Architect of Turnarounds in Global EPC
Rakesh Gaur
CEO – SAE Towers & Executive Director (CIS & Africa)
KEC International Ltd.
Architect of Turnarounds in Global EPC
Rakesh Gaur
CEO – SAE Towers & Executive Director (CIS & Africa)
KEC International Ltd.
The EPC sector does not operate without disruption. Projects stall, costs escalate, and execution breaks down. The real test of leadership lies in what happens next. For Rakesh Gaur, that moment defines the beginning of leadership and not its challenge. As CEO of SAE Towers & Executive Director (Africa & CIS) at KEC International Ltd, he has built a career at the intersection of crisis resolution and structural transformation. His mandate has consistently been clear: stabilise distressed operations, restore execution discipline, and convert volatility into scalable, long-term performance.
Across four decades, Rakesh’s track record reflects a repeatable transformation blueprint. A fragmented railway business scaled into a ₹2,000 crore enterprise within five years. Underperforming international operations turned profitable in under 18 months. Complex, high-risk markets across Central Asia, Latin America, and Africa stabilised and repositioned for growth. In every instance, he is brought in at the point of breakdown and exits only after the business has been structurally reset.
What distinguishes Rakesh is not just speed of recovery but also the architecture of what follows. He decentralises decision-making to eliminate operational lag, localises execution to align with ground realities, and builds empowered teams capable of sustaining performance without intervention. The outcome is not temporary stabilisation but redesigned organisations with embedded execution strength. For the vast chest of acumen that he brings, Rakesh was recently appointed as an independent advisor to the advisory board of the Rail Chamber.
Today, when disruption is constant and failure often compounds, Rakesh stands as a rare leader who converts crises into durable transformation, leaving behind businesses engineered for resilience and scale. How? Let us read in this exclusive interview.
How did your journey shape your identity as a turnaround and crisis management leader?
I started out as an electrical engineer from MSU Baroda and began my career on shop floors and project sites with L&T, Siemens, and ABB as a commissioning engineer. Those early years shaped a simple but firm principle: diagnosing problems is not enough; you must make the system work. That outcome-first mindset continues to define how I approach every crisis.
At KEC International, I handled complex assignments across Central Asia, often in harsh and unfamiliar environments. We not only executed projects successfully but also built a credible long-term market presence. A key milestone was scaling the railway business from ₹75–100 crore to nearly ₹2,000 crore within five years through disciplined execution, strong governance, and focused opportunity selection.
Later, I led turnarounds such as Brazil, restoring profitability in approximately 18 months. Across roles, I have consistently operated in high-pressure environments with a clear mandate: stabilise operations, restore performance, and build sustainable growth platforms. This journey has shaped my identity as a turnaround and crisis management leader.
What are the two most critical strategies you rely on when approaching a crisis or turnaround situation?
Two factors define success in any turnaround: how well you localise and how deeply your people feel connected.
The first is localisation with humility. Every region operates differently; culture, regulations, and work dynamics all shape execution. Rather than imposing external templates, I focus on understanding local realities, listening to teams, and identifying on-ground bottlenecks. Solutions are then tailored to fit that specific context.
The second is cultural integration through consistent communication. Most challenges stem from misalignment, not capability. Building trust, understanding behaviours, and creating comfort across teams becomes critical. In Brazil, for instance, voluntary English classes helped improve collaboration with global teams.
When local context is respected and people feel aligned, execution accelerates and turnarounds become sustainable.
What separates consistently high-performing EPC organisations from those facing overruns and inefficiencies?
The gap typically emerges well before a project begins to slip. High-performing EPC organisations invest heavily upfront, building robust systems, detailed planning frameworks, and capable teams
long before challenges arise. They enforce strong project controls, maintain realistic schedules, closely track costs, and take timely decisions rather than allowing issues to accumulate.
In contrast, struggling organisations often underestimate risks, delay action, or rely on reactive fixes once problems escalate. Misaligned incentives further weaken execution, rewarding project wins or cost cuts over safe, timely, and on-budget delivery.
Over time, the distinction becomes clear: execution excellence is not built in crisis response but in a culture defined by discipline, transparency, and accountability embedded into everyday operations.
What are your key priorities for strengthening performance across business verticals and staying future-ready?
On the business side, a key focus is managing capability transitions as we expand into new domains where expertise is still evolving. To address emerging knowledge gaps, we are investing in global centres of excellence that bring together domain experts, standardised processes, and proven practices. The goal is to build a process-driven organisation that does not depend on individuals, supported by strong succession planning to institutionalise growth.
On a personal level, staying future-ready means continuous learning: keeping pace with new technologies, digital transformation, and evolving management practices. Equally important is building strong relationships, staying connected to teams, and listening to diverse perspectives. Sustained performance ultimately rests on these human connections.
What have railway turnarounds taught you about market selection and risk management across 100+ countries?
Railway turnarounds have reinforced that underperformance is rarely about capability; it is structural. When processes lack clarity, execution models are misaligned, or stakeholders are disconnected, even strong teams struggle. Real progress begins with honest diagnosis, restructuring teams, resetting operating models, and restoring discipline on costs and timelines. As clarity returns, confidence rebuilds internally and with clients, and that confidence drives momentum.
Experience across 100+ countries has shaped a structured, risk-adjusted approach to market selection. We assess political stability, contract enforceability, currency exposure, and local execution strength. Market attractiveness alone is insufficient; it must be executable on the ground. Strong front-end assessment, disciplined bidding, and localised execution remain critical in volatile environments.
Where do you see KEC’s key growth opportunities, and what has driven its diversification?
