Aruna Nuckchady

Results-driven Business Development and Commercial Operations professional with 20+ years of cross-functional experience in enterprise sales, strategic partnerships, contract negotiation, and revenue growth across international markets.

Currently

Co-Founder and COO of APChemi Private Limited, a deep-tech cleantech company, where I have built and managed commercial relationships with global clients including BASF and led a portfolio of industrial project deliveries globally. Skilled in end-to-end B2B deal management, pipeline development, stakeholder engagement, and market expansion across Asia, Europe, and North America and Africa. Multilingual communicator (English, French, Hindi) with a strong record of closing complex deals, managing cross-functional teams, and driving measurable revenue outcomes.

Seeking to bring deep commercial expertise and strategic partnership capabilities to a high-growth AI company.

Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer - APChemi Private Limited - Navi Mumbai, India

(2020-01)

India's advanced pyrolysis technology company converting plastic waste, tyres, and biomass into high-value sustainable fuel products. Commercially active across Asia, Europe, Australia and Africa.

• Led end-to-end business development strategy, building and managing a global B2B sales pipeline spanning 15+ countries across Asia-Pacific, Europe, Australia, Africa, UAE and the Americas.
• Established and managed long-term commercial partnerships with global Fortune 500 companies including BASF, and Shell.
• Oversaw delivery of industrial plants globally and manage the full commercial lifecycle from lead generation to contract execution and post-delivery client management.
• Negotiated and assisted complex commercial contracts, technology licensing agreements, and NDAs with international counterparties across diverse regulatory jurisdictions.
• Spearheaded international BD initiatives including engagement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the European Commission (Horizon Europe MAP-2-PROTECT consortium).
• Managed investor relations and led capital raise processes, including evaluation of investment bankers, structuring term sheets, and managing data rooms for institutional investors.
• Drove product commercialisation strategy for sustainable fuel products under ISCC+ (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) certification, a globally recognised standard.
• Designed and implemented APChemi's project profitability framework from the ground up, establishing a sustainable cash flow model and profit-first commercial approach that delivered 50%+ gross profit margins on every project personally managed.
• Oversaw financial modelling, breakeven analysis, and P&L management to support commercial decision-making and investor reporting.
• Managed multi-stakeholder ecosystems across clients, investors, regulatory bodies, and consortium partners, ensuring alignment across complex, multi-party engagements.
• Led preparation and submission of cross-country bilateral grant applications under India's Technology Development Board (TDB), including the Indo-Spanish, Indo-Singaporean, and Indo-Danish Technology Calls, managing Financial documentation, overseeing technical documentation, consortium coordination, and government liaison end-to-end

Logistics Operations Manager - TESCO Stores Ltd - United Kingdom

(2015-04 - 2020-12)

End-to-end accountability for inbound logistics and supply chain operations across 80,000+ TEUs annually for non-food and fashion categories.

• Managed strategic relationships with key shipping line carriers and logistics service providers (LSPs) across Far East Asia, Indian Subcontinent, and Europe to secure capacity 3 weeks ahead of loading, a critical business continuity KPI.
• Saved USD 110,000 for Tesco in 9 months by proactively identifying and disputing over-charged Demurrage & Detention charges from Shipping Lines, outside core remit, delivered through initiative.
• Successfully managed continuity of inbound priority product flows through the major Maersk AP Moller Group cyberattack (2017), demonstrating crisis management and stakeholder coordination.
• Monitored and optimised logistics ancillary cost processes; revamped the Shipping Line Ancillary process, delivering sustained cost performance improvements.
• Won Tesco Values Award for resilience and performance above and beyond objectives.

Logistics Development Manager - TESCO Stores Ltd - United Kingdom

(2014-05 - 2015-04)

P&L responsibility for logistics cost reduction across Frozen, Chilled, Meat, Fish, and Poultry categories within the Group Food Sourcing division.

• Held a logistics cost reduction budget of £560,000 across the commercial food sourcing portfolio.
• Reduced logistics costs by €120,000 over 9 months by working collaboratively with buyers, Network Planning, and suppliers to optimise routes and consolidation.
• Introduced the Pallet Affiliate Model by connecting UK contacts with the Global Food Sourcing (GFS) team, yielding a collaborative benefit of £150,000.
• Delivered a logistics proposal for the Meat buying team that generated €78,000 in additional profit margin, a first for the category.

Supply Chain Coordinator – Procurement - TESCO Stores Ltd - United Kingdom

(2010-07 - 2014-05)

Managed procurement and replenishment for frozen and ambient food categories; responsible for 400,000 cases (~£5M of stock) weekly across UK depots and stores.

• Consistently achieved Green Service Level performance against availability KPIs despite supplier challenges.
• Coordinated with Head of Logistics, Network Planning, commercial, and external suppliers on the MMUK Ltd juice contract assessment project.
• Successfully managed complex seasonal periods including BBQ season 2013 and Christmas Frozen Range 2013, all delivered to Green.
• Stepped up to cover UK and Republic of Ireland Frozen category management during a staffing gap; received Tesco Values Award for hard work and resilience.

Logistics Coordinator - Inter Continental Logistics Ltd - United Kingdom

(2010-04 - 2010-06)

• Managed all transport organisation (road, sea freight, container) and end-to-end logistics administration, including customer order processing, vendor coordination, and billing.

External Sales Manager - Maersk Logistics Ltd / DAMCO - Mauritius

(2006-10 - 2008-08)

B2B sales and client management for LCL and FCL freight across the Mauritian and Indian Ocean region market.

• Built a strong new client portfolio for DAMCO in a highly competitive Mauritian freight forwarding market, demonstrating proactive prospecting and commercial closing ability.
• Secured Batimex as a new DAMCO client despite their affiliate relationship with competitor Kuehne+Nagel, a high-value competitive win.
• Managed freight rate negotiations with shipping lines, processed price quotes to clients, and maintained full service accountability across origin-to-destination logistics chains.
• Passed with Distinction the A.P. Moller Group International Education Programme challenge.

Operations Lead - Travel Bridge Ltd (Crains Technologies) - Mauritius

(2005-09 - 2006-07)

Built the travel management division from the ground up for a diversified Mauritian technology group, owning full P&L accountability across operations, client service, and administration

MSc - Project Management in Logistics - University of Greenwich, London, England (2008-09 - 2009-09)

MBA - Marketing & Human Resources - Brindavan College, University of Bangalore, India (2002-10 - 2004-10)

B.Com - Marketing & Advertising - Symbiosis College of Arts & Commerce, University of Pune, India (1999-07 - 2002-06)