Mr. Gokul Dafale is Executive Vice President Crop Protection Solutions), at Biostadt India Limited. He has over 30 years of experience in agro-chemical input marketing in the Indian as well as International markets.
At Biostadt India Limited, Mr. Dafale has designed and executed multiple innovative marketing strategies for the flagship brand Biozyme, establishing it as a leading brand in the biostimulants segment. He plays an instrumental role in developing cost effective and novel technologies for Indian farmers, through alliances with reputed Japanese and Korean companies. His dynamic leadership and strong organisational skills led him to build a passionate team & sustainable business for the past 25 years.
He has been instrumental in introducing an education scholarship program called the Biostadt Astha Scholarship, which has recently been rebranded as the Biozyme Pragati Scholarship. This magnanimous endeavour distributes scholarships to the most deserving children of farmers throughout India.
His career began with leading agrochemical giant Bayer India Ltd., after which he joined Wockhardt Limited – an emerging organisation in the agro-chemical sector at the time. His journey evolved over multiple roles from the early days at Wockhardt and later moving on to Biostadt India Ltd.
Mr. Dafale has a Master’s degree in Agriculture Science from the Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli, Maharashtra. He holds an additional Master’s in Marketing Management from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Mumbai. He has also acquired multiple accolades and executive training certificates from IIM – Ahmedabad, COD – Hyderabad and other reputed institutes.
Mr. Dafale leads a healthy lifestyle and enjoys running marathons.
Rama joined Biostadt India Limited in 2014 and is currently General Manager of Biostadt Aquaculture. His core responsibilities lie with R&D, Product development, Sales & Marketing and in providing crucial inputs towards the International business.
Over the past 21 years Rama has held different managerial and executive roles in the Aquaculture Industry covering the complete segments of Aquaculture Feed (Shrimp and Fish), Aquaculture Health Care Spectrum, the Aquaculture production systems, Solution consultancy, Research & Development, Hatchery, Sales and Marketing. Prior to joining Biostadt, Rama was with The Charoen Pokphand Foods India Limited (CPF Group) for 15 years encompassing an illustrious career that progressed across various levels.
A Masters in Fisheries Science (M.F.Sc), from the Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, Rama has also pursued an Executive Program in Sales and Marketing from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow in 2021.
Mr. Nitiin Sonar is Chief Operating Officer – Manufacturing and Operations at Biostadt India Limited. With over 28 years of core industry experience he has been instrumental in the seamless and smooth functioning of multiple processes at Biostadt India Limited.
Since joining the company in 2003, Nitiin’s roles and responsibilities have spread over the entire gamut of the supply chain, operations and various projects. He heads all the factories and warehouses of the company and its group divisions namely, Nandi Seeds Pvt. Ltd., InGene Organics Pvt. Ltd., Aqua Culture Solutions and Corp Care Division. Nitiin also supervises the imports and purchase of raw materials, packaging and vendor development, etc. His significant leadership and managerial skills also allow him to oversee transportation and warehousing logistics, develop new business and enhance B2B sales.
Prior to working at Biostadt India Limited, Nitiin worked at Monsanto India Ltd., for five years where his role was to manage the purchase and supply chain departments. He also spent three years at Reliance Industries Ltd in the warehousing department.
Nitiin has a graduate degree in Physics and a Master’s in Business Administration from the North Maharashtra University.
In his spare time, he enjoys travelling and photography.
Mr. Ravi Oduvarangappa Rudrappa is a seasoned business leader with over 24 years of experience in driving strategic growth, operational excellence, and digital transformation across diverse industries. As Senior General Manager – Business Excellence & Analytics at Biostadt India Limited, he plays a critical role in aligning business functions with corporate strategy through data-driven insights and continuous process improvement.
Since joining Biostadt in 2006 as a Business Development Manager, Mr. Ravi has been instrumental in developing the company’s B2B business, leading impactful market research projects, and spearheading two successful five-year strategic planning cycles. His sharp analytical acumen has guided the design and implementation of performance-enhancing policies across Marketing, Sales, Customer Support, Production, and Supply Chain Management.
