After a long association of over six years with the GMR Hyderabad International Airport as chief executive officer (CEO), Pradeep Panicker has now been appointed CEO, Delhi International Airport.
A chartered accountant, Panicker went on to study Merchant Banking and Financial Services at the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India in 1998.
In the initial years of his career, he served as production-in-charge at GD Chemicals and Cosmetics, his family business, for over three years before working for Lawrence & Mayo Opticals as part-time accountant from 1989 to 1992. He did his articleship with Price Waterhouse for four years before joining IDBI Bank as manager in July of 1993.
As manager project finance, he was responsible for project appraisal, legal documentation, post disbursal monitoring of project progress and recovery of project debt at IDBI for over five years, working out of Mumbai.
August of 1998 saw him relocating to Chennai to take up the role of senior manager, L&T Finance.
From December 2000 to June 2003 he served as general manager-Feedback Ventures where he was also involved in project advisory work.
Mumbai SEZ Development Company roped him in for vice president and head of Bid Team in July of 2003.
It was in May of 2004 that his long association with GMR began. He started off as general manager, Greater Hyderabad Area. Over a year and a half later, he was promoted to associate vice president and head-Delhi International Airport (DIAL). During his two and a half-year long stint in this role, he set up the first Strategic Process Group (SPG) in GMR at DIAL.
June of 2008 saw him being elevated to vice president and deputy chief commercial officer-Delhi Airport. Two years later came another promotion which made him chief commercial officer – Aero. Four years and nine months into this role, he was made EVP and CCO (Aero & Property Development)-Delhi Airport. During the period 2015 to 2017, he helped develop acres of land as Hospitality District. He successfully oversaw the Aero Commercial Business of the Delhi Airport, which includes airline marketing, air cargo, aero-related business, as well as land and space at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi. January of 2018 saw him take on the position of deputy CEO, GMR Hyderabad International Airport.
In June of 2020, he was elevated to CEO, GMR Hyderabad International Airport.
HRKatha congratulates Pradeep Panicker on his latest assignment and wishes him all the luck as CEO of DIAL!