Ninth Leadership Conclave | IIT Gandhinagar

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Ninth Leadership Conclave

To guide the Institute in its short, medium, and long-term strategic issues, the Institute has formulated a Leadership Conclave every year. The Conclave gathers together some of the most eminent thinkers about education from India and around the world, and includes participants from industry, academia, and government. The day-long event includes discussions and the way forward on strategic issues of topmost priority to the Institute. In December 2018, the ninth Leadership Conclave plans to discuss about Vision and mission of IITGN, Assimilation of IITGN values in the internal stakeholders, Systems and policies to ensure long term stability and continuity and Branding and image building.
Participants
	Shri Harsh Bhargava President Bankworld Incorporated, USA × Shri Harsh Bhargava \|I President, Bankworld Incorporated, USA Shri Bhargava is currently the President of Bankworld Inc, a prominent Washington DC based management consulting company with experience in over 75 countries including projects on competitiveness strengthening in the emerging markets, entrepreneurship, and access to finance to micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Prior to that as the Vice President (International Division) of a US Corporation, he set up businesses in over 60 countries and was awarded US President's E Award for excellence in international business. He is the Chief Mentor and Director of the first nationwide study on competitiveness mindset in India under the aegis of IITGN. He is also the Founder and the President of I Create Inc, a nonprofit corporation with centers across India. Shri Bhargava has spoken at global conferences and institutions including IIT, Wharton University etc and delivered the keynote address on Entrepreneurship at the international conference of Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) in New York. He has written extensively on entrepreneurship as a career option for youth, and created training manuals and books on financial literacy and entrepreneurship. Shri Bhargava is an MBA from Harvard Business School.
	Prof Pratim Biswas The Lucy and Stanley Lopata Professor, Assistant Vice Chancellor Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering Washington University, St. Louis, USA × Prof Pratim Biswas \| The Lucy and Stanley Lopata Professor, Chair, Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, 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 more than 350 refereed journal publications, has presented several invited presentations nationally and internationally, holds eight patents and has spun off two start-up companies based on his inventions. He has won several teaching and research Awards including the 2015 Cecil Award given for exemplary accomplishments in Environmental Engineering by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers; the 2013 David Sinclair Award given for outstanding contributions by an established scientist by the American Association for Aerosol Research; the Distinguished Faculty Award by Washington University in 2012; the Distinguished Alumni Award by the IIT Bombay in 2011, 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 is the current Vice President (and President Elect) of the International Aerosol Research Assembly and the Chair of the International Aerosol Conference to be held in St. Louis in 2018.
	Shri Ajai Chowdhry Founder HCL Infosystems Ltd., New Delhi × Shri Ajai Chowdhry \| Founder, HCL Infosystems Ltd, New Delhi Shri Chowdhry, a founder member of HCL, has been one of the key forces in leading HCL, India’s original IT garage start-up founded in 1976 to a global enterprise. He led the foundation of HCL's overseas operations, starting with Singapore in 1980s and later expanded to the other South Asian Markets. In 2011, Shri Chowdhry was conferred with the prestigious Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian honours, as recognition of his consistent contribution in building the IT industry of the nation. He has also received several prestigious awards including Dataquest IT person of the year 2007, Electronics Man of the year by ELCINA-EFY for the year 2010, CNBC Asia Business Award 2010, India Innovator of the Year Award at the 6th edition of CNBC TV18 India Business Leader Awards 2010, Cybermedia Business ICT Award 2013 for Lifetime Achievement in ICT by Shri Narendra Modi in 2014. Shri Chowdhry has a bachelor's degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from Jabalpur Engineering College, and attended the Executive Programme at the School of Business Administration at the University of Michigan, USA.
	Shri Kamalesh Dwivedi Angel Investor, a mentor and business advisor to early stage startup companies, USA × Shri Kamalesh Dwivedi \| Angel investor, a mentor and business advisor to early stage startup companies, USA Shri Dwivedi is currently an Angel investor, a mentor and business advisor to early stage startup companies. He has been a CIO of several global Fortune 500/1000 corporations in their transformative phases in the US and Japan including portfolio companies of global private equity companies. Earlier in his career, Shri Dwivedi led engineering and manufacturing organizations in the VLSI and cell phone industries in Canada. Shri Dwivedi holds a B.Tech degree from IIT Kanpur, a Master of Engineering from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada and has completed the Program for Management Development (PMD) from Harvard Business School, Boston, USA. Currently he resides in Denver, Colorado, in the US.
	Prof Vipin Kumar Professor, Graduate Program Coordinator Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Washington, USA × Prof Vipin Kumar \| Professor, Graduate Program, Coordinator, Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, USA Prof Kumar is currently Professor of Mechanical Engineering at University of Washington, USA. He holds a BTech degree from IIT Kanpur in Mechanical Engineering, and M.S and MBA from University of Rhode Island in 1972 and 1974 respectively and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1988. Prof Kumar's professional interests lie in the areas of design and manufacturing, including product and process design. His research program focuses on microcellular and nanocellular polymers, a family of novel cellular materials expected to be used in a variety of applications in the decades to come. Prof Kumar has a special interest in innovation and technology transfer.
