Born and raised in Vaikom, a small town in Kerala’s Kottayam district, Muralee Krishnan’s journey has taken him far beyond his roots. After 28 years in automotive across manufacturing, M&A, strategy and business development, he has moved into renewable energy as CEO of Solar Manufacturing.

For him, the transition is an extension of lessons built over decades—understanding the business, trusting people, staying curious and always looking for a better way. In this conversation, he reflects on his childhood, the people who shaped him, his wife Shanthi, his leadership journey and why India’s renewable-energy opportunity goes well beyond solar panels.

You spent 28 years with one organisation. What was it like to make such a significant career move?

It was emotionally very difficult. I had spent 28 years in my previous organisation and had been part of building many things there. Leaving something you have helped create is never easy.

But the interesting thing is that the relationships did not disappear when I left. From the promoter and managing director to the leadership team, operators and union members, many of them are still in touch with me. That, for me, is something very valuable.

My career also gave me the opportunity to work in very different environments. I spent considerable time in the UK and Europe, with hundreds of native UK & EU people as part of my team. That experience of working with different cultures and people gave me the confidence to experiment and take on something new.

What made you take on the challenge of leading Adani Solar?

I trusted myself. If I had even one percent doubt in myself, I would have rejected the offer.

In my previous organisation, I had handled several portfolios that were new to me like mergers and acquisitions, creating a new company, business development and government liaising in Europe. Initially, I did not always feel that I was doing a great job, but the feedback I received gave me confidence.

The promoters' confidence also mattered. If a promoter is willing to hand over an entire business to someone who does not come from that sector, it means they trust that person. That trust gave me the confidence to trust myself and take the opportunity.

What surprised me most here was the speed of decision-making. I had moved from one promoter-led organisation to another, so I had a point of comparison. The scale at which decisions are taken here is very different, and the organisation is not very bureaucratic. If something is stuck, it is relatively easy to approach the highest level and get a decision.

That makes you comfortable taking ownership and making your own decisions.

Has a setback ever fundamentally changed the way you lead?

My biggest lessons came from personal setbacks. One of them was understanding the difference between confidence and arrogance. Confidence is important, but when it becomes arrogance, it can damage relationships.

A former managing director helped me recognise this through coaching and an extensive 360-degree feedback process that included colleagues, friends, neighbours, my brother and my wife, Shanthi. The 16-month journey taught me to mellow down, listen better and be more conscious of how I impact people.

I believe no leader shapes himself alone. The right people around you can often help you become a better version of yourself.

After more than 30 years in the industry, what still drives you?

I remember a wonderful sentence told to me by one of my senior leaders: always carry a positive and constructive dissatisfaction in your mind.

Dissatisfaction can become mentally exhausting, but constructive dissatisfaction is different. It makes you continuously ask yourself: Are we doing this the best way we can? Are we really giving our best? Is there still something more we can learn or improve?

I don't call it a push. For me, it is a continuous process of introspection.

I still believe there is a lot of headroom for me to learn, both inside and outside the workplace. I travel a lot and I read about places before I visit them. My wife, Shanthi, and I both love travelling and are nature lovers. We spend quite a lot of time in forests and hills.

I have also been associated with an NGO involved in wildlife rescue for the last 13–14 years. When you spend time in those environments, you realise how much there is still to learn.

What does trust mean to you as a leader?

I believe you should trust people until they give you a reason not to. One person’s betrayal shouldn’t make you distrust everyone else.

Organisations need systems and SOPs, but they are ultimately built by people. If the chairman trusts me to deliver, I have a responsibility to extend that trust to my team. For me, trust, respect and humanity are what hold an organisation together.

A leader must also learn to understand the unsaid. Not everyone can speak openly, so listening beyond words is important. I’m not perfect at it, but it is something I continuously work on.

What will it take for India and Adani Solar to compete with the best in the world?

I think the government is doing a lot to create the right environment. The policies around energy security and domestic manufacturing have been quite consistent and we are gradually moving away from import dependence. That gives companies like Adani Solar the confidence to invest and build capabilities here.

For us, the opportunity is much bigger than just meeting domestic demand. With the scale and integrated manufacturing ecosystem we are building at Mundra, we can look at global markets as well. The world is looking for reliable and diversified supply chains and I believe India, with companies like Adani Solar, can play a very important role in that.

Khavda has become one of the most visible symbols of India's renewable-energy ambitions. What does it mean to you?

Khavda is iconic.

For a country like India, it is not only about building the longest railway platform, the tallest bridge or the tallest statue. We can also build the world's largest solar and renewable-energy parks. A 30 GW renewable-energy development at a single site is not a small achievement. It demonstrates what India is capable of.

We should also recognise that companies and groups are only instruments in this larger journey. The government has played a major role by providing the land, infrastructure, financial support and other forms of assistance required to build such an ecosystem.

So, I would look at Khavda not simply as a company achievement, but as something that demonstrates what the country can build.

Where do you see the biggest transformation for Adani Solar over the next five years?

There is a huge responsibility on all of us because of how India wants to shape its renewable-energy landscape. We are emotionally connected to the people who install our panels on their homes and use them to generate their own power. If you look at how India has changed over the last decade, the availability of reliable electricity has been fundamental to that transformation.

Ten years ago, when the country spoke about Digital India, it would not have been possible without reliable power reaching every corner of the country. Today, even in some of the farthest villages, people can access digital services. That is possible because the energy infrastructure has expanded.

You cannot achieve this through thermal or hydro power alone. The progress of renewable energy, particularly over the last four years, has changed the equation.

At the same time, India is aspiring to become a major exporting country, and solar manufacturing has a significant role to play in that journey. As global trade corridors become more viable, India can increasingly be seen as a manufacturing and supply-chain destination.

But beyond all of this is the human aspect. How much backward integration we achieve, how many thousands of people we employ and how many families we enable to build better lives are equally important. Employment is not just about creating a job. I believe it is our responsibility as citizens to create opportunities that allow families to become more secure and the next generation to receive the right education.

That is why we also work with Adani Skills and Education through programmes like ‘Karmsikhsha’, which help young people, especially from rural areas, gain technical skills and access employment opportunities. The work-study and diploma programmes are particularly valuable because they allow them to earn while they continue learning.

The larger responsibility is to bring opportunities to rural areas and create pathways for the next generation.