The 13th Annual Wharton India Economic Forum Presents: India - The Road Ahead

Chanda Kochhar

Joint Managing Director, ICICI Bank Limited
(named the new CEO & Managing Director)

Ms. Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO - Designate of ICICI Bank is currently the Joint Managing Director & CFO. She heads the Corporate Centre, is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and is also the official spokesperson of ICICI Bank. In addition to finance, planning and communications; her current responsibilities include the global treasury, principal investments & trading, risk management and legal functions. She is also responsible for day-to-day guidance and administrative matters relating to the compliance and internal audit functions.

Ms. Kochhar began her career with ICICI as a Management Trainee in 1984 and has thereon successfully risen through the ranks by handling multidimensional assignments and heading all the major functions in the Bank at various points in time. In 1993 when ICICI decided to enter commercial banking, she was deputed to ICICI Bank as a part of the core team to set up the bank. When ICICI set up the Infrastructure Industry Group in 1996 to create dedicated industry expertise in the areas of Power, Telecom and Transportation sector, she was handpicked and made incharge of the Infrastructure Industry Group. Further in 1998, when ICICI created the “Major Client Group” to handle the relationships with the top 200 clients of ICICI, she was promoted as General Manager and was made the head of the Major Clients Group. In the year 1999 she simultaneously started handling the strategy and E-commerce divisions of ICICI.

In July 2000, she was chosen to head the Retail Finance division of ICICI and has been instrumental in scaling up the business. In April 2001, she was promoted as an Executive Director, heading the retail business in ICICI Bank. Having joined it during its nascent stage, her strategic thinking and skills to convert challenges into opportunities ensured that within a short span of around 5 years ICICI Bank emerged as the largest retail financer in India. In the process of transforming a small bank into the largest private sector bank in the country, within a decade of its inception, the various steps taken by her also shaped the retail finance industry in India.

In April 2006, she was appointed as the Deputy Managing Director of ICICI Bank, with responsibility for both Corporate and Retail banking business of ICICI Bank and from October 2006 to October 2007, she handled the International and Corporate businesses of ICICI Bank. Once again under her leadership, International banking was the fastest growing businesses within the Bank aiming to cater to the cross-border needs of clients.

Under the leadership of Ms. Kochhar ICICI Bank had won The Asian Banker - “Best Retail Bank in India“award for five consecutive years from the year 2001 to 2005. As recognition of her contribution to establish ICICI Bank as a leading player in the banking industry Ms. Kochhar has also been:

• Ranked 25th in the Fortune’s List of Most Powerful Women in Business, 2008
• Featured in the list of 25 most powerful women leaders in Business Today, 2008
• Selected as ‘Rising Star Award’ for Global Awards 2006 by Retail Banker International
• Awarded Business Woman of the Year 2005 by The Economic Times of India
• Selected as Retail Banker of the Year 2004 (Asia-Pacific region) by The Asian Banker from amongst prominent retail bankers in the Asia Pacific region

Mrs. Kochhar was born on November 17, 1961, in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. She joined Jaihind College for a Bachelors Degree in Arts and after graduating in 1982, completed her MBA and Cost Accountancy. She did her Masters in Management Studies (Finance) from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai and topped her batch and received the Wockhardt Gold Medal for Excellence in Management Studies. In Cost Accountancy, she received the J. N. Bose Gold Medal for highest marks in that year.

Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia

Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Government of India
(via live videoconferencing)

Montek Singh Ahluwalia is the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, India. He was appointed to hold the post on June 16, 2004 by the ruling UPA government. He was the first Director of the Independent Evaluation Office, International Monetary Fund (IMF). He assumed office on July 9, 2001.

He has held numerous prestigious positions both in India and abroad, beginning his career as an Economist with the World Bank, Washington DC in 1968. For the next eleven years he served the World Bank as Deputy Division Chief in the Public Finance Division and as the Chief of the Income Distribution Division in the Development Research Centre respectively.

Returning to India in 1979, he worked as Economic Advisor in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance from 1979 to 1985. The following five years saw him first as Additional Secretary and then as Special Secretary to the Prime Minister. In 1990 he became the Commerce Secretary for a year before assuming charge of Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance for two years. Thereafter, he served as Finance Secretary until 1998, following which he was appointed as Member, Planning Commission and also as Member, Advisory Council to the Prime Minister.

Before joining as Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission in July 2004, he also served as Director, Independent Evaluation Office, International Monetary Fund, Washington DC for three years. In 2007 he became a member of the influential Washington-based financial advisory body, the Group of Thirty.

