Over the last 100 years, exceptional leaders with high standards of integrity have steered the course of our diversified enterprise and have crafted alongside the three generations of Paul Family, Apeejay’s tradition of trust, reliability and fairness. Committed to doing good business, our business heads have been widely acknowledged for their acumen in the industry verticals we operate in.
Sumant Ahlawat, Chief Executive Officer, Apeejay Shipping Limited
Sumant Ahlawat serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Apeejay Shipping Limited, leveraging over 30 years of extensive maritime experience, including 14 years in ship management. He has a proven track record in Ship management covering all facets viz. fleet operations, dry dock and project management. He also comes with a credible experience of managing major charterers and oil majors.
Prior to his role at Apeejay Shipping, Sumant was the Operations Director at V Ships Asia, where he managed a diverse fleet of 45 vessels, demonstrating his ability to lead in complex maritime environments. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Engineering from the Marine Engineering and Research Institute (MERI) in Kolkata and a Diploma in Shipping Management from the Narottam Morarjee Institute of Shipping in Mumbai.
With his strategic vision and leadership, he is committed to driving Apeejay Shipping towards continued growth and innovation in the maritime sector.
Mr. Des Kingsley, Chief Executive Officer, Typhoo Tea Limited
Des Kingsley is Chief Executive Officer at Typhoo Tea Limited. In a career spanning two decades in the food manufacturing industry, Des has served as CEO and Managing Director of several companies dealing with food categories, both branded and own-label, including fresh produce, seafood, meat & poultry, chilled & frozen ready meals, delicatessen, sandwiches and Cadbury desserts. Des possesses a rich experience in business development, operational management, cultural change, company turnarounds, global sourcing and establishing new supply chains across Europe, North Africa, the Americas and Asia. In his career, he has fostered comprehensive commercial trade partnerships with major British and International retailers like Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, Whole Foods (USA), Costco (USA), Dean & Deluca (USA), Carrefour (France & Belgium), Piccard (France) and Delhaize (The Netherlands).
Prior to joining Typhoo, he was with Thanet Earth Limited, UK’s biggest single hi-tech glasshouse growing facility in Kent, where he oversaw significant expansion of its 55 hectare site. He has also been Chairman of UK’s £6.5bn Chilled Food Association, which plays a key role in promoting technical standards, innovation and food science education in the manufacturing industry. Prior to his stint at Thanet, he was Managing Director of S&A Foods for nearly four years, and previously served as MD of Samworth Brothers’ Kensey Foods and CEO of Oakdale Bakeries as well as held senior roles at Uniq Plc. Des is a graduate of Blackpool & Fylde College of Food Science & Technology and holds an MBA from The Open University.
Mr. Ashoke Ghosh, Director Finance, Apeejay Tea Limited
Ashoke Ghosh is Director Finance, Apeejay Tea Limited as well as holds the portfolio of Director Corporate Finance, Apeejay Surrendra Group. A qualified Chartered Accountant and a Company Secretary , Ashoke is responsible for finances of the all Group companies. His academic brilliance and professional experience spanning more than two decades makes him a key member of the Group Management. He moved to Apeejay Surrendra Corporate Services in 2000, after a 12-year stint with India Foils Ltd, as their GM and Secretary. An avid rower, Mr Ghosh has a passion for sports and music.
Mr. Vijay Dewan, Managing Director, Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels
Mr. Vijay Dewan is the Managing Director of Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels, India’s first and only collection of luxury boutique hotels. Mr. Dewan is responsible for overall hotel operations, business strategy formulation, overseeing marketing operations and planning sustainable growth for the hotels.
In 1991, Mr. Dewan joined The Park Hotels in Kolkata, and soon took over as General Manager. It was under his efficient and able management that The Park Kolkata experienced its dramatic turnaround. Thereafter he was appointed Vice President and subsequently became the Managing Director in 2003. His effective leadership, direction and vision have helped The Park Hotels to achieve and maintain its niche leadership position as a collection of luxury boutique hotels.
Mr. Dewan has a Master’s degree in Organic Chemistry and a Post Graduate Diploma in Hotel Management with over 28 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He has undergone several professional courses from Cornell University, London Business School and The Harvard Business School.
Mr Dewan is on the Board of Governors of the Institute of Hotel Management and a Managing Committee Member of the Federation of Hotel & Restaurants Association of India. He is also a member of the State Council, Confederation of Indian Industry.
Based out of Kolkata, Mr. Dewan is an avid golfer and finds it the ultimate relaxant.
Mr. Rajeev Takru, Chief Operating Officer, Apeejay Tea Limited
Rajeev Takru is Chief Operating Officer, Apeejay Tea Limited. Prior to joining Apeejay, he had worked with McLeod Russel India Limited where he joined as an Assistant Manager in 1975 and held several leadership roles across a wide range of functions such as Human Resource, Administration and Commercial. In 2005, he become a Whole Time Director of the Company, managing operations of tea plantations in Assam, Dooars, Vietnam and Africa, producing over 115 million kg of tea in 64 different locations. As the head of operations, he was part of the core team which led the international expansion of the Company’s business in countries like Vietnam, Uganda and Rwanda, integrating and benchmarking the overseas divisions to the highest standards of excellence and profitability and helping McLeod Russel become the largest tea company in the world in the private sector.
