BIO
Phiroz Darukhanavala was born in Mumbai, which was then called Bombay, India, in 1948. He grew up in a loving Zoroastrian family with his parents and older brother, yet his family extended much further; he grew up in a collection of interconnected apartments. Family values of integrity, morality, and hard work earned him a spot at the top engineering college in India, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (Mumbai). At college, he found a chosen family of individuals from all around India who, like him, were driven by their creativity and supported by the university’s resources. Upon his graduation from IIT, Darukhanavala found that the then young India lacked innovative capabilities in its workforce, and his newfound interest in operations research called him to the US. He was drawn towards Case Western Reserve University among the other top universities he was accepted to, as it was where the field of operations research originated, and it offered many hands-on opportunities. Upon his arrival in the US in 1971, Darukhanavala faced culture shock as he witnessed the segregation around the university and during his transformative time tutoring inner city kids. After completing both his master's and Ph.D., he visited India after 6 years, and returned back to the US with a loving wife, Nilufer, who he met and married over the course of 3 weeks. Over the course of their 46-year union, the couple had two daughters and a son, in whom they instilled the values of persistence and integrity. During his time pursuing higher education at Case Western, Darukhanavala worked on a project for Sohio and was offered a position at the oil company upon the completion of his Ph.D. This began his impressive climb within the oil and gas industry, and he eventually retired as the CTO of BP, one of the top multinational oil and gas corporations. Through many company mergers and acquisitions, he stayed dedicated to his work and held various leadership positions, learning all the ins and outs of the business. Within this welcoming culture, he was able to move around and explore many different places, including Alaska, London, Chicago, and Houston. Within Houston in particular, he found an active Zoroastrian community that provided his family with a deeper understanding of his religion and community. His years spent in leadership taught him not to be afraid of knowing less than others or hesitating to ask for help. Darukhanavala continues to lead an honest and curious life with his growing family and community. In this interview, Phiroz Darukhanavala speaks about his upbringing in Mumbai (Bombay), his time at leading engineering institutes of IIT Mumbai and Case Western Reserve University, and his 45-year-long career journey within oil and gas to become the CTO of BP. He also discusses his family, the Parsi community, and Zoroastrianism.