Before joining Border Roads, he was serving as additional director general in financial planning directorate in the defence ministry headquarters, a ministry release said.
Shankar was commissioned into Corps of Engineers (Madras Sappers) in 1972 and has held various staff, instructional and command appointments.

Some important posts he held were as commanding officer of an engineer regiment; commander of an engineer brigade; deputy military secretary at integrated headquarters of ministry of defence; commandant of selection centre east, Allahabad; and chief engineer at headquarters of Eastern Command.

He has been an instructor at the College of Military Engineering, Pune, the Indian Military Academy, Deharadun, and the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.