Prof. (Dr.) Rama Prosad Banerjee

Chairman & Director - EIILM-Kolkata, India, Thought Leader, Author

Prof. (Dr.) Rama Prosad Banerjee is the Thought Leader, Author, Chairman & Director of EIILM-Kolkata, one of India's leading business schools and Founder of EIILM-Kolkata Centre for Leadership and Ethics (EKCLE).

He is an eminent academician, philanthropist, edupreneur and thought leader. He is a prolific author and a pioneer in establishing Ethics and Values in Management academics. Over the course of three and a half decades, he has gathered a wealth of experience as an international educationist, teaching at some of the most prestigious institutions in the world.

His remarkable work in the sphere of stress management, mother leadership, integration of Raj Dharma and Economic Emergence have created a lasting impact on management education.

Ashish Das

Vice President & Country Head - Garfield Health Solutions (wholly owned subsidiary of Kaiser Permanente)

Mr. Ashish Das is a Director on the Board of the Indian legal entity of GHSE. He is a global technology and operations leader with experience across Financial Services, Consumer Product, and IT Services. He is a founding member of leadership teams that built global capability centers (GCCs) for Exult, AON-Hewitt, and Lehman Brothers in India in the early 2000s.

He was at the helm of General Mills GCC, India in 2011, and has held several international leadership roles in the US, including serving as CIO for General Mills in Europe. He is an expert in building and scaling shared services and Global Tech and Delivery Centers, having led world-class delivery hubs in India and the UK. He has delivered complex technology, M&A and business transformation programs in LATAM, China, Australia, and Europe.

Mr. Das is a Sloan Fellow and holds an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has been invited to speak at Harvard, EPFL Switzerland, and talks at selective forums like HFS, SSON and the Economic Times.

He has served on the jury panel for Mass Challenge Switzerland, a startup accelerator that has supported more than 5,000 startups, helping them raise $16B+ in funding, create 90K jobs, and collaborate with 500+ partners worldwide. He is an avid reader and is passionate about cricket, tennis, and golf.

Vinit Jindal

Chief Financial Officer - South Asia & ED, Bayer Crop Science (India) Limited

Vinit Jindal is Cluster Chief Financial Officer for South Asia since January 01, 2025. He was also appointed as the Executive Director of Bayer Crop Science (India) Limited on March 01, 2025.

Vinit began his career at Bayer in Germany as an International Controlling Trainee in 2001 before becoming the Head of Accounting for Bayer CropScience Ltd. in 2005. Later, he led the India Strategy until 2010, where he adeptly managed key divestments, acquisitions, and other transformative initiatives. From 2011 to 2014, Vinit was a member of the CropScience Leadership Team as Head of Product Supply, overseeing Supply Chain Management, Site Logistics, Cost Management, and relationships with third-party manufacturers.

Vinit finds great joy in spotting wildlife during game drives and enjoys the challenge of a competitive badminton match.

Vinit's leadership journey includes serving as the Group CFO for Bayer Southern Africa, Managing Director and CFO for Bayer in the Philippines, and Group CFO for the UK & Ireland cluster in 2021 before assuming his current role.

A Chartered Accountant and Cost Accountant, Vinit is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Calcutta and holds a Bachelor’s degree in commerce from Mumbai University. His early career included roles at Siemens in India, where he not only focused on accounting but also served as an in-house SAP consultant.

Vinit resides with his family of five, including his wife, an 18-year-old daughter, a 14-year-old son, and his mother.

Shourya K. Chakravarty

Chief Human Resources Officer - Aptech

Shourya K. Chakravarty, M.IOD is an esteemed and strategic professional currently serving as the Chief Human Resources Officer at Aptech Limited, a pioneer in the non-formal vocational training business with a significant global presence.

He has almost three decades of illustrious experience in Human Resources, CSR, administration, and impactful employee communications through guiding dynamic teams while shaping and executing people strategies. His professional journey commenced with the Aditya Birla Group, and later held key roles of growing responsibility and complexity at renowned companies such as General Mills India, GE, HSBC, and Firstsource Solutions.

