Sampath Gelam

Seasoned professional with ~12 years of global experience in Energy & Manufacturing sectors, specialized in Project Management, Procurement, Operations & Sustainability. Proven track record in assessing internal control, process excellence, stakeholder management, public policy & ESG initiatives.

Work Experience

Dy. Manager(Project Management , Procurement, Strategy and Sustainability) | Coal India Limited | Chhattisgarh

Project Management                                           

  • Spearheaded a cross-functional team of 30+ members, annual budgeting and implementation of 500+ projects successfully, with the total outlay of over ₹800 Cr. 
  • Directly Led the planning & execution of end-to-end projects with an outlay of over ₹400 Crores. in the sectors related to solar, circularity, agriculture, forestry, healthcare, and education etc. 
  • Evaluated project proposals & RFPs and developed a robust monitoring & evaluation framework to manage cost control strategies, incorporating data-led milestone tracking & progress driven invoicing, that enhanced process improvement & mitigated the risk of projects
  • Collaborated for Just Energy Transition & Net Zero Initiatives, associated with scouting new Social & ESG Initiatives.
  • Formulated CSR & Sustainability policy & guidelines, prepared net zero & carbon footprint reduction plans and annual action plans, as per the company's strategic focus areas & ensured 100% compliance for 9 years with mandate & applicable regulatory laws.
  • Guided operational assistance & liaised with government bodies for Land Acquisition & necessary permissions to open new mines.
  • Prepared Annual Reports for eight years & contributed to Business Sustainability Reports for ESG reporting as per GRI Standards.

 

Procurement & Operations 

  • Pioneered procurement through E-Procurement, Government e-marketplace (GeM) & contract management worth ~ ₹50Cr./Yr, managing supplier negotiations through ZOPA & BATNA strategies & conducted market-led price negotiations.
  • Led strategic sourcing initiatives to optimize spend-to-savings ratio & Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) by 10 % & reduced procurement TAT by 2 weeks through category-wise spend analysis, right vendor selection and vendor optimization projects
  • Optimized demand forecasting through category management, assessment of past 3 years of data, spend analysis & financial modelling.
  • Evaluated and released Request for Proposals (RFPs), ensuring vendor prequalification and alignment with business goals.
  • Reduced approval cycle time for the contracts by 20% by eliminating redundant approvals & through cross-functional collaborations, improving operational efficiency & PR-PO timelines, digitized all contracts & integrated central data repository of contracts.
  • Aligned stakeholders through monthly planning meet to address the seasonality of demand & integrate inputs for procurement dashboard.
  • Reviewed monthly dashboards for category-wise spend, cost control through spend forecasting, budget control, and cost optimization strategies, ensuring operational excellence to scale solutions efficiently.
  • Implemented robust risk & regulatory compliance in procurement, ensuring contract adherence & risk mitigation through due diligence.
  • Monitored vendor KPIs and SLA adherence, onboarding proficient vendors through vendor due diligence and performance frameworks.

 

Stakeholder Management                                           

  • Coordinated 50+ Board-level Sub-Committee meetings, delivering strategic performance insights to C-suite stakeholders, Board members, and Independent Directors, driving informed decision-making and corporate accountability.
  • Developed strategic partnerships & stakeholder management with Corporates, NITI Aayog, central ministries, state governments, district administrations, public representatives and vendors to implement projects and to enable ease of doing business.
  • Successfully represented management in 10+ high-level parliamentary committee meetings, leading key government discussions.
  • Fostered stakeholder management & strategic partnerships with state governments, district administrations, and public representatives to streamline mining operation.
  • Initiated change management strategies to improve corporate employee engagement, yielding an additional workforce of ~1,000 hours/yr.

 

Digital Technology Intervention

  • Initialized the development of digital transformation through a project dashboard with geo-tagging and AI-driven real-time monitoring systems, enhancing end-to-end project delivery efficiency by 30%.
  • Spearheaded SAP ERP Material Management rollout, training teams, & leveraging data analytics to streamline inventory and workflows.

