Having been with the company since 2007, P. Palaniappan has played a key role in the evolution of Mahindra and Mahindra Limited’s Powerol Business from a start-up to a market leader.  He says, “The past five years have been memorable. During this time, we have been able to transform Powerol from a product supplier to a solution provider.” Popular for its diesel generator (DG) sets, Powerol has recently become an energy operations and maintenance (O&M) provider to the telecom sector.

The company initially started offering telecom site O&M services for improving site management and operational efficiency. “By using the learnings from these sites and by harnessing the technical strength of our group companies, we started offering green energy solutions,” says Palaniappan. Powerol’s business diversification approach helped it sail through the difficult period the telecom industry went through in recent years with Powerol recording positive revenue growth.

As the senior vice-president and business head of Powerol, Palaniappan is involved in business planning, strategy, and manufacturing of DG sets, industrial engines, home UPS, and other innovative power backup products.

During his tenure at Powerol, the company has been recognised by external agencies with awards like Power Brand, Master Brand and Quality Brand, and has also won the Voice of Customer Award from Frost & Sullivan. Palaniappan has also won many individual awards such as PowerBrand’s Most Dynamic Marketing Professional of the Year, 2011, and the Rashtriya Udyog Ratna Award for 2011-12.

Palaniappan holds an engineering degree from REC, Trichy, and an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur. He started his career with VIP Industries, where he was instrumental in launching Sky Bag Soft Luggage and LEO Toys in India. He went on to build an impressive executive career in both India and overseas, spanning the past three decades. He also worked for Supreme Industries Limited and Crompton Greaves Limited in India, and served as the chief executive officer of two companies in Jamaica.

Palaniappan is married to Jayanthi and they have two sons, Arun and Arvind, who are both management graduates, and are working in the corporate sector. He likes to spend his free time watching movies, reading and travelling. “My ideal vacation would be visiting places of historic importance,” he says.