Ravi Uppal will take over as the managing director of Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) from October 1, said a company statement. Uppal joins JSPL from L&T where he was the managing director and chief executive of the power division. He will report to the company chairman Naveen Jindal.
Before joining L&T, Uppal worked with the ABB Group for 22 years. Earlier, he had also headed Volvo’s operations in India. An alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and IIM Ahmedabad, Uppal had begun his career at Bharat Heavy Electricals.
“Uppal’s appointment is in line with the group’s continued effort to further strengthen and professionalise its management for achieving an accelerated growth and business excellence both in the domestic and international markets. He brings with him more than 35 years of experience of working in engineering and infrastructural segments in India and abroad. He has set up several new businesses and also turned around low performing units in the past,” the statement said.
“I am very pleased at the appointment of a business leader like Ravi Uppal who has an impressive record of achievements in diverse business domains. I am sure his presence would give further impetus to our growth plans,” Jindal said.
At JSPL, Uppal would have a crucial task ahead of him. The company has announced massive expansion plans in the steel, power and mining segments. Uppal would also bring with him immense international experience (he earlier headed ABB’s South Asia business). In the mining sector, JSPL is present in Oman, South Africa, Mozambique and Indonesia.
In 2011-12, the group recorded a turnover of $3.55 billion and cash profit of $1.10 billion. JSPL, with steel production capacity of 3.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), is developing a 1.6-mtpa steel plant, a 810-Mw captive power project at Angul (Odisha), a 3-mtpa steel plant at Patratu (Jharkhand) and a 4-mtpa pellet plant in Odisha.
The company is also developing a 2,400-Mw thermal power project in Chhattisgarh, a 2,640-Mw thermal power plant in Jharkhand and a 5,197-MW hydro power project in Arunachal Pradesh. Its current installed capacity is 2,298 MW.
