Mr. Ajit Gulabchand is the Chairman of the Board of Hindustan Construction Company Ltd (HCC). He served as Chairman & Managing Director of HCC for the past four decades till 2023. During this tenure, he transformed the company from a construction major into a diversified infrastructure group of a global scale, developing and building responsible infrastructure through the next practices. With a group turnover of over Rs. 9,857 Cr (US$ 1.2 billion), HCC’s businesses span across engineering & construction and infrastructure.

Mr. Gulabchand hails from a family of nation builders who has made a significant contribution to the development of modern India. A graduate of Mumbai University, Mr. Gulabchand previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Indian Hume Pipe Co. and Managing Director of Ravalgaon Sugar Farm. He became Managing Director of HCC in 1983 and Chairman in 1994.

Under Mr. Gulabchand’s leadership, HCC continues the illustrious tradition set by his predecessors. The group has a knowledge asset of more than 1,700 officers, including around 1,100 engineers. In addition, it employs about 13,000 workers at its project sites across India. The result is a business that plays a leading role in Meeting the massive infrastructure needs of India, leveraging best-in-class equipment and technology, knowledge-driven processes and innovation-led next practices.

The HCC Group of companies comprise HCC Limited, HCC Infrastructure Limited and Steiner AG in Switzerland.

SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

Corporate social responsibility is intrinsic to Mr. Gulabchand’s vision for the HCC group. Its initiatives encompass Disaster Relief, Water Sustainability, Education, Health and Community Initiatives.

Disaster Relief forms a significant area of focus at HCC. Mr. Gulabchand has been the Chair of the Disaster Resource Partnership Steering Board in 2015 and 2016, started as a partnership between the World Economic Forum’s Infrastructure and Urban Development Community, Humanitarian agencies and Civil Society. He is also the founder and Chairman of Disaster Resource Network India. He has steered emergency response teams and rehabilitation to several locations struck by natural disasters. He is also a member of the Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies (ARISE), United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).

To address the emerging water crisis and make water sustainability a corporate priority, Mr. Gulabchand endorsed the United Nations CEO Water Mandate. Since then, HCC has demonstrated its commitment to water conservation by implementing a series of rigorous and improved water management practices at its project sites.

GLOBAL ENGAGEMENTS

Mr. Gulabchand holds leadership positions in several key industry bodies.

• Member, CII National Council
• Chairman, CII Task Force on Public Private Partnership in Infrastructure for 2021-22
• Member, Government-CII Task Force on Ease of Doing Business
• Member of Governor’s Steering Board of the Infrastructure and Urban Development (IU) Community at the World Economic Forum (WEF)
• Member of Community of Chairpersons of World Economic Forum
• Member of Disaster Resource Partnership Board, IU, WEF
• Member of UK India Business Council (UKIBC) Advisory Council
• Past Chairman of the Governing Council of the Construction Skills Development Council of India (CSDCI)
• Past President of International Federation of Asian and Western Pacific Contractors’ Associations (IFAWPCA) (2011-12)
• President of the Construction Federation of India (CFI)

Past Alongside his responsibilities at HCC, Mr. Gulabchand has been a vocal advocate of sustainable development and is regarded as a spokesperson for India’s infrastructure sector in global forums. A regular participant at the World Economic Forum (WEF) for over two decades, Mr. Gulabchand was the first Asian to chair the Governor’s Steering Board of the Engineering & Construction Community at the WEF in Davos, 2011. He is a signatory member of Caring for Climate, United Nation’s action platform for business and a signatory member of WEF’s CEO Climate Leaders. He has also been a frequent invitee to ministerial business delegations from the Government of India to various countries aimed at attracting foreign investments into the Indian infrastructure sector.

Mr. Gulabchand is a strong supporter and patron of several technical institutions in India. He is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Board of Governors of the National Institute of Construction Management and Research (NICMAR) and Chairman of the Administrative Council of the Walchand College of Engineering.