About
About Akhilesh Srivastava
IIT gold medallist, technocrat and global technology leader who led India’s FASTag rollout and today drives the country’s intelligent transport and road safety agenda as President of ITS India Forum.
30+ Years
Infrastructure, highways & IT leadership
IIT Gold Medallist
B.Tech (IIT), MBA (ISB), Wharton & Kellogg
FASTag
Led India’s electronic toll collection rollout
ITS India Forum
President, driving intelligent transport in India
Profile
Biography
Akhilesh Srivastava is a globally renowned technology leader, an eloquent speaker, and a bestselling author. Member and Advisor of top International and National organizations, he is passionate about technology and enjoys innovating & implementing large-scale IT-enabled Solutions to solve citizens’ critical problems.
He successfully led the implementation of many flagship e-governance projects like FASTag (electronic toll collection system of India), e-Tendering Portal (Central Public Procurement Portal used by almost all Central, State governments, and PSUs for procurements), e-Measuring Book (for transparent measurement and recording of projects), citizen-centric highway information Mobile Apps, Geo-Fencing of highways and AI-powered NHAI Data Lake.
After the implementation of FASTag (electronic toll collection system of India), he took voluntary retirement from the government and is currently wearing many hats as a Member and Advisor of top International and National organizations.
An IIT gold medallist, he has done MBA in IT, Global MBA from ISB, and management courses from Wharton & Kellogg Business Schools. He is currently pursuing a part-time Ph.D. from IIT Delhi and an online course in AI from Stanford USA.
Akhilesh Srivastava is the Road Safety Ambassador at the International Road Federation (IC), honorary Chairman of Bitumen India Forum and External Advisor to McKinsey & Co among many other portfolios he holds. His next-generation technology-driven Road Safety 2.0 initiative led by the World Economic Forum gave a new dimension to the Future of Road Safety in India with a new vision and human-centric road approach, where technology compensates for human and Infra limitations to improve road safety.
He is also an IT Advisor to the ITDA, Uttarakhand, and started pilots of Web-2 and Web-3 like Blockchain and AI, driven e-governance programs in Uttarakhand. UK citizen’s e-service portal Apuni Sarkar was adjudged one of the 75 best citizen-centric services by the government of India. In the final stage of development, Uttarakhand Data Lake will transform the conventional governance model and be a role model for the nation.
An IIT gold medallist, he has done MBA in IT, Global MBA from ISB, and management courses from Wharton & Kellogg Business Schools. He is currently pursuing a part-time Ph.D. from IIT Delhi and an online course in AI from Stanford USA.
Before this, Mr. Akhilesh Srivastava was Chief General Manager at NHAI, (National Highway Authority of India), responsible for the construction, operation & maintenance of national highways and expressways in India. He held many crucial portfolios of NHAI, Commercial Operations and Highway operations apart from IT. During his tenure at NHAI, he introduced many digital technologies in the highway sector like Drones, LiDAR, GIS, Project Management Systems etc.
He also held top management positions in NHAI-led companies as a Board Member, COO in IHMCL and CEO of NHAI InvIT Co. He brought a unique synthesis of government & corporate working cultures to improve operational efficiencies. An eloquent speaker and prolific writer, he loves to share his experience and knowledge through seminars, talks, books, articles and talks in various forums and workshops.
Mr. Akhilesh Srivastava authored the best-selling book- ‘ Digital Construction Management, which led to the introduction of digital construction teachings & online courses.
He authored two more books, “Artificial Intelligence in Infrastructure Development” and “Construction Industry 2.0”. The book “Construction Industry 2.0” talks about the nextgen construction industry and was recently launched by Royal Family Dubai at a global conference in Dubai on 26 February 2022.
Recognition
Awards & Recognitions
Honours received for leadership in digital technology, highways and project management.
51 Global Leaders on Digital Technology
Honoured by a UN agency in a global survey, 2019
Vishwakarma Award
Lifetime Achievement Award by CIDC
Golden Globe Award
World Geospatial Forum, for geofencing of national highways
Indian Road Congress Recognition
For drafting the policy paper on ITS
Eminent Engineers of India Award
Engineering Council of India, 2021
Man of Excellence Award 2022
Indian Achievers Forum
A-Level Certificate
IPMA, for large-scale project management
Many More Commendations
Earned across a long and illustrious career
What He Does
Domain Expertise
Three decades of hands-on leadership across infrastructure, technology and transport policy.
Project & Infrastructure Management
A civil engineer from IIT with over 30 years of experience executing infrastructure projects. Contract management, time and cost optimisation, estimates and bidding are key strengths.
IT Transformation & Automation
Executed many IT-driven projects for the Government of India and automated the highway sector and NHAI, using IoT and AI to improve operational efficiency at low cost.
Commercial Operations
Management studies at top global institutions shaped his financial and commercial approach. At NHAI these skills substantially increased toll revenue, and he developed an AI-based formula to estimate potential revenue of infrastructure projects.
ITS & Innovative Tolling
Extensive work in intelligent transport systems and tolling. Drafted the ITS policy for NITI Aayog and ran pilots for GPS-based and Multi-Lane Free Flow tolling technologies.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Akhilesh Srivastava?
Akhilesh Srivastava is a technocrat and global technology leader. He is President of ITS India Forum, honorary Chairman of Bitumen India Forum, Road Safety Ambassador at the International Road Federation and External Advisor to McKinsey & Co. Earlier he served as Chief General Manager at NHAI, COO of IHMCL and CEO of NHAI InvIT.
What is Akhilesh Srivastava known for?
He led flagship e-governance projects such as FASTag (India’s electronic toll collection system), the Central Public Procurement (e-Tendering) Portal, e-Measuring Book, citizen-centric highway apps, geofencing of national highways and the AI-powered NHAI Data Lake.
Which books has Akhilesh Srivastava written?
He is the author of Digital Construction Management, Construction Industry 2.0, Artificial Intelligence in Infrastructure Development, Building Beyond Infra and A Dream of Billions: Road Safety 2.0. See the Publications page.
What is Road Safety 2.0?
Road Safety 2.0 is a next-generation, technology-driven road safety initiative led with the World Economic Forum. It follows a human-centric approach in which technology compensates for human and infrastructure limitations to make Indian roads safer.
What is his educational background?
An IIT gold medallist, he holds an MBA in IT and a Global MBA from ISB, has completed management programmes at Wharton and Kellogg, and is pursuing a part-time Ph.D. at IIT Delhi along with an online AI course from Stanford.
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