Under his leadership, Biostadt has significantly strengthened its business performance review systems, incentive structures, and operational frameworks—ensuring sustained growth and strategic agility. A passionate advocate for innovation and digitalization, he has led the adoption of cutting-edge analytical tools and the digitization of core processes, greatly enhancing organizational visibility and decision-making capability.
His areas of expertise span Business Development, Strategic Marketing, Market Research, Sales, Business Strategy, Supply Chain, Analytics, Customer Experience, E-Commerce, and Digital Transformation.
Mr. Ravi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and a Post-Graduate degree in Marketing and Systems. He has further enhanced his leadership capabilities through executive programs in Strategic Management (IIM Calcutta) and Advanced Analytics & Business Intelligence (IIM Bangalore).
Mr.Laxman Rathod is the Head of Information Technology at Biostadt India Limited. He is a seasoned Senior IT leader with over two decades of experience in driving Digital transformation, Strategic IT Planning and Operational Excellence across large global organizations. His expertise spans a wide range of industries including Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, FMCG, Defence & Explosives, ITES and Consulting with a strong focus on aligning technology initiatives with business strategy for continuously growing businesses.
Laxman’s diverse career spans successfully managing digital transformations & enterprise-wide IT operations for Marico Ltd., Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Quaitykiosk Technologies, Solar Industries & Princeware International supporting thousands of users across multiple geographies, including India, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Africa & Eastern Europe. Laxman has led large-scale IT initiatives which has enabled organizations in achieving efficiency, productivity & visibility in all functions including Sales, Marketing, Finance, HR and SCM. His notable contributions includes COE for ERP like SAP ECC/S4 HANA RISE/GROW, MS Dynamics and Business Applications such as Salesforce, Business Intelligence, HRIS, WMS, TMS transformation tools, Mobile Apps, Cloud computing, Cybersecurity – ISMS 27001, IT infrastructure modernization and business continuity planning.
Laxman’s leadership has been instrumental in implementing effective and efficient IT service delivery for organizations with global presence and complex Business environments. He is known for building high-performance teams, fostering innovation, and delivering solutions with seeding of Data Driven culture influencing the business decisions, improving efficiency and user experience for end customers, partners and internal stakeholders.
Laxman holds MBA in Systems from Welingkar Institute and a Bachlor of Engineering in Computer Technology from VJTI, Mumbai. He is certified professional with MCSE, ITIL, PMP, ISO 27001 Lead Audiitor and has completed advanced training programs across Europe and Asia in project management, information security, and financial leadership.
Laxman enjoys trekking, plantation/gardening,geopolitics & international relations.
With over 30 years of cross-cultural experience in the agriculture sector, Mr. Singh is a performance driven professional proficient in optimizing revenue through Sales & Business Development in the domestic market and abroad. He has been honoured with a number of awards and accolades. Since joining Biostadt in 2006 and under his successful leadership, the unit has been awarded for business excellence multiple times and garnered high appreciation from the company Chairman for surpassing set targets.
Mr. Singh began his career in 1991 with Bayer Crop Science where he started out in front-line sales. His remarkable and performance driven attitude helped him achieve the business goals for the assigned territory within no time. He was also responsible for introducing a new generation of pesticides to the market. He then moved to Monsanto in 1996, where he managed the pesticides and seeds business including their hybrid seeds business of cotton, corn, flour and hybrid rice. He was part of the global BOLLGARD team (GM seeds) which was introduced to the Indian market in 2001. He also earned an additional role as a certified in-house trainer, which accelerated his own learning curve and proved immensely gratifying. In 2003, he joined FMC where his exposure to the B2B business added a niche to his overall expertise.
With his constant perseverance and goal-oriented vision, Mr. Singh cultivates, and maintains long term business relationships. He has an excellent aptitude and is a highly capable frontrunner in scaling and directing business while also consistently tracking product development. This process ensures a steady increase in efficiency among his teams thereby showcasing desired results year on year. He enhances and drives change across the organizational boundaries, formulates new processes and supports an environment of continuous improvement.
Mr. Singh holds a Post-Graduate degree in Entomology from the esteemed GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar in Uttrakhand. He graduated from Meerut University with a Bachelor’s degree in Science and has also completed course in Agri-input Marketing from IIM-A.
When at leisure, he indulges in his passions for reading, music, sports and movies.
