| Name of the beneficiary | Nilesh Sonaje |
| Project/Programme Name | PGDBEM, 2006-07 |
| Name of the enterprise floated | Sonaje Infrastructures Pvt Ltd. |
Mr. Nilesh Sonaje
Director
Sonaje Infrastructures Pvt. Ltd.
PGDBEM, 2006-2007
Nilesh came from Nashik and grew up seeing his father’s struggle from being a brick supplier to construction sites to entering the full-fledged real estate business. Inspired by his father’s journey, Nilesh aimed to elevate the family business, Sonaje Infrastructure. He therefore pursued Civil Engineering. He stayed updated on industry trends, frequently discussing construction business strategies with his father.
Nilesh decided to acquire essential entrepreneurial skills before taking the plunge into business. He got to know about EDII as the premier national resource institute for entrepreneurship education and appeared for the entrance exams in his fourth year of college. Nilesh cleared the exams and secured a seat in the Post Graduate Diploma in Management – Business Entrepreneurship at EDII, specialising in Family Business Management.
Regular classes, brainstorming sessions, discussions with entrepreneurs and field visits enlightened him. He developed a five-year growth plan for his business. This was validated by family business experts. Nilesh also discussed it with his father and incorporated the inputs. Nilesh immediately went to the field and got involved in every department of the enterprise. His analysis of the business while at EDII became the foundation he worked from, and hearteningly, he excelled.
Today, Sonaje Infrastructure Pvt Ltd at Nashik is involved in the construction of roads, drainage systems, airport runways, residential and commercial complexes, etc. The group also moved on to own a centrally located hotel in Nashik.
Networking is also an area that Nilesh realises is of critical importance in business. He is a member of Rotary Club and several industry associations. This has helped him connect with businesspeople. As Chairman of CSR NAR INDIA, Nilesh got an opportunity to network with realtors across India, and he successfully initiated and completed several projects.
Nilesh is also a philanthropist who has made commendable contributions to pressing problems such as illiteracy, poor health and environmental degradation. Some of his remarkable projects include the National Tree Plantation Drive in 40 cities, wherein around 1,000 trees were planted successfully over a period of three years, and the National Blood Donation Drive, wherein 500 blood units were collected from across India. He is the man behind campaigns such as Joy of Giving and Warm-Up India that have helped thousands of poor and needy people across India.