WhiteWater is proud to announce that international amusement industry veteran, Pradeep Sharma, has been appointed to the role of President for the Indian Association of Amusement Parks and Industries (IAAPI).
Sharma has a breadth of experience that spans over 20 years and has seen him work with a variety of international suppliers, lead operations for EsselWorld/Water Kingdom, and run his own company, Bombay Amusement for the last 12 years. As of 2013, he has been helping to develop the waterpark market in India as WhiteWater’s Vice President of Business Development.
One of the many notable projects that Sharma has undertaken was the opening of India’s first international waterpark, Wet N Joy, in Lonavala in 2016. Later in 2018, WhiteWater will install India’s first ever Shoot The Chute water ride at Magic Mountain and will supply all of the new rides for the renovation and expansion of Shanku’s Water Park Resort in Ahmedabad.
“This is a great honour for me as this is an industry I have lived and breathed for over 20 years and I look forward to continuing to play a part in helping this sector continue to grow in India. Over the last few years, there has been an influx of iconic new projects and, as the Indian economy continues to grow at an exponential rate, I envision the need for leisure to increase further. In my role as President, I will be responsible for supporting our 350+ members working across government, policymakers, investors, suppliers, manufacturers, and operators to ensure the amusement industry continues to thrive and embrace the latest and safest global attractions and standards,” said Sharma.
Sharma has been a part of IAAPI for 17 years and was the Vice President of IAAPI before assuming his presidential role. He has chaired various committees such as safety, training, and manufacturers and exporters. As the chairman of the safety committee, he has actively contributed to IAAPA’s safety standard harmonization meetings for several years. Sharma also drafted India’s first safety standard for amusement rides (IS 15475 – Amusement Rides Safety) for the Bureau of Indian Standards on behalf of IAAPI, which was adopted and published with few changes.
“Pradeep’s knowledge of the market is second to none and the respect and comradery he has amongst his peers, colleagues, and fellow industry experts illustrates that there is no one more befitting this appointment. India has been a symbolic market for WhiteWater since our first project there more than 25 years ago and it is an absolute pleasure and honour to have Pradeep at the helm of our team. He has some big shoes to fill when you consider the profile of IAAPI’s previous presidents, but I have no doubt he will make a huge contribution to the continued evolution of the amusement and water park industry in India,” commented Mike Rigby, WhiteWater’s Regional Vice President of the Middle East and India. This high praise was echoed by WhiteWater’s President and CEO, Geoff Chutter, “This is a great accomplishment reflecting Pradeep’s commitment to the industry. We are incredibly proud of all that he has achieved at WhiteWater and IAAPI. This showcases the global reach of our business and our commitment to this ever-growing market.”
IAAPI, founded in 1999, is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organization. It plays a proactive role in representing the interests of amusement parks, theme parks, water parks, and family entertainment centers in India. IAAPI influences decisions of policymakers and investors and leads in an ever-growing amusement industry in India.
