Be it recession, inflation, increased competition or change of governments, a true leader has all the skills to weather those efficiently. Apparently, S.G. Mankad, Chairman, GACL, Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited, is one of those leaders who have refused to bow during turbulence of any kind. An IAS official, Mankad has been steering the course of GACL for quite some time and has climbed the ladder of Indian corporate world to the highest point. A man with a passion for hard work and efficiency, Mankad has continuously improved the performance of the company through innovations. With a strong dedication to the highest ethical standards of the corporate world, Mankad has been providing some real sparks to the company. GACL, under Mankad, has emerged as the single largest producer of caustic soda in the country.

Set up in the year 1973 under the Government of Gujarat, the company during the last 33 years has traversed many tracks. However, the basic character of the organization has remained intact. The company under the stewardship of this visionary leader has lived them all. Mankad's strong resolve to manufacture quality chemicals and trek customer satisfaction to a new height has yielded phenomenal results. From an initial capacity of 37,425 TPA Caustic Soda, thanks to his strategic move and corporate competence, GACL has emerged the largest producer in India, with a capacity of 2,70,000 TPA. It was Mankad's pragmatic approach and vibrant strategy that the company has made its presence felt across the globe against stiff competition by exporting products to USA, Europe, Australia, Africa, Middle East countries, China and South Asian Markets. Feeling the pulse of the changing situations, Mankad has already started diversification at GACL and expansion of its existing infrastructure to consolidate the group's supremacy in Chlor-Alkali and other integrated downstream products.

A man of quality and dedication, the Company under Mankad's stewardship has earned accolades for "Excellence in research and development from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India", "Pollution Control and Environment Protection", from Chemtech Foundation for developing a process for manufacturing Sodium Ferrocyanide from the waste stream Sodium Cyanide process. The group has also received the National Energy Conservation Award-2004 for its Dahej Plant for the energy conservation. Mankad has led the GACL on the path of dynamic, modern and eco-friendly chemical companies with enduring ethics and values in the global chemical market. The group with Mankad as the chief mentor has been sailing through quite smoothly and has scripted many success stories with its exemplary performance.