Deepak Khilnani | Chairman

 

A seasoned energy entrepreneur, Deepak says “I knew exactly what I wanted to do from the age of 9.” Having started his first venture in the manufacturing and assembly of generators in 1980, Deepak, along with his wife Asha, founded Gentec Energy in 1996, a leading energy solutions firm with projects in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East.

 

He currently serves as the CEO of Powergas Africa and Chairman of Cummins Cogeneration Ltd. With over 30 years experience in energy and industrial distribution, Deepak is highly committed to driving Powergas’ long term vision of delivering clean, cost effective and reliable energy solutions.

 

Deepak is a Chartered Accountant (UK – ICAEW) by qualification and has held many senior positions in Business Development & General Management. He is a member of the Oil and Gas Advisory Board of UKTI (UK Government-Industry Consultancy Body) and a Pratham Board member, one of India’s largest education charities.

 

 

Rishi Chandra | Director Finance

 

Rishi was instrumental in forming Powergas and has served as an active Director since the company was founded. He acts as the Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and CEO of Cummins Cogeneration Ltd, a leading power generation company. He has successfully steered Powergas towards a healthy financial position with an ability to continue to invest in the Nigerian gas industry.

 

Prior to joining Powergas, Rishi worked as a Management Consultant with Booz & Co, advising Fortune 500 companies on strategic direction. Following which, he pursued his entrepreneurial interests by acquiring two American engineering companies – he continues to serve on the board of these organisations. Rishi holds a BSc in mechanical engineering from John Hopkins University and an MBA from the renowned Carnegie Mellon University & Booth School of Business in Chicago, USA.

 

 

Riya Grover | Director 

 

Riya is a serial entrepreneur focused on consumer startups. She began her career in Sales and Trading at Deutsche Bank, London, following a brand building and customer innovation role at PepsiCo. Riya then founded a healthy snack company in the USA, a consumer mobile app in the on demand beauty space, a chain of express dental hygiene clinics and most recently, a marketplace for corporate catering. She also advises a number of startups on their product and growth strategy.

 

Riya’s diverse background drives a different approach in the Board Room – she has helped form a customer centric Sales & Marketing team as well as incorporate technology for efficient CNG delivery to client sites. Riya holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MA in International and Development Economics from Yale University and a BA in Economics and Management from Oxford University.

 

 

Aloy Onyenucheya Duru | Director Engineering
& Operations

 

Aloy is a well known Chartered Engineer within the Nigerian Oil & Gas industry. He served as the Chief Engineer at Shell Nigeria before investing in GFGIL. With over 30 years multi-disciplinary onshore & offshore experience, including facilities’ engineering, front-end engineering, field development planning, process and facilities design and HSE & Quality check, Aloy ensures all Powergas gas plants are to the highest international safety & quality standards.

 

Aloy holds multiple engineering degrees as well as a BSc in Environmental Economics and Policy Analysis.

 

 

Victor Eburajolo | Director Legal & Personnel

 

Victor has chaired and held senior management roles in numerous Nigerian organizations such as The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, Governing Council of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), National Labour Advisory Council, the Committee of Industrial Relations Experts of the Nigerian Employers Consultative Association, the Council of the National Institute for Labour Studies, the Board of Trust fund pensions Plc.

 

Victor served as CEO & President of the Textile Employers Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and Managing Director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund. He is an alumni of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) and the Lagos Business School, graduating with LLB (Hons) and B.L, respectively. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of over 20 Nigerian companies in Manufacturing, Commerce and Power.

 

 

Pulak Sen | Managing Director

 

Pulak holds over 30 years senior management experience in West Africa and Asia. With a Master’s degree in Technology and an MBA from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM), Pulak has worked with various leading multinationals such as the Tata Group, Inlaks Group and Larsen & Toubro (L&T), before joining Powergas.

 

Pulak holds vast Nigeria experience in the Oil & Gas, Power & Engineering and Procurement & Construction (EPC) industries. He has successfully driven Powergas' strategic vision and leadership position in the CNG market, while implementing a strong governance platform.

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Sumeet Singh | Director - Sales & Strategy

 

Sumeet is a dynamic individual with strong Business & Project Management and Engineering experience across Europe, Asia and Africa. An electronic engineering by training, Sumeet understands both the commercial and technical aspects of the gas distribution business. Sumeet began his career at Alstom as a Project Engineer for a 1250 MW hydro project in Sudan. After completing his MBA from Imperial College London, Sumeet joined Cummins in the UK, following which he was promoted to spearhead the Powergas Nigeria setup.

 

Sumeet has developed a thorough understanding of the Nigerian energy sector and has been a key member of the Strategic Planning, Corporate Finance and Business Development Team since inception.

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Cheta Nwabuike | Company Secretary

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Cheta holds over 15 years experience in Company Secretarial Practice, Corporate Governance and Statutory Compliance across the communications, manufacturing, oil, gas and power industries. She had worked with Flour Mills Nigeria, Danimex Nigeria, Industrial and General Insurance Group before joining Cummins & Powergas, where she heads the legal, secretarial and compliance arm of the Group.

 

Cheta is a Chartered Secretary and Administrator by profession having qualified from the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (U.K) in 2002, where she remains as a fellow. She holds a first class (Hons) B.Sc degree from the University of Lagos and an MBA from the Lagos State University.

 

Cheta loves to mentor young people, counsel young married couples, read, write and sing. She is happily married with children.

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Sai Diwakar Santhanam | Corporate Finance Manager

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Sai holds over 10 years experience in Corporate Finance & Private Equity across the Real Estate, Renewable Energy and Power sectors. 
Prior to joining Powergas in 2014, Sai worked with Jones Lang LaSalle and Berggruen Holdings as a Senior Business Analyst. He has substantial experience in valuations, due diligence and fund raising at corporate & SPV level. Sai also takes an active lead in transaction structuring, project feasibility assessment, budgeting and financial monitoring & reporting (MIS) at Powergas.  
 

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce and a MBA Finance degree specialising in portfolio management and valuations.   Pursuing his interest in the subject, Sai also underwent a training on advanced excel & macros with Standard & Poor's (S&P). 

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