DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS AWARDEE | 2026
Mr. Kirat Patel is currently the Executive Director of Alkyl Amines Chemicals Limited.
After completing his B.Tech. from IIT Bombay, he pursued M.M.S. in Finance from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management, University of Mumbai, in 1977.
He began his professional career (1977–1980) as a management consultant with A. F. Ferguson & Co., then the country’s largest audit and management consulting firm. During this period, he handled diverse assignments ranging from production planning systems and sales and distribution restructuring for capital equipment manufacturers to organisational development for large multinational corporations.
In 1980, he joined Alkyl Amines Chemicals Ltd. at its inception — a company established to manufacture aliphatic amines in India for the first time. As the first employee of the organisation, he initially led finance and administration, subsequently overseeing all commercial functions, including marketing and purchasing, and later headed manufacturing sites as Chief Operating Officer. Today, the company operates 17 plants across six locations, produces a wide portfolio of specialty chemicals, and employs over a thousand people. In recent years, he has stepped back from day-to-day operations and currently heads HR and Finance.
He has served on the Boards of Diamines and Chemicals Ltd. and Kaira Can Ltd., and on the Western Region Executive Council of the Indian Chemical Council (ICC). Over the past 25 years, he has also contributed to the Boards of Bombay International School, the Centre for Healthcare Entrepreneurship (IIT Hyderabad), and the Maker Bhavan Foundation, and has been a long-standing member of the Finance Committee (two decades) of the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai. He is also a trustee of charitable trusts focused on education and medical aid.
As the first and longest-serving employee (not counting the promoter!) and one of the key architects of Alkyl Amines’ journey, Mr. Patel played an active role in building the organisation from the ground up, steering it through challenging phases and contributing to its global success. Today, Alkyl Amines ranks among the top two or three manufacturers worldwide in several of its products. Except for the original technology for three products, the company’s portfolio of over two dozen products has been developed in-house and manufactured in plants designed by its own engineers — many of them IIT Bombay alumni.
Alkyl’s success has been recognised through several honours, including the Lalit Doshi Award (1997) from the Government of Maharashtra as the best chemical company in the state, and as the best company/CEO from Business Standard (2020) and Business Today (2022) in the chemical sector. Mr. Patel was honoured by IIT Bombay with a Distinguished Service Award in 2002 for his role in creating the IIT Bombay Alumni Association, and in 2025 was named Chairman Emeritus in recognition of over 25 years of service — most recently leading the construction of Project Evergreen, a hostel complex housing 1,100 students, supported by Rs. 200 crore in donations from 2,700 alumni.
Interests & Hobbies: Theatre and literature have been long-lasting interests since my campus days, and I hope to find more time to indulge in both.
A Personal Note: I have been fortunate in the fact that all through my journey, I have had colleagues, friends, and family who have supported me and created the environment for me to achieve my dreams. I must mention my wife, Sree, who has, while pursuing a successful corporate career of her own, managed my home and family competently and with loving care. giving me the latitude to reach out to what seem like impossible goals.