He has also served as the former CHRO at QualityKiosk Technologies, leading pivotal HR transformations. In his career, he has focussed his efforts on fostering an empathetic and inclusive culture and realigning systems, policies, and governance to meet overall business requirements while actively engaging with key stakeholders, both internal and external, including the Board, CXOs, and employees. Shourya holds an MBA degree in HR from XISS Ranchi.

He is also a Certified Corporate Director from the Institute of Directors, India and a Belbin Accredited Team Roles Facilitator. His leadership embodies an agile and adaptive approach tuned to ensuring achievement of business outcomes.

Sitaram Kunte, IAS (Retd.)

Chairman - Institute of Directors, Western Region
former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra & Member Board of Governors, NISM

Mr. Sitaram Kunte is a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and former Chief Secretary of the Government of Maharashtra. With an illustrious career spanning over three decades, he has served in key leadership roles across urban governance, public policy, and state administration. His career highlights include serving as Chief Secretary in 2021, Additional Chief Secretary handling Home, General Administration, and Higher & Technical Education (2017–2020), and earlier as Principal Secretary in Housing, Planning, Finance, and Environment departments. He also served as the Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai from 2012 to 2015 and earlier as Vice President and CEO of MHADA.

Academically, Mr. Kunte holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Delhi University and a Master of Science in Public Policy from the University of Birmingham in the UK. He also holds a law degree from Mumbai University and has completed a certificate course in Public Policy from Syracuse University, USA.

He is currently a Member, Board of Governors, NISM, Distinguished Visiting Professor at IIM Mumbai and visiting Faculty at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune. He also serves as an Independent Director on the boards of several companies and is the Honorary Chairman of the Institute of Directors (Western Region), Mumbai. Additionally, he is empaneled as an Arbitrator by the Bombay High Court and NHPC, and is a founder member of CRISP, an NGO focused on achieving Sustainable Development Goal.

His areas of expertise span Public Administration, Corporate Governance, Urban Development and Housing, Public Policy, Higher Education and Arbitration.

Gautam Thakur

Chairman - Saraswat Bank

Gautam E. Thakur is the Chairman of Saraswat Bank, the largest Co-operative bank in India and Asia with a legacy of one hundred and six years.

Gautam Thakur took on the Strategic Leadership Role of the Bank as he spearheaded the drive for massive growth. The Bank doubled its Retail Loan Book in 6 years under his leadership and Total Business has grown from Rs. 39,000 crores to more than Rs. 91,000 crores as on 31st March, 2025 – a growth of 133% with 0 % Net NPAs, three years in a row.

Under his leadership, Saraswat Bank was selected as one of the World’s Best Banks and amongst India’s Top 10 Banks by a Forbes survey for four years in a row. It also won the Best Technology Bank for six years in a row at the Indian Banks’ Association Awards. The Bank is also on the Fortune 500 - India list for five years in a row.

He has taken several initiatives like creating important new Departments of Digital Banking, I. T. Security, Data Analytics, and Customer Relations & Experience.

Gautam Thakur is a Civil Engineer from Pune University with a Diploma in Financial Management from IMDR, Pune and has attended various management programmes including Strategic Management from IIM, Ahmedabad. He is also an ISO certified Quality Auditor. To pursue his interests in various fields, he has done courses in Behavioral Economics from Duke University, Political Science from Yale University and Philosophy from University of Edinburgh.

He is also a

• Member of Group of Advisors to the Regulations Review Authority constituted by the Reserve Bank of India.

• Former Director on the Board of National Federation of Urban Co-operative Banks and Credit Societies Ltd. (NAFCUB).

• Former Vice President of Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture - Mumbai region.

• Former Vice President of Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh.

Pranay Ranjan Dwivedi

Managing Director & CEO - SBI Pension Funds Pvt. Ltd.

