Meet Rohit Modi, IAS officer of 14 years who quit prestigious job to become CEO of many leading companies

Rohit Modi is among the crop of former bureaucrats who made an eminent name for themselves even in the private sector. The IAS officer-turned-CEO has been at the helm of several big projects and companies including the likes of L&T IDPL, Suzlon Energy, Gammon India and Essel Infra Projects.

Modi did schooling from St Xavier in Rajasthan’s Jaipur before studying economics from the Delhi University’s Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) and Delhi School of Economics. He then joined the bureaucratic services as an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer in 1985 and worked in various positions under the Central Government and the Manipur Government for 14 years.

During this time, he worked on projects handled by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank across industries like Urban Development, Textiles, Industry and Finance, Coal, Infrastructure and Fertilisers. He was made Nodal Officer for IMF and IFC while he was working with the Ministry of Finance’s Department of Economic Affairs.

He left the prestigious IAS officer post in 1999 to embark on a leadership career in the private sector. In a nearly 20 year journey, Rohit Modi has held the CEO, MD posts for companies like Mahindra Industrial Park, Suzlon Energy, Gammon India, L&T IDPL, Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC) and Road Infrastructure Development Company of Rajasthan (RIDCOR). He was most recently the CEO of Essel Infra Projects and Smart Utilities till March 2019. 

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