Go Back

Scaling New Heights

In Focus
NAME:Ravindra Kumar VJ
COMPANY:Aurobindo Realty
POSITION:CEO
LOCATION:Hyderabad, India
As the CEO of Aurobindo Realty, Ravindra Kumar VJ has pioneered a radical change in the use of technology in construction. Luckily, since his promoter group is equally interested in new know-how, he is all set to take Hyderabad’s real estate to new heights.

One of the founding employees of Aurobindo Realty since 2017, CEO Ravindra Kumar admits that the ride to the top has been a great one, and he hopes to scale greater heights soon.

“I started this vertical climb from scratch and created the organization as well as the roadmap for the business at the same time,” he tells The CEO Magazine.

In the span of five years since its inception, Aurobindo Realty has made a mark in Hyderabad’s real estate scene, not just with its projects, but also with its passion for modernization, a trait that the company shares with the city it calls home.

Technology has always been a part of Aurobindo Realty’s operational strategy, and Kumar VJ says the use of new automation techniques has contributed immensely to the growth of the new company.

New Beginnings

Aurobindo Realty was launched by the second generation of the original promoter group, Aurobindo Pharma. “When I started my initial discussions with the promoter of this group, the vision was just to build this organization to a decent size,” Kumar VJ reveals. “Today, we are looking forward to being one of the top real estate businesses in the southern part of the country.”


“In Aurobindo’s commercial building, the challenge was to accommodate approximately 1,800 cars within plot limitations. Wohr has successfully accommodated eight parking levels in four basements using Combilift 551. Working with Aurobindo was a great learning experience and a proud achievement.” – Sondeep Kulkarni, Vice President – Sales, Wohr Parking Systems

Advertisement

Aurobindo Realty’s first venture was a commercial high-rise called Galaxy to be built at HITEC City in Hyderabad. “Instead of going the conventional way of construction, we thought of taking the lines of prefab construction,” Kumar VJ explains.

He studied the Indian market for companies that had employed precast technology. “Eventually, we set up a prefab facility of our own on the outskirts of Hyderabad and bought the required machinery from a Finland-based group called Elematic, a pioneer in precast manufacturing equipment.”

This prefabricated plant was set up in just five months and it now has the distinction of being the biggest of its kind in India. “Today, Galaxy is the tallest prefab building in India with a height of 107 meters,” he proudly declares.

Following Galaxy, Aurobindo Realty launched another commercial project called Orbit, which also employed prefabricated construction techniques. This was followed by a grand residential project of about 334,000 square meters. “The commencement of this project was during the peak of the COVID-19 wave in May 2020,” he adds. “Fortunately for us, we did phenomenal sales on this project.”

“Today, I’m in a position where the size and scale doesn’t scare me.”

Aurobindo Realty also grew from a strength of 15 employees to over 800 employees to work on these projects. “In a nutshell, today we are executing around three million meters of saleable space across residential and commercial segments.”

Kumar VJ’s experience in the construction industry has been a major factor for the success of his work at Aurobindo Realty. He has worked on several projects that involved constructing towers throughout India. In his own words: “Today, I’m in a position where the size and scale doesn’t scare me. If people talk about a 55-storey building in Hyderabad, I would’ve done a 70-storey tower in Bombay; so, I can match to that standard and skills.”

This confidence is also reflected in Kumar VJ’s plans for the company’s future. “In the next three to five years, we plan to be number one in Hyderabad’s real estate industry, and we have the plan and scale to reach those levels.”

Cementing Success

While Kumar VJ acknowledges that market conditions play a significant role in determining the success of a real estate business, he feels he can be cautiously optimistic in his plans as long as the market situation is at least reasonably favorable. To ensure success, Kumar VJ believes that businesses should consider where they are focusing their attention.

“My entire business process is customer-centric. That is one of the core values of our organization,” he says.


“It is our pleasure to work with Aurobindo Reality, which is a dynamic group of highly qualified professionals with extensive experience in real estate development and construction. MFE Formwork Technology is proud to be its preferred aluminium formwork solutions provider.” – Pat Gorham, COO, MFE Group of Companies

Advertisement

Technology is another crucial factor that has taken Aurobindo Realty to the level it is today, according to Kumar VJ. “I always believe in technology,” he explains. “I’d like to be ahead of the race only by virtue of technology.”

While prefabricated construction is just one example of innovation in real estate, Kumar VJ lists out several more ways in which his projects are futuristic.

“If you come to our Galaxy Towers, you will be given a QR code beforehand with a designated CarPlay, a car parking slot, for a duration. With a photo identity card of yourself that you can scan at the entrance, it can give you direct access to the designated floor without the typical Indian way of writing visitor slips and handing them over to visitors.”

“I always believe in technology. I’d like to be ahead of the race only by virtue of technology.”

The commercial buildings of Aurobindo Realty are LEED Gold rated and Kumar VJ has ensured to get the IBGC Green Building Certification for his projects. “We take all measures from the design stage itself to ensure that none of the natural resources get wasted,” he stresses. “Recycling and re-harvesting are an absolute must.”

Kumar VJ firmly believes in building a relationship of trust with his supply partners. He values their contribution to the business and says, “I treat my supply partners as my associates and instil the confidence that they are equal partners in this business. At the end of the day, the equation or the partnership should be on a win–win note.”

Back to top
SPOTLIGHTS ON LEADERS