The Construction Federation of India (CFI) has announced its newly elected National Council and office bearers for a two-year term covering FY27 and FY28. M. V. Satish, Advisor to CMD and Lead Ambassador for Middle East, L&T, has been elected President; Priti Patel, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer, Tata Projects, has been appointed Vice President; and Ajit Bhate, Managing Director, Precast India Infrastructures, has taken charge as Treasurer.

The newly formed National Council brings together senior leaders from major EPC and infrastructure companies, reflecting CFI’s continued focus on strong industry representation and strategic direction. The council includes representatives from HCC, Tata Projects, J Kumar Infraprojects, KEC International, Welspun Enterprises, NCC, Patel Engineering and other leading firms.

Since its inception in 2000, CFI has played an active role in policy advocacy, regulatory reform, skill development and stakeholder engagement for India’s construction and infrastructure sector. In its ongoing dialogue with the PMO, the Finance Ministry, Ministry of Law & Justice, MoRTH, NITI Aayog and multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, JICA and ADB, the federation has highlighted key sectoral concerns including arbitration inefficiencies, over-reliance on L1 contracting, poor DPR quality and complex contract structures.

CFI has also proposed several reforms, including a shift from L1 to QCBS, improved DPR quality, wider adoption of institutional arbitration for large claims beyond Rs 10 crore, more flexible contract clauses, timely payments and dedicated fast-track land acquisition cells.

Among the new office bearers, Satish brings nearly four decades of experience at L&T and has led several landmark projects in India and overseas. Patel has nearly three decades of leadership experience across infrastructure and engineering projects in India and international markets, while Bhate has been a prominent advocate of precast construction technology and industrialised building systems in India.