OUR DIRECTORS
Our management team brings together decades of hands-on experience in integrated steel plants, mining, mineral beneficiation, project development, EPC/PMC, commissioning, operations, maintenance, automation and technology solutions.
The collective experience of the team spans the complete project and operating lifecycle—from concept development, feasibility assessment and technology selection through project execution, commissioning, plant stabilisation, operational improvement and capacity enhancement. This enables us to provide clients with practical, experience-led advice grounded in actual plant and project experience.
Satyendra Kumar Pradhan
Director
Integrated Steel Plant Projects | EPC, Commissioning & Operations
Satyendra Kumar Pradhan is an Integrated Steel Plant specialist with over 45 years of industry experience, including 38 years with SAIL. He retired as Executive Director (Projects), Bhilai Steel Plant, and brings extensive hands-on experience in the development, expansion, commissioning, operation and maintenance of large integrated steel plants of capacities up to 7 MTPA.
His expertise covers the complete project lifecycle, particularly greenfield and brownfield project execution, EPC management, erection and commissioning, plant maintenance, operations and capacity enhancement. His technical exposure encompasses Blast Furnaces, Steel Melting Shops, Coke Ovens, Sinter Plants, long and flat-product rolling mills, power and utilities and auxiliary facilities.
Mr. Pradhan played a significant role in the expansion of Bhilai Steel Plant from 4 MTPA to 7 MTPA, including major project execution responsibilities. He was also in charge of the erection and commissioning of the 10,000 tonnes-per-day Blast Furnace at the NMDC Iron & Steel Plant, Jagdalpur, a major greenfield development.
His experience further includes the commissioning of the 3,600 mm Plate Mill at Bhilai, capacity enhancement of the Merchant Mill from approximately 0.4 MTPA to 0.7 MTPA, and equipment and process improvements designed to increase availability and production beyond rated capacity. He was awarded a Gold Medal by Bhilai Steel Plant for the record-time commissioning of the Rail Finishing Zone.
His subsequent consulting assignments with Tata Projects, Danieli India and Blue Star have further broadened his experience in project execution and industrial consultancy.
Consultancy Focus: Greenfield and brownfield steel projects; EPC and project management; project execution and commissioning; integrated steel plant expansion; rolling mills; Blast Furnaces; plant maintenance; capacity enhancement; equipment availability; troubleshooting and plant stabilization.
C. Vineet Rao
Director
Steel, Mining & Mineral Beneficiation | Projects & Technology Advisory
C. Vineet Rao an Electronics and Communication Degree holder with nearly 50 years of overall experience. He brings over 36 years of experience with Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), complemented by more than five years in senior advisory and business development roles in the steel and mining sectors. His career encompasses project development, project execution, steel plant operations, raw material systems and mineral beneficiation, providing a strong understanding of the technical and commercial considerations involved in developing and improving industrial projects.
During his tenure with SAIL, Mr. Rao headed the Project Department of the Raw Material Division, where he was involved in the backward integration initiatives supporting the expansion of SAIL’s integrated steel plants. He also held key responsibilities at Bhilai Steel Plant, including experience associated with Blast Furnace operations and electrical maintenance.
His subsequent consulting and business-development experience with organisations including Metso India, Virginia Mining India and Trafalgar International FZE has given him extensive exposure to technology-based solutions for mineral and coal beneficiation, iron ore crushing and screening, sintering and pelletization, as well as identifying and resolving process and operational bottlenecks.
He has also worked with Capgemini on a Digital Transformation Road Map for Jindal Stainless Steel and has provided consulting support to SAIL on mining projects. His current consulting work includes supporting technology and project solutions in the steel and mining sectors.
Consultancy Focus: Project conceptualisation and evaluation; mining and raw-material projects; mineral and coal beneficiation; crushing and screening; sintering and pelletisation; process optimisation; technology evaluation; operational improvement and project advisory.
Rajiv Kumar Tiwari
Director
Steel Plant Operations | Rolling Mills, Utilities & Project Commissioning
Rajiv Kumar Tiwari is a senior steel industry professional with over 38 years of experience, including a long career with Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), where he served in senior positions including General Manager and Deputy General Manager.
His experience combines steel plant operations, project commissioning, plant expansion, rolling mills, utilities, maintenance and process improvement. This operational perspective enables him to assess projects not only from an installation and commissioning standpoint, but also from the perspective of their long-term productivity, reliability and operating performance.
Mr. Tiwari was involved in the 7 MTPA expansion of Bhilai Steel Plant, including the commissioning of critical water, gas and zero-discharge systems. His experience also includes the commissioning and operation of major facilities such as CRM-3 at Bokaro, Rail & Structural Mills, Wire Rod Mills, Blast Furnace-7, SMS-2 and refractory facilities.
He has substantial expertise in rolling mill operations and performance improvement, covering rail, structural, wire rod and cold rolling facilities. His utilities experience includes power, water, industrial gas, compressed air and chilled-water systems, including responsibility associated with a 128 MW captive power plant.
His international technical exposure includes steelmaking and environmental systems in Australia, rail mill operations in France, and industrial exposure in Vietnam and South Korea.
Consultancy Focus: Steel plant operational assessment; commissioning and stabilization; rolling mills; utilities and infrastructure; plant audits; productivity improvement; troubleshooting; maintenance and reliability; performance turnaround; project implementation and operational optimization.
Rakesh Gandhi
Director
Automation, Electrical & Instrumentation | Digital Control & Project Management
Rakesh Gandhi brings over 40 years of experience in project management, automation, electrical systems and instrumentation within the integrated steel industry. His career with Bhilai Steel Plant, a unit of SAIL, has covered project execution, integrated control systems, automation and electrical and instrumentation maintenance.
His specialist expertise lies in the automation and control of complex steel plant processes, with particular experience in Blast Furnaces, rolling mills, steel melting facilities, oxygen and power plants and associated utilities. He has worked extensively with PLC-based control systems, instrumentation, plant automation, electrical distribution and integrated monitoring systems.
As Head of Integrated Control Systems, Mr. Gandhi was involved in the development and implementation of PLC software and automation systems for Blast Furnace charging and stove areas, as well as automation systems across major plant facilities. He also contributed to the development of web-based Heat Movement Monitoring Systems, linking shop-floor requirements with engineering and technology solutions.
Earlier, as a Project Manager, he was involved in the installation, testing and commissioning of major electrical and process systems, including Blast Furnace facilities, Coal Dust Injection systems, a Twin Hearth Furnace, refractory plant equipment, substations, conveying systems, ventilation systems, cooling towers and blowing equipment.
He subsequently headed Automation, Electrical and Instrumentation Maintenance at Bhilai Steel Plant, responsible for plant-wide automation and electrical systems and for commissioning and maintaining instrumentation systems. He also undertook specialised technical work in Luxembourg relating to Blast Furnace Bell Less Top System.
He later worked in Bengaluru and Vayam Technology, New Delhi, on several automation implementation projects as Director(Projects).
Mr Gandhi holds a B.E. in Electrical Engineering from NIT Nagpur and has undertaken specialised training in Hierarchical Distributed Control Systems for the Steel Industry at Purdue University, USA, covering advanced process control, production optimisation, mathematical modelling, simulation and industrial automation.
Consultancy Focus: Plant automation; electrical and instrumentation systems; PLC and control systems; Blast Furnace automation; digital monitoring and control; commissioning; modernisation; process optimisation; electrical systems; automation audits and technology implementation.