Dr. P.N. Singh is currently Chairman of Grid Consultants Pvt. Ltd. based in Mumbai. He was earlier Group Director (HRD) of Duncan Goenka Group and a member of the board of directors of two limited companies viz. Stone India Ltd. and Andhra Cement Ltd. He started his career with Indian Oil Corporation in 1963. In 1981, he moved to Voltas Ltd. to head its HRD department. Later he headed Group HRD set-ups in Aditya Birla Group and Mehta Group.
He manages to combine management development with continuing academic pursuits. He is the first Indian to be approved as an instructor to conduct Grid Seminars, developed by Blake & Mouton, in India. He has rendered training and consultancy services internationally. He has completed a consultancy assignment with a World Bank organization based in Amsterdam, and another in Mali in Africa.
Former Chairman of the Federation of Asian Institute of Management Alumni Association, Past President of Bombay Management Associations, and Indian Society for Training and Development, He was elected President Emeritus of the Society in 2007, Dr. Singh is actively associated with the professional management movement in India.
A prolific writer, he has to his credit over 500 articles on management. His books have been well received both here and abroad. Despite these and other commitments, Dr. Singh manages to devote some of his valuable time in developing young managers and is visiting faculty to some management institutes. His 20th Book titled “Backstabbers: How to Protect Yourself from these “Two-Headed” Snakes” was released in the year 2007.
Of rural origin, Dr. Singh was initially a graduate in Petroleum Engineering from Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad. After an 11-year stint at Indian Oil Corporation, he proceeded to do his MBA from Asian Institute of Management, Manila, Philippines, where he was awarded the Andres K. Roxas Scholarship. He was later awarded a Citation for Academic Excellence by the Institute. In 1981, he completed his Doctoral work at Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies of the Bombay University. The topic of his dissertation was "A Study of Environmental Factors related to Business Entrepreneurship".
He is the recipient of the Tarneja Award for his article "Needed Walkabout in Management Education" in 1977. In 1980, he was awarded the IMM Cinni-Fan Award for his article on Oil Marketing and in 1984, the Rukmini Thread Marketing Communicator of the year Award. He was conferred the Fellowship of ISTD in 1988. He also received the Best Member Award of ISTD in the same year. He received the Best Paper Award of ISTD in 1991. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Asian Institute of Management, Manila in 1993.
In March, 2000 he has been awarded the AIM Alumni Achievement Award (AAA). This is the highest award to be granted to an Alumnus of the Institute. He was also given Life Time Achievement Award by SIES Institute of Management Studies, Bombay in 2007.
He started Shri Bishwanath Singh Memorial Educational & Welfare Trust, in the memory of his late father in 1987. Presently the trust is providing educational assistance to several students coming from economically backward segment of the society. The Trust has also set up the first Self Development Center in his village in Bihar to introduce HRD in rural setting. A computer centre, a Tailoring school for girls, a water conservation project and houses for poor men and women are other activities of the Trust under the Janmabhoomi Karmabhoomi Abhiyaan.
With a donation from him Dr. P. N. Singh Foundation has been established which has undertaken a Leaders of Tomorrow Project for school children from economically backward families studying in 32 schools in Mumbai suburbs. It has also introduced India Scholar Awards, under which studies of over 60 students are being funded by the Foundation.
