Karishma  Agarwal:  Hello and welcome to the CIO today podcast. I’m Karishma and today we are joined by Mr. Srinivas, an experienced leader in energy and infrastructure investments. Let’s dive into his journey and insights. Hi Mr. Srinivas, I hope you’re doing well. Thank you so much for being with us today. Mr. Srinivas is a seasoned energy and infrastructure investment leader with over 30 years of experience spanning greenfield energy projects, Itps project finance, M&A, private equity and debt and venture capital with a strong focus on renewable and non-renewable energy investments and energy services across Mena region. So let’s get started with some questions so that we can get to know more about you.

Raja Srinivas : Yes, ma’am. Please.

Karishma  Agarwal: Alright, so how did this journey start for you to be able to be where where you are today? We would like to know about your journey and how it started for you. How did you get this idea to be into this field?

Raja Srinivas : In fact it began in 1994 after my completion of engineering. I was to join as a management trainee in the Indian Navy, basically a commissioned rank. But later, I preferred company close to my hometown, which is fertilizers is a, a big you know, conglomerate of group. And at that time, it was implemented by the Americans. And I choose that. And I started my career there. And, of course, I did not continue for long, maybe for within a span of one year, I left and I joined the energy sector. So energy you know that time, man, diesel power plants were very much prevalent in India. And that during that period I joined there, you know, one of the, 50 megawatt power plant, and from there, it’s kick started my career and almost from 95 to till 2008 we implemented more than 189 projects, basically 189 project implementations. We could do it all over India at that time. So that’s how, you know, we started. But my moving to Middle East started in 2009, and that was for the first IPP project in one of the Middle East countries. And that’s how, you know I could launch my career in the Middle East.

Karishma  Agarwal: Wow, that’s very inspiring. Thank you so much for sharing that with us. So I want to ask, how do you evaluate investment opportunities differently when it comes to renewable energy versus non renewable energy projects, particularly in emerging markets right now?

Raja Srinivas : Basically, you know, for these type of projects you know, the project finance has to be secured and today’s environment C for these type of projects. The securing finance is paramount. And in the current volatile you know, global environment, a process which transcends mere negotiation, it is fundamentally about building more profound, lasting confidence with investors and also the transparency, basically with these structured projects. And of course, you know, there are two forms, as you rightly asked me, one is renewable and non-renewable. And, of course, we approach both the projects, both the types, by securing finance in with rigorous preparation and deep strategic thinking. Basically, the critical process starts with a meticulous feasibility study and a comprehensive risk analysis. And of course, we anticipate the market, the regulatory and the operational operational risks, designing robust mitigation measures that often include flexible finance structures. We insist that the business case presented must be robust, completely transparent and of course, backed by highly credible conservative finance modeling. See, this is how we approach for these type of projects basically. And and moreover the communication is also paramount. Is more important. We engage openly and very frequently with investors. Presenting a crystal clear picture of the projects are powerful potential and inbuilt safeguards of while also remaining deeply responsible to any concerns they may have. So that’s how, you know, we secure our projects.

Karishma  Agarwal: Sounds great and very detailed. Thank you so much for the explanation. So since 2016, you’ve been driving power generation investments and also advisory services across the energy value chain. What gaps do you feel like? They’re. They still are. And they need urgent innovation or policy support.

Raja Srinivas : So basically you know the practices, you know, while tackling this type of challenging areas, we, we involve in three type of you know main measures basically the to include the stakeholders engagement. So whenever the you know, because we always you know, deal the projects in the challenging areas, especially in these type of countries, the Middle East and the African region so the the stakeholders engagement is very much paramount. Then we have also the risk strategies, which we need to evaluate, of course, with the you know, as a static risk register you know entity, basically, since we are in these type of projects and of course, dealing with these volatile markets we face a security issue also in these type of areas which can compromise to to a large extent, basically in terms of logistics, in terms of, you know, project contingency plans, in terms, in terms of, you can say, the various flexible contracts, what we have on the table. So this is also one of the area. Then one more is the discipline timelines basically that also we maintain you know, to see that the all the things are in place like, for example project has to be delivered and we need to have you know, discipline, timelines and of course there are some constraints, basically which anyone can understand, but we focus basically on the commercial operation dates and the power evacuations, basically to be done on a certain voltage level which we strict and adhere to as per the timeline.

Karishma  Agarwal: Wonderful. That’s a very innovative sort of direction that you just talked about. So I want to know that, you know, leadership plays a very important role when it comes to these Capital intensive projects. How have your leadership way or technical background influence your decision making style with the people that you work with?

