Mr Rajiv Kumar has served as Vice President, Operations – Tata Steel Kalinganagar from 2014. Leading one of the quickest ramp-ups of a greenfield steel plant in the history of the Indian steel industry, Mr Kumar also oversaw the launch of over 200 new steel grade products to cater to changing market needs.

Prior to taking on his current role, Mr Kumar was Principal Executive Officer, Tata Steel, getting deep exposure to core business, managing stakeholders and high- level management. He has held multiple leadership roles across functions in the organisation since 2007. As Chief of Tata Steel’s Wires Division from 2010, Mr Kumar oversaw the diversification of the division’s portfolio to meet the majority of the automotive industry’s needs. Mr Kumar also spearheaded the project to double production of Tata Steel’s Hot Strip Mill at Jamshedpur to 4 million tonnes.

Mr Kumar is a metallurgical engineer from BIT Sindri. He has also completed a course in General Management course from CEDEP, INSEAD France. He believes that a fine balance between sustainability, social corporate responsibility and profitability will define the leadership of tomorrow. Widely travelled, Mr Kumar has a keen interest in reading and various sports like badminton, table tennis, cricket and mountaineering.