Power-packed professional

BS PEOPLE: Arup Roy Choudhury

A workaholic, who lives and breathes his job 24x7. That sums up Arup Roy Choudhury, currently Chairman and Managing Director, National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC), who takes the reins of state-owned power major National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) from September 1.

That single-mindedness will come in handy at his next assignment. Roy Choudhury will take charge at NTPC at a time when the company is in expansion mode. It plans to add 4,150 Mw to capacity in the current financial year, derived from eight units to be set up at six plants. It is currently developing 17,830 Mw of capacity at 18 locations. NTPC is also scouting for coal mines abroad to ensure a secure source of fuel.

Roy Choudhury became the youngest chief executive of a central public sector enterprise when he joined NBCC as CMD in 2001 at the age of 44. Since then, he turned a sick company with a negative net worth and a salary backlog into a Mini Ratna.

A civil engineer by training and a post-graduate in management and systems, Choudhury works over 12 hours a day and even takes work home. Almost half in jest, he says his experience should be counted as 1.5 times the years of service.

Also chairman of the Standing Conference of Public Enterprises, Roy Choudhury is currently pursuing a doctorate in ‘Project Performance Metrics in Indian Construction Industry’ from IIT Delhi. He believes life is a learning process. Roy Choudhury’s motto: be positive, transparent and proactive in one's approach to life.