Geetha Ajit Pillai, 56, who currently lives in CBD Belapur, is leading one of India’s key infrastructure projects – the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). As chief general manager (transport and airport) at City And Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), her work has shaped Navi Mumbai’s urban landscape.
Born in Changanassery, Kottayam, Kerala, Pillai was honoured by The Minerva Community for her leadership in transport and airport infrastructure. After Pillai took over as chief general manager for transport and airport in 2021, the first lady officer in CIDCO to hold this position, her team won the Outstanding Performance Award in 2022 for the Mumbai-JNPT Port Road Connectivity Project.
Pillai was the only woman in her MTech (Transport Planning) batch at the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, in 1991. She joined CIDCO in 1995 as an assistant transportation engineer. Over the years, she has contributed to projects like the suburban rail, Metro Rail, Palm Beach Road, flyovers, the Ulwe and Kharghar coastal roads, and NMIA, which she has been involved with since its inception in 1999.
“For me, NMIA is like my own baby. It has grown alongside my son, from an idea to reality,” she said. “Though I retire in two years, planning work continues beyond one’s tenure. NMIA’s development is planned until 2040, and when Terminal 4 connects with Metro Line 2, it will be a dream fulfilled.”
Pillai pursued a BTech in architectural engineering at NIT Calicut, turning down IIT Kharagpur’s offer to study transport planning in Delhi. Her father was a divisional manager at New India Assurance Company, and her mother headed the mathematics department at NSS Hindu College.
Speaking on Women’s Day, she urged society to stop expecting women to do everything alone. “Seeking support – whether from family or domestic help – allows one to excel professionally. I managed work-life balance because of my supportive husband and children,” she said. When her first child was born, her grandmother sent a house help from Kerala who stayed until her eldest child started college. Today, her daughter is a doctor in the UK, and her son is pursuing a master’s in the USA. Her husband, a cybersecurity professional, heads the Asia-Pacific region for a US-based firm.
Pillai credits regular pranayama for keeping her focused and praises CIDCO for fostering a supportive work environment. “There was a phase when my son wouldn’t do his homework unless I were in front of him. My driver used to bring him to my office, where he would sit beside me, finish his work, and then go home,” she recalled.
