Capt Ajay Puri, a master mariner and a well-known personality in the Indian shipping fraternity, has spent a considerable amount of his career as a sailor. In an eventful career spanning 25 years, he has been a captain of many national and global shipping vessels. This was until he found his calling as an entrepreneur.
‘Skyrise’ aspirations Capt Puri was a successful General Manager and a key decision-maker of a domestic shipping line for a long time. Aspiring to start his own enterprise, he incepted Skyrise Shipping in 2000, which is now a leading international freight forwarding company. Within a short span of 9 years, Delhi-based Skyrise Shipping has grown immensely in volume as well as in domain expertise. It has diversified into other shipping and logistics segments, such as total logistics solutions and customs clearance. Family comes first Capt Puri’s profession as a mariner kept him away from his family for extended periods. Speaking about his career move, he says, “I have been a family man all my life. While I was in Mumbai working with a shipping line, my family back in Delhi wanted me to stay close to them. Initially it was a hard decision to quit the job, but later, it inspired me to start my own business in Delhi. However, since Delhi is a landlocked region, I started offering freight forwarding services.” Learning the basics As a first generation entrepreneur, Capt Puri took all the necessary steps to sharpen his business skills. “Being a TS Rajendra alumnus, one of the reputed merchant navy training institutes in India, I was well versed with the shipping business and various technical problems that could arise in the shipping business. To be an entrepreneur, however, I needed some other basic skills that would help me in my business. So I did a MBA in Human Resource and Finance and a Chinese language course from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT).” While operating in Delhi, he found that most of his counterparts were not from a marine background. As a result, they often faced difficulties when any unprecedented technical problems arose during loading or unloading ships. His vast knowledge and skill in handling such issues gave him an edge over his competitors. Market prognosis Considering the ongoing financial slowdown and its impact on the global shipping market, Capt Puri suggests, “It will take some time for the shipping sector to get normalised. For the time being, however, it is better not to consider making huge investments that may turn out to be unfeasible due to the highly volatile market.” According to him, in order to sustain in such a market, entrepreneurs should diversify their business. As part of the diversification drive, he has introduced break bulk and vessel chartering services under his company’s portfolio of solutions. He also took the initiative to start global trading of manganese, chrome and nickel ore with Brazil, Chile, Indonesia and Thailand. Capt Puri also has a keen interest in palmistry, cartooning, sketching and photography. |
