ABOUT US

Meher Pudumjee is the Chairperson of the Thermax Group. She embarked on her journey with Thermax as a trainee engineer in August 1990 after completing her postgraduation in Chemical Engineering from the Imperial College of Science & Technology in London. In the early stages of her career, she achieved notable success by playing a pivotal role along with her husband, Pheroz, in the successful turnaround of Thermax’s subsidiary in the UK.

Upon returning to India in September 1996, she assumed a position on Thermax’s Board of Directors, working closely in the Finance function and then the Environment division and a joint venture in bottled water. In January 2001, she transitioned to the role of Non-Executive Director and, by 2002, became the Vice Chairperson. Her tenure in these roles was characterised by active involvement in the turnaround of Thermax’s business operations.

In October 2004, Meher assumed the role of Chairperson, propelling Thermax towards sustainable growth and responsible practices. Under her visionary leadership, the company is on a mission to establish itself as a trusted partner in energy transition.

Meher extends her influence and expertise to various national and international committees in the spheres of energy, sustainability, and industrial development. Her expansive portfolio includes roles as Director of the Akanksha Foundation, Trustee of 'Teach for India', and Independent Director on the board of Pidilite Industries, among others.

Over the years, Meher has garnered immense respect and recognition, both in India and abroad, for her contributions to the energy sector and environmental initiatives. In 2006, Meher represented India at the Asian Business Women’s Conference in Osaka. Other notable accolades include the 'Women in Business Young Achiever' award by The Financial Express in 2006 and the 'CEO of the Year' title by Business Standard in 2009. In 2008, the World Economic Forum honoured her as a 'Young Global Leader' in recognition of her professional accomplishments, commitment to society, and potential to shape the world's future.

Meher’s dedication to Thermax's vision has culminated in the company being awarded the prestigious ‘IMD Global Family Business Award’ and the ‘Golden Peacock Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance’ for the year 2023, and the 'University of Vermont Family Business Award' in the 'Multi-Generation Family Enterprise’ category in 2022. Also, the company was recognised with the coveted ‘Best Business led by a Woman’ award at the Moneycontrol Indian Family Business Awards 2022.

Ashish Bhandari has been the MD & CEO of Thermax Group since September 1, 2020. He leads all strategies and initiatives towards the Group’s vision of becoming a trusted partner in energy transition. Ashish is mandated with strengthening global customer and partner relationships and crafting innovative approaches to accelerate business outcomes based on emerging business models, the evolving market landscape, and industry developments. He also leads the Group's product development strategy and client expansion initiatives across the globe.

Ashish joined Thermax with more than two decades of experience working with industry-leading companies and conglomerates, including those with a significant presence in the oil and gas industry. He was previously the Vice President–India and South Asia region at Baker Hughes (formerly a GE company). He also had a 15-year-long stint with GE. His prior work experience includes a stint with Schlumberger, McKinsey & Co., and two overseas startups.

Ashish completed his Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering (B. Tech) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai and later received a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Duke University.

Rajendran Arunachalam took over the responsibility as the Thermax Group CFO on 1st June 2019. He joined Thermax as the Executive Vice President (EVP) – Finance and a member of the Executive Council of Thermax Group in March 2019.

Rajendran Arunachalam has been serving as the Executive Vice President – Finance and Group Chief Financial Officer and has been a member of the Executive Council since March 2019. A seasoned professional with over 30 years of industry experience, he began his journey with Thermax in 1993 as a Management Trainee, progressing to become Finance Controller for the erstwhile Chemical and Power divisions. Rajendran later worked with Tata AutoComp Systems from 2008 to 2013, where he held senior financial roles, and at Gabriel India Ltd. as the CFO where he oversaw Finance, Secretarial, Legal, and IT functions before rejoining Thermax in 2019.

Rajendran is known for his strategic leadership across finance, shared services, legal, corporate secretarial, EXIM, and enterprise risk management. His extensive skill set includes business planning, shared services setup, fundraising, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and enterprise risk management.

In addition to his corporate accomplishments, Rajendran has contributed to industry thought leadership as Chair of the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) Maharashtra State Council Finance Forum, Chair of CII CFO Forum of Western Region and Pune, and as a National Committee Member of CII’s Total Cost Management initiative. He has also been honoured with the CFO of the Year Award in the Industrial Manufacturing Sector by CII in 2022.

Rajendran is a Certified Public Accountant from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), USA, a Fellow Certified Management Accountant (FCMA), and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) from AICPA and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) respectively. He also holds a Master’s in Management Studies (MMS), an Integrated Programme of Engineering & Management from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS Pilani) and attended the Advanced Management & Leadership Programme from Oxford University, UK.

Arun Unni joined as the Unit Head and Head of Strategy for the New Energy Business in November 2024 and is also a member of Thermax’s Executive Council. He brings over 23 years of global consulting and industry experience, focussed on energy and sustainability.

Before joining Thermax, Arun was working at Kearney, Mumbai, as a Senior Partner, Energy and Process Industries and as Head, Sustainability for the APAC region. He has also held key positions as Chief Content Officer at TATA Sky, Management Consultant at KPMG Advisory, and Arthur Andersen. Arun’s involvement in the renewable energy industry started when it was at a very nascent stage in the country, and he has remained closely connected to the energy ecosystem throughout his career.

In his dual stint at Kearney, Arun has helped organisations in establishing and leading decarbonisation and sustainability practices for the oil & gas, steel, and cement sectors. Arun’s expertise extends across process electrification, biofuels, and carbon capture.

An active thought leader, Arun has been actively involved in providing policy inputs to the Energy Transition Advisory Committee, Ministry of Steel (MOS), Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), India CEO Climate Alliance, and the World Economic Forum (WEF), focussing on India’s net zero and Scope 3 pathways. Additionally, he has significant experience in M&A, technology partnerships, and operational transformation in both renewable and conventional power businesses.

Arun holds a Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.