 

Media & other Initiatives

  • Crafted media communications plan & implemented social media marketing strategies- identified target audiences, drove collaborations & devised content- improving organic traffic across channels - 100% on Facebook, 50% on Instagram & 40% on YouTube.
  • Led COVID-19 Initiatives, wherein directly involved in COVID-related works with the outlay of more than ₹ 500 million, benefitting more than one lakh people.
  • Conceptualized and implemented vocational training projects, benefiting over 1,500 individuals with placement-linked employment opportunities.

 

Assistant Manager (Resource Development & Procurement) | Grasim Industries Limited, Aditya Birla Group | Karnataka

  • Streamlined the pulpwood procurement through suppliers and sourcing directly from farmers through farm and social forestry models to ensure cost-effective and sustainable resource acquisition.
  • Led Cost Optimization through market intelligence efforts across Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, optimizing district-wise procurement, resulting in 12% cost savings compared to cost estimates.
  • Developed a comprehensive Annual Demand Plan and implemented Inventory Assessment through Data Analytics for phased raw materials procurement, resulting in a 25% reduction in stockouts & improving supply chain visibility.
  • Administered three Warehouses/Depots of wood and oversaw the seamless logistics of transporting materials to the plant by implementing standardized procedures that optimized delivery times and improved inventory turnover.
  • Accelerated the pre-sales planning, budgeting, business development, and support service operations through after-sales support for 100 Lakhs plants annually to various institutions and farmers, driving growth in the plantation sector.
  • Led the ‘Operation Green Project’ for contract farming, securing agreements with farmers to increase resources & Managed three satellite nurseries producing 10-15 lakh plants annually.

 

Emerging Leadership Programme Participant | Birla Lao Pulp & Plantation, Aditya Birla Group | Lao P.D.R

  • Streamlined global operations by conducting comprehensive Time & Motion study, identifying fundamental inefficiencies & optimizing operational expenditure, resulting in a 15% reduction in cost.
  • Leveraged analytics to enhance the output of Agro-Forestry and Farm Forestry models in Lao P.D.R.
  • Analysed Advanced Plantation Techniques at Birla Lao Pulp & Plantation to improve operational efficiency.
  • Conducted primary and secondary research on land management for Birla Lao Pulp & Plantations.

 

Accomplishments

Chairman's Individual Excellence Award

  • Recipient of the Chairman's Individual Excellence Award for outstanding performance in 2023, (1/25000)

Outstanding performer

  • Served as Designated Nodal Officer for Swachhta Initiatives, leading the organization to win the Ministry of Coal's Award three times in last five years.
  • Consistently ranked among top 5% performers company-wide during annual performance appraisals for nine consecutive years of working with Coal India Limited.

National Sustainability Quiz-2019 

  • 1st Runners up in 3rd National Sustainability Quiz 2019, organized by United Nations Global Compact Network India
Education

Post Graduate Diploma in Forestry Management (major - Development Management), Indian Institute of Forest Management

BE in Electronics & Telecommunication, Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University

Certificates
  • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification, AIGPE- Advanced Innovation Group Pro Excellence
  • Completed SAP Ariba Procurement - Record of Achievement, SAP
  • Completed ESG certification issued by Bloomberg.
  • Certified Organizational Trainer – completed the course of Training the Trainers by National Productivity Council.
  • Certificate Program in High Impact Corporate Social Responsibility, Administrative Staff College of India
  • Just Transition Dialogues: Developing Pathways for the Indian Coal Industry -  IIT Kanpur
Co/Extra-curricular
  • Elected member of the core team of the Alumni Committee, PGPX. – IIM Ahmedabad
  • Elected Student Placement Co-ordinator for the Batch of PFM2012 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, achieving 100% placement record.
  • 1st Runners up in 3rd National Sustainability Quiz 2019, organized by United Nations Global Compact Network India

