Reji Kumar Pillai

Reji is the President of India Smart Grid Forum (www.indiasmartgrid.org) and an internationally renowned expert with over three decades of experience in the electricity sector in diverse functions covering the entire value chain and across continents.

Reji has studied Engineering, Finance, Management and Law; worked with NTPC and IBM and been a senior consultant with ADB, World Bank and USAID. A recognized thought leader in smart grid technologies

He is spearheading a mission to leverage technology to transform the electric grid in India and light every home at affordable cost through sustainable developmental models. Reji played the pivotal role in formulation of the Smart Grid Vision & Roadmap for India (August 2013) and the launch of a National Smart Grid Mission (March 2015) by Government of India, issue of Model Smart Grid Regulations (June 2015) by Forum of Regulators; and issue of Standards for Smart Meters (IS 16444-2015 in August 2015) by Bureau of Indian Standards. He is presently advocating for a “Right to Electricity Act” that will ensure lifeline supply of electricity to all households in the country. His current areas of research include: leveraging smart grid assets as anchor infrastructure for building smarter cities at marginal cost, development of Smart City Maturity Model, demonstration of smart microgrids that can participate in demand response market; and appropriate electric vehicle infrastructure solutions for India.

As an entrepreneur, Reji has built successful enterprises in India and overseas and exited them. Presently, he is the Founder and Managing Director of Magnetar Venture, an India focused cleantech fund to foster innovation in clean technologies with a vision to build globally successful enterprises out of India in the emerging cleantech revolution.

Reji is a popular key-note speaker at international symposiums and conferences on smart grids and smart cities. He has also contributed to several articles and books.