	Shri Ruyintan E Mehta Co-Director for Water Program Wheel Global Foundation, USA × Shri Ruyintan E Mehta \| Co-Director for Water Program, Wheel Global Foundation, USA Shri Mehta was a licensed professional Chemical Engineer (inactive status) in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He received his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from IIT Bombay in 1970 and Master's degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Connecticut in 1972 and in Engineering Administration from the University of Utah in 1974. Shri Mehta was a serial entrepreneur in the plastics industry, who sold his last plastics manufacturing business in California in 2012. Over a 24 year period he started, bought, merged and sold several plastic blow molding companies in New Jersey, California, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Canada that ranged in size from 5 million to 34 million in sales Shri Mehta is an active supporter of Clean Drinking Water Plants (CDWP) in remote impoverished villages in India. He is a co-chair of the Water initiative of WHEELS Global Foundation, a US non-profit started by IIT alumni residing in the US. Shri Mehta is an active volunteer mentor of SCORE Central Jersey, a nonprofit resource arm of the US Small Business Administration.
	Shri Sunil Parekh Founder & Chairman PanIIT Gujarat Alumni Association, Ahmedabad × Shri Sunil Parekh \| Founder & Chairman, PanIIT Gujarat Alumni Association, Ahmedabad Shri Parekh is a senior mentor and leveraged his vast networks to help young start-ups besides his corporate engagements with Zydus Group (Pharma), Jubilant Group (Oil & Gas). Shri Parekh is deeply connected with the startup entrepreneurial ecosystem and actively engaged as a board member of CIIE@ IIMA - Seed fund committee member & Mentor Edge, as well as at the NID Incubator in Ahmedabad. Shri Parekh is a Founding Curator on the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Initiative. Currently as Advisor to Zydus-Cadila Healthcare Ltd. Group, he is actively involved in their special projects. And as Strategic Advisor to Jubilant Group, he brings his network & experience to help the group in its various activities in Gujarat. He has been awarded the top 100 Eminent people of Gujarat. He has a wide domain experience gained over 30 years spanning both Manufacturing and Agriculture & Food Processing industry. In addition he has built a huge understanding of a consumer focused industry Inlaks Group & Grand Cereals Oil Mills Ltd in West Africa, which grew on the basis of consumer understanding and selling B2C. He is one of the early pioneers of building Indo-African companies with large footprints.
	Shri Hasmukh P Rama Chairman and CEO, JHM Hotels Hotelier in USA and Founder President and Chancellor, Auro University, Surat × Shri H P Rama \| Chairman and CEO, JHM Hotels, Hotelier in USA and Founder, President and Chancellor Auro University, Surat Shri Rama obtained his MBA from Xavier University, USA, he is the Chairman of the Board for Auro Hotels one of the largest, privately owned, hospitality companies in the USA. He is the Founder and President of Auro University of Hospitality and Management in Surat, India. He is the founding Chairman of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) and past Chairman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), the largest hotel association in the world. Shri Rama’s commitment to excellence has won him numerous awards, including Lifetime Achievement Award by The Americas Lodging Investment Summit, Outreach Award for Philanthropy Award by Asian American Hotel Owners Association, Above and Beyond Humanitarian Award by The Lodging Conference, Excellence and Inspiration Award by Hunter Hotel Investment Conference, the Pioneer Award by the International Society of Hospitality Consultants, the Arthur Landstreet Award, AH&LA’s Highest Honor for his Contribution to Education, the AAHOA Oberoi Award for Excellence, in addition to an Honorary Doctorate by Johnson & Wales University, USA.
	Prof Mythily Ramaswamy Professor T.I.F.R. Centre for Applicable Mathematics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore × Prof Mythily Ramaswamy \| Professor, T.I.F.R. Centre for Applicable Mathematics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore Prof Ramaswamy is a professor in the School of Mathematics at TIFR, Bangalore She was awarded the PhD from University of Paris 6 and has been visiting faculty at the University of Rome, University of Paris and Toulouse, University of Rutgers, State University of Mississippi and Virginia Tech. She was the Sofia Kowalewsky visiting Professor at University of Kaiserslautern, Germany and received the Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship, 2016-17. Prof. Ramaswamy’s research interest lies in Analysis of differential equations and applications to control problems. Recipient of the Karnataka State Kalpana Chawla award for women scientists, 2004, a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, the National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad. Prof Ramaswamy serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Ramanujan Mathematical Society, Proceedings of Indian Academy of Sciences-Mathematical Sciences and Boundary Value Problems. Currently she is also a guest professor at IIT Gandhinagar and serves as a Board member of IIT Gandhinagar and NIT Calicut Board of Governors and is a member of the IISERs standing committee.