Quick Look

  • Work Experience: 11.8 Years
  • Previous Roles

    Deputy Manager , Coal India Limited

    Assistant Manager , Grasim Industries Limited

    Emerging Leadership Programme Participant , Birla Lao Pulp & Plantation, Aditya Birla Group

  • Function : General Management
    Operations/Logistics/Supply Chain
    Project/Program Management
    Strategy
  • Industry/Sector: Energy & Utilities
    Government/PSUs
Work Experience

Dy. Manager(Project Management , Procurement, Strategy and Sustainability) | Coal India Limited | Chhattisgarh

Project Management                                           

  • Spearheaded a cross-functional team of 30+ members, annual budgeting and implementation of 500+ projects successfully, with the total outlay of over ₹800 Cr. 
  • Directly Led the planning & execution of end-to-end projects with an outlay of over ₹400 Crores. in the sectors related to solar, circularity, agriculture, forestry, healthcare, and education etc. 
  • Evaluated project proposals & RFPs and developed a robust monitoring & evaluation framework to manage cost control strategies, incorporating data-led milestone tracking & progress driven invoicing, that enhanced process improvement & mitigated the risk of projects
  • Collaborated for Just Energy Transition & Net Zero Initiatives, associated with scouting new Social & ESG Initiatives.
  • Formulated CSR & Sustainability policy & guidelines, prepared net zero & carbon footprint reduction plans and annual action plans, as per the company's strategic focus areas & ensured 100% compliance for 9 years with mandate & applicable regulatory laws.
  • Guided operational assistance & liaised with government bodies for Land Acquisition & necessary permissions to open new mines.
  • Prepared Annual Reports for eight years & contributed to Business Sustainability Reports for ESG reporting as per GRI Standards.

 

Procurement & Operations 

  • Pioneered procurement through E-Procurement, Government e-marketplace (GeM) & contract management worth ~ ₹50Cr./Yr, managing supplier negotiations through ZOPA & BATNA strategies & conducted market-led price negotiations.
  • Led strategic sourcing initiatives to optimize spend-to-savings ratio & Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) by 10 % & reduced procurement TAT by 2 weeks through category-wise spend analysis, right vendor selection and vendor optimization projects
  • Optimized demand forecasting through category management, assessment of past 3 years of data, spend analysis & financial modelling.
  • Evaluated and released Request for Proposals (RFPs), ensuring vendor prequalification and alignment with business goals.
  • Reduced approval cycle time for the contracts by 20% by eliminating redundant approvals & through cross-functional collaborations, improving operational efficiency & PR-PO timelines, digitized all contracts & integrated central data repository of contracts.
  • Aligned stakeholders through monthly planning meet to address the seasonality of demand & integrate inputs for procurement dashboard.
  • Reviewed monthly dashboards for category-wise spend, cost control through spend forecasting, budget control, and cost optimization strategies, ensuring operational excellence to scale solutions efficiently.
  • Implemented robust risk & regulatory compliance in procurement, ensuring contract adherence & risk mitigation through due diligence.
  • Monitored vendor KPIs and SLA adherence, onboarding proficient vendors through vendor due diligence and performance frameworks.

 

Stakeholder Management                                           

  • Coordinated 50+ Board-level Sub-Committee meetings, delivering strategic performance insights to C-suite stakeholders, Board members, and Independent Directors, driving informed decision-making and corporate accountability.
  • Developed strategic partnerships & stakeholder management with Corporates, NITI Aayog, central ministries, state governments, district administrations, public representatives and vendors to implement projects and to enable ease of doing business.
  • Successfully represented management in 10+ high-level parliamentary committee meetings, leading key government discussions.
  • Fostered stakeholder management & strategic partnerships with state governments, district administrations, and public representatives to streamline mining operation.
  • Initiated change management strategies to improve corporate employee engagement, yielding an additional workforce of ~1,000 hours/yr.

 

Digital Technology Intervention

  • Initialized the development of digital transformation through a project dashboard with geo-tagging and AI-driven real-time monitoring systems, enhancing end-to-end project delivery efficiency by 30%.
  • Spearheaded SAP ERP Material Management rollout, training teams, & leveraging data analytics to streamline inventory and workflows.

