The Young Dynamic Leader – Uddhav Poddar
Uddhav Poddar is the Managing Director & Group CEO of Bhumika Group which is the real estate vertical of the Poddar Group of companies and has diversified business interests spanning construction, warehousing, logistics, mining, textiles and manufacturing. He hails from the Poddar family who have a legacy of running successful businesses for over 58 years. A visionary entrepreneur, Uddhav spun off from the family business legacy and established Bhumika Group. The Bhumika Group, under his leadership, has attained many successes in a short span of time. His laurels have been recognized and honoured time and again. Forbes India, in one of its recent editions, featured him as a rising star in the Real Estate industry building his own legacy.
In ASSOCHAM, which is the oldest, largest and apex chamber of Commerce & Industry in India, Uddhav serves as the National Co-Chairman of the National Council on Ease of Doing Business, and is also a member of the management committee. Dainik Bhaskar, a renowned publication featured him as “100 Change Makers in Udaipur”. Realty Plus, India’s leading real estate monthly Magazine, featured him in their coffee table book of “Real Estate’s Top 100 Influencers and Top CXOs”. Uddhav was also the President of Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) for Jaipur Chapter, later becoming the Area Director for EO for Entire South Asia Region.
The story behind the setting up of the Bhumika Group by Uddhav is an inspirational tale. At a time when many traditionally big names in Real Estate in India were in a difficult situation, Uddhav decided to carve out a name for himself in the real estate space through his venture Bhumika Realty – a company he named after his wife. A scion of the Poddar family, Uddhav at that time was looking at starting his own business venture after his family separation. He found through his rigorous analysis that even though Real Estate in India was a big opportunity, there were a limited number of Real Estate brands. He further realized that there was an evident gap between the customers’ expectations and the actual on-ground delivery. During his analysis of the market, Uddhav identified a large untapped opportunity in the Tier-II cities to develop world-class projects, which was being ignored by some of the top rung developers.
Thus, determined to add value to the real estate products, Uddhav established his company with the focus on building quality – retail, commercial, living, and hospitality spaces that would set new industry benchmarks. He meticulously studied the case studies of some of the prime examples of successful projects in the developed nations and came up with the idea for his first project – the “Urban Square” in Udaipur. It was only after two years of rigorous research about the product mix, that Uddhav decided to develop Udaipur’s first ever Mixed-Use Development Project that boasted a mix of Retail, Offices, Hospitality, Serviced Apartments, and Entertainment spaces. Some of the best architects and consultants from around the world (such as Bentel Associates, South Africa) were engaged for the project. The project proved to be a grand success soon after its launch.
Urban Square today is a world-class one-stop destination. Uddhav’s impeccable market understanding helped him realize Rajasthan’s burgeoning demand for shopping which was further compounded by the immediate need to reduce traveling by the consumer for hundreds of kilometers in search of good entertainment options and fashion labels. He also realized that there was a major demand from the domestic tourists coming to Udaipur and not being able to find a good Hotel of international standards within their budget. Most hotels tended to focus only on the high-end foreign tourists. Another success for the project was the interest from the retailers who signed new leases and remained committed to the existing contractual terms even during the times of the Covid lockdown when other developers were struggling to keep their sites alive. Recently, a 5-star was conferred to the Bhumika Group for the Urban Square by Bengaluru-based International Brand Equity (IBE) research firm.
Uddhav developed the Urban Square to impart world-class shopping experience in Rajasthan while bringing in state-of-the-art infrastructure experiences for office spaces. This has dramatically reshaped the economics of Udaipur with the influx of lacs of visitors at the Urban Square, contributing to the overall increase in revenue from tourist footfall. Under Uddhav’s leadership, this mega-project has subsequently won many accolades including: (a) Images Shopping Centre of the Year, (b) Mixed Used Project of the Year Award – by 11th Realty Plus Conclave, (c) Emerging Developer of the Year Award (Shopping Malls) – by ET NOW Stars of the Industry Awards, (d) Emerging Developer of the Year Award (Retail) – by DNA Presents Real Estate & Infrastructure Awards, (e) Asia Pacific Property Award, (f) Emerging Developer of the Year (Retail) – by RE/MAX Estate Awards, and (g) Architecture Design of the Year (Retail) – by 12th Realty Plus Conclave. With his farsightedness, understanding of economic prosperity that Tier-II towns could achieve with the right infrastructure and the success of the Urban Square, Uddhav has initiated the development of a mall in Alwar called ‘Urban Square Galleria’. The Bhumika Group, under the leadership of Uddhav Poddar, today plans to establish similar projects in cities like Jaipur, Jodhpur and Delhi-NCR. Moreover, Uddhav is fervently working towards entering the affordable housing sector with the vision to bringing housing solutions for the population.
Uddhav is a visionary entrepreneur who is passionate about real estate. A Founder member of SCAI (Shopping Center Association of India). He was the youngest on the panel of Speakers and the only person representing the real estate industry at the 5th Edition of the UAE-India Economic Forum in Dubai. As a person, he is an avid sports addict. Infact, he is a competitive cricket player and has played for Delhi Cricket Association. Uddhav is also fond of technology and its ability to bring a positive change in the lives of people. Recently in an interview with ET Panache, he shared his thoughts on technology in the new era of remote working, “During this unprecedented time, all of us adapted to remote work through the use of technology. This shift has increased the use of video conferencing tools and other workplace applications. Also, technology has been fundamental in allowing us to do the things we love remotely; from online fitness classes to socialising with friends”.
Despite all his amazing feats, Uddhav likes to keep a balance between his hectic routine and life. He likes listening to music while he jogs every morning or while driving. Uddhav Poddar has indeed etched his name as one of the frontrunners of Real Estate in India. He exemplifies the fact that if done right, Real Estate can indeed bring about revolutionary changes. Through his vision for the future of real estate, Uddhav continues driving his mega projects, while at the same time inspiring many and reinstating their faith in the sector.
