Bhashit Dholakia has over 31 years of extensive experience in the gas industry, having worked in diverse areas such as business development, gas marketing, gas sourcing, pricing, contracts and regulation. He is the founder and former director of IndianOil-Adani Gas Private Limited, where he is currently chief operating officer. Under Dholakia’s stewardship, the company has successfully secured authorisation for 19 geographical areas, spanning 10 states and three union territories. Prior to joining ATGL, he worked with various companies such as Gujarat Gas Company Limited, Enron India Limited and ICRA Limited.
According to Dholakia, as India endeavours to transition to a green economy with natural gas playing a greater role, it is imperative to augment infrastructure across the gas chain in order to meet the growing demand. India, being a natural gas-deficient country, has been relying on imports. This underscores the importance of the government’s proactive measures, aimed at creating the desired infrastructure to increase natural gas penetration in India.
He notes, “The CGD business has evolved over the past five years through a large ‘capex upfront’ programme, necessitating a disciplined approach to expenditure and project management. Despite challenges, ensuring the timely completion of the minimum work programme, especially the key revenue-generating sections of the project, is critical. Moreover, with the massive roll-out of CGD infrastructure across the country, natural gas is expected to become readily accessible to a large population, thereby accelerating the transition to a green economy.”
Dholakia’s extensive involvement in the CGD industry, from its nascent stages to its current position on the national arena, has given him a 360-degree view of the sector. He has also made notable contributions to the industry, and shared his insights in various papers on natural gas and LNG.
In terms of management style, Dholakia maintains a largely “hands-off” approach. He believes that the role of a good manager is to set a broad vision for the team, give clear guidance, provide them with the necessary resources, trust employees and let them do their work with a sense of autonomy. He tries to adopt this as his management style and believes in fostering an informal and open environment. In his leisure time, he likes to read fiction, watch comedies and cook.