Our People - Bhavnagar Port

OUR PEOPLE > OUR ASSETS

Bigger goals call for not just more people, but those who are more committed, more experienced and more passionate. With a team of such brilliant minds on board, Bhavnagar Port is in the safe hands of experts who are ready to take it to the next level with all their might.

Executive Team

Utsav Seth

Executive Chairman

Utsav Sheth

Group Managing Director, Foresight Group

He has been leading the transition of Foresight Group from a family-owned business to a professionally managed global venture since 2016. Today, he operates as the Group Managing Director, overseeing strategic, performance, culture, governance, and long-term business development across sectors like shipping, oil drilling, and ports.

With 25 years of experience in Manufacturing, Sales, Marketing, Retail, and General Management across India, China, the UK, UAE, and across the world, Utsav Seth has a pioneering role to play in establishing India’s first CNG terminal and Smart Port Infrastructure in Gujarat, collaborating with prominent partners like Padmanabh Mafatlal Group and Royal Westminster Boskalis.

He holds credentials from Harvard Business School, IMD Switzerland, and INSEAD. He is a founding member of YPO Mumbai Connect Chapter and active in YPO chapters in Dubai and London. He is also a Fellow at the Institute of Directors in London and a member of the Harvard Club of New York and Boston. know more

Hitendra Solanki

Executive Director – Projects

Hitendra Solanki

Director and Head of Projects

He is leading the development of Bhavnagar Port at Foresight Group since 2018. He brings along his rich 25 years of experience in the civil, marine, and road transportation infrastructure sectors, spanning government, private sector, and multilateral organisations. Hitendra started off his career in 1997 with Gujarat Maritime Board, where he played a key role in private and joint sector port developments, including Mundra, Pipavav, Hazira, and Dahej ports. He has extensively worked in laying down greenfield and brownfield ports and road infrastructures and successfully managed project approvals, structuring, finance, Concession Agreements, EPC contracts, and project monitoring.

Manoj Pandya

Director

Manoj Pandya

Executive Assistant to Chairman

Currently, he is heading the Corporate Office of Padmanabh Mafatlal Group. He is incharge of the corporate strategy, finance, and asset management of the firm. He joined the Mafatlal Group in 1995 as Deputy Manager, Finance, and rose to the position of Head of Finance and CFO. Over the past 25 years, he has ably managed corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, accounts, taxation, finance, and compliance. Also, he has extensively worked across diverse sectors like: pharmaceutical, textiles, chemicals, real estate, and infrastructure. Mr. Manoj is a Chartered Accountant, Cost Accountant, with degrees in Commerce and General Law.

Ashish Karanji

Vice-President & Company Secretary

Mr. Amulya Mohapatra

Director

Ashish Karanji

Company Secretary & V.P.
(legal & governance)

Jiten Chhagani

General Manager – Port site

Jiten Chhagani

General Manager – Port site

Rahul Sompura

Manager Port Planning & Engineering

Padmanaman Mishra

Director

Mr. Padmanabha Mishra was the Group Head of International for Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, until his retirement in March, 2023. His role encompassed managing all institutional clients globally, both financial institutions and non-bank institutions, as well as all corporate and Government clients outside the UAE. He was also responsible for the Multinationals Clients business of the Bank. Additionally, Mr. Mishra had the charge of Risk Management for all related counterparty credits and sovereign limits.   Mr. Mishra’s accomplished banking career spanned across various geographies and included leadership positions with international financial institutions, including ABN AMRO Bank and Bank of America.   Prior to joining ADCB in 2008, Mr. Mishra served as Wholesale Clients Head for the Middle East for ABN AMRO Bank, after leading the Financial Institutions and Public Sector business for Asia, for that Bank. Mr. Mishra received a Master of Arts in English Literature from the University of Delhi in India. Currently, Mr. Mishra is an Advisory Board Member for a Fintech startup, Newbridge Fintech Solutions.

Captain Sankalp Kumar

Head of Marine & Navigation

Board of Directors

Utsav Seth

Executive Chairman

Utsav Seth

Executive Chairman

Utsav Seth, is an Indian-born global business leader and Group Managing Director of Foresight Group and is based at the Group’s headquarters in Dubai-United Arab Emirates.