	Shri Kushal Chand Sacheti CEO, Galaxy USA Inc. and Key Items Inc. New York, USA × Shri Kushal Chand Sacheti \| CEO, Galaxy USA Inc. and Key Items Inc., New York, USA Shri Sacheti is the Founder/CEO of Galaxy USA Inc and Key Items Inc, a diamond and Jewelry companies in New York. He has interests in a few startups and is an angel investor. He obtained his BTech in Chemical Engineering from BITS-Pilani and MTech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Kanpur. He is the founder of Center for Curiosity, a non-profit organization, which aims at looking at Curiosity in all aspects: Academic, Practice, Measurement and also to popularize it. He is the co-founder at Centre for Desert Development Technologies at BITS-Pilani to carry out studies in de-desertification. He is also co-founder of Unlimit Art - a not for profit organization for helping disabled artists. He is currently involved in multiple educational and technology initiatives at IIT Kanpur, IIT Gandhinagar, BITS-Pilani and other educational Institutes in India, Nepal and USA. He also works to raise funds for Akshaya Patra Foundation, which provides midday meals to school children in India.
	Prof Supreet Saini Associate Professor Department of Chemical Engineering Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai × Prof Supreet Saini \| Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Prof Saini is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. Prior to joining IIT Bombay, he was an Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering at IIT Gandhinagar (2010 - 2012), where he also headed the Faculty Search Committee among other responsibilities. Prof Saini completed his BTech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Delhi (2005) and PhD in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (2010). He is the recipient of the Young Engineer Award 2017 (Indian National Academy of Engineering) and the Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award 2011 (Department of Biotechnology). His research interests are in the area of evolutionary microbiology.
	Prof Dheeraj Sanghi Professor Department of Computer Science and Engineering Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur × Prof Dheeraj Sanghi \| Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Kanpur Prof Sanghi is currently Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Kanpur. He was a visiting faculty of Computer Science and Engineering from 2015 - 2017 at IIIT Delhi where he also served as the Dean of Academic Affairs and the Dean of External Relations. From 2008 – 2010, he was the Director, LNM Institute of Information Technology (LNMIIT), a public-private partnership University in Jaipur. He was the Dean of Academic Affairs at IIT Kanpur from 2011- 2014. He has also been head of Prabhu Goel Research Center for Computer and Internet Security, and also of the Institute Computer Center. His other roles have included Student counseling, Graduate admissions, and Curriculum design. He is passionate about improving higher education and runs a popular blog on the topic. During 2006, he visited about 70 colleges in India to understand issues in higher education and advise students regarding career planning, including the need to do postgraduate studies. Prof Sanghi has a BTech from IIT Kanpur, and MS and PhD from University of Maryland.
	Shri Piyush Shah Former Executive Vice Chairman Hitachi Hi-Rel Power Electronics Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad × Shri Piyush Shah \| Former Executive Vice Chairman, Hitachi Hi-Rel Power Electronics Pvt Ltd, Ahmedabad Shri Shah served as Executive Vice Chairman and a Director on the Board of Hitachi Hi-Rel Power Electronics Pvt Ltd, Ahmedabad (earlier known as Hi-Rel Electronics Ltd). Shri Shah is BTech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Mumbai in 1975. 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. He 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 Postgraduate 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.
	Prof Chandrima Shaha Professor of Eminence and Former Director National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi × Prof Chandrima Shaha \| Professor of Eminence and Former Director, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi Prof Shaha is currently Professor of Eminence at the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, where she served as Director till late 2016. Prof Shaha received her MSc and PhD degrees from University of Calcutta followed by a stint for post doctoral work at Kansas University Medical Center, Kansas and The Population Council, New York, USA. Prof Shaha is a JC Bose Fellow and was elected as Vice-president (International Relations) of the Indian National Science Academy (2015) and is currently serving the term. She is elected Fellow of the The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) (2014), Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, Delhi (2008), Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore (2004), Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad, India (1999) and a Fellow of West Bengal Academy of Science and Technology (2011). She is recipient of the Om Prakash Bhasin Award (2014), Prof Archana Sharma Memorial Award, National Academy of Sciences (2013), Darshan Ranganathan Memorial award (2010), Department of Biotechnology ‘Special Award’ (2003). Prof Shaha’s current research interests include elucidating the regulatory processes of cell death and the associated mechanisms.
	Prof Satish K Tripathi President State University of New York, Buffalo, USA × Prof Satish K Tripathi \| President, State University of New York, Buffalo, USA An internationally distinguished researcher and higher education leader, Prof Tripathi, was appointed the 15th president of the University at Buffalo in 2011. Prof Tripathi, who served as UB’s provost from 2004-2011, was dean of the Bourns College of Engineering at the University of California-Riverside from 1997-2004. Previously, he spent 19 years as Professor of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, including seven years as department chair. Prof Tripathi graduated from Banaras Hindu University and holds a Doctorate in Computer Science from the University of Toronto, as well as three master’s degrees- one in Computer Science from the University of Toronto and two in Statistics from the University of Alberta and Banaras Hindu University. An active leader in the national higher education community, Prof Tripathi serves on the board of directors for the Association of American Universities, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, as a member of the Mid-American Conference Council of Presidents Executive Committee, and on the boards of the NCAA Division I, the Digital Preservation Network, and Internet2. Appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo as an inaugural co-chair of the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council in 2011, he served in this position until 2017.

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