Gemstar Infra India Pvt. Ltd. has appointed N K Panda as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), marking a strategic leadership move as the company continues to strengthen its position in India’s smart metering and infrastructure sector.
Sharing the update on LinkedIn, Panda said, “Glad to begin a new chapter as CEO of Gemstar Infra.”
Speaking about India’s energy landscape, he added, “India’s energy transformation cannot be complete without a fundamental overhaul of the power distribution sector. While generation and transmission are witnessing significant capacity expansion and innovation, the distribution segment — the critical last mile of the energy value chain — holds immense potential for improving efficiency, reliability, and sustainability.”
He further stated, “I am excited to contribute to India’s energy transformation journey, especially in strengthening the critical last-mile distribution ecosystem.”
N K Panda, also known as NK, brings over two decades of leadership experience across infrastructure, power, telecom, civil engineering, and digital transformation sectors. Prior to joining Gemstar Infra, he served as Managing Director – India & Nepal at Maccaferri Environmental Solutions, where he led infrastructure and environmental solutions initiatives across the region.
Earlier, he held senior leadership positions at Sterlite Power Technologies, including Chief Business Acquisition Officer and Business Head – Convergence. During his tenure, he played a key role in acquiring strategic power transmission projects and scaling new business initiatives. He also led the establishment of Sterlite Convergence, focused on delivering reliable B2B data connectivity solutions leveraging power infrastructure assets.
Panda has additionally worked with organizations such as Reliance Jio Infocomm, Telenor, and Reliance Communications, contributing significantly to telecom expansion, business transformation, and digital infrastructure growth in India.
He is passionate about technology, engineering innovation, and sustainable infrastructure development. Panda holds an MBA from FMS, University of Delhi, and a B.E. in Computer Science from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra. He has also completed advanced leadership programs at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Leadership Institute and SJMSOM, IIT Mumbai.
Gemstar Infra is one of India’s fast-growing smart metering infrastructure platforms, focused on Advanced Metering Infrastructure Services (AMISP) under the Government of India’s smart metering initiative. The company is playing a significant role in India’s energy transition through the large-scale deployment and management of smart electricity meters under the RDSS program. Its initiatives are aimed at improving operational efficiency, reducing technical and commercial losses, and strengthening the financial sustainability of power distribution utilities across the country.
