Ajit Gulabchand, Chairman & Managing Director, Hindustan Construction Co. Ltd.
"HCC has a long-standing commitment of creating responsible infrastructure. It is our vision to become leaders in sustainability practice in the Engineering and Construction community worldwide."
Ajit Gulabchand hails from a family of nation-builder who has contributed to the development of modern India for over a century. Over the past 25 years, Mr. Gulabchand has spearheaded the transformation of HCC from a construction major into a diversified infrastructure group. With an annual turnover of over Rs.10,353 crore, the HCC Group of companies includes HCC Ltd., HCC Infrastructure Ltd, Lavasa Corporation Ltd, and Steiner AG.
As Chairman of Lavasa Corporation Ltd, Mr. Gulabchand is the visionary behind the concept of free India's planned Hill City – Lavasa. He is also Chairman of Zurich-based Steiner AG, Switzerland's the second largest total services contractor.
Founded by industrialist Seth Walchand Hirachand in 1926, HCC has kept pace with modern technology and is committed to quality and boasts of a knowledge asset of over 1600 people. Under his leadership, the company has been instrumental in executing a majority of India's landmark infrastructure projects, including over 26% of India's hydropower and over 65% of nuclear power generation capacities, over 3,600 lane km of expressways & highways, over 300 km of complex tunneling, and over 350 bridges.
Mr. Gulabchand has made long-term investments in technology to build a business to capture emerging opportunities. His vision led to the early adoption of sophisticated engineering equipment, state-of-the-art technologies in construction, backed by internationally accredited management systems and processes. By building, not just a business but a brand rooted with a clear vision, he has successfully diversified the business enhancing company's reputation.
Alongside his responsibilities at HCC, he has been a vocal advocate of sustainable development, and is regarded as a spokesperson for India's infrastructure sector in global forums. He is the first Asian signatory to endorse the UN Global Compact's CEO Water Mandate. Besides he holds the key positions as a member of the Governors Steering Board of the Infrastructure and Urban Development Community at the World Economic Forum, Geneva; a member of the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) Advisory Council; the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Construction Skills Development Council of India and the President of the Construction Federation of India; a member of the Advisory Board of United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction – Private Sector Partnership; and the Chairman of the Steering Board of the Disaster Resource Partnership (DRP).