Mr Takru was also instrumental in the design & expansion of several factories in India to manufacture “Bought Leaf” with a sustainable profit margin. In 2011, he became a Board member of Woodlands Multi-Specialty Hospital, Kolkata. He is also a member of the governing body of The Assam Valley School which he helped set up in Balipara, Assam. An alumnus of the prestigious Hindu College, Mr Takru is a keen sportsman and has played hockey and cricket at school and college. He is currently an avid golfer.
Shouvik Mandal, Chief Executive Officer, Apeejay Real Estate
Shouvik Mandal is CEO of Apeejay Real Estate where he is responsible for management and growth of Commercial Property, Business Centers and Logistics & Industrial Parks operated by the division. A Chartered and Cost Accountant, Shouvik joined the Corporate Finance team of the Group in 2000 and has nearly two decades of experience spanning Treasury, Taxation, Internal & External Audit, M&A functions. He started his career at A.F. Ferguson & Co and has since then worked with SREI, where he established the Infrastructure Rental Division, and Mani Group, where he played a pivotal role in setting up J.W. Marriott, Kolkata and “The 42”, the tallest tower in Eastern India, respectively. During his leisure time, he likes reading, painting and going for long drives with his family.
Mr. Swagat Sengupta, Chief Executive Officer, Apeejay Oxford Bookstores Private Limited
Swagat Sengupta is CEO, Apeejay Oxford Bookstores Private Limited (AOBPL). A graduate in Commerce from Calcutta University, Swagat joined AOBPL in 2000 as Sales Executive and went on to become National Manager – Merchandising. During his tenure, he was involved in setting up Oxford Bookstore at Churchgate, Mumbai; Goa; Leela Palace Bangalore and Statesman House, Delhi. He also held a key profile in the launch of the bookstore’s online portal www.oxfordbookstore.com as Category-in Charge and Back-end Head. In 2013, he rejoined AOBPL as Country Head – Operations and Purchase and was involved in the launch of Oxford Bookstore, Connaught Place. With a rich and diverse career in the retail industry spanning 22 years, Swagat has held various key positions in the areas of operations, merchandising and business development at AOBPL, Globe Publications, Penguin Books India, Music World, Reliance Entertainments Limited and Spencers Retail Limited.
Ms. Renu Kakkar, Vice President, Corporate Communications
Renu Kakkar is Vice President Corporate Communications, Apeejay Surrendra Group and is an alumnus of Lady Sri Ram College and IIMC. She joined the Financial Services division as a manager in 2000 backed with her experience as a career finance journalist. Renu has moved through various operations and holds an additional charge of heading the Corporate Software Development cell, a Group capability she created in 2001. Prior to joining Apeejay, she was Assistant Editor with The Telegraph. Renu has the distinction of being the youngest reporter at 21 years investigating the biggest stock market scandal of the early 1990s for the Financial Express. Diversity keeps her challenged and allows her to have fun at work.
Mr. Debangshu Mukherjee, CEO and Director of Apeejay Insurance Broking Services Private Limited
Debangshu Mukherjee has over 3 decades of experience in the insurance sector, spanning areas such as Underwriting, Claim management, risk analysis and valuation. Part of Apeejay Surrendra Group since 2004 he specializes in claim management services, survey processes and has serviced clients nationally and internationally. Debangshu is an avid Indian classical music fan and prefers indoor games.
Mr. Rajiv Kumar Ranjan, Chief Operating Officer, Apeejay Infralogistics Private Limited
Mr. Rajiv Kumar Ranjan joined Apeejay Infralogistics Private Limited as Chief Operating Officer in 2012. Rajiv is a Graduate from Ranchi University. He has done Management Development Programme on “Team building and Leadership Management" from IIM Bangalore and Finance Programme for non-financial Executives . Currently he is pursuing Executive MBA from IIM Kolkata. He has more than 18 years of experience in Logistics. He started his career with Sterling group. Thereafter he joined Gati and held various positions in his stint spanning over 10 years with them. At Gati he has been awarded as Best Branch Manager in India in the year 2000 and he was the key person for establishing domestic operation setup in Nepal and setting up international office in Hongkong. Prior to joining Apeejay he was associated with TNT (I) Pvt. Ltd as a Regional Director (East) in Kolkata. During his tenure in TNT he was Platinum Club winner in 2009 and his region was awarded as “The Region of the Quarter” twice in the same year and also winner of the "Region of the year". In Year 2010 East Region is awarded as a "Best Region" in terms of Risk Management & Financial Practices. At TNT he was the project team member for the integration and Merger of Speedage. He is married and has one son and one daughter. He has keen interest in sports like cricket, football, tennis & Music.
Mr. Narender Singh Rawat, Chief Operating Officer, Flurys Beverages
Mr. Narender Rawat holds a Delhi University Graduate degree and pursued an MBA from Sikkim Manipal University with a specialization in Marketing. He has two decades of experience in FMCG Sales and Business Development.
Before Apeejay he worked with Nikhil Mercantile Pvt. Ltd -Affiliated to Valency International, Twinings India Pvt Ltd, ITC Ltd, Agro Tec Foods Ltd – Affiliated to ConAgra Foods and Mars International Pvt. Ltd. His contribution to the organizations he has worked for is business growth and expansion, new category launch & development, market share increase, and brand equity.
Along with working with all good FMCG companies, he has also enhanced his learning and personal growth by completing executive certification in leadership from prestigious institutions XLRI, IIM- Calcutta & IIM Bangalore.
He likes interacting with different people and exploring new locations.