Mr. Pranay Ranjan Dwivedi holds post-graduate degree in psychology, Diploma in Business Management and CAIIB.

He has a total of 31 years of experience which inter alia includes handling portfolios in Retail Banking, SME, Agriculture advances, Risk Management and Mutual Funds.

He has been posted as Regional Head in SBI Mutual Funds, Head Risk Management at SBI Bangladesh operations, Deputy General Manager (Business & operations) at SBI Delhi & Ludhiana Administrative Offices. His last stint prior to joining SBI Pension Funds Private Limited was General Manager (Network II) in Ahmedabad circle of SBI handling business & operations of 425 branches of South Gujarat.

Sumnesh Joshi

Deputy Director General - Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, Government of India

Mr. Sumnesh Joshi is a senior officer of the Indian Telecom Service (1993 Batch) with over 25 years of distinguished service in the Government of India. He is currently serving as Deputy Director General in the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Mumbai.

In his present role, he is actively engaged in expanding 5G use cases, promoting IoT ecosystems, and facilitating the effective implementation of telecom policies to ensure smooth and timely rollout of telecom networks by service providers. He is alsk associated with the 4G Network Saturation Project , aimed at strengthening digital connectivity in underserved areas.

Mr. Joshi was part of the founding team of UIDAI Regional Office, Mumbai in April 2010, working under the leadership of Mr. Nandan Nilekani. He played a pivotal role in the rollout of the biometric-based digital identity platform “Aadhaar” across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and Daman & Diu.

He worked extensively with Aadhaar ecosystem partners including State Governments, Regulators, Banks, Insurance Companies, and FinTech firms, guiding them in designing citizen-centric service delivery models leveraging Aadhaar. He contributed significantly to enabling Aadhaar as a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for targeted delivery of services and benefits under various e-Governance initiatives.

Mr. Joshi also headed the Enrolment & Update vertical of UIDAI at the national level. He was a member of multiple committees focused on strengthening Aadhaar enrolment processes, revisiting regulations and standard operating procedures (SoPs), automating workflows, and developing the Universal Client for enrolment and updates. He has special experience in facilitating Aadhaar enrolment for vulnerable and marginalized populations, including childcare institutions, prisons, orphanages, and mental health institutions.

Earlier in his career at the Department of Telecommunications, he worked in areas such as telecom traffic planning, data analytics, project implementation, marketing strategy, market intelligence, product development, and brand building.

Academically, Mr. Joshi holds:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electronics & Communication Engineering from Rajasthan Technical University, Kota, India

• MicroMasters in Data, Economics and Development Policy from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA

• Certificate in Public Policy from University of California, Berkeley

• MBA from Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon, India

He is a TEDx speaker and is widely recognized as a leading voice in digital identity, fintech, and Digital Public Infrastructure, speaking at national and international forums on inclusive digital transformation

Dr. Sameer Patil

Director - Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology, Observer Research Foundation

Sameer Patil is Director, Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation. Based out of ORF’s Mumbai centre, his work focuses on the intersection of technology and national security, including cybersecurity. Additionally, he researches India’s national security priorities, counter-terrorism, and regional security. He serves on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Cybersecurity and RUSI UK’s Global Partnership for Responsible Cyber Behaviour Advisory Board. He is also the dissertation advisor at the Naval War College, Goa.

Dr Patil has previously worked at the National Security Council Secretariat, Government of India and Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations. He is the author of Securing India in the Cyber Era (Routledge, 2022) and has co-edited The Making of a Global Bharat (Har-Anand, 2024) and Moving Forward EU-India Relations: The Significance of the Security Dialogues (Edizioni Nuova Cultura, 2017).

Nimitt Jhaveri

Designated Partner - Bitscore Cybertech LLP

Mr. Nimitt Jhaveri is the Co-Founder of Bitscore Cybertech LLP, where he spearheads innovation in cybersecurity risk management and enterprise resilience. A distinguished cybersecurity leader, he brings deep-seated expertise in cybersecurity architecture, cyber breach response and strategic recovery, positioning Bitscore as a critical partner for companies navigating an increasingly volatile global cyber threat landscape.

