G. V. K. Reddy

G. V. K. Reddy
G. V. K. Reddy at Horasis Global India Business Meeting, 2010.
Born
Gunupati Venkata Krishna Reddy

(1937-03-22) 22 March 1937 (age 87)
Kothur, Madras Presidency, British India
NationalityIndian
Occupation(s)Founder, Chairman & MD of GVK Group
SpouseIndira Reddy
ChildrenShalini Bhupal, G. V. Sanjay Reddy
AwardsPadma Bhushan (2010)
Websitegvkrishnareddy.com

Gunupati Venkata Krishna Reddy (born 22 March 1937) is a philanthropist and entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of the GVK Group, a business conglomerate with a predominant focus on infrastructure development.[1]

Reddy also heads GVK EMRI, the corporate social responsibility initiatives of the GVK Group.[2] This is an emergency response services provider under a Public-Private Partnership model spread across 15 states and two Union Territories of India. In 2009, he was elected as the Chairman of 108 Ambulance for Andhra Pradesh.[3]

As the President of the All India Senior Tennis Association and a tennis player himself,[4] Reddy has been a keen supporter of budding sporting talent. He has led the GVK Group to sponsor many young tennis players including Sania Mirza and Pranjala Yadlapalli.[5]

Early life and education

G. V. K. Reddy was born on 22 March 1937 in Kothur Village of Nellore District in Andhra Pradesh.[6] Reddy did his basic schooling from his village, early college from Nellore and graduated from Hyderabad.  He later completed the Owner/President Management (OPM) Program from Harvard Business School, USA.[7] GV Krishna Reddy is married to Indira Reddy, and has a daughter, Shalini Bhupal, and a son GV Sanjay Reddy.

Career

Reddy began his career at the age of 21 by taking over his family construction business.[8] The starting business was contracting major irrigation projects including bridges, dams, and irrigation canals. His first project included construction of a canal and under the tunnel at Nagarjuna Sagar Right Canal at Adigoppula and Chamarajapuram.[9] Apart from airports, roads, and power, the GVK Group has a presence in the hospitality and life sciences sectors.

One of the milestone achievements for Reddy was winning the Jegurupadu Combined Cycle Power Plant in Andhra Pradesh for GVK Group in 1990. This helped the business scale up, form international collaborations and win national recognition in its upcoming projects. Before the Jegurupadu Power Plant, he had also led to group to hospitality projects in Hyderabad.[10]

Philanthropy

The philanthropic focus of Reddy is driven by the GVK Foundation which formed to serve the underprivileged. The various endeavors of this foundation now extends to urban improvement initiatives and promoting sports talent.[11]

Under his leadership, the GVK Group has focused on environment preservation with the setting up of Deer Park which is spread over 6 hectares at the Jegurupada Power Plant and Botanical Gardens in Mumbai. The group has also adapted environment friendly practices in its constructed plants such as Jegurupada Power Plant, Goindwal Sahib Thermal Power Project, Punjab and waste management in airports.

GVK-EMRI's hospital offered free covid treatment after becoming operational on 7 June 2021.[12] GVK Reddy contributed Rs 1 crore for the construction of Ram Mandir.[13]

Awards and honours

  • Felicitated by the Turf Authorities of India (TAI) for the lead role played by GVK in India's infrastructure development at the TAI Awards 2019.[14]
  • ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the ‘Realty Plus Conclave & Excellence Awards- South 2017’.
  • “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the Construction Times Annual Awards, 2017.
  • “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the Construction Week India Annual Awards, 2017.
  • “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the 6th EPC World Awards, 2017 for a contribution toward infrastructure and construction sectors.     
  • 'Padma Bhushan' award in 2011 by then President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.[15]
  • 'Entrepreneur of the year' at ET Awards in 2008–09.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ "GVK | About Us - Board of Directors". www.gvk.com. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  2. ^ "GVK takes over EMRI management | M&A Critique". 3 April 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  3. ^ "G.V.K. Reddy elected chairman of '108 ambulance'". Deccan Herald. 27 May 2009. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Advantage GVK". Business Today.
  5. ^ "GVK to sponsor Kirti, Pranjala". The Hindu. 28 February 2013. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  6. ^ Kumar, V. Rishi (31 January 2014). "The builder of all things". @businessline. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Who is GV Krishna Reddy? A story of an illustrious business career and active social action". The Citizen. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Cover story terrific take off". Corporate Citizen. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  9. ^ "'Face Challenges, Work Hard'". Business Today. 23 December 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  10. ^ "Reddy for more challenges". Business Today.
  11. ^ "GVK Reddy on the motivation behind his charitable causes". Femina.
  12. ^ Staff Reporter (7 June 2021). "Free COVID treatment at GVK-EMRI's hospital". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  13. ^ "GV Krishna Reddy contributes Rs. 1 crore for Ram Mandir construction". India CSR Network. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  14. ^ "TAI breaks tradition, recognizes social feats". MumbaiMirror. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  15. ^ Sunderarajan, P. (25 March 2011). "President presents first set of Padma awards". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  16. ^ "ET Awards 2008-09: Entrepreneur of the Year: GV Krishna Reddy". The Economic Times. Retrieved 14 October 2021.