He has published a number of articles on various aspects of economics, in prominent international journals and books. He co-authored ‘Re-distribution with Growth: An Approach to Policy’, published in 1975, and in 2004 he wrote ‘Reforming the Global Financial Architecture’, Economic Paper No. 41, Commonwealth Secretariat, London.

Ahluwalia's fingerprints can be found in policies from economics to education reform, and he has been a driving force in India’s liberalization program of the past 16 years. Time Magazine says, “If Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi is the Indian government's firm but kind matriarch and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh its chief executive, then Montek Singh Ahluwalia is its brain.”

He earned his B.A. (Hons) degree from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, University of Delhi and his M.A. and M. Phil. degrees as a Rhodes scholar from the University of Oxford. He has also received an honorary M.B.A. from Oxford.

Mr. Ahluwalia is married to Isher Judge Ahluwalia and they have two children.

Jim Rogers

Co-Founder, Quantum Fund; Investor, Asia-Pacific
(via live videoconferencing)

Jim Rogers is an American investor and financial commentator. He is co-founder, along with George Soros, of the Quantum Fund, and is a college professor, author, world traveler, economic commentator, and creator of the Rogers International Commodities Index (RICI).

Rogers grew up in Demopolis, getting started in business at the age of five, picking up bottles at baseball games. He got his first job on Wall Street, at Dominick & Dominick, after graduating with a bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1964. Rogers then acquired a second BA degree from Balliol College, Oxford University in 1966.

In 1970, Rogers joined Arnhold & S. Bleichroeder, where he met George Soros. That same year, Rogers and Soros founded the Quantum Fund. During the following 10 years the portfolio gained 4200% while the S&P advanced about 47%.

In 1989 and 1990, Rogers was the moderator of WCBS' The Dreyfus Roundtable and FNN's The Profit Motive with Jim Rogers. From 1990 to 1992, he traveled through China again, as well as around the world, on motorcycle, over 100,000 miles (160,000 km) across six continents, which was picked up in the Guinness Book of World Records.

In 1998, Rogers founded the Rogers International Commodity Index. In 2007, the index and its 3 sub-indices were linked to exchange-traded notes under the banner ELEMENTS. Rogers is involved with two direct, farmland investment funds - Agrifirma (based in Brazil) and Agcapita Farmland Investment Partnership (based in Canada).

Between January 1, 1999 and 5 January, 2002, Rogers did another Guinness World Record journey through 116 countries, covering 245,000 kilometers with his wife, Paige Parker, in a custom-made Mercedes.

Rogers is the author of numerous books, such as Hot Commodities : How Anyone Can Invest Profitably in the World's Best Market, A Bull in China: Investing Profitably in the World's Greatest Market, Adventure Capitalist: The Ultimate Road Trip, A Gift to My Children: A Father's Lessons for Life and Investing and Investment Biker: Around the World with Jim Rogers.

Rogers resides in Singapore today.

Dominic Barton

Chairman, McKinsey & Company, Asia-Pacific
(named the new Global Managing Director)

Dominic has recently been elected Global Managing Director of McKinsey & Company worldwide. For the past 10 years, he has been based in Asia where he has been the Chairman of McKinsey & Company’s Asia Practice, based out of Shanghai. He focuses on financial sector reform, performance improvement in the public and private sectors and the globalisation of Asian companies. He has served clients in consumer goods, banking and securities, technology and manufacturing - helping transform institutions from local and regional players into global leaders. Dominic led McKinsey's office in Korea from 2000 to 2004 - where he was also made an honorary citizen. Dominic also serves on McKinsey’s Shareholder Committee, the Firm’s senior governance body.

A regular attendee of global meetings including the Davos World Economic Forum, the Aspen Strategy Group and the World Bank and IMF meetings, Mr. Barton is also a prolific writer, authoring more than 80 articles on Asia, history and the issues and opportunities that global and Asian markets face. His book - co-authored with Roberto Newell and Greg Wilson - Dangerous Markets: Managing in Financial Crises (Wiley & Sons, 2002), outlined the underlying drivers of financial crises and recommended strategies for turning crisis into growth opportunities. He is frequently cited in the international media in publications including The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal Asia, Fortune and The South China Morning Post. His most recent book is China Vignettes: An Inside Look at China (Talisman, 2007).

Dominic is a member of the Brookings Institution Foreign Policy Leadership Committee and is the Chairman of the International Advisory Committee to the President of South Korea on National Future and Vision. Dominic was recently awarded the Magnolia Silver Prize by the Shanghai Government for his outstanding contributions to the city's development.

Mr. Barton is a Rhodes Scholar with an MPhil in economics from Brasenose College at Oxford University.

He is married with two children, and currently resides with his family in Shanghai.

Farrokh Kavarana

Director, TATA Sons; Chairman of several TATA group companies