Based in Ahmedabad, Mr. Jhaveri is widely recognized for his unique ability to translate complex technical vulnerabilities into actionable business intelligence. His leadership is defined by a strong commitment to proactive defense, enabling organizations to measure, manage and mitigate cyber risks before they impact the bottom line.

As a respected thought leader in the cybersecurity domain, he frequently contributes to high-profile industry forums and global cybersecurity standards bodies, and is often invited to share his opinion on the future of cybersecurity. Under his guidance, Bitscore has pioneered “bite-sized” cyber risk snapshot reports, specifically designed to empower boards of directors with clear, actionable insights for informed cybersecurity investments.

Through his strategic vision and technical acumen, he continues to drive innovation and strengthen enterprise resilience in an increasingly complex and interconnected digital ecosystem.

Shweta Dasgupta

Head of Product - NPCI Bharat Billpay Ltd.

Shweta Dasgupta is a passionate business leader with over 20 years of experience across payments, banking, capital markets, and edtech. An IIT Kanpur graduate, she’s built groundbreaking solutions - from India’s first AlgoTrading desk to Juspay’s B2B payouts platform.

Now leading product at NBBL for Bharat BillPay, Shweta loves turning complex challenges into simple, impactful innovations. Driven by curiosity and purpose, she’s committed to doing high-impact work that makes a real difference in the world through technology and collaboration.

Prashant Patil, IRS

Additional Director - CBIC DG System Directorate

2011 batch Indian Revenue Service (Custom and Indirect taxes) Education - BE (Automoblie Engineering) from Shivaji university. LLB from Pune university Master of Management Science from Mumbai university

Working in IT department of Central Board of customs and indirect taxes at Mumbai and projects related courier e-commerce.

Earlier worked at Pune, Nagpur, Chatrapati Sambhaji nagar, Ahilyanagar, Ratnagiri in GST department of Central government.

Worked at Deputy custodian of enemy Property under ministry of home for 16 states of India.

Worked as Probationary officer in Asia’s largest cooperative bank The saraswat cooperative bank in 2008 and in nationalised bank , Bank of Maharashtra in 2009.

Worked in state government’s ministry of rural development as Dy. CEO of Zilla Parishad. Worked in tax administration and office administration in various capacity in last 15 years and attended following training.

1. Leadership in revenue programme from Maxwell school of public administration New York in2012

2. IMF course on taxpayer registration at South Asian RegionalTraining centre New

3. Directorate of Revenue Intellegence.(DRI 21) course atMilitary intelligence school Pune

3. GST master trainer at Infosys ,Kanchipooram in Feb 17 Acted as expenditure observer in Telangana West Bengal Delhi and Gujarat

Jaya Janardanan

Independent Director on Multiple Boards

Jaya Janardanan is an accomplished board member and banking professional with 30+ years of leadership experience across banking operations, technology, digital transformation, and customer-centric transformation.

She brings deep expertise in Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) in Banking governance, Branch Management strategy and execution, Risk Assessment and execution, Technology , and large-scale Digital transformation within regulated financial institutions.

Jaya has held senior executive leadership roles for over 15 years as Chief Operating Officer at Ujjivan Small Finance Bank and Aditya Birla Payments Bank, where she worked closely with Boards and regulators during periods of high growth, transformation, and regulatory evolution. As COO, she also chaired the Customer Service Committee and the IT strategy of the Board, strengthening the tech and customer experience governance, grievance redressal frameworks, and technology transformation and successful execution.

Her prior career spans leadership roles at ICICI Bank, ING Vysya Bank, and Bank of America, where she was instrumental in building a framework to set up Branch banking across the country- (geographical identification, peer benchmarking for business and products and working with regulators for branch licensing) industry benchmark centralized operations, technology-led process reengineering, and customer service frameworks and models. As a COO in Aditya Birla Payments Bank, she was part of the core management team that built a digital payments bank from inception- a paperless operation and API-led fintech partnerships. In Ujjivan Bank she build RPA-driven reconciliations, chatbot-enabled customer care, and digital loan origination platforms serving over a million customers.

