Shishir Joshipura To Retire As CEO & MD Of Praj Industries Ashish Gaikwad Appointed Managing Director (Designate)
Shishir Joshipura, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director (CEO & MD), will be completing his tenure on June 30, 2025. In order to ensure succession and smooth transition, the Board of Directors has also approved the appointment of Ashish Gaikwad as Managing Director (Designate) with effect from February 03, 2025, subject to approval of shareholders of the company.
Shishir Joshipura joined Praj Industries in 2018 after serving as CEO of SKF India and spending over two decades at Thermax. He has been included in India’s ‘Most Valuable CEOs’ and ‘Top 100 CEOs’ lists in 2013. He has chaired industry councils, spoken at global forums such as the Harvard Business School India Forum, and serves on advisory Boards. As a founding director of the Alliance for Energy Efficient Economy, he contributes to bioenergy and sustainability initiatives through the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Internationanl Securities Market Association (ISMA). Joshipura holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from BITS Pilani and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
Gaikwad has over 34 years of experience in industrial automation, digitalisation, process technology, energy transition, AI, and autonomous manufacturing. His last role was as Managing Director of Honeywell Automation India Ltd., where he led the company for over seven years. He began his career at Honeywell as an Automation and Process Control Engineer and held leadership roles across India, Southeast Asia, Asia Pacific, and the USA. His expertise spans project engineering, strategy, business development, sales leadership, general management, Corporate Governance, and Board Directorships. He has received multiple professional recognitions, including Honeywell’s President’s Club Award. Gaikwad holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degree in Electrical & Electronics from Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani.
