Biography

Who Is G.V. Sanjay Reddy?

Gunupati Venkata Sanjay Reddy, universally known as G.V. Sanjay Reddy, is one of India's most distinguished industrialists, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists of his generation. He is the Vice Chairman of GVK Power and Infrastructure Limited, a conglomerate headquartered in Hyderabad with a diversified portfolio spanning energy, airports, transportation, hospitality, life sciences, real estate, and technology. He is simultaneously the Chairman of Reddy Ventures, the family office and investment platform through which he incubates, invests in, and scales disruptive technology companies across India, the United States, Africa, and South East Asia. Born on 18 November 1964 in Chennai and raised in Hyderabad, he is the son of Dr. G.V. Krishna Reddy, the founder and chairman of the GVK Group.

Early Life & Education

G.V. Sanjay Reddy was born on 18 November 1964 in Chennai and raised in Hyderabad. He completed a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana between 1984 and 1987. He then completed an MBA in Finance and Corporate Strategy at the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business, Ann Arbor, between 1987 and 1989. He later completed a Senior Executive Programme at Stanford University. He serves on the Purdue-India Executive Council, the Advisory Board of the Ross School of Business, and received Purdue's Outstanding Industrial Engineering Alumnus Award in 2021. He delivered commencement addresses at the University of Michigan in 2015 and Purdue University in 2016.

Family

G.V. Sanjay Reddy comes from one of India's most accomplished business families. His father, Dr. Gunupati Venkata Krishna Reddy, was born on 22 March 1937 in Kothur Village, Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh, and built the GVK Group from a regional construction business into a diversified national conglomerate. Dr. G.V. Krishna Reddy completed the Owner/President Management programme at Harvard Business School and has served as President of the All India Senior Tennis Association, sponsoring players including Sania Mirza. His mother, Mrs. Indira Reddy, managed the family's hospitality ventures. His sister is Shalini Bhupal. He is married to Aparna Reddy (known as Pinky Reddy), a businesswoman, philanthropist, and art connoisseur who drives the Pinky and Sanjay Reddy Foundation and led the art programme at Terminal 2, Mumbai Airport. Their son, G.V. Keshav Reddy, led Reddy Ventures' five unicorn investments (Cred, Upstox, Hive, Chipper Cash, Genies) and founded Equal. Their daughter is Mallika Reddy Indukuri. The couple have three grandchildren.

Career: Mumbai Airport - Terminal 2 and Jaya He Museum (2006–2021)

The most celebrated chapter of G.V. Sanjay Reddy's career is his transformation of Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. As Managing Director from 2006 to 2021, he oversaw the construction of Terminal 2, recognised globally as one of the finest airport terminals in the world. He personally drove the creation of over 5,000 works of Indian art displayed throughout the terminal, and established the Jaya He GVK New Museum - the world's first dedicated art museum inside any airport. The airport won the world's best airport award for four consecutive years under his leadership. He also served as Managing Director of Bengaluru International Airport (2008–2017), where he designed the world's first garden terminal. He is currently involved in the development of Navi Mumbai International Airport.

Career: Aragen Life Sciences, Excelra, and Reddy Ventures

In 2001, G.V. Sanjay Reddy founded GVK Biosciences, now Aragen Life Sciences, one of Asia's largest pharmaceutical contract research and development organisations, employing over 2,500 scientists and serving 15 of the world's top 20 pharmaceutical companies. In 2016, he launched Excelra Knowledge Solutions, a global biopharma data and analytics company leveraging AI and machine learning, serving 90+ customers including top 20 global pharma firms. As Chairman of Reddy Ventures, he has built a portfolio of 25+ global startup investments with five unicorn outcomes: Cred, Upstox, Hive, Chipper Cash, and Genies.

GVK EMRI - World's Largest Ambulance Service

G.V. Sanjay Reddy serves as Vice Chairman of GVK EMRI, the Emergency Management and Research Institute and the world's largest public-private partnership ambulance service. GVK EMRI operates the 108 Emergency Response Service across 15 Indian states and 2 Union Territories, running 15,000 ambulances staffed by approximately 60,000 trained emergency personnel. The service is provided entirely free of charge to over 850 million people. Since its inception, GVK EMRI has saved more than five million lives, making it one of the most significant humanitarian achievements in Indian civil society.

Personal Life - Marathons, Art, and Philanthropy

G.V. Sanjay Reddy is a dedicated marathon runner who has completed four of the six World Marathon Majors: Berlin (September 2017), London (April 2018), New York (November 2018), and Boston (April 2019), beginning his marathon journey with eight half-marathons in India in 2015. He is an avid golfer, a passionate collector of Indian art including a rare 17th-century Mughal miniature, and an adventure sports enthusiast. Together with his wife Pinky Reddy, he runs the Pinky and Sanjay Reddy Foundation focused on women's empowerment and access to education and healthcare. He is a Board Trustee of the Jagdish and Kamala Mittal Museum of Indian Art and a member of the Young Presidents' Organisation.

Awards & Recognition

• WEF Young Global Leader - World Economic Forum, Geneva (2007) - one of only 25 Indians selected globally
• Outstanding Industrial Engineering Alumnus Award - Purdue University (2021)
• Commencement Speaker - University of Michigan, Ross School of Business (2015)
• Commencement Speaker - Purdue University (2016)
• Game Changer Award for Travel, Tourism & Hospitality - India Travel Awards (2015)
• Conde Nast India Traveller Excellence Award (2014) - for Terminal 2, Mumbai Airport
• Forbes India Art Award (2014) - for Terminal 2 art programme and Jaya He Museum
• Emerging Business Leader of the Year - AIMA Managing India Awards (2010)
• Business Achiever: Infrastructure Company of the Year - India Leadership Conclave (2009)