Dr Anuvrat Joshi has had an eventful journey of over 20 years, from being an academician to his present role as director and head of business development at Cleantech Solar. During his career, he has worked in investment banking, and the power and solar sectors. After obtaining a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in physics from IIT Kanpur, Joshi obtained a Ph.D from the University of Cincinnati and a post-doctoral fellowship from the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in the US. Interestingly, he then decided to change his career from theoretical physics to investment banking.
In this space, he has worked with Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank in New York with a focus on the power sector. He then moved to First Solar, New York, leading M&A and project finance activities during 2009-14. He divided his time between the North American and Indian markets. This prepared him for his current role at Cleantech Solar, where he has been leading business development since its inception in 2015. The most rewarding assignment for Joshi has been his work with Cleantech Solar. Building the company from a start-up to a market leader was a wholesome experience. In his view, “The corporate solar sector has evolved from an initial focus on on-site projects to an equal emphasis on open access projects, aided by consistent efforts of developers like Cleantech Solar, the right regulations and greater cost-effectiveness of solar.” He believes the company’s decision to focus on selling power to large corporate users has worked well and its solar projects will continue to help customers transition to a cleaner and cheaper energy mix. “The renewable industry should respect the contribution of governments and taxpayers worldwide to make renewables a commercially compelling proposition. However, our government needs to enable fair and uniform solar power regulations across India to deliver its full value to the nation.”
He believes in selecting a few right people for the job rather than going for numbers. According to him, quality people, if given proper guidance and authority, can deliver incredible results. Joshi enjoys running. A food and wine lover, he enjoys exploring places with great food and ambience. He believes that improving infrastructure has the greatest impact on the quality of life and productivity of a nation. At some point in future, he would like to find a way, through a book or other means, to share his thoughts and learnings with the world.