Sixth Leadership Conclave

Shri R A Venkitachalam Professor and Chair Underwriters Laboratories Bangalore

As the Vice President - Public Safety Mission, Shri Venki focusses on advancing the cause of Public Safety and ULs mission across the Developing World. The urgent need for enhanced measures to ensure Bangalore, India. Public Safety, in the backdrop of accelerating economic growth and globalized markets for products and services, is something that Venki is passionate about. To facilitate constructive dialogue between multiple stake holders in addressing Public Safety challenges, the establishment of Safety Councils in India as a platform was spearheaded by Venki, the first such one for UL, outside of North America. In his earlier role with UL as the Vice President & Managing Director for Emerging Markets, Venki led the growth of UL in the region covering South East Asia, India, Middle East and Africa over a ten year period. Leading with the "Public Safety Mission" and executing with local relevance with the strategy "UL In India For India" have been at the core of Venkis efforts. During his tenure, he led UL in making significant investments in the region, expanding ULs geographic footprint as well as technical, laboratory and service range as well as capabilities. Prior to joining UL, Venki held senior General Management / Commercial responsibilities at CEO level with leading MNC / Indian companies covering Consumer, Capital Goods and Telecom sectors. Venki is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, holding a Bachelor of Technology degree in Chemical Engineering and a Masters in Industrial Management. The Executive Leadership Program at SOM, Yale has been one of his more recent on-going education exposures. Shri Venki has been a speaker at several forums in India and abroad, covering issues pertaining to Public Safety, Government Policy, Industry-specific Product Regulatory aspects as well as General Management.

Prof. Pratim Biswas Chairman of the Department of Energy Washington University St. Louis, USA

Prof. Biswas is the Chairman of the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. He has won several teaching and research awards including the recipient of the 1991 Kenneth Whitby Award given for outstanding contributions by the American Association for Aerosol Research and the Neil Wandmacher Teaching Award of the College of Engineering in 1994. He was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Science, St. Louis in 2003, and a Fellow of the American Association for Aerosol Research in 2009. He has received the Distinguished Alumni Award from IIT Bombay in 2011; and the Distinguished Faculty Award from Washington University in 2012. Prof. Biswas has played a leading role at the National and International arena in the field of Aerosol Science and Technology by serving on several National Committees. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the McDonnell International Scholars Academy, and an Ambassador to the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. Prof. Biswas is also the Director of the McDonnell Academy Global Energy & Environment Partnership (MAGEEP) and a member of the Steering Committee for I-CARES (International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy & Sustainability). He is playing a leading role in advancing the state of art research in promoting Energy and Environmental areas, with a key role in establishing consortia such as CCCU (Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization) and SERIIUS (Solar Energy Research Institute for India and US). Prof. Biswas obtained his B. Tech from IIT Bombay, M.S from University of California and Ph. D from California Institute of Technology, USA.

Prof Rajendra Kumar Bordia Professor and Chair Clemson University USA

Prof. Bordia is currently a Department Chair and Head of the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Clemson University in Clemson, SC, USA (since April 2013). He was a faculty member at the University of Washington (1991-2013) and a Research Scientist in DuPont Co. (1986 to 1991). He received his B.Tech from IIT Kanpur (1979), and M.S. (1981) and Ph.D. (1986) from Cornell University. His research is at the intersection of materials and mechanics and is focused on fundamental and applied studies in the processing and properties of complex material systems for energy, environmental and medical applications. He has authored or co-authored over 125 peer-reviewed technical publications, over 120 technical reports and has presented over 250 invited lectures and seminars. In 2002, Prof. Bordia was elected as the Fellow of the American Ceramic Society; in 2010 the Fellow of the Indian Institute of Metals; and in 2012 an Academician in the World Academy of Ceramics. Other significant awards include: the Humboldt Research award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany (2007); the Marsha Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor award from the University of Washington (2007); and was the sole recipient of the Outstanding Educator Award of the American Ceramic Society (2012). Prof. Bordia is an Associate Editor of the Journal of the American Ceramic Society (1988-Present); Editor of the Journal of Ceramic Processing Research (1999-Present); and Editor-in-Chief of the Ceramics International Journal (2009 - Present). He has also served as technical advisor to two startup companies in the area of energy.

