Lt Gen Suresh Sharma is a former senior military leader who served as Engineer-in-Chief of the Indian Army. In a career spanning 38 years, he earned the distinction of steering two premier defence organisations. His successive tenures as the Director General of Border Roads Organisation (DGBR) and Engineer-in-Chief (E-in-C) witnessed a large-scale transformation of strategic and military infrastructure across the country and enhanced the technical and logistical capabilities of the Indian Army.
He has further contributed to nation-building efforts through his work in the corporate sector. As Chief Principal at WSP Louis Berger, an American multinational, he oversaw design and consultancy projects in India for two years. Currently, he is engaged as an Advisor with Geoconsult India, an Austrian multinational, as well as with JCB India and Tikitar Shell.
As Engineer-in-Chief, he applied an outcome-oriented approach to revamp the Married Accommodation Project, expedite ongoing works, clear tendering backlogs and fast-track equipment acquisition and modernisation. At DGBR, he focussed on aligning BRO’s immediate priorities with India’s evolving geo-strategic interests, thereby reclaiming its pre-eminence as a strategic infrastructure development agency. He also implemented policy reforms and organisational restructuring to resolve complex legacy issues. From 2016-18, he oversaw a cumulative revenue and capital expenditure budget of INR 26,000 crores.
He has been a leader in domestic and international humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) missions — including an appointment as the United Nations Advisor for humanitarian mine action in Bosnia & Herzegovina. He has trained and mentored young military leaders and has been deeply committed to improving the liveability index of defence bases.
His professional expertise lies in military and technical leadership, policy formulation, financial planning, government affairs, capital asset acquisition, arbitration, high-level contract and budget management and delivery of mega infrastructure projects.
Other career highlights include command of an engineer regiment during Operation Parakram and the 2001 Gujarat Earthquake; key operations, logistics, training and administration portfolios and tenures as Chief Engineer (Indian Navy & Coast Guard) Mumbai Zone, Commandant Bengal Engineer Group & Centre Roorkee, Chief Engineer South Western Command and Director General Combat Engineers.
In recognition of his exceptional services, the President of India honoured Lt Gen Sharma with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) in 2018 and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) in 2016.
He is associated, in various capacities, with leading professional organisations such as the Indian Building Congress, Indian Road Congress, Tunnelling Association of India, Construction Industry Development Council, Construction Industry Arbitration Council and Indian Society for Trenchless Technology, CBRI Roorkee, CRRI New Delhi. He is also an Adjunct Faculty member at National Institute of Advance Studies, Bangalore and a motivational speaker at IIMs, XLRI and Defence Institutions.
Lt Gen Sharma has attended prestigious tri-services courses at the Defence Service Staff College, College of Defence Management and National Defence College. In addition to a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Harcourt Butler Technical University, he holds M.Sc. and M.Phil. degrees in Defence and Strategic Studies from Madras University and a Master’s in Management Studies from Osmania University.
