Recently retired from BP plc, Naveen Kshatriya joins First Energy pvt Ltd as Chairman of the Board. First Energy, the erstwhile BP Energy India, was started in 2005 with the concept of delivering small parcels of biomass energy through biomass pellets and efficient smokeless stoves, designed by the Indian Institute of Science. Conceived by a BP young leaders team, under guidance from Prof CK Prahalad, the offer under the brand name of OORJA was targeted to the bottom of Pyramid consumers. In 2009, due to strategic reasons, BP decided to move out of the venture and First Energy was spun out as an independent private limited company. First Energy initially focused on the domestic business which was challenging due to subsidised policy environment but subsequently Oorja stoves & Oorja pellets have been redeveloped to focus on the more sustainable segment of Commercial customers.
Naveen became involved with First Energy from days of inception and also is an early stage investor in the company. Naveen has brought in strategic guidance, broader connectivity and business expertise. He has remained an ardent champion of this innovative business playing an important role in helping the company redefine business strategy and sharpen focus on operational excellence. With a rapid turnaround in last 12 months, today First Energy is poised for rapid scale and growth.The business hopes to gain from Naveen Kshatriya in terms of guiding the business as well as mentoring the Leaders, by bringing in over 40 years of top management experience in Unilever and more recently BP-Castrol, where he was the Asian head of their very successful Castrol business.
He will be chairing First Energy Ltd, recognized as Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum in 2011. Naveen is also on the board of Ambit Holdings Ltd and an Operating Advisor to ASK Pravi Capital. He mentors and supports entrepreneurial enterprises through his investment firm Kshatriya Ventures . He is a Managing Trustee of Indian Cancer society and is actively involved in Isha Foundation’s Education initiative."