Shri Rahul Gautam Managing Director Sheela Foam Pvt. Ltd Ghaziabad

A Chemical Engineer from IIT Kanpur, India with a Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering from PINY, USA. Shri. Rahul Gautam is the Managing Director of Sheela Foam Pvt. Ltd., India & Chairman of Joyce Foam Pty Ltd., Australia Sheela Foam was formed in 1971 by him and his mother Mrs. Sheela Gautam. The company manufactures flexible Polyurethane Foam and its articles at multiple locations across the country. These products, branded as "Sleepwell" & Featherfoam, are marketed throughout India and its neighbours via a well-established distribution system. In 2005, Sheela Foam acquired of M/s.Joyce Foam in Australia, which is in the business of manufacturing PU Foam and Polystyrene Foam. Shri Gautam personally looks after the Group's Finance, JVs and Acquisitions. With his vision, intense zeal and a highly focused approach Sheela Foam has not only achieved high growth in the past, but also constantly pushing to improving itself all the time. The CSR activities of the group include; Sleepwell Foundation, Adoption of All Womens ITI in Delhi and Establishment of a Chair at IIT, Kanpur. Shri Rahul Gautam is one of the founders and the Chairman Emeritus of the Indian Polyurethane Association.

Mr. Sarthak Jain CEO and Cofounder GridAnt Technologies (GridAnts)

Mr. Sarthak Jain is a graduate of the first batch of IIT Gandhinagar. He was the recipient of the Directors Gold Medal for outstanding overall performance. While he was in college, he along with 3 of his batch mates started a company called GridAnts. The company has received international acclaim and investments from Silicon Valley investors and the 2 top VC firms in India Accel Partners and Helion Venture Partners. GridAnts is building software that will enable to devices to seamlessly communicate with each other. They have a vision to do for the Internet of Things what Microsoft did for PCs.

Shri Kamal Nanavaty President - Strategy Development Reliance Industries Limited Mumbai

Shri Kamal P Nanavaty is the President - Strategy Development of M/s. Reliance Industries Limited. Prior to assuming this responsibility, he was the Sector Head for Cracker, Polymer and Chemicals since the inception. He holds a Chemical Engineering Degree from University of Utah, USA and initially, he worked with USI Chemical Company. Upon returning to India Mr. Nanavaty joined Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited. In 1989 Shri. Nanavaty moved to Reliance Industries Limited to set up the Polymers and Chemicals business at Reliance. Mr. Nanavaty was a member on the Board of Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited from June 2002 and remained a director till its amalgamation with Reliance Industries Limited in September 2007. He is the President of the Chemical & Petrochemicals Manufacturers' Association (CPMA) and Chairman of the International Promotion Committee of Plastindia 2012. He is a member of ACC (American Chemistry Council), SPE (Indian Section), IPI (Indian Chapter) and The Founders Club of Petrochemical Industry, USA. He was elected honorary fellow of India Institute of Chemical Engineers in 2001. He is currently a member of the Board of Governors of IIT Gandhinagar

Shri D J Pandian Former Chief Secretary Government of Gujarat Gujarat

An Indian Administrative Service officer with more than 30 years of experience in public policy and administration. Mr. D. J. Pandian joined Indian Administrative Service (I.A.S.) in 1981 as Assistant Collector and rose to the highest level in the State Bureaucracy- Chief Secretary to Government of Gujarat.Mr. Pandian has experience of 15 years in Energy sector during which he served as Chief Executive Officer of Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) and its group companies and Principal Secretary, Energy & Petrochemicals Department, Government of Gujarat. Under his leadership the Energy landscape of Gujarat was transformed. Mr. Pandian was also instrumental in liberalizing the policy regime to attract foreign investment to India during his stint as Director, External Commercial Borrowings division in department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India. Mr. Pandian also has worked with The World Bank, Washington D.C., USA as Advisor to Executive Director. He was also instrumental in setting up a modern university (Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University) to provide highly skilled technical manpower to the industries in the petroleum and allied energy sectors. He is currently the Director General & Chairman Standing Committee, PDPU, Gandhinagar.

Prof. Rosa Maria Perez Currently she is associated with ISCTE- Lisbon University Institute Lisbon University Institute, Portugal Lisbon University Institute, Portugal

Prof. Rosa Maria Perez has done MA from ISCSP and Ph.D from ISCTE, Lisbon. Currently she is associated with ISCTE- Lisbon University Institute. Her research interest includes Social structures, Social segregation, Subaltern studies, Fieldwork methodology, Portuguese colonialism and postcolonialism in India, Globalisation and Diaspora, Anthropology and Cinema.

