Board Of Directors
Mr. Brijesh Mehra
Non-Executive Director & Chairman of the Board
Brijesh Mehra joined the Board on 8th May 2024. He is a veteran in the banking industry with over 35 years of experience across several capacities including overseeing businesses across India and multiple South Asian geographies. In his last role at RBL Bank, Mr. Mehra was responsible for the Wholesale business of the Bank. Prior to joining RBL Bank, Mr. Mehra was Country Executive India and as well as Southeast Asia/India Cluster Head of Corporate and Institutional Banking at Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).
He holds a bachelor’s degree from Delhi University and an MBA from Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad.
Richard Payette
Independent non-executive Director
Mr. Richard Payette, FCPA, GCB.D joined the board on 1st July 2023. He is a business leader with over four decades of experience in management of global companies and accounting and audit matters. His area of expertise includes organisational transformation, international market development, finance, audit, governance, and risk management. He currently serves as a director of Export Development Canada (EDC), Canada's export credit agency wholly owned by the Government of Canada and the Canadian Public Accountability Board (CPAB), a regulatory body charged with overseeing audits of Canadian reporting issuers.
Mr. Payette earlier served as Chair of the boards of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Fédération de chambres de commerce du Québec. From 2016 until 2020, he served as President and CEO Québec of Manulife and was the CEO for the Americas region at BDO International between 2010 and 2015. He worked with Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton since 1982 until 2009, lastly as the President and CEO. Mr. Payette is also a member of the advisory boards of Lemay and LexRockAI.
Mr. Payette is a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada and holds an ESG Certification and designation.
Jean-François Boisvenu
Independent Non-Executive Director
Jean-François Boisvenu joined the Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director on 8th February 2023. He has more than 25 years of extensive experience in corporate and commercial law matters, with particular expertise in international banking transactions, lending and debt capital markets transactions and financial institutions regulation.
Mr. Boisvenu is a partner at Eversheds Sutherland (Mauritius), where he has been heading the banking and finance practice since 2017. Prior to that, he was Group Head Legal at AfrAsia Bank Limited and worked at BLC Robert. Before moving to Mauritius in 2009, Mr. Boisvenu was a partner at the Canadian law firm McCarthy Tétrault (Banking and Insolvency Department), where he had practiced in the Montreal office. Mr. Boisvenu is a Member of the Quebec Bar (Canada) and a Registered Foreign Lawyer in Mauritius.
Mr. Boisvenu holds degrees in Law from University of Montreal and Quebec Bar School (Canada). He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Applied Economics from École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Montréal.
Gowtamsingh(Vikash) Dabee
Independent Non-Executive Director
Gowtamsingh (Vikash) Dabee joined the Board on 30th March 2023. He has over 25 years of experience as a professional accountant in public practice and industry in Mauritius, Africa, and the Middle East.
Mr Dabee is a Partner of GD Riches Chartered Accountants and is an auditor, public accountant, and insolvency practitioner in Mauritius. Prior to that, he served as the CFO and Company Secretary of a multinational corporation in Mauritius where he was instrumental in implementing SOX internal control systems for the group subsidiaries. He also worked with the representative office of Andersen Worldwide in Mauritius and the Arthur Andersen Office in Dubai.
Mr. Dabee is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and a Fellow of Chartered Association of Certified Accountant (FCCA). He holds an MBA from Surrey Business School, University of Surrey, UK, and an Advanced Diploma in International Tax from the Chartered Institute of Taxation UK (CIOT). He is a registered insolvency practitioner in Mauritius and a member of INSOL.
Muhammad Khalid Peyrye
Independent Director
Muhammad Khalid Peyrye has joined the Board as an Independent Director on 30th January 2015. Muhammad Khalid Peyrye heads the Corporate Secretarial and Administration cluster of AAA Global Services Ltd. Mr. Peyrye has been involved as a Money Laundering Reporting Officer and Compliance officer of various companies involved in the financial services sector. He has worked for several years with a leading financial services company and accountancy firm and has extensive experience on company formations, company administration, corporate secretarial services, cross-border investment activities and corporate organizational transactions such as mergers and acquisitions. He also serves as a director on the board of several companies in Mauritius.
Mr. Peyrye holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law and Management from the University of Mauritius and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of the United Kingdom.