Raja Srinivas : Yeah. We embody the the rare and are potent you know, the learnings which we had basically I had a period of time for with my past association experience so far in especially in these energy projects. So it doesn’t merely means not only capital. What we we we look at basically we create maximum foundation impact. And the main philosophy of unrelenting integration you know with sharp vision and flawless execution. That’s what actually has been, you know, I have learned over a period of time these are my leadership you know, traits, qualities you can say, and we also look ahead, are acting decisively in this present. And we set a very clear, collaborative example, you know, with the past so so far experience what what I had in my 30 years of experience. And of course the challenges are always there and we tackle it. And I can give you an example. The first IPP project you know, which I handled after moving from India way back 2009. So it is like a multi-million dollar portfolio. And of course, it was funded by funding organization and also by the leading industrial houses. This can only this could only be possible with sheer commitment the integrity and the the value creation which I had, which I could create in my past so-called experience over a period of time. And really, I have, one way you can say successfully navigated the most exciting and complex eras in history in that reason, basically because it was never easy and there were so many obstacles.

Raja Srinivas : I can say so many critical paths were there, but still with all my past experience and the project management which had it that so that actually has helped me and in fact moved me to have a successful implementation at last for the IPP project. And also this was the first of its kind. We completed it in 11 months time. Of course, on paper, it was 12 months. Why? Because the voltage level, which we saw, that could not be given in the first phase because the power equipment, basically the distribution and transmission network equipment that was hovering in the sea, some for some reasons, it could not reach there. And by the time it reached, it was almost one and a half to two months. And within this period, of course, we did not stop it at a local level, a temporary construction line was constructed and we evacuated 11 kV line. So that’s how it is. And of course other things, you know, basically it has all the experience actually has been useful because I have accomplished a lot of projects in my past organization and that, in fact really helped me to mitigate and also to support during this period.

Karishma  Agarwal: Wow. That’s wonderful. Thank you so much for going into detail while giving us examples as well. That gave us a better picture of your leadership technique. So, you know, with over 30 years of experience, what has been the most challenging project or an investment decision in your career? How did you tackle it and what did it teach you?

Raja Srinivas : There are challenges always, you know, it basically working in these type of areas. You know, we have to deal with the local entities. You know, it’s not easy. You know, for example, the big IPP project is there. We do it on bow that is built on operate and also we do it on a build, own, operate and transfer mode that is boot basis. So in these type of things, the focus mainly remains on maintaining strict the world class operational excellence while managing the concentrated long term asset risks. So these these these things are always there. And are we are we also need to work with the are especially the local communities, the government basically the utility corporation over there, there and of course the supply side, the supply side as well as the EPC contractor, that is we only ourselves. So these are all are basically very challenging when a project is being executed and that we do it with meticulous planning, we do it with considering the specific risk components, which exist in that. And of course, with the complete private investors, the public utility, the technical vendors, whatever it is, as earlier said, you and we are best equipped to manage it effectively to our requirements.

Karishma  Agarwal: Wow. That’s lovely. Now coming up to the most asked question of our podcast. And it’s also the last question. So we would like to know what advice would you like to give to young professionals and entrepreneurs looking to build careers in this field, in infrastructure development? What advice would you give them?

Raja Srinivas : I can say we should be always transparent to not have the non-judgmental communication and should have a comprehensive you know, planning basically for any project. As such, the methodology should be such that the team should adapt quickly and effectively without any disruptions. This is paramount. And we should be like you know, a champion in the making. For example, a decision making is there. So it should really favor in in favor for the project. Not that we have any critical paths on the way. So this is how a project should be properly planned. So PMP plays a major role in this. And and also the project lead. Basically, he has to be thoroughly equipped with the technical things. He should focus on the domains basically, which actually is is being a part of that. And the time response basically has to be very quick. And he should be thinking out of the box, the critical and also be very alert during the high pressure moments. So these things come up in a project in and out and be sincere and and do the work sincere means to the point. So ultimately things will follow.

Karishma  Agarwal: That’s so true. I also agree with that. That was amazing. Thank you so much for joining us today. It was a wonderful experience talking with you today, Mr. Srinivas.

Raja Srinivas : Yeah. Thank you, thank you, thank you very much.

Karishma  Agarwal: Brilliant. I hope you have a great day ahead. Thank you so much.

Raja Srinivas : Thank you, thank.

Karishma  Agarwal: You, thank you, Mr. Srinivas, for joining us. It was a pleasure speaking with him. And thank you to our listeners for tuning in to the CIO today podcast. This is Karishma signing off.