Satish Pai has been the Managing Director of Hindalco since August 2016. Headquartered in Mumbai, Hindalco is the metals flagship of the Aditya Birla Group, a diversified global conglomerate with operations spanning 36 countries. In his role as MD, Satish also oversees the operations of Hindalco subsidiary Novelis Inc., which is the world’s largest aluminium rolling and recycling company.
Satish’s strengths lie in envisioning and guiding organisation-wide, sustainable transformation. At Hindalco, he has been the driving force behind Hindalco’s journey from a metals commodity player to a value-added solutions provider in the aluminium and copper sectors. Under his leadership, Hindalco has evolved into a future-facing company with a Greener, Stronger, Smarter Purpose at its core, and a focus on digitalisation, innovation and high performance.
Some key transitions under Satish’s stewardship include adoption of large-scale renewable energy and path breaking responsible mining initiatives through India’s first Sustainable Mining Charter. He drove global-first circular economy solutions that utilise bauxite residue as an industry input rather than waste. Initiatives for carbon neutrality, water positivity, biodiversity and zero waste to landfill have contributed to Hindalco being recognised as the world’s most sustainable aluminium company by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices in 2020, 2021 and 2022.Beyond operations, Satish has focused on cultural transformation, such as driving gender diversity with a higher intake of women in core manufacturing and leadership roles, improving performance accountability and ownership in mid-management levels, and raising benchmarks for people safety. Satish ushered in the era of digitalisation in Hindalco and encouraged and empowered the R&D function to make it core to Hindalco’s functioning. These changes have helped to position Hindalco as a global manufacturing leader in Aluminium, Copper and Chemicals.
At Hindalco, Satish has driven mega greenfield and brownfield projects, such as the Aditya and Mahan smelters, and the Utkal Alumina refinery expansion.
In 2020, he led Novelis’ acquisition of global aluminium flat-rolled-producer Aleris, which has enhanced Hindalco’s presence in premium market segments such as aerospace.
His interest in R&D has led to new product lines such as lightweight aluminium-intensive battery enclosures for the global EV industry, lightweight commercial vehicles such as aluminium bulkers and trailers, and new housing infrastructure solutions. These innovations have led to the filing of over 75 patents across Hindalco-Novelis. Satish has also directed investments for the development of cutting-edge aluminium alloy sheet manufacturing technology for next-gen automotive panels with lower carbon footprints.
Satish’s experience in managing complex, global operations dates back to his 28-year career with oil and gas major Schlumberger, where his roles included Executive Vice President - Worldwide Operations, Vice President - Technology, and President of its software entity.
A highly-regarded influencer and spokesperson for the sector, Satish works to highlight the importance of aluminium and copper as strategic metals for sectors such defence, automotive, packaging, aerospace and power. He advocates for industry through his positions as the Chairman of the International Aluminium Institute; Chairman, Non-Ferrous Metals at FICCI and Indian Institute of Metals; and Chairman of the Government Affairs Committee of the Aluminium Association of India. He is the Chair on the Vikaasa collation, formed by Xynteo, a purpose-driven organization. He also serves as Director on the boards of Aditya Birla Management Corporation Pvt. Ltd., and BP p.l.c
Satish holds a mechanical engineering degree from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. In his personal capacity, he holds a patent in directional drilling. Satish was conferred the ‘Distinguished Alumni Award’ by IIT Madras in 2017 and the honorary Doctor of Letters (D. Litt) by Ajeenkya DY Patil University in 2020.
