Jay Kumar Waghela brings to the table over 17 years of diverse experience (both domestic and international), with proficiency in business development, creation and implementation of corporate strategy; setting up of operations for new companies and project delivery as per the cost, time and quality parameters; and management of cross-functional teams.
Waghela has been working with Fourth Partner Energy (FPE), one of India’s leading commercial and industrial renewable energy developers, for more than four years as regional head, business development. In the past, he has worked with Reliance Infrastructure, Eirich Transweigh and Innovari.
On the most exciting part about his role, Waghela says, “At FPE, we are completely empowered to take decisions and act as entrepreneurs. The frenetic pace at which we are adding new offerings/solutions and customers, and delivering projects is exciting. The environment in the firm is very supportive and the leadership is always open to ideas to grow and improve.”
Waghela believes that the Indian power sector is undergoing a transformation the likes of which we have not witnessed in the past century. “India is spearheading the adoption of renewables. The administration needs to support this transformative journey with supportive policies till we achieve energy security. Poor financials of discoms could be the Achilles’ heel, and discom reforms will be the key to unlock the potential of the power sector,” he says.
In terms of management style, Waghela endeavours to create an atmosphere where the team members feel inspired to go beyond their job descriptions and achieve greater outcomes than what they thought they could deliver. “I personally spend a lot of my time building functional, technical competencies as well as the personal effectiveness of my team members,” he says.
When asked about his future goals, he says, “With the objective of leaving the world a better place than I found it, I as a power sector professional would like to make a significant contribution to the ongoing transition to a higher share of renewable energy in the overall energy basket, which will help in addressing the existential crises we humans are battling against such as climate change.”
Waghela is a mechanical engineer and has also completed an executive programme in applied finance from IIM-C, as well as an MBA from IGTC. In his spare time, he likes to read books. On weekends, he spends time gardening, listening to soulful music, playing sports and teaching his kids. He also loves to travel to places where he can be close to nature or the wildlife.
