Mr. Gokul Dafale is Executive Vice President Crop Protection Solutions), at Biostadt India Limited. He has over 30 years of experience in agro-chemical input marketing in the Indian as well as International markets.
At Biostadt India Limited, Mr. Dafale has designed and executed multiple innovative marketing strategies for the flagship brand Biozyme, establishing it as a leading brand in the biostimulants segment. He plays an instrumental role in developing cost effective and novel technologies for Indian farmers, through alliances with reputed Japanese and Korean companies. His dynamic leadership and strong organisational skills led him to build a passionate team & sustainable business for the past 25 years.
He has been instrumental in introducing an education scholarship program called the Biostadt Astha Scholarship, which has recently been rebranded as the Biozyme Pragati Scholarship. This magnanimous endeavour distributes scholarships to the most deserving children of farmers throughout India.
His career began with leading agrochemical giant Bayer India Ltd., after which he joined Wockhardt Limited – an emerging organisation in the agro-chemical sector at the time. His journey evolved over multiple roles from the early days at Wockhardt and later moving on to Biostadt India Ltd.
Mr. Dafale has a Master’s degree in Agriculture Science from the Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli, Maharashtra. He holds an additional Master’s in Marketing Management from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Mumbai. He has also acquired multiple accolades and executive training certificates from IIM – Ahmedabad, COD – Hyderabad and other reputed institutes.
Mr. Dafale leads a healthy lifestyle and enjoys running marathons.
Rama joined Biostadt India Limited in 2014 and is currently General Manager of Biostadt Aquaculture. His core responsibilities lie with R&D, Product development, Sales & Marketing and in providing crucial inputs towards the International business.
Over the past 21 years Rama has held different managerial and executive roles in the Aquaculture Industry covering the complete segments of Aquaculture Feed (Shrimp and Fish), Aquaculture Health Care Spectrum, the Aquaculture production systems, Solution consultancy, Research & Development, Hatchery, Sales and Marketing. Prior to joining Biostadt, Rama was with The Charoen Pokphand Foods India Limited (CPF Group) for 15 years encompassing an illustrious career that progressed across various levels.
A Masters in Fisheries Science (M.F.Sc), from the Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, Rama has also pursued an Executive Program in Sales and Marketing from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow in 2021.
Mr. Nitiin Sonar is Chief Operating Officer – Manufacturing and Operations at Biostadt India Limited. With over 28 years of core industry experience he has been instrumental in the seamless and smooth functioning of multiple processes at Biostadt India Limited.
Since joining the company in 2003, Nitiin’s roles and responsibilities have spread over the entire gamut of the supply chain, operations and various projects. He heads all the factories and warehouses of the company and its group divisions namely, Nandi Seeds Pvt. Ltd., InGene Organics Pvt. Ltd., Aqua Culture Solutions and Corp Care Division. Nitiin also supervises the imports and purchase of raw materials, packaging and vendor development, etc. His significant leadership and managerial skills also allow him to oversee transportation and warehousing logistics, develop new business and enhance B2B sales.
Prior to working at Biostadt India Limited, Nitiin worked at Monsanto India Ltd., for five years where his role was to manage the purchase and supply chain departments. He also spent three years at Reliance Industries Ltd in the warehousing department.
Nitiin has a graduate degree in Physics and a Master’s in Business Administration from the North Maharashtra University.
In his spare time, he enjoys travelling and photography.
Mr. Ravi Oduvarangappa Rudrappa is currently Senior General Manager – Business Excellence and Analytics at Biostadt India Limited. Since joining Biostadt in 2006 as a Business Development Manager, he has made immense contribution in developing the B2B business and has lead multiple Market Research projects. His analytical mind has helped him craft various business policies and processes and many successful projects that focus on the continuous improvement of business across Marketing, Sales, Customer Support, Production and SCM have been implemented under his astute leadership.
His methodical and crucial analytical skills have enhanced business performance review systems and incentive programs that drive the businesses in line with the corporate strategy and company’s ultimate goals. He comes with a growth mind-set and has shouldered many new initiatives to grow the business.
