Lifetime achievement award: Meet AM Naik, the Oracle of Indian engineering

A M Naik transformed L&T into an aggressive private sector company run by professionals, with a continuous focus on shareholder returns

When the 78-year-old group chairman of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), A M Naik, heard he would be conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2020, his first reaction was to not only credit the success of L&T to Team L&T but also to the construction major’s business associates and clients, which have been with it for decades. “I must thank all my colleagues, L&T associates and the Business Standard Jury for this award,” said Naik.

It is Naik’s folksy leadership style and down to earth work culture that marked much of his tenure at one of the country’s oldest engineering companies. Whether