Vinayak Pai has taken over the reins from Vinayak Deshpande who will retire after successfully being in the helm of affairs for over 11 years. Pai is backed by over three decades of experience with leading engineering and EPC companies where he held key positions across various teams working towards engineering design, technology licensing, project management, business development, and operations.

Elaborating on his appointment, Pai said, “I am fortunate to take up this role at Tata Projects during this phase when infrastructure is the growth engine of the Indian economy. I envision this to be a great opportunity to transform and continue to strengthen the foundation of this company that has played a vital role in building the nation." He further added, "The three key pillars of success will be driving project excellence for our customers through safe and digitally enabled delivery, providing a sustainable and profitable growth to our shareholders, and creating a diverse workforce focusing on skill enhancement and growth opportunities for our employees."

Pai has also worked with teams having members of diverse nationalities spread across different businesses. He played pivotal roles over the years across sectors and has a share of experience spanning globally. He has been part of industries such as energy, chemicals, industrial and infrastructure, and natural resources and has hands-on experience in executing complex projects and simultaneously being a part of the company’s growth story in a highly competitive environment. In his earlier stints, Pai was the Group President at Worley, based out of Hague, Netherlands, and was responsible for their businesses in the EMEA and APAC regions.

A frequent speaker and well-known member of the industry, he has been associated as plenary speaker / panel on various forums like Society of Petroleum Engineers, and Chemtech. He has been member of the Executive Leader World 50 and served as a Commissioner at the Energy Transition Commission UK.

Pai holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from the College of Engineering, Pune. He further completed his Masters’ in Management Studies from Symbiosis, Pune, and an Executive MBA in Business Administration and Management from IIT Bombay – Shailesh J Mehta School of Management.