Dr. Santosh Kumar Pattanayak

Dr. Santosh Kumar Pattanayak’s professional career spans over 33 years of diverse experience across various government departments and public sector enterprises in India. After his extensive tenure from 1985 to 2018, Dr. Pattanayak transitioned to a role as an independent business consultant and visiting faculty at several business schools in New Delhi and Bangalore for almost four years from 2018 onwards. At present, he holds the position of an Adjunct Professor in RV Institute of Management subsequent to his stint as a full-time professor at the Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship (XIME), Bangalore from June 2022-Oct 2023.

Academic Journey

• Master of Science Technology (M.Sc. Tech) degree in Applied Geology from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-ISM), Dhanbad in 1985
• Master of Public Management (MPM) from Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2005
• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Management from Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Mesra in 2019.

• Starting his professional career in 1985 as a Scientist at the Cement Research Institute and later as a Geologist at the Oil and Natural Gas Commission, Dr. Pattanayak joined the Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) in 1989.
• Throughout his tenure with the Indian Railways, he held numerous key positions until 2013. Dr. Pattanayak also held significant management roles in State and Central Public Sector Enterprises across three sectors: Power, Heavy Industries, and Financial Services, both on deputation and absorption, for almost a decade.
• Following his voluntary retirement from the Indian Railways in 2013, he joined Heavy Engineering Corporation as Director of Finance (2013-2017) and later served as Managing Director of the Indian Railway Finance Corporation (2017-2018).
• His rich domain expertise encompasses Government and Corporate Finance, Financial Management, IT Operations and Management, Quality Management, and Supply Chain Management.

• led the ERP initiative for back-end office automation in Indian Railways and successfully piloted it between 2004-2008, which got fully implemented across Indian Railways by 2018.
• Received the prestigious Railway Minister’s award in 1999 for his exemplary contributions to office automation and computerization in Railways.
• As MD of IRFC Ltd., he pioneered the integration of raising foreign capital through the issuance of Green Bonds, successfully raising $500 million at a competitive cost, marking a first in the transport sector of emerging economies.
• Dr. Pattanayak’s current research interests encompass the evolving areas like, Green Finance, Green Supply Chains, Carbon Credits, ESG Framework and Compliance.
• Additionally, he focusses on climate change mitigation strategies, sustainable development practices, renewable energy integration, and environmental impact assessment. His domain knowledge and expertise in these fields have made him a sought-after advisor and thought leader wherein his deep insights continue to drive impactful advancements and startup innovations within his areas of focus.