Prof. Surendra Prasad Former Director Indian Institute of Technology Delhi He is currently a member of the Board of Governors of IIT Gandhinagar.

Prof. Prasad has held many responsible positions in his illustrious career at IIT Delhi. He has been its Director, Deputy Director, and Dean of Undergraduate Studies. He was a Visiting Research fellow at the Loughborough University of Technology, Loughborough, UK from 1976 to 1977 and was a visiting faculty at the Pennsylvania State University, USA. Dr. Prasad has received numerous awards and honors during his career viz. the Vikram Sarabhai Research Award in 1987 and the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Engineering Sciences in 1988. He is a Fellow, Indian National Sciences Academy of Engineering; Fellow, Indian National Science Academy, and Fellow, Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore. He is currently a member of the Board of Governors of IIT Gandhinagar.

Shri Sanjiv Rangrass Divisional Chief Executive Agri Business Division - ILTD Andhra Pradesh

Shri Sanjiv Rangrass took over as Chief Executive of the Agri Business Division - ILTD in July 2010. With almost a century of working with the Indian Farmers, the Agri Business Division- ILTD, employs close to 4000 people, and deals in Leaf Tobacco and Spices. This vertical exports over USD 250 million worth of agri produce to over 50 countries. A Mechanical Engineer from IIT Kanpur, Shri Rangrass joined ITC in 1982. Prior to his current assignment, he spent 27 years in various capacities, primarily in manufacturing, engineering and projects, where he introduced novel approaches to innovation on the shop floor and spearheaded process excellence initiatives involving Lean and Six Sigma. During 2001-03, Shri Rangrass took up a cross-functional assignment and served as General Manager- HR, where he drove HR practices cutting across Manufacturing and the Trade & Marketing functions. During this period, he also aided the establishment of HR practices in ITCs foray into the Foods Business. His passion lies in driving organizational change through Talent Management and Process Excellence. He is a keen proponent of transparency and systemic orientation in all organizational practices and has a penchant for identifying and developing talent. A multi-faceted personality, Shri Rangrass is an avid sportsperson and a biker, and plays tennis and golf with equal aplomb. He has been on the Board of Governors of IIM Shillong and on the Board of PAN IIT Alumni Association of India.

Prof. Akshai Runchal President Analytic & Computational Research Inc California, USA

Prof. Akshai Runchal initiated the CFD Virtual Reality Institute (CFDVRi), Dharamsala, a registered non-profit institute in Himachal Pradesh. He also established ACRi group of companies that have provided advanced technology CFD Simulation and Modeling services to a number of international clients in the US, Europe and India since 1979. Prof. Runchal started his professional career as a faculty member at IIT Kanpur 1969. He has taught at a number of leading institutes including IIT Kanpur, Imperial College, London, Cal Tech, Pasadena and University of California, Los Angeles. Prof. Runchal obtained his Ph.D from Imperial College in 1969. He was a key member of a small group of 3 persons led by Prof. D. Brain Spalding that invented the Finite Volume Method (FVM) of CFD in mid- 1960's.

Shri Kushal Chand Sacheti CEO Galaxy USA Inc and Key Items Inc New York

Shri Kushal Sacheti, is the CEO of Galaxy, a diamond business company in New York. He is a philanthropist with a passion for education. He obtained his M. Tech. in Chemical Engineering from IIT Kanpur. He has set up a Centre for Desert Development Technologies at BITS Pilani, from where he obtained his B. Tech. in Chemical Engineering. He is a donor for many other educational and humanitarian causes.

Prof. Dheeraj Sanghi Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor IIT Kanpur IIT Kanpur

Prof. Dheeraj Sanghi is currently Professor of Computer Science and Engineering and the Dean of Academic Affairs at IIT Kanpur. From 2008 - 2010, he served as the Director, LNM Institute of Information Technology (LNMIIT), a public-private partnership University in Jaipur. His administrative experience includes running the Institute Computer Center, managing Graduate Admissions, cultural advisor to students, Student Counselling, managing UG education at IIT Kanpur (as Chairman of Senate Under Graduate Committee), design of CS curriculum, and Chairman of Health Center Users Committee. He has visited about 70 colleges in India to discuss issues related to career planning, future of IT industry, curriculum and various technical/research talks. Professor Sanghi has a B. Tech from IIT Kanpur, and M. S. and Ph. D. from University of Maryland.