Ravi has also played a pivotal role in digitizing many processes and systems that have heightened our company’s visibility. Amongst others, he has implemented various cutting edge analytical tools that have brought significant and relevant insights over the table for better decision making. He has also conducted risk analysis for various capital investment projects and budgeting activities. Over this journey, Ravi has grown into being a seasoned business leader in the field of Business Development, Market Research, Marketing, Sales, Business Strategy, Supply Chain, Analytics, Customer Experience, E-Commerce and Digitization.
A well-seasoned professional with over 22 years of expertise, Ravi has held various strategic roles working with CEOs and CMDs in Business Consulting, Logistics, Supply chain and Specialty Chemicals industry.
Ravi is a graduate in Industrial Engineering and Post-Graduate in Marketing and Systems. He completed his Post-Graduate certification programs in Strategic Management from IIM Calcutta and Advance Analytics & Business Intelligence from IIM Bangalore.
In his spare time, he likes to travel and play chess.
Mr. Santosh Balkrishna Margi is General Manager – Information Technology, at Biostadt India Ltd. Under his meticulous leadership, the company’s systems have been transformed to operate seamlessly. His inclusions and implementation of programs such as G-suite, HRIS, QR code, etc., have enabled Biostadt India to champion a more efficient and uniform system for its employees across the multiple offices, factories and manufacturing facilities.
With over 25 years of experience in the areas of Program Management, SAP IT Consulting and Enterprise Software Designing, Santosh is a competent SAP & IT Project Management professional handling the company’s critical SAP IT operations. He is also responsible for SAP Development and Implementation with his domain experience in FI, CO, SD, MM, PP, QM and HR.
Prior to joining Biostadt India Ltd. in 2019, he was associated with Adroit Infotech for approximately two years while working on VFS Global. While at AITS Infotech as a Senior Project Manager, he managed Schwing Stetter India’s SAP Implementation. Santosh was also instrumental in setting up the IT systems and processes while working at Metropolis Healthcare for approximately five years.
Santosh combines a result driven attitude with his attention to detail and effective communication skills to identify opportunities and deliver satisfactory outcomes whilst leading a larger team. His astute Project Management experience and consulting exposure in the analysis of business requirements, system design and improvements, business process mapping and team management has enabled him to successfully manage projects with over 3.8 Cr investments and 300+ SAP users across different verticals such as Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Chemicals, Engineering & Consulting industries.
Santosh holds dual Post Graduate Diploma’s in Project Management (IT) from the Welingkar’s Institute of Management and a Management Studies & Business Administration diploma from the University of Mumbai. He also has a Bachelor’s of Commerce Degree specialising in Accounting & Finance from the University of Mumbai.
When at leisure, Santosh enjoys travelling with his family and the occasional games of chess and cricket.
With over 30 years of cross-cultural experience in the agriculture sector, Mr. Singh is a performance driven professional proficient in optimizing revenue through Sales & Business Development in the domestic market and abroad. He has been honoured with a number of awards and accolades. Since joining Biostadt in 2006 and under his successful leadership, the unit has been awarded for business excellence multiple times and garnered high appreciation from the company Chairman for surpassing set targets.
Mr. Singh began his career in 1991 with Bayer Crop Science where he started out in front-line sales. His remarkable and performance driven attitude helped him achieve the business goals for the assigned territory within no time. He was also responsible for introducing a new generation of pesticides to the market. He then moved to Monsanto in 1996, where he managed the pesticides and seeds business including their hybrid seeds business of cotton, corn, flour and hybrid rice. He was part of the global BOLLGARD team (GM seeds) which was introduced to the Indian market in 2001. He also earned an additional role as a certified in-house trainer, which accelerated his own learning curve and proved immensely gratifying. In 2003, he joined FMC where his exposure to the B2B business added a niche to his overall expertise.
With his constant perseverance and goal-oriented vision, Mr. Singh cultivates, and maintains long term business relationships. He has an excellent aptitude and is a highly capable frontrunner in scaling and directing business while also consistently tracking product development. This process ensures a steady increase in efficiency among his teams thereby showcasing desired results year on year. He enhances and drives change across the organizational boundaries, formulates new processes and supports an environment of continuous improvement.
Mr. Singh holds a Post-Graduate degree in Entomology from the esteemed GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar in Uttrakhand. He graduated from Meerut University with a Bachelor’s degree in Science and has also completed course in Agri-input Marketing from IIM-A.
When at leisure, he indulges in his passions for reading, music, sports and movies.
