PESB recommends Ajit Kumar Panda for CMD post at CONCOR

New Delhi: The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has recommended the name of Ajit Kumar Panda for the post of Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR), a Schedule ‘A’ public sector enterprise.

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According to the minutes of PESB Meeting No. 30/2026 held on April 18, Panda, who is currently serving as Director (Project & Services) at CONCOR, has been selected for the top post following a selection meeting involving multiple candidates.

A total of eight candidates were interviewed for the position, including senior officials from CONCOR, RITES Limited, the Indian Railways, and other government organisations.

Other candidates in the fray included Harish Chandra, Principal Executive Director (Finance), Company Secretary and CFO at CONCOR; Dr Alok Badkul, Executive Director (Cold Chain Air Cargo) and CEO of FHEL at CONCOR; Ghalib Ahmed Jillani, Executive Director (Quality Assurance) at RITES; and senior officials from the Railways and various government departments.

The final appointment will be subject to approval by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).

Panda is a seasoned railway professional with over three decades of experience in the Indian Railways and associated organisations. A 1990-batch officer of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME), he holds a BE (Hons.) in Mechanical Engineering from National Institute of Technology Rourkela and an M.Tech in Thermal Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.

Over the course of his career, Panda has built extensive expertise across railway operations, production, infrastructure development, rolling stock management and public-private partnerships. He has held several key positions, including Executive Director (Mechanical Engineering and Project Planning & Development) at Rail Vikas Nigam Limited and Director (Production Units, Efficiency & Research) at the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board). He also served as Chief Workshop Manager at East Coast Railway, Mancheswar, and held multiple roles in South Eastern Railway.

Panda has contributed significantly to infrastructure development and project execution, particularly during his tenure at RVNL, where he led the fast-track turnkey establishment of modern factories and depots through composite contracts. At the Railway Board, he played a key role in advancing rolling stock modernisation, including the transition to high horsepower locomotives and LHB coaches, while coordinating record production levels of locomotives, coaches and wagons.

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He has also served as a Director on the boards of several special purpose vehicle (SPV) companies, including Haridaspur Paradip Railway Company Limited, Angul Sukinda Railway Limited, Kutch Railway Company Limited and Krishnapatnam Railway Company Limited.

Known for his leadership in organisational transformation, Panda implemented key reforms at the Mancheswar Workshop to enhance efficiency and performance. In recognition of his contributions, he is a two-time recipient of the Railway Minister’s National Award for Outstanding Service.

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