Bhaskar Anand Rao is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL). He also serves as a director on the boards of its joint venture, subsidiary companies and the Kempegowda International Airport Foundation (KIAF).
With over two decades of experience across the infrastructure, energy and diversified conglomerate sectors, Rao brings deep financial expertise and strategic insights. As CFO, he oversees a broad portfolio that includes finance, accounting, treasury, procurement, legal, regulatory affairs, compliance, and environmental, social and governance (ESG). Under his leadership, BIAL has embraced digital transformation across critical functions, including initiatives such as workflow automation, Internet of Things-based asset management and the digitisation of procurement and vendor operations. Beyond finance, Rao also anchors BIAL’s sustainability and social impact agenda through KIAF. According to Rao, his current role has been the most memorable chapter in his professional journey, having been closely involved in two major phases of expansion, each a significant undertaking in scale, complexity and impact.
Rao states, “With various ongoing works and upcoming development plans at the airport, the scale of expansion brings along financial and operational considerations, particularly around maintaining cash flows and funding large projects responsibly.” He believes that India is undergoing a robust phase of infrastructure development and financing has become far more streamlined, with several avenues to secure funding, which has emerged as a key strength for the country. Prior to joining BIAL, he held leadership roles in both the Middle East and India. From 2014 to 2017, he served as Chief Strategy Officer for a large international conglomerate in the UAE. Earlier, he also held dual roles as CFO for the energy sector and CFO for the Corporate Division at the GMR Group.
Rao considers his depth of experience built over decades in the infrastructure sector as his core strength. He has a holistic view of financing large-scale projects, understanding how cash flows are structured and how organisations adapt over time – an approach that helps him anticipate challenges and navigate them with confidence. In 2021, he was awarded the CFO of the Year – Infrastructure by the Confederation of Indian Industry in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the infrastructure sector.
Rao holds a degree in commerce and is a qualified chartered accountant. He later earned the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation. In his free time, Rao enjoys reading and watching documentaries. Above all, he values time spent with family.