CIOInsider India Magazine

In the annals of history, the stories of shady heroes are often overlooked, especially when it comes to individuals who played an important role in reviving a company. The corporate world is quick to celebrate success, but the stories of those who worked tirelessly to save the sunken ship and struggled in the shadows are often buried in obscurity. These public sector heroes, armed with unparalleled dedication and a sense of responsibility, have undertaken the mantle of steering vast enterprises to success. This very prowess has propelled them to the pinnacle of recognition, securing their positions among the highest-earning leaders and role models in the public sector. Let’s know more about the 5 Unsung Heroes from Public Sector Companies.

N.K. Singh
N.K.Singh is a prominent Indian economist, scholar, and policymaker. He is currently chairman of the 15th Finance Committee. Before that, he was chairman of the Financial Responsibility and Budget Control Review Committee (FRBM). He also served as a member of the House of Councillors from 2008 to 2014. During that time, he contributed to several prominent Parliamentary standing committees, including the Public Accounting Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Human Resources Development Committee.

NK Singh had a long and distinguished career as a member of the Indian Administrative Service before entering leadership in politics and fiscal policy. In Bihar's home cadre, he holds an important position as Industrial Development Commissioner and Vice President of the Bihar Planning Commission in particular. He was part of a core group of advisers and strategists during India's economic reforms in 1991. He was the main interlocutor in negotiations with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for structural adjustment, lending, and balance of payments support. He served on the Member Planning Committee among the Spending Secretary, the Revenue Secretary, the Secretary of the Prime Minister of India, and other senior leadership roles.

He brings a wealth of national and international experience to the table, having interacted closely with multilateral organizations such as the World Bank, IMF, ADB, and OECD. His early work as First Minister, Economic, and Commercial, Indian Embassy, Japan (1981–85) and subsequent contributions to the international economic order were recognized by the Emperor of Japan with the award of the Order of the Rising Sun - Gold and Silver in 2016. He regularly participates in numerous international forums, such as the Davos Conference, the Nimrana Conference, and the India Foundation. He also participates on the Board of Directors of the Ananta Aspen Center.

Suresh Goyal
Suresh Goyal is MD & CEO of the National Highways Authority of India's Infrastructure Investment Trust (NHAI InvIT), which was established to monetize highway projects operating under the Indian Government's national monetization pipeline. He was the founding member of NHAI InvIT, which, since inception, has successfully raised funds from marquee international and domestic institutional investors and lenders, with an Enterprise Value of about Rs. 12,000 crores. He recently led NHAI InvIT’s maiden public issue of long-dated NCDs, which was the first of its kind in India. He has an overall experience of 28 years in project finance, investment banking, and infrastructure investing. For the past 15 years, he has invested in several infrastructure sectors, including renewable energy, telecom towers, and airports.

He was a founding member of Macquarie's infrastructure investment business in India in 2010 and, under his leadership, became one of the country's largest infrastructure funds. Before joining NHAI Invites in November 2020, he was based in Singapore, where he was Head of Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets in Southeast Asia and India. He has extensive experience in investment, asset management, governance, and conflict management while representing Macquarie on the board of directors of various investee companies. He is an Electrical Engineer and MBA postgraduate.

P M Prasad
PM Prasad is currently Chairman and Managing Director of Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE). Before his new role, Prasad successfully managed Coal India's subsidiary CCL, located in Jharkhand, to meet production targets for the fiscal year 2022-23.

With over 30 years of experience in the coal mining field, Prasad holds a postgraduate degree in mining engineering from IIT Dhanbad, a mining school in India. He took over the position from Pramod Agrawal, who retired at 6.30 when he retired and reached retirement pension age. Prasad's career in Coal India began in 1984 as a management trainee at Western Coalfields Limited and has played a variety of roles across different subsidiaries in Coal India. He also spent three years as Managing Director (Coal Mining) of NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation).

Mihir Kanti Mishra
Mihir Kanti Mishra became Chief Executive Officer of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Bangalore Complex. Before that, he worked as General Manager of the Aerospace Division. Mihir began his career in the assembly and collection of MiG motors under the Technology Transfer (TOT) program in the engine division of Colaput, working on the absorption and assimilation of technical know-how for the creation of a series of MiG engines and the proof of the manufacturing process.

As project manager, Mihir effectively drove the group to send off the first Indian common plane. Under his bearing, by confirming the organization for the configuration, assembly, maintenance, and preparation of India, the dispatch and certificate of the general variant of the Do-228-201 aircraft was achieved in record time. At the enterprise level, he undertook an important part of the development of the company's exhibition technology and took the drive to practice new market progress and modern collaboration. His more than 35 long periods of engagement with HAL incorporate a wide range of exhibits in business areas such as engines, airplanes, and space. He likewise stood firmly on an important footing in assembling, gathering, designing, methodological arrangements, executive projects, and worldwide exhibitions. He led the group to help ISRO as an indispensable accomplice for a leading space program. He was instrumental in promoting business development by constructing new facilities for the assembly of cryo engines and starting the realization of launch vehicles associated with the integration activities.

K Sivan, the Rocket Man of India
Dr. K Sivan, also known as Kailasavadivoo Sivan, is a successful Indian space scientist and administrator who has made notable progress in the field of space technology and exploration. Dr. K Sivan, now known as the Rocket Man of India, was born in 1957in a small village called Mela Sarakkalvilai in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India. Dr. K Sivan has now become an important figure in India's space program. Supported by his huge passion for aerospace engineering, Sivan pursued higher research at the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc) located in Bangalore. He earned a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1982, further honing his expertise in the field. His unwavering determination and dedication to the acquisition of knowledge laid the foundation for his future achievements.

Sivan rose through the ranks to become the director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram in 2015. He got the nickname Rocket Man for his great contributions to the development of cryogenic engines, which power India’s most powerful rocket, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III. He was appointed as the head of ISRO in January 2018, and under his leadership, the organization successfully carried out the Chandrayaan-2 mission.