User:Pawanexh Kohli

Captain Pawanexh Kohli is a business leader, having special interest in cold chain management. His forte lies in managing the people involved and the strategy behind Product life cycle management (marketing) of perishable goods and of the related logistics infrastructure. He was earlier a mariner for 26 years. Amongst others, he was the Master and captain of one of the world's largest refrigerated cross-ocean carriers (reefer ships), including what was the world's largest specialised refrigerated container ship. He started in this profession as a cadet in 1981 and was later Captain of ocean going ships for the final 14+ years.

Besides refrigerated transportation, he has also directed or operated car carriers, oil tankers, container ships, ice-class general cargo carriers, timber carriers and others. His travels in over two decades have taken him to every continent, across every ocean and sea and exposed him extensively to Mother Nature’s glorious beauty and also her unforgiving wrath.

In 2007, he hung up his sea-boots but it is no surprise, that he frequently tends to revert to memories and the powerful experiences of his global travels across oceans & continents. Since then, he has headed corporate business lines involving farm to market models, through innovation and low carbon footprint utilities, primarily focused on cold-chain (storage and transportation). He has also been consultant to new projects, ranging on other diverse topics like water treatment, alternate power generation and it's sustainable application in the rural context.

He has driven an innovative project which brought technology to the common street vendor - vegetable street hawker, bringing the cold chain through thermal storage cells to this last segment of the fresh produce value chain. This project closed the cold chain loop, bringing simple solutions to the first mile farmer as well as the last mile vendor. He also directed a large team for developing agribusiness infrastructure and was the innovation head for new technology application. Developing an India-centric farm to fork model, sustainable and suitable to the prevalent backdrop has been a focus.

A strong passion and affinity for nature (probably a natural result of more than a score years as a mariner), he avidly seeks green and clean technologies to apply in the conventional arena. A great trouble shooter and innovator, he is typically acclaimed for blue-sky thinking and out of the box strategic initiatives.

Capt. Kohli next founded CrossTree techno-visors, and is a business advisor to projects and companies involving cold-chain infrastructure, logistics, perishables handling and shipping. His primary focus stays upon strategic deployment, optimal use of equipment and resources and lowering operating energy costs and in reducing the carbon footprint of facilities and services. The applications are towards optimising and in extending the Shelf life of produce. He also is an avid propounder of Cold Ironing of merchant ships to reduce debilitating air emissions whilst they are tied alongside in ports.

Among others, the Asian Development Bank also resourced him as a specialist advisor for designing the cold chain for one of their investment programmes for the Govt. of India. He is associated with non-profit organisations involved in rationalising the agri-supply chain in India, Urban Poverty Alleviation through sustainable programs, assisting and guiding school children with Dyslexia and with those focused on a sustainable human environment. He is also on the academic advisory board of a logistics and aviation management institute and is advisor to Advit Foundation which focuses on environment conservation, livelihood enhancement and sustainable development. He is also a long term supporter & mentor to the Kaushalya Foundation which has won recognition as a social enterprise among various other accolades.

Besides his thought leadership & advisory roles, for a short while Capt. Kohli contributed as the prime mover for the integration of one of the largest logistics & supply chain companies in India, occupied in developing solutions to drive a pan-national footprint of India's first set of Free Trade Zones. In December 2010 he was acknowledged in his individual capacity, as the "Cold Chain Personality of the Year" by an expert panel from KPMG at a summit hosted by KPMG-Supply Chain Leadership Council. The award was in appreciation for individual contributions to the industry and for aligning focus on the socio-economic fabric in India. In 2012 he was applauded with the "Exemplary Thought Leadership Award" by the ICE Centre of Excellence in India. He was a councilor at CII Logistics Advisory Council and External Advisor with various organisations. He is assisting the Govt. of India incubate the National Centre for Cold-chain Development (NCCD) as their founding Chief Advisor. He further serves as Chairman of its national Committee on Supply Chain & Logistics, the first such committee set up with focus on supply chain by the government. He continues to pursue to impact the cold chain and supply chain sector in India through other functions on a national level and is a speaker at various international forums. .