The background
Rao, who is a graduate of BITS Pilani and University of Michigan Ann Arbor, is known in the industry for his deep understanding of business development, operations and procurement. He started his journey in the automotive industry in 1985 with General Motors Corporation, where for over two decades, he held various leadership positions across North America, Europe and Asia in Product Development, Purchasing, Manufacturing and Strategy. "I was the first Managing Director for AVTEC Ltd in New Delhi, a spin off from Hindustan Motors and led the restructuring of Renault's joint venture in India to create an independent operation for Renault in India," he says, recalling his journey.
As a person, Rao believes in striving for excellence. "Importantly, I have always believed in having a direction for what I am doing. The generation I grew up in wanted to do something for the society and also achieve something professionally in the private sector that could be a matter of pride. I grew up with two goals in life - one, to be a CEO of a company and two, to do something for the society. I have been at the top management of leading companies for the last twelve years or so. That part is pretty much satisfied. Now, the question came up as to what I could do differently at this stage of life that could set me up for the next 10-15 years for doing something professionally. The public sector has always appealed to me and when this opportunity came up, I was quite happy about it," he shares.

Read the complete interview in the January 2018 issue or visit http://www.themachinist.in/latest_issue/worldwidemedia/2018-Jan