Dr. Ashwani Kumar Rathour
Dr. Ashwani Kumar Rathour is one of India's most accomplished dairy industry professionals, bringing over 36 years of leadership experience across dairy development, food processing, agribusiness, retail, supply chain management, product innovation, and farmer-centric business models.
A Ph.D. in Animal Husbandry & Dairying, MBA (Marketing), and qualified Food Safety Auditor, Dr. Rathour has held senior leadership positions with leading organizations, including Reliance Retail, where he served as Strategic Advisor for the company's pan-India dairy and agri-business operations. During his tenure, he led large-scale initiatives in milk procurement, manufacturing, cold chain management, logistics, product development, quality systems, retail expansion, and farmer engagement.
Widely recognized as a pioneer in the dairy sector, Dr. Rathour introduced several industry-first innovations in India, including the commercial production of Whey Protein Concentrates (WPC 70–74) from buffalo milk, advanced dairy fractionation technologies, caseinates, whey-based nutraceutical ingredients, and integrated digital milk procurement systems that transformed transparency and farmer payments across the dairy value chain.
His international exposure includes specialized training and technical collaborations with leading global institutions and companies in Finland, the United Kingdom, France, New Zealand, Germany, the United States, and the Netherlands. He has participated in international sourcing missions, food technology programmes, dairy innovation initiatives, and global food safety and quality management systems.
A respected industry thought leader, Dr. Rathour has authored and co-authored more than 45 research papers, technical publications, book chapters, and industry articles covering dairy technology, whey proteins, nutraceuticals, food safety, membrane processing, value-added dairy products, supply chain management, and food innovation. His work has been published in leading national and international journals and presented at prestigious conferences across India and abroad.
Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Rathour has received numerous national and international awards for innovation, research excellence, quality management, and contributions to the dairy and food industry. He has also served as an expert speaker, conference chair, industry assessor, academic contributor, and mentor to institutions including NDRI, IGNOU, NIFTEM, Banaras Hindu University, and other premier organizations.
Driven by a vision of empowering farmers, improving food quality, and building sustainable value chains, Dr. Rathour continues to advise businesses on growth strategy, operational excellence, food safety, supply chain transformation, dairy development, and sustainable agribusiness models.