Sanjeev Kapoor

Regional Transport Director, Middle East & Asia Pacific

Contact Sanjeev Kapoor

T: +91 124 4611 999

Sanjeev Kapoor is the Director for Ramboll’s Transport business in India. In this role, Sanjeev provides strategic direction to the transport business in India and is responsible for developing and driving its growth strategy. He also leads the organisation in identifying new profit avenues in the transport sector.

Early days of career

Sanjeev was born and raised in Delhi. After completing his Bachelors in Civil Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering, Sanjeev joined Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation (I) Limited, a GoI enterprise under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. As an Assistant Manager, he worked on the development of mega hospitals, laboratories and other health sector associated facilities. Here, he got an opportunity to move to Malaysia and work for IJM Corporation Berhad, one of the country’s leading construction groups. During his time in Malaysia, Sanjeev got a view of various aspects of planning and project management. He elaborates: “I always wanted to have something new on my plate every day. In the world of planning, you come across new challenges, a thing which I enjoyed a lot.” After a stint of three years with IJM in Malaysia, Sanjeev moved back to India to handle urban infrastructure projects for its Indian arm. “It was altogether a new experience for me as I worked closely with government officials as well as consultants in Indian infrastructure domain and understood the nuances involved therein,” says Sanjeev.

In 2002, Sanjeev joined DSC Limited, a major player in the Indian infrastructure industry. The tenure in DSC, Sanjeev remembers, “gave me a platform to gain experience on the complete project life cycle both on PPP and EPC models. I got an insight into the challenges one faces while working on a project – from inking the contract to construction followed by its operations and management aspects.” With DSC, Sanjeev was also involved in the gauge conversion project of Viramgam-Mahesana section of Western Railways, the first-ever annuity rail project awarded in India. After a brief stint of a year with Mace Project and Cost Management Private Limited (part of Mace UK), where he worked on the development of The Crest, a high-end luxury development in Gurgaon, Sanjeev moved to Pricewaterhouse Cooper. “At PwC, I was part of their Capital Project Advisory unit which provided project management services to its clients for large-scale projects,” says Sanjeev.

Ramboll Journey

Sanjeev joined Ramboll in December 2015 as he found the company to be a good platform where “I can utilise my project management and technical skills.” In Ramboll India, Sanjeev heads the transport business unit which includes three verticals i.e. Highways & Structures, Rail and Transport Planning. “I have got a very well-groomed team and the leaders of the verticals own a strong technical competency and revered reputation in the market.”

At Ramboll, Sanjeev feels, “we are more like a family than a workplace.” He adds that Ramboll gives its employees a healthy degree of independence and a platform to demonstrate their skills and grow with it.” He mentions that Ramboll values place immense importance on ethics, sustainability and integrity. The company, according to him, successfully mixes these values with an urge to stay ahead of the competition by driving best industry practices.

Future outlook

Speaking on the potential he sees for his team in the coming years, Sanjeev notes: “One of the top priorities of the present government in India is to resuscitate the transport sector.” For its revival, the government relies on the Engineering, Procurement and Construction model of construction, under which, the development of the road is executed by a private client, but is funded by the government. “This gives Ramboll immense opportunities to be a partner in the nation’s growth story,” adds Sanjeev. He further adds that the team in India works closely with the global team members to offer world class solutions to the clients on projects of national importance. “My team members enjoy working on challenging projects that inevitably provide them with the opportunity to realise their potential too.” The Transport team is also well-equipped to support the government on monetising the public funded National Highway (NH) projects through the newly operated Toll Operate Transfer (ToT) model. The Government of India has already zeroed in 75 NH projects adding up to 4,500 kilometres for the ToT model which would help in facilitating efficient toll realisation through the private sector. Sanjeev also mentions that with the government awarding more projects on hybrid annuity and PPP models, “this brings in opportunities for providing lender independent engineering services too, for which we are capable.” Ramboll in India is also competent in providing project management services on rail, metro and highway projects. 

Wisdom bytes

In the project management consultancy domain, Sanjeev stresses on his team to follow the project management rulebook which helps in managing projects efficiently and realise cost benefits. “Ramboll’s governance guidelines and systems are robust and the processes are followed to the hilt,” adds Sanjeev.

A calm and positive personality who is always eager to capitalise on opportunities, Sanjeev enjoys seeking different viewpoints which helps him in developing and promoting innovative solutions that result in time and cost savings for his colleagues and team. A believer of empowered employees, Sanjeev enables his team to make decisions, initiate actions, solve problems and meet challenges. On the personal front, Sanjeev enjoys spending his spare time with his family. He also loves travelling and photography.