Julian Gratiaen
Non-Executive Nominee Director
Julian Gratiaen has joined the Board on 26th July 2024, as Nominee Director appointed by OMERS Infrastructure. Mr. Julian Gratiaen is a Managing Director at OMERS Infrastructure. With a strong background in the corporate, energy, and infrastructure sector, he joined OMERS Infrastructure in 2019 and has played a key role in the execution and management of a number of significant investments across the Asia Pacific region. Mr. Gratiaen oversees all legal aspects of acquisitions, asset management, and regulatory compliance for OMERS Infrastructure’s Asia Pacific portfolio including engaging with regulatory authorities in India and the Asia Pacific region in support of OMERS Infrastructure’s interests. He is a board member of FRV Australia, a leading renewable energy company in Australia. Prior to joining OMERS Infrastructure, Mr. Gratiaen gained extensive experience at renowned law firms Linklaters LLP and Jones Day, specializing in energy, infrastructure, and private equity. He holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Law degree with honours from the University of Sydney.
Philippe Wind
Non-Executive Director
Philippe Wind joined the Board on 31st October 2023. He is the operating partner for CDPQ (CDPQ – 450 bn$ AUM infra-PE-real estate- markets), in the infrastructure group. He is based out of Singapore managing a global role to oversee general management and operation of CDPQ infra-assets (50 billion USD equity) towards better performance, governance, and value creation with a special focus on Asia Pacific and global energy/renewable assets.
Mr. Wind has more than 30 years of varied experience in the areas of utility, renewable, energy / multi-infrastructure space specializing in origination, deal making, management, operations, construction, engineering, consulting, regulatory, private equity, or project finance areas. Before joining Azure Power, he was CEO at Actis Singapore managing local Singapore team coordination and monetary Authority Singapore accreditation. He was also Director for energy/infra operations Actis, a large energy/infra investment PE fund. Prior to that he worked with Suez/Engie Group in the infra/utility sector across the world in geographies of China, Malaysia, Indonesia and France. His previous experience also includes his role in WorleyParsons and McKinsey Singapore.
He is seating at the board of the French chamber of commerce and is also a project finance visiting professor at Singapore ESSEC campus.
Mr. Wind hold a Master of Science in civil engineering and environmental from Ecole Centrale de Lyon (France), an MBA from ESSEC Manheim (France/Germany), and a general management degree from Insead (Singapore).
Pratibha Bajaj
Non-Executive Nominee Director
Pratibha Bajaj, a seasoned investment professional with over 15 years of experience, joined the Board on 23rd October 2024 as a Nominee Director appointed by CDPQ Infrastructures Asia Pte Ltd. Currently, she leads new business initiatives in India and the Middle East as Senior Director, Infrastructure at CDPQ India Private Limited. Her expertise spans infrastructure, cleantech, and e-logistics in South Asia.
Prior to her current role, she served as Lead, Digital Infrastructure, Asia Pacific at the International Finance Corporation. Pratibha holds a bachelor's degree from IIT Bombay and an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management from the University of Pennsylvania.
Management Team
Sunil Gupta
Chief Executive Officer
Sunil Gupta is an experienced business leader with a strong track record of building renewable energy businesses. He joined Azure Power effective 10th July 2023. Prior to Azure, he was the Head - Southeast Asia & South Asia Business at Vena Energy (a leading Asia Pacific renewable energy company), managing existing business and developing new projects. Earlier he was Group Head - Renewable Energy Business at Sembcorp Industries, Singapore, where he built the renewables business and spearheaded market entry in India, Australia, Singapore, and Vietnam. In India, he was instrumental in managing a business comprising of multiple utility scale wind and solar power generation plants across seven different states. Prior to Sembcorp, Sunil was a cleantech industry professional with Standard Chartered Bank and Morgan Stanley.
Sunil holds a Master of Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He also holds a Bachelor of Technology from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Sugata Sircar
Group Chief Financial Officer & Executive Director, Finance
Mr. Sugata Sircar has over 32 years of experience in energy & automation, chemicals, textiles, tyres, FMCG and city gas distribution. He joined Azure Power effective 1st May 2023. He has served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Schneider Electric India for over 7 years. He has been the Managing Director at Gujarat Gas, the largest listed city gas distribution company in India (a subsidiary of BG Group of UK) and prior to that, he was Finance Director & CFO at Gujarat Gas. He has also worked with companies like Cabot India, Madura Coats, Britannia Industries and Dunlop India in various finance roles.
Mr. Sircar is a business advisor, speaker, and writer. He is on the Executive Committee of the CFO Board (India's pre-eminent body of financial leaders) and is Ex Chairman, CFO Committee, Indo French Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
Mr. Sircar is a fellow member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and has completed a Global Advanced Management Program at ISB-Kellogs School, India/US. He has also completed a Business Leaders Program from Harvard Business School.
Shweta Srivastava
Chief Human Resources Officer
Shweta Srivastava brings over two decades of diverse human resources experience in Talent Acquisition, Business Partnering, Leadership & OD, Diversity & Inclusion, Employee Engagement, HR Strategy & Growth. She joined Azure Power effective 28th July 2022. She has worked in Fortune 500 corporations, across industries like hi-tech, consumer, life sciences & infrastructure and across geographies like India, Southeast Asia, UK, Brazil, and others. Shweta is currently the Chief Human Resources Officer at Azure Power.
Prior to Azure Power, she worked with Vedanta Ltd as Group Head Talent Acquisition and as People Strategy Leader at Sterlite Power (part of Vedanta Group). Her other experiences include senior leadership positions at Indus Towers Limited, United health Group, Qualcomm, Motorola, and Ericsson.
Shweta holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resources from Pune University and her Bachelors is from Ambedkar University, Agra. She has also completed a Leadership Excellence Program from Harvard Business School.
Vijay Kumar Wadhwani
Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer
Vijay Kumar Wadhwani has over 22 years of experience across Accounting, Auditing, Financial Management and Reporting, Legal & Secretarial, Indirect Taxation and Merger & Acquisition. He has first-hand experience in effectively reviewing the company’s systems and analysing possible risk factors. He joined Azure Power effective 27th February 2023. Prior to Azure Power, he was Partner at S.N. Dhawan & Co LLP (member firm of Mazars in India) and worked with Uno Minda Group as General Manager, Finance and Accounts. He also served as Director, Assurance Practices at S. R. Batliboi & Co. LLP (Ernst & Young).
Vijay is a fellow member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and holds bachelor’s degree in commerce (Hons) from SGTB Khalsa College, Delhi University.
Praveen Singh
General Counsel
Praveen Singh is an experienced legal professional with a proven track record in the renewable energy sector. He joined Azure Power effective 10th July 2024. Before joining Azure Power, he assisted Vena Energy India as General Counsel, providing strategic legal guidance on corporate governance, regulatory compliance, complex contracts, intellectual property, and employment laws, as well as managing high-stakes litigations and overseeing the compliance function. Praveen has also supported Ayana Renewable Power in the capacity of General Counsel (South Asia), where he played a critical role in overseeing the legal function and contributing to operational success in India. Additionally, he provided leadership and guidance to the legal team at Sembcorp Green Infra, handling diverse legal matters and ensuring adherence to compliance requirements. Earlier in his professional journey, Praveen gained substantial expertise in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, and commercial litigation through his work with leading law firms and solicitors in India. Throughout his professional career, he has collaborated with leadership teams, contributing as a board member and participating in various strategic committees and sub-committees.
Praveen holds a Master of Laws (LL.M) in Business Laws from the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from the Faculty of Law, Delhi University. He has also completed a leadership program at SMU, Singapore.
Mahesh Arali
Head- Asset Management
Mahesh Arali is an experienced leader in renewable energy with a strong background in asset management, engineering, construction and project development. He joined Azure Power effective 17th April 2024. He is currently the Head of Asset Management at Azure Power, where he oversees the performance and optimization of the company's renewable energy assets. Prior to this, he was the Director – Projects Development at Vena Energy Infrastructure Service India Pvt Ltd, managing project development, construction, and land approvals. Mahesh has also served as Senior Vice President – Asset Management, Engineering, and IT at Ayana Renewable Power Pvt Ltd, leading technical due diligence and managing a portfolio of wind and solar assets. His earlier roles include key positions at ReNew Power Ventures Pvt Ltd and Vestas Wind Technologies India Pvt Ltd, contributing significantly to project execution and operations.
Mahesh holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical & Electronics from Karnataka University, a post-graduate degree in Operations Management from Symbiosis Institute, and has completed leadership programs at SMU and IIM Bangalore.