He has international professional experience of more than 33 years, across cross section of industries spanning from footwear material manufacturing, branded retail, hospitality, power equipment manufacturing and distribution, offshore oil drilling, energy shipping and port infrastructure.

He has been instrumental in leading the transformation of Foresight Group from a family business into a professionally managed global corporate institution,driven by values and focused on continuing value creation.

Under his leadership, the Group’s Drilling Division has added new Fortune 500 customer in the Middle East and added two modern offshore Jack-Up rigs to the fleet and established a new vertical in the land drilling business with the addition of a distinguished national oil company in India.
He also worked with the Group’s Shipping Division team to transition the shipping fleet from crude to LPG transportation with the addition of new Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC) to the fleet and initiated the rapid expansion phase of LPG shipping for the Group with focus to be amongst the world’s top 5 VLGC owner/operator by 2030.

Utsav conceived the idea of developing Bhavnagar Port as a smart, multi-purpose port in India under a joint venture with Padmanabh Mafatlal Group.

He serves on the International Advisory Board (IAB) of Boston University and is an alumnus of Harvard Business School (USA), IMD (Switzerland) and INSEAD (France).

Hitendra Solanki

Executive Director – Projects

Hitendra Solanki

Executive Director – Projects

He is leading the development of Bhavnagar Port at Foresight Group since 2018. He brings along his rich 30 years of experience in the civil, marine, and road transportation infrastructure sectors, spanning government, private sector, and multilateral organisations.

Hitendra started off his career in 1997 with Gujarat Maritime Board, where he played a key role in private and joint sector port developments, including Mundra, Pipavav, Hazira, and Dahej ports. He has extensively worked in laying down greenfield and brownfield ports and road infrastructures and successfully managed project approvals, structuring, finance, Concession Agreements, EPC contracts, and project monitoring.

Manoj Pandya

Director

Manoj Pandya

Director

Currently, he is heading the Corporate Office of Padmanabh Mafatlal Group. He is incharge of the corporate strategy, finance, and asset management of the firm.

He joined the Mafatlal Group in 1995 as Deputy Manager, Finance, and rose to the position of Head of Finance and CFO. Over the past 25 years, he has ably managed corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, accounts, taxation, finance, and compliance. Also, he has extensively worked across diverse sectors like: pharmaceutical, textiles, chemicals, real estate, and infrastructure.

Mr. Manoj is a Chartered Accountant, Cost Accountant, with degrees in Commerce and General Law.

Mr. Amulya Mohapatra

Director

Mr. Amulya Mohapatra

Director

Mr. Amulya Mohapatra, is a Marine Engineer by profession. Amulya comes with extensive experience in managing various types of tankers including VLCCs, gas carriers, modern reefer ships, container ships, multipurpose ships, container ships, chemical carriers and drilling rigs.

Under the able supervision of Mr. Mohapatra, the business of Foresight Group has attracted a portfolio of international shipping customers by consistently where they are needed most. It is an approach that our Shipping Division takes a long-term approach to all of its interests and partnerships.

Udayan Choksi

Director

Udayan Choksi

Director

He is a senior and reputed indirect tax professional and practising counsel, currently a partner at Khaitan & Co. Alongside founding Vox Law in 2012, he played a key role in establishing the indirect tax practice at C.C. Chokshi & Co. (Deloitte India) from 2001 to 2008, later becoming a partner at Economic Laws Practice until 2012.

Udayan expertises in tax-optimised supply chains, valuation across tax regulations, and trade remedial measures. He also strategizes and represents in tax litigations. His participation in tax policy initiatives is commendable. He is also a recognised member of tax committees of prominent professional bodies and business chambers. Backed with over 20 years of experience in indirect taxes, today Udayan offers his expertise to multinational corporations and major Indian businesses. He has been recognized in International Tax Review’s list of Indirect Tax Leaders in India for the past six years.

A frequent contributor to professional journals and speaker at forums, he holds a B.Sc. (Honours) from the University of Warwick, a CA degree, and an LL.B. from Bombay University. He also serves on the boards of private and public limited companies.