 

Media & other Initiatives

  • Crafted media communications plan & implemented social media marketing strategies- identified target audiences, drove collaborations & devised content- improving organic traffic across channels - 100% on Facebook, 50% on Instagram & 40% on YouTube.
  • Led COVID-19 Initiatives, wherein directly involved in COVID-related works with the outlay of more than ₹ 500 million, benefitting more than one lakh people.
  • Conceptualized and implemented vocational training projects, benefiting over 1,500 individuals with placement-linked employment opportunities.

 

Assistant Manager (Resource Development & Procurement) | Grasim Industries Limited, Aditya Birla Group | Karnataka

  • Streamlined the pulpwood procurement through suppliers and sourcing directly from farmers through farm and social forestry models to ensure cost-effective and sustainable resource acquisition.
  • Led Cost Optimization through market intelligence efforts across Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, optimizing district-wise procurement, resulting in 12% cost savings compared to cost estimates.
  • Developed a comprehensive Annual Demand Plan and implemented Inventory Assessment through Data Analytics for phased raw materials procurement, resulting in a 25% reduction in stockouts & improving supply chain visibility.
  • Administered three Warehouses/Depots of wood and oversaw the seamless logistics of transporting materials to the plant by implementing standardized procedures that optimized delivery times and improved inventory turnover.
  • Accelerated the pre-sales planning, budgeting, business development, and support service operations through after-sales support for 100 Lakhs plants annually to various institutions and farmers, driving growth in the plantation sector.
  • Led the ‘Operation Green Project’ for contract farming, securing agreements with farmers to increase resources & Managed three satellite nurseries producing 10-15 lakh plants annually.

 

Emerging Leadership Programme Participant | Birla Lao Pulp & Plantation, Aditya Birla Group | Lao P.D.R

  • Streamlined global operations by conducting comprehensive Time & Motion study, identifying fundamental inefficiencies & optimizing operational expenditure, resulting in a 15% reduction in cost.
  • Leveraged analytics to enhance the output of Agro-Forestry and Farm Forestry models in Lao P.D.R.
  • Analysed Advanced Plantation Techniques at Birla Lao Pulp & Plantation to improve operational efficiency.
  • Conducted primary and secondary research on land management for Birla Lao Pulp & Plantations.

 

Accomplishments

Chairman's Individual Excellence Award

  • Recipient of the Chairman's Individual Excellence Award for outstanding performance in 2023, (1/25000)

Outstanding performer

  • Served as Designated Nodal Officer for Swachhta Initiatives, leading the organization to win the Ministry of Coal's Award three times in last five years.
  • Consistently ranked among top 5% performers company-wide during annual performance appraisals for nine consecutive years of working with Coal India Limited.

National Sustainability Quiz-2019 

  • 1st Runners up in 3rd National Sustainability Quiz 2019, organized by United Nations Global Compact Network India
Education

Post Graduate Diploma in Forestry Management (major - Development Management), Indian Institute of Forest Management

BE in Electronics & Telecommunication, Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University

Certificates
  • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification, AIGPE- Advanced Innovation Group Pro Excellence
  • Completed SAP Ariba Procurement - Record of Achievement, SAP
  • Completed ESG certification issued by Bloomberg.
  • Certified Organizational Trainer – completed the course of Training the Trainers by National Productivity Council.
  • Certificate Program in High Impact Corporate Social Responsibility, Administrative Staff College of India
  • Just Transition Dialogues: Developing Pathways for the Indian Coal Industry -  IIT Kanpur
Co/Extra-curricular
  • Elected member of the core team of the Alumni Committee, PGPX. – IIM Ahmedabad
  • Elected Student Placement Co-ordinator for the Batch of PFM2012 at Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, achieving 100% placement record.
  • 1st Runners up in 3rd National Sustainability Quiz 2019, organized by United Nations Global Compact Network India