Deepak Thakur is the managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Hinduja Renewables, leading the group’s clean energy business. He has over three decades of experience across the energy, infrastructure and industrial sectors, with a deep expertise in strategy, project development, EPC, enterprise wide transformation and operations. Earlier, as MD and CEO of Mahindra Susten, he has driven growth through investments and partnerships. He has also held senior positions at Reliance Industries, Sterling & Wilson, Honeywell and Larsen & Toubro. A clean energy advocate, he contributed to the National Solar Mission and remains actively engaged with industry bodies including CII, FICCI, IESA and plays a significant role in shaping India’s energy landscape, including contributing to the formulation of the National Solar Mission in 2009.
Thakur views the past year as a period of record build and real execution for the sector, marked by strong capacity additions and the emergence of renewables at true system scale. He notes that as renewable penetration deepens, planning complexity – from ramp management to scheduling – will increasingly determine project success and sector efficiency.
Looking ahead, he sees firm and despatchable, and round-the-clock renewable energy as key growth drivers, alongside the rapid commercialisation of energy storage. Thakur also highlights expanding opportunity in the commercial and industrial segment, where demand is shifting to time-matched, reliability-focused renewable solutions, supported by storage and innovative contract structures. At the same time, he identifies transmission readiness, curtailment and flexibility gaps as the most pressing unresolved challenges. According to him, while project development has accelerated, evacuation infrastructure and risk allocation frameworks have not kept pace, underscoring the need for coordinated planning and prudent bidding to ensure long-term asset reliability.
Reflecting on his journey, he cites his early assignment of building a solar road map at Thermax during the nascent days of India’s solar industry as his most memorable experience – an opportunity that shaped his long-term engagement with the clean energy transition. He is also passionate about mentoring young professionals and fostering purpose-driven teams.
Thakur holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pune and an MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management.