Lagadapati Madhusudhan Rao, Chairman of LANCO Group has worked day and night to give form to the vision he had seen. As a result of his perseverance, today, LANCO Group, a diversified conglomerate with an asset base of USD 500 million, is one of the fastest growing corporate entities in India. It has more than two decades of experience in operating in the core sectors of Power Generation, Power Trading, Realty, Property Development, Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Information Technology.

Born in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh in 1966, Rao obtained his B.Tech from Siddhartha Engineering College, Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. From PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu), he acquired his M.Tech in Design Engineering. Subsequently, he went to the United States and did his MS (Industrial Engineering) from Wayne State University, Detroit. After the completion of his studies, he stayed back in the United States for practical training in various aspects of Quality Management at Waggner Corporation.

On his return, Rao joined the team involved in building up LANCO Industries near Tirupati and became the Managing Director of the Group in 1992. Here he was endowed with the responsibility of the management and the expansion plan of the Group a task that he met with inimitable zeal. Rao was an active accomplice at the crucial development phase of the Company in the year 2002 that resulted into a tie-up with Electrosteel Castings Ltd, Kolkata and it was in the same year that he became the Chairman of the LANCO Group. Some may feel that success came to him overnight but those who know Rao, have seen the toil that has gone behind the success he now enjoys. After all, it was under the proficient guidance of Rao that LANCO Group achieved a new dimension in the coal-based and hydro-based power projects. It cannot be denied that it is because of their competent Chairman that the Company has set foot in the realty and property development sectors too.

Today, the Group has achieved a competitive edge in sectors like the Power Sector, Iron and Steel sector, Cement Industry, Engineering and Construction, Foundry Sector and Information Technology sector by the virtue of the skillful guidance of their Chairman. It is said, "A rolling stone gathers no moss" and Rao is an apt exponent of this maxim. He is always in search of new opportunities to establish his company as a unique and world-recognized entity. The characteristic that distinguishes Rao from others is his passion for work, stern determination to attain his objective and consistency. What better example could elucidate this point than the fact that Rao, last year, had expressed his desire to create a minimum capacity of 1000 MW and also develop competitiveness in the power trading and distribution business in the next three years.

It is worth noticing that his words were not void of meaning because LANCO has not only lived up to the expectation of the Chairman but has exceeded it. The strategic objective of the Company is to obtain a minimum capacity of 6000 MW and an asset base of USD 5 billion in the next five years. Even though his Company has fared more than expected, he has not fallen short of his official and social commitments. He is extremely proud of LANCO Institute of General Humanitarian Trust (LIGHT), which shares his beliefs on the social responsibility of serving the community.

Rao believes that apart from taking LANCO to the league of top companies, which gives directions to Indian economy, the Initial Public Offering binds the company to be more responsible towards their stakeholders. The Financial Closure achieved by LANCO's Nagarjuna Power Project in a record time, the Letter of Acceptance issued by the Uttar Pradesh Government for LANCO's bid for the 1000 MW Anpara C Project and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the Orissa Government for the 1320 MW Coal-fired Talcher Power Project are few instances wherein the success of LANCO is well-evident. LANCO's development is all encompassing. For instance, The Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) issued by UNFCCC, Geneva to Clarion Power and Rithwik, the clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests for 500 MW Teesta VI Hydro Electric Project in Sikkim, the installation of the 8.75 MW windmill at Tirunnelveli in Tamil Nadu are other noteworthy achievements of the Group. At Udupi in Karnataka, LANCO has set up a new Artificial Limb Fitting Centre to reach out to a more varied sect of people.

However, knowing Rao, once can safely say that nothing can stop them from going further because according to him in order to be outstanding and to succeed in the new Knowledge Worker Age, they must aim at something beyond effectiveness and should keep moving ahead. Considering the achievements and the development of LANCO over the years it will not be an exaggeration, if one says that LANCO is the physical form of the expectations and dreams nourished by Rao and his contribution in making the Group achieve its zenith is unparallel and remarkable.