As the Executive Chairman of Ador Powertron and co-founder of Acusensus, my journey in the business world all began with my pursuit of an MBA at The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia.
Since then, my career has taken me across various sectors globally, including energy and gas, telecommunications, and traffic enforcement.
Australia was my ideal study destination
Until I arrived in Australia, I didn’t really fit in. I’m half Indian and half Russian, but in Australia I wasn't Indian or Russian, or black or white – I was just ‘Rav’, and it was such a relief to belong.
After completing my undergraduate studies in India, I moved to Brisbane to study a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Studying in Australia really changed my life, both academically and socially.
I went from being the guy who struggled with my learning, to being second in my cohort at QUT. The Australian education system was an ideal fit for the way I think and learn. It’s not focused on rote learning, but instead on the application of knowledge, which allows the brightest to shine.
Outside of university, I took up surfing on the Sunshine Coast with a group of friends. All that mattered to us was what the waves and the weather were looking like each day. It was a long way from my school in the Himalayas near where I grew up.
After graduation
After I graduated from QUT in 1995, I moved back to India, right at the time when the country was liberalising and opening up. I used the skills I’d honed in my MBA to set up a business in gas and technology that employed 100 people for a European multinational inIndia.
Then I went to France with the same company, and then to Singapore to work in telecommunications in a senior position as head of commercial operations in Asia. Unfortunately, this was just as the dot-com boom went bust, and I became jobless soon after arriving in Singapore when the company shut down.
My return to Australia
It was a difficult time, and eventually I decided to return to the comfort of Australia. Initially I worked in defence – having decided it was a recession-proof industry – but it wasn’t the right industry for me and I had the opportunity to instead move to industries I’m passionate about.
I joined a large energy retailer, managing operations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. It was quite exciting for a 35-year-old immigrant to be able to be part of the Australian energy industry. The company later moved me to Indonesia to buy a new company, then to Vietnam.
My twin interests
Now I’m back in India, where I’m using my international experience to help my family business, Ador, transitioning the business to a focus on road safety and clean mobility. We’re the only company in India that genuinely designs and makes electric vehicle chargers, and we're going to export these to America.
I also co-founded a business in Australia called Acusensus, which aims to improve road safety by providing intelligent solutions to drive behavioural change on the roads and reduce instances of unlawful driving. It's saving lives in Australia, as well as in India and the UK. I’m never too far from Australia, and I hope to return for good one day.
I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue twin interests in sustainable carbon-free mobility and road safety, and I’m looking forward to working on more transformative projects in the future.
