Sabyasachi Hajara, previously Chief Executive of India’s largest and most diversified shipping company, Shipping Corporation of India, joined the Board of Apeejay Shipping Limited as an Independent Director in February 2015. In the seven years that Mr Hajara served in SCI from 2005 – 2012 , he took its total fleet to 78 ships of about 6 Million DWT , the turnover to about Rs.4500 crore and gross asset value of Rs. 13334 crore. Mr Hajara is the only person in the Indian shipping industry, in independent India, to have held the most important post of the President of Indian National Shipowners Association (INSA) for 5 years in a row. An influential figure in the shipping industry globally, Mr Hajara is not only the sole Indian who has been featured among the top 100 influential personalities in the global shipping industry in 2010 by two reputed industry journals -TradeWinds and Lloyd's List, he was also the Director and Vice President of the International Shipping Federation, the most important ship owners’ forum in the world which represents the ship owning fraternity in ILO, IMO and other UN bodies.

An alumnus of IIM Calcutta and Norwegian Shipping Academy, Mr Hajara’s professional career is dotted with accolades and awards. At the India Shipping Summit 2007, he was conferred the “Innovator Of The Year” award. In 2008 he was conferred the “Business Leader of the Year Award – for Shipping” by Shipping & Marine 2008 supported by Chemtech Foundation. In 2011 at the Middle East & Indian Subcontinent Awards he was conferred Seatrade Outstanding Achievement Award. In the same year he received Distinguished Alumnus Award from his Alma Mater, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta making him one of the first recipients of this award. In 2012 at the Sailors Today Award ceremony he was conferred with the prestigious Life-Time Achievement award for his outstanding contributions to the Shipping Industry for last four decades. In the same year at the 3rd All India Maritime and Logistics Awards, he was conferred the Global Indian & Maritime Personality of the Year and was also conferred Life time Achievement Award by Lloyd’s list. He is one of the very few non seafaring persons in India to be honoured with an Honorary fellowship/ honorary membership by the Institute of Marine Engineers and the Company of Master Mariners.

Mr Hajara currently serves as an Independent Director on the Boards of several companies including Adani Petronet Port Project Limited; TM International Logistics Ltd (A Tata Steel subsidiary); ICL Shipping, Dubai, Dharti Dredging and infrastructure Limited and Tata Robins Fraser Limited. He is the Chief Advisor of Doehle Danautic India Private Limited; an Independent Member of the Board of L&T Shipbuilding I/C; member of the Board of Governors of IIM, Shillong; member of Managing Committee of Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry and is Chairman & Independent Director of Dolphin Offshore Shipping Limited. He has been the Chairman of CII National Committee on Shipping for 8 years, the Chairman of Indian National Committee American Bureau of Shipping and was the only elected Indian Emeritus member to the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, UK.