Making of a business leader

When KP Singh led the Deccan Horse contingent as an Army officer in the 1954 Republic Day parade, nobody could have imagined that he would emerge as one of India’s top business leaders. Known affectionately as KP, he says circumstances forced him to enter his father-in-law’s real estate business.

Singh talks about his journey through India’s transforming landscape and his contributions to the industry in the book ‘Why the Heck Not?’, co-authored with Aparna Jain. He also writes about the bold risks and visionary decisions that shaped his career, as well as the challenges he overcame.

The book stands as a testament to KP’s illustrious career in building DLF and the impact he had on both the corporate world and the real estate sector. The memoir offers a rare insight into KP Singh, now chairman emeritus, DLF Realty, as an individual, CEO, visionary and leader.

The most impressive part of his journey is undoubtedly that he simply refused to settle down into one role. He left engineering studies midway in the UK to join the Indian Army. Then, he resigned from the Army on the pretext that he wanted to work with his father-in-law in his company, DLF (Delhi Land & Leasing Finance). After resigning from the Army, he initially forayed into the stud farm business, a new concept in North India at the time, in association with another Army officer. He also started the American Universal Electric (India) with an American partner.

Later on, Singh started a battery venture that suffered huge losses, with creditors dragging him to court. After facing humiliation from lenders, KP took over an almost dormant DLF at the behest of his wife, Indira, and his sister-in-law. At that time, he didn’t know anything about the real estate sector.

He started out with two people, but so firm was his resolve to revive the company that it grew into India’s largest real estate entity, upgrading the nation’s urban infrastructure and attracting great investments.

Few people know that KP also played a significant role in India’s first inter-state gas pipeline project, the HBJ (Hazira Bijeypur, Jagdishpur) pipeline. The project was launched in 1986 to supply gas to the fertiliser plants located in Uttar Pradesh. Later on, the system was expanded with additional branches to supply gas for industrial and domestic use in the states.

He also played a key role in assisting General Electric (GE) with their initial venture in India, involving large gas turbines for infrastructure projects. And then, of course, he advised them on their various businesses such as power generation, aviation, locomotives, defence, aerospace and medical equipment. By enabling GE’s entry, he paved the way for other multinational companies, establishing India as a global outsourcing leader.

Despite these ventures not being related to real estate, KP’s exceptional ability to seamlessly switch professional contexts makes him a true leader.