KEC’s growth is aligned with major infrastructure shifts across energy transition, railway modernisation, and urban development. Key opportunities lie in renewable-linked transmission, large-scale railway electrification, metro corridors, and urban civil projects, driven by long-term structural demand. KEC’s diversified capabilities and strong execution track record position it well to capture these opportunities.
This positioning is the result of a deliberate strategy. Expanding beyond power transmission into railways, civil infrastructure, and global markets has reduced dependence on any single segment or geography, creating a more balanced, resilient growth platform across infrastructure verticals.
How will the infrastructure sector evolve over the next 3–5 years?
Over the next 3–5 years, the infrastructure sector will be shaped by both pressure and opportunity. Supply chain disruptions, geopolitical tensions, and labour shortages will continue to test execution timelines. At the same time, reconstruction and development demand, especially in crisis-affected regions, will create strong, long-term growth avenues.
Success will depend on adaptation. Diversified supply chains, stronger regional capabilities, and flexible operating models will replace centralised dependency. At KEC, this transition is already underway, with a balanced presence across India, Brazil, Mexico, and the Middle East. The focus remains on risk mitigation, proximity to growth markets, and agility in capturing emerging opportunities.
Over nearly four decades in EPC and infrastructure, what has shaped your leadership and decision-making approach?
My leadership and decision-making approach have evolved alongside the industry’s shift from linear, engineering-led execution to complex global projects involving multiple stakeholders, compliance
layers, and tight financial expectations. This transition reinforced a core belief: effective decisions must balance technical soundness, commercial viability, and long-term resilience.
Experience across ABB, Siemens, IRCON, L&T, and KEC International has provided an end-to-end view of the project lifecycle, from bidding and design to execution and commissioning. Staying close to projects and observing outcomes firsthand has shaped a systems-thinking approach, where decisions are assessed beyond immediate impact to include execution quality, customer trust, and future growth potential.
Over time, this has translated into clear leadership anchors: strong front-end governance, cross-functional alignment, and continuous engagement with on-ground teams. The result is a leadership style that is holistic, pragmatic, and firmly rooted in execution.
What operational or technical interventions have driven faster turnarounds?
For me, the biggest accelerator in any turnaround is how decisions are made and where they sit.
A critical lever is decentralisation. When decisions are routed through a central team across time zones, execution slows. In Brazil, the 8.5-hour gap with India delayed even routine approvals. Shifting authority to local leadership enabled real-time decisions and immediately improved execution speed.
Equally important is localising engineering and execution. In Central Asia, moving design and project ownership closer to the region resulted in solutions better aligned with local conditions. Communication improved, and clients responded with faster approvals and stronger confidence.
In any turnaround, speed becomes a decisive advantage. The ability to take informed decisions quickly and allow results to validate them defines how effectively momentum is built and sustained.
How do you define your leadership style and approach to building high-performing EPC teams and future leaders?
I would describe my leadership style as adaptable, empowering, and strongly execution-focused. Every assignment is different, so I avoid fixed playbooks: listening first, understanding context, and then adapting. I believe in giving teams real ownership and delegating decisions even if it allows for small mistakes because that is how people grow. In EPC, success is collective, and staying close to clients and sites ensures responsiveness and trust.
To build high-performing teams, I focus on clarity, trust, decisiveness, and consistency. Clear expectations and steady leadership drive performance, while shared accountability strengthens outcomes.
I also prioritise accessibility, open communication, and honest feedback. For future leaders, I emphasise structured exposure like challenging roles, cross-functional experience, and real execution responsibility to build resilience and the ability to deliver in complex environments.
How do you maintain trust and clarity with both clients and employees when operating across multiple geographies?
I keep two principles at the centre when working across geographies: people should know where they stand, and they should see a future with us.
For employees, this translates into transparency and real growth opportunities—better roles, fair progression in compensation, and exposure to new markets and technologies. Continuous learning, structured job rotations, and clear communication ensure alignment with business direction and individual purpose.
On the ground, cultural integration is equally critical. We engage directly with local teams, partners, and supply chains rather than operating remotely. This strengthens resilience and reinforces long-term intent. In regions such as Africa, Latin America, and Central Asia, prioritising local sourcing and participation has helped build trust, stability, and confidence across stakeholders.
How are geopolitical shifts and localisation trends shaping KEC’s global strategy and execution model?
Geopolitics and localisation now sit at the core of KEC’s global execution strategy. Trade shifts and supply chain disruptions have increased the need for stronger local presence across markets. In response, we are strengthening regional supply chains, investing in local talent, and building long-term partnerships instead of centralised hubs, improving responsiveness and regulatory alignment.
Execution is also shifting toward regionally empowered structures, giving local teams greater decision-making authority and ownership. This is balanced with strong governance, where standards, controls, and ethics remain non-negotiable. The outcome is a more resilient model that reduces geopolitical risk and strengthens trust with stakeholders.
What is your vision for KEC’s next phase of growth?
I see KEC’s next phase of growth as both global and deeply grounded. My vision is to position KEC as a globally respected infrastructure EPC company, recognised for governance, reliability, and flawless execution of complex projects. Growth must remain profitable, sustainable, and people-driven, focused on scale and on long-term value creation for clients, employees, and stakeholders.
The next phase also strengthens the foundation beneath the balance sheet: deepening leadership capability, accelerating digitalisation across the value chain, and embedding ESG principles into planning, execution, and operations. The future KEC must be agile in decision-making, “globally local” in approach, and resilient enough to navigate volatility while staying anchored to core values.
