EEPL’s board includes business and industry veterans who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience, who are paving the way towards a sustainable tomorrow.
Prashant is part of the second generation of the Ruia family that founded Essar. Essar was founded in 1969 by his father, Shashi Ruia and uncle Ravi Ruia.
Prashant has been an integral part of EGFL’s operations and management since 1985 and has been a key driver of the Fund’s growth, diversification and value creation both within India and internationally. He is respected for his project execution skills, financial expertise and people management capabilities.
Prashant holds key positions on several prestigious regulatory and professional boards. He is a member of the UK India Business Council and a member of the India-Indonesia CEO’s Forum.
Mr Tripathi is the Director of Essar Exploration & Production Ltd Mauritius. He drives the portfolio strategy for the E&P vertical and plays a key role in providing strategic direction to EGFL.
Mr Tripathi is a transformational leader with over 38 years of experience in the hydrocarbon sector. He steered the gas sector in India and played a key role in accelerating the country towards a low-carbon economy. He has over 12 years of board experience, with 10 years as Chairman and Managing Director of GAIL (India) Ltd.
He has also served as the Chairman for Brahmaputra Cracker & Polymer Ltd; Member Board of Directors for Petronet LNG; Chairman of the Board of Mahanagar Gas Ltd; Chairman of the Board of Indraprastha Gas Ltd; and Director of Gail Global Singapore PTE Ltd. He has diverse experience of managing various joint venture and subsidiary companies.
Mr Tripathi is one of the foremost energy strategists of the country and is credited with transforming GAIL into a multi-asset multinational portfolio company. During his tenure as Chairman and Managing Director, the physical assets of the company increased three-fold, turnover rose 300% and PAT increased 200%.
Mr Tripathi is an active participant and speaker at various global conferences and forums including the World Economic Forum, Gastec, Ceraweek, etc. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Allahabad.
Mr Gujadhur, Director, EEPL, is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, UK, and a founder member of the International Fiscal Association IFA, Mauritius branch. Mr Gujadhur has over 40 years of experience in the fields of auditing, taxation, consulting and structuring. He has extensive experience of advising both local and international firms across business sectors including investment funds seeking listing on the Mauritius Stock Exchange. Between 1986 and 1994, he provided advisory services to projects funded by the World Bank/ African Development Bank in certain African countries.
Mr Gujadhur also served as a Director on the board of UTI Funds in Mauritius till 2008. Currently, he holds a senior advisory position in the Mauritius Commercial Bank, Mauritius, one of the largest banks in Africa; Warburg Pincus Asia Ltd, Mauritius, among the largest private equity funds. Mr Gujadhur is on the Board of Essar Capital Ltd, Investment Manager, Essar Global Fund Ltd, a Cayman Islands Fund, with investments worldwide.
The founding director of the Pharos Group, Mr Edward Story Jr. is currently the Group’s President and CEO. Under his leadership, the Group acquired its principal assets in Vietnam and progressed the assets from initial exploration through to being one of the largest producing fields in Vietnam.
With a career spanning over 50 years, Mr Story Jr. has extensive oil and gas industry leadership experience, beginning with various roles at Exxon Corporation, including seven years’ residence in the Far East.
Mr Story Jr. was formerly Vice President and CFO of The Superior Oil Company, and co-founder and Vice Chairman of Conquest Exploration Company. He was also the co-founder and President of Snyder Oil Corporation’s international subsidiary, which merged Command Petroleum, its Australian-controlled entity, into Cairn Energy. He was a Non-Executive Director of Cairn Energy plc until 2008 and Cairn India Limited until 2017. He is currently a Non-Executive Director of Vedanta Resources plc and a founder and member of the Cleveland Clinic International Leadership Board.
Mr Gathani is Senior Cross-border Natural Resources & Infrastructure / Transport Specialist at EEPL. A business leader with over 22 years’ experience, his key focus has been on the thesis-driven early capitalization of natural resource and related infrastructure opportunities emerging from Asia’s rapid economic growth. Originally from London, Mr Gathani has been based in Hong Kong since 1998.
Before joining EEPL, Mr Gathani was the Head of Energy, Natural Resources & Infrastructure at CIMB. Prior to that, he has held various leadership roles at Warburg Pincus, Citigroup and Credit Suisse.
Mr Gathani has successfully set up and grown domain-focused investment banking coverage teams on three separate occasions over the last ten years – at Citigroup, RBS and at CIMB, following CIMB’s acquisition of RBS assets. He is credited for developing a resources / infrastructure-focused investment portfolio of USD 500 Million at Warburg Pincus.
Mr Gathani holds an MA in Economics and an MPhil in International Relations from St John’s College, University of Cambridge.
Mr Pankaj Kalra is the Chief Executive Officer of Essar Exploration and Production Limited, Mauritius. Pankaj’s vision and experience in Exploration and Production is invaluable. It will complement our leadership team and the company as we embark on implementation of key value drivers in Vietnam and India, and foray into Energy Transition viz., Biogas and liquefaction.
Pankaj will spearhead the exploration and production business globally. He will be developing and driving business strategy and growth, achieving profitability in operations while enhancing and creating shareholder value.
Pankaj has nearly 25 years of experience, with a demonstrated track record of success, working across multiple sectors, including Oil and Gas where he gained a third of his experience. He has led M&A, raised capital (both debt and equity), led operational and business finance and procurement. Prior to joining Essar, Pankaj was the CFO of Cairn Oil & Gas, and has previously worked with Reliance, Aircel, Idea, American Tower and EY.
Pankaj is a rank holder Chartered Accountant, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from the prestigious SRCC, Delhi University, Delhi.
Mr Iyer has been associated with the Essar Group since June 1991 and has worked in various functions like finance, accounts and administration. He has held directorship in Essar Group of companies in India. In August 2009, he joined Essar Mauritius and is now oversees the treasury and banking operations of Essar overseas companies in Mauritius.
Mr Iyer has done his graduation in commerce from Madurai Kamaraj University, Tamil Nadu, India.