Shri Piyush Shah Executive Vice Chairman and Managing Director Hitachi Hi-Rel Power Electronics Pvt. Ltd.. Ahmedabad

Shri Piyush B Shah is the Executive Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Hitachi Hi-Rel Power Electronics Pvt. Ltd. Shri Shah is Bachelor of Technology (Electrical) from IIT- Mumbai (1975 Batch). Since 1983, he is the Promoter & Managing Director of Hi-Rel Electronics Pvt. Ltd (Now known as Hitachi Hi-Rel Power Electronics Pvt Ltd), Hitachi Hi-Rel is a leading manufacturer of Power Electronic Products such as Variable Frequency Drives, Industrial Automation systems, UPS Systems, Solar Power Conditioning systems etc. having manufacturing units at Gandhinagar and Sanand with sales and marketing office and service centres all over the country. Shri Shah was the Chairman of Gujarat State Council of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for the year 2012. Shri Shah has been a Member of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) - IT Gujarat Task force, Gujarat Council and Regional Council Committee Western Region of CII. He is a Senior Member of IEEE and an Expert member in the Post Graduate Board at Nirma Institute of Technology, Ahmedabad. Shri Shah was an Executive Council Member of Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers' Association (IEEMA) in the year 2011-12. An avid Golfer and a Bridge player, a voracious reader, he enjoys travelling to discover new locales and places.

Prof. S. P. Sukhatme Professor Emeritus Indian Institute of Technology Bombay IIT Bombay

Professor Sukhatme has been a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Bombay since 1965. He was the Director of IIT Bombay during 1995-2000, and Chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Govt. of India during 2000-2005. Prof Sukhatme's areas of specialization are Heat Transfer and Energy. He is the recipient of many honours and awards and was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology in 1983. He was elected as a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences in 1986, a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering in 1987, a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy in 1995 and a Fellow of National Academy of Sciences in 1999. He is the recipient of Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2001 and was the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of IIT Bombay. Prof Sukhatme obtained the degree of B.Sc (Engg.) from Banaras Hindu University, S.M (Master of Science) and Sc.D. (Doctor of Science) from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T). He is currently a member of the Board of Governors of IIT Gandhinagar.

Shri A. M. Tiwari Managing Director Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited, Vadodara Vadodara

Shri. A. M. Tiwari, IAS, has had diverse set of responsibilities in the Government of Gujarat. These include Principal Secretary (Education), Secretary (Social Justice & Empowerment), and as Secretary (Tribal Development). He is currently the Managing Director of Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited since August 29, 2014. Shri. Tiwari served as the Managing Director at Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Limited during July 14, 2011 to May 2, 2013. He holds B.Sc in Chemistry, Zoology and Botany at Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University and also holds M.Sc in Zoology from same University. He holds MBA from the Univerza v Ljubljani.

Prof. Satish K. Tripathi President State University of New York Buffalo, USA

Prof. Satish K. Tripathi serves as President of the University at Buffalo. An internationally recognized computer scientist, Prof. Tripathi joined UB as Provost - the university's chief academic officer - on July 1, 2004, after serving as Dean of the Bourns College of Engineering at the University of California, Riverside. He was one of the creators of the UB 2020 strategic plan to achieve academic and research excellence. Prior to joining UC Riverside in 1997, he was a professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, where his 19 years as a faculty member included being chair from 1988 -1995. He was a visiting professor at the University of Paris-Sud in France and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany while at the University of Maryland. He has published more than 200 papers and supervised more than 30 Doctoral and Postdoctoral student. He is a fellow of the IEEE and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Buffalo Urban League. Prof. Tripathi is the first international-born president in UB's history, a fitting distinction for one of the most international universities in the U.S. In addition to a doctorate in computer science earned from the University of Toronto in 1979, he holds three master's degrees, one in computer science from the University of Toronto (1976) and two in statistics from the University of Alberta (1974) and Banaras Hindu University (1970). He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree from IIIT Allahabad.