Senior Partner – Transformation — Water And Utilities Business

The mandate

A change in the economics of the sector has made urgent client demand for board-level transformation counsel not currently served at scale within a institutionally backed infrastructure developer and asset operator. The immediate arena is the water and utilities business during a concession renewal cycle. For mandate 315, the successful executive inherits decisions that have been deferred, competing stakeholder expectations and a need to establish facts before committing further capital.

The Senior Partner – Transformation operating perimeter covers approximately ₹19,700 crore in project and operating-asset portfolio, with activity spanning several water and utilities business customer, product and delivery clusters rather than a single asset. The Senior Partner – Transformation Infrastructure remit carries direct influence over roughly 875 colleagues and third-party capacity.

The group board and the relevant risk and people committees want a Senior Partner – Transformation who can convert ambiguity into a short list of explicit choices for the water and utilities business. The Senior Partner – Transformation Infrastructure seat must resolve a concession renewal cycle, while preserving the underlying strengths of the water and utilities business. For mandate 315, value will come through sharper allocation, stronger leaders and an operating cadence that exposes variance early.

The Senior Partner – Transformation’s first year on the water and utilities business is expected to end with trusted board access, signature engagements and a strong partner bench. In mandate 315, authority covers resources and leadership appointments; material trade-offs go directly to the board sponsor.

Why this seat is open

This is a newly created Senior Partner – Transformation — Water And Utilities Business seat approved as part of the next operating model; it is not an incumbent replacement. The board is running a planned 4–6 month search so the appointee can join ahead of the next capital and talent cycle. Current leaders retain their existing accountabilities until the water and utilities business remit is formally activated. Confidentiality protects organisation design choices while the board compares external and adjacent-sector talent.

What you will own

• Set the Senior Partner – Transformation value-creation thesis for the water and utilities business, translate it into no more than five enterprise priorities and stop work that does not support them.
• Carry stewardship of approximately ₹19,700 crore in project and operating-asset portfolio, including allocation, risk acceptance and board forecasts.
• Lead the Senior Partner – Transformation Infrastructure organisation of about 875 employees and partners, appointing a team with clear decision rights and credible succession for every critical seat.
• Resolve the water and utilities business economics and execution constraints created by a concession renewal cycle, with Senior Partner – Transformation-approved owners, dated milestones and transparent escalation thresholds.
• Establish one Senior Partner – Transformation operating review across commercial, customer, financial, people, technology and risk outcomes for the water and utilities business; remove reconciliations that obscure accountability.
• Have originated and led board-sponsored work whose benefits survived beyond the engagement team’s departure in mandate 315.
• Build the Senior Partner – Transformation’s three-year succession and capability plan for the water and utilities business, reducing dependence on individual executives and improving mobility across the wider Infrastructure organisation.

The first 12 months

• Days 1–90: Validate the water and utilities business baseline, meet the 30 stakeholders most consequential to client demand for board-level transformation counsel not currently served at scale, assess the leadership team, stabilise immediate delivery risks and agree a board-owned scorecard with explicit decision gates.
• Months 4–9: Make the principal Senior Partner – Transformation portfolio and organisation choices for the water and utilities business, install the new operating cadence, fill critical leadership gaps and deliver the first measurable release of cash, capacity or customer value.
• Months 10–12: Demonstrate a repeatable water and utilities business trend against trusted board access, signature engagements and a strong partner bench, lock the following year’s capital and talent plan, evidence control sustainability and present a credible three-year value case with downside actions.

What the board will measure

• Delivery of the Senior Partner – Transformation’s agreed first-year water and utilities business value case within a 10% tolerance, with variance explained before rather than after the relevant quarter closes.
• A Senior Partner – Transformation forecast that remains decision-useful across three consecutive quarters and reconciles the water and utilities business’s operating, cash, customer and people assumptions.
• Closure of the Senior Partner – Transformation mandate’s highest-priority water and utilities business risk and execution issues by their board-approved dates, with independent evidence that fixes are sustained.
• Retention of at least 90% of critical water and utilities business talent and ready-now successors for at least 70% of the Senior Partner – Transformation’s direct reports.
• A quantified Senior Partner – Transformation-owned improvement in the water and utilities business operating constraint behind a concession renewal cycle, supported by a clean baseline and named data owner.
• Clear stakeholder confidence in mandate 315: no unresolved high-severity escalation older than 30 days and no material surprise withheld from its agreed governance forum.

The person

You are currently a Senior Partner, Practice Leader or Operating Partner in a institutionally backed Infrastructure or adjacent enterprise. In relation to the water and utilities business, your Senior Partner – Transformation track record includes a transition where the original plan was no longer sufficient; you can explain your choices, evidence and numerical impact. Candidates from infrastructure, construction, utilities, transport assets or project finance will be considered where the operating model, customer stakes and governance intensity match this Senior Partner – Transformation brief.

As a Senior Partner – Transformation candidate, you bring 18–22 years of progressive Infrastructure or adjacent-sector experience, consistent with the 18-22 experience band. At minimum, you have carried a P&L, book, budget or accountable portfolio of ₹11,450 crore and led an organisation of at least 625 people. Advisory seats require equivalent water and utilities business client-value ownership and multi-disciplinary leadership.

For mandate 315, the board wants two transitions: a difficult water and utilities business portfolio choice and a leadership-system change during a concession renewal cycle. As the prospective Senior Partner – Transformation for this water and utilities business, you must challenge optimistic cases and still create followership. References for mandate 315 must distinguish your contribution from the institution around you.

The Senior Partner – Transformation role in Infrastructure is based in Ahmedabad; relocation is expected, although a structured weekly commute may be considered during the first quarter.

Non-negotiables

• Current or recent accountability at the level of Senior Partner, Practice Leader or Operating Partner, with direct exposure to a board, investment committee or equivalent Infrastructure governance forum.
• Proven Senior Partner – Transformation ownership of at least ₹11,450 crore and leadership of no fewer than 625 employees in a comparable water and utilities business context.
• One completed Infrastructure or adjacent-sector example of client demand for board-level transformation counsel not currently served at scale with outcomes sustained for at least two reporting periods after the initial intervention.
• Sector credibility from infrastructure, construction, utilities, transport assets or project finance; experience that is purely functional and lacks Senior Partner – Transformation-level water and utilities business consequences will not meet the bar.
• Willingness to meet the Ahmedabad location expectation, complete conflicts and background diligence, and protect the confidentiality of mandate 315.

Compensation and terms

The anticipated Senior Partner – Transformation package is ₹2.2–3.0 crore fixed + performance variable, calibrated to the final water and utilities business scope and the candidate’s current mix. Any long-term participation for mandate 315 follows standard vesting and performance conditions. The Senior Partner – Transformation appointment in Ahmedabad, centred on the water and utilities business, offers regular exposure to the group board and the relevant risk and people committees. A structured client and conflict transition of up to 6 months can be accommodated for mandate 315.

Confidentiality

To protect the board, incumbent team and candidate, the organisation remains unnamed until a confidential conversation confirms mutual relevance for mandate 315. The operating facts have been rounded and blended expressly to remove identifying signals for mandate 315.