She currently serves as an Independent Board Member at Svasti Microfinance and Avasara Finance Ltd, and as an Advisor to Aspire For Her, contributing to board deliberations on strategy, customer service governance, digital enablement, and institutional scale-up. In 2021, Jaya founded Finxecute Solutions, a BFSI-focused strategy execution firm working with banks and financial institutions on strategy, solutioning, and transformation execution. Finxecute is Stanford Seed Program certified. Her start-up was selected by FICCI as one of 12 Indian startups to represent India in the US 2024.

She is a frequent FinTech and BFSI speaker, and a recipient of multiple industry recognitions, including the Asian Banker Award, CIO Award, BFSI Game Changer Award, Trailblazer Award, and CXO BFSI Women Achievers Award.

Jaya is an alumna of Oxford University, holds a Master’s degree in Finance Management (MFM) and certified from Institute of Directors (IOD)

Board & Governance Strengths

• Corporate Governance & Board Committees

• Strategy & Digital Transformation Oversight

• Banking Operations & Technology Risk

• Customer Service & Conduct Governance

• FinTech Partnerships & API Ecosystems

• Regulatory & Compliance Awareness (BFSI)

Dharmarajan Subrahmanian

Founder, MD & CEO - Impactsure Technologies

Dharmarajan is the Founder & CEO of Impactsure Technologies, an Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) powered document analytics Web 3.0 SaaS company providing software solutions for Banks and Enterprises.

Dharmarajan has 25+ years of Business Leadership with a mix of Corporate, Family Managed Business and Startup experience, including Board Management & Corporate Governance. He is a Certified Corporate Director by the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors.

He is currently an official member of the prestigious Forbes Technology Council. He contributes to the communities worldwide as part of the Forbes Technology Council through articles on thought leadership in areas of Digital Transformation, emerging technologies and ESG. He is also a member of many Industry Bodies like CII, ICC and more. He was a National Core member for the Prime Minister’s office (2001-03) in policy development, in the National Policy of Health & Population, through CII. He is currently in the Task Force for Education through CII WR.

Dharmarajan has worked in leadership positions in multinationals like Philips and Johnson & Johnson and the Top management/of an indigenous manufacturing organization Telenet Systems. He is also on the Board of Directors/Advisory Board in MSME companies and Startups. He is a Keynote speaker and a visiting faculty to leading management institutes, specializing in Digital Transformation, Marketing, Entrepreneurship & Small & Medium Enterprises (SME).

Dharmarajan has done his Professional Degree and Master in Management Studies from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani. He has done specialization programs from IIM Ahmedabad, Advanced Management courses with a Specialization in Entrepreneurship (Online) from Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, and numerous specialization certification courses from reputed institutes.

His mission is to support Enterprises through Technology, Strategy, Corporate Governance and Leadership Development.

Dr. Bhalchandra Bapat

Country Head - India, ExigoTech

Dr. Bhalchandra Bapat is a seasoned business leader with two decades of experience in IT products and services, currently serving as Country Head – India at ExigoTech.

He drives strategic growth, digital transformation, and enterprise technology solutions, aligning cloud, cybersecurity, and IT investments with long-term business objectives.

A Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) specializing in generative AI from the Swiss School of Business and Management, and an Alumni of IIM Calcutta he integrates cutting-edge research with practical execution to deliver scalable, future-ready solutions.

His career spans leadership roles at Jio Platforms, Tata Communications, Wipro, and Sify, where he managed multimillion-dollar engagements and built trusted CXO relationships. Recognized for operational excellence and ethical leadership, he is committed to mentoring talent, simplifying complex challenges, and enabling sustainable corporate success. Dr. Bapat is an active thought leader, sharing insights on trust, transformation, and the art of long-term impact.