Pragati Leadership designs and delivers learning and development journeys that create inspiring leaders and successful organizations. We have some of the best Leadership Programs in India as we believe in nurturing new avenues of corporate thinking, which are the building blocks of successful leadership strategies. These Strategic Leadership Development Programs enable organizations to foster collaboration, develop a growth strategy, bring about culture transformation and develop inspirational leadership.
In keeping with this, we launched The Inspiring and Successful Leadership Awards to recognize outstanding leadership qualities and inculcate a culture of inspiring, successful leaders across sectors.
Our experience while conducting Corporate Leadership Development Programs helped us connect with experts who chose truly inspirational leaders deserving of recognition. This jury comprised Dr. Aditya Bavadekar, Director of Business at MIMA Institute of Management, who combines banking with academic perspectives and management acumen, Ms. Sarala Menon former Executive Vice-President of End-to-End Supply Chain at Colgate Palmolive, now working on crucial digital transformation initiatives, and Dr. Kalindi Bhat an experienced Leadership Coach and Consultant.
A Leader at the Forefront of Innovation
At the third edition of The Inspiring and Successful Leadership Awards in 2024, the distinguished recipient of the ‘Exemplary Leader’ award was Mr. Shishir Joshipura, the CEO and Managing Director of Praj Industries. His visionary approach exemplifies how a business can leverage advanced technology to address global challenges, ensuring economic growth while minimizing environmental impact and fostering innovation that supports a low-carbon future. Praj is today India’s most successful company in the field of bio-based technologies and engineering with a global presence.
Before joining Praj, Mr. Joshipura worked at Thermax and then at SKF. He was the Director of the overseas subsidiaries of Thermax in the USA, Europe and South America, and successfully set up a manufacturing subsidiary in China. He then joined as the Managing Director of SKF India, where he was instrumental in making it the leading manufacturer of bearings, seals, lubrication systems, mechatronics and services. Mr. Joshipura is a Mechanical Engineer from BITS Pilani and an Advanced Management Graduate from Harvard Business School. Smart Manufacturing is his passion so it was a natural progression for him to have founded the Alliance for Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE) – an industry think tank that advocates energy efficiency in India.
Under his leadership, Praj has pioneered innovations such as a proprietary technology to process agricultural feedstocks into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which can be blended with Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF). This innovation highlights Praj’s leadership in sustainable solutions.
Additionally, Praj was recently recognized as the ‘No. 1 Hottest Company’ in the Bioeconomy sector at the Global Bioeconomy Flagship Industry Conference – ABLC 2024 in Washington, D.C., making it the first Indian and Asian company to secure this top position.
Mr. Joshipura’s leadership philosophy also extends to sustainability, with initiatives aimed at reducing emissions and boosting green-certified suppliers. His goal is to reduce emissions intensity by 50% through enhanced energy sourcing and management, and to contribute significantly to emission savings via Praj’s Bio-Mobility™ and Bio-Prism™ platforms. The company has championed water recycling, water recharge projects, and technologies to minimize effluent generation.
In a prior interview, Mr. Joshipura had highlighted the societal benefits of biofuels, explaining how they create jobs in rural areas, generate wealth for the country, and offer energy independence for an energy-importing nation like India.
Beyond technology, Mr. Joshipura has fostered a culture of Personal Social Responsibility (PSR), encouraging Praj employees to actively participate in community projects focused on the environment, education, and preventive healthcare.
A Visionary’s Words of Gratitude
Mr. Joshipura accepted his award with gratitude and a smile. He felt that it increased the accountability that he carries on his shoulders, as a Leader. He displayed his great sense of humour as he acknowledged that the path to leadership is not easy, as there are obstacles in the way like the traffic. It took him more than two hours to reach the venue! He thanked the audience as they had made it on time and he expressed a desire to learn from them. He recognised the fact that any leader is made by the team that they work for. He considered himself to be very lucky in that respect as he always had fantastic teams, of not only co-workers but even of superiors, at Praj, SKF and Thermax.
He closed his remarks by saying that he considered himself blessed and expressed his gratitude at being honoured with this award.
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