Crores) projects.
Pankaj Agarwal, CEO, DMIA
Recognitions
· M.I.E - In 1989 from Institute of Engineers, India.
· M.I.I.R.S - In 1989 from Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, India.
· Professional Engineer - In 1992 from Board of Engineers, Malaysia.
· F.I.P Way (Railways) - In 2014 from Institute of Permanent Way Engineer, India.