Excellence Hour - My Quality Journey - Uday Mahajan, VP Stolt-Neilsen

It is a privilege to welcome Uday Mahajan, an accomplished global leader in continuous improvement, transformation, and quality excellence. An alumnus of INSEAD, Uday is a Mechanical and Marine Engineer who began his professional journey sailing onboard ships. He brings over 34 years of diverse experience spanning industries such as marine, telecom, IT, healthcare, BPO, shared services, and shipping & logistics.

A highly respected quality professional, Uday is a Master Black Belt certified by GE in 2007 and a Green Belt since 2003. He is also TQM certified by JUSE Japan and holds EFQM certification, giving him a global view of quality excellence frameworks. Over the years, he has taken on significant leadership roles across geographies, including serving as a Simplification Leader in Europe based in Paris and as a Business Chief Operating Officer for a leading IT company.

Notably, he led the Deming Prize journey for the world’s largest mobile tower company—making it only the fourth service-sector organization to receive this prestigious recognition since the prize was established in 1951. He has also authored a book on the journey of the Deming Prize, sharing valuable insights and learnings from this remarkable achievement.

Currently, Uday is part of the senior leadership team at Stolt-Nielsen B.V., based in London, where he serves as Vice President – Continuous Improvement for the group. In this role, he drives continuous improvement initiatives across all four Stolt businesses while also overseeing the Global Shared Services Centre in the Philippines.

Beyond his corporate responsibilities, Uday is deeply committed to advancing the field of quality. He actively contributes through pro bono guest lectures for students and organizations, and has been an active member of several global quality forums, including ISQ, BQF, ASQ, and CQI. He has also recently been appointed as an Associate Academician at IAQ.