Kartikeya Dube

Director

Kartikeya Dube

Director

Mr. Kartikeya Dube is Head of Country for bp in India and Senior Vice President of the bp group.

He brings nearly three decades of experience in business, commercial, strategy, M&A and JVs in his 21 years with bp. Through his career, he has played a key leadership role in shaping India’s energy sector. He chairs the board of bp India Private Ltd and serves on the boards of Reliance bp Mobility Ltd., Castrol India Ltd., India Gas solutions Ltd. and Bhavnagar Port Infrastructure Private Ltd.

A chartered accountant, he was previously VP investor relation Bp plc and prior to that CFO of Reliance bp Mobility Ltd. He has also chaired the Fiscal Affairs Committee for India’s oil and gas operators.

Padmanabha Mishra

Director

Padmanabha Mishra

Director

Mr. Mishra’s accomplished banking career spanned across various geographies and included leadership positions with international financial institutions, including ABN AMRO Bank and Bank of America.

Prior to joining ADCB in 2008, Mr. Mishra served as Wholesale Clients Head for the Middle East for ABN AMRO Bank, after leading the Financial Institutions and Public Sector business for Asia, for that Bank. Mr. Mishra received a Master of Arts in English Literature from the University of Delhi in India.

Currently, Mr. Mishra is an Advisory Board Member for a Fintech startup, Newbridge Fintech Solutions.

Mr. B B Talavia

Nominee Director Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB)

Mr. B B Talavia

Nominee Director Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB)

Mr. B. B. Talavia is a seasoned civil engineer with over two decades of dedicated service in port infrastructure and maritime development. A graduate in civil engineering, he began his journey with the GMB in 1997 as an Executive Engineer. Through consistent performance and leadership, he was elevated to In-Charge Chief Engineer in 2006 and subsequently appointed as the Regular Chief Engineer in 2014. In his current role, Mr. Talavia oversees the planning and execution of key maritime infrastructure projects across Gujarat. His deep technical expertise and strategic vision have been instrumental in shaping the state’s port-led development, reinforcing Gujarat’s position as a maritime leader in India.

Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa

Director

Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa

Director

Ms Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa has been a career diplomat who joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1979 and served as Ambassador of India to Japan (2012-2015), Qatar (2009-2012) and Sweden (2005-2009). She was concurrently accredited as Ambassador to Latvia (from Stockholm), and Republic of the Marshall Islands (from Tokyo). During her career, she also held other significant assignments in China, Geneva, The Netherlands, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Ministry of External Affairs handling India’s relations with the UN system.

In the course of her career spanning over 36 years, she handled a wide swathe of issues and subjects related to India’s relations with key countries such as Pakistan, China, and Japan; participated in international conferences and negotiations related to climate change, sustainable development, disarmament and human rights and was instrumental in the active promotion of India’s economic interests in areas of investments, trade, technology transfer and energy security during postings in Europe, the GCC and Japan.

Ms Wadhwa is currently Chairperson of the India- Japan Friendship Forum and Member Governing Council of the Asian Confluence, based in Shillong which promotes development and connectivity of the Indian North-East with its neighbours. She serves as independent Director and advisor on the Boards of a few companies.

In recognition of her contribution to the promotion of India-Japan relations she was honoured with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese government in April 2024.

OUR PEOPLE > OUR ASSETS

Executive Team

Utsav Seth

Executive Chairman

Hitendra Solanki

Executive Director – Projects

Manoj Pandya

Director

Mr. Amulya Mohapatra

Director

Ashish Karanji

Company Secretary & V.P. (legal & governance)

Jiten Chhagani

General Manager – Port site

Rahul Sompura

Manager Port Planning & Engineering

Captain Sankalp Kumar

Head of Marine & Navigation

Board of Directors

Utsav Seth

Executive Chairman

Hitendra Solanki

Executive Director – Projects

Manoj Pandya

Director

Mr. Amulya Mohapatra

Director

Udayan Choksi

Director

Kartikeya Dube

Director

Padmanabha Mishra

Director

Mr. B B Talavia

Nominee Director Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB)

Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa

Director

Company Secretary & V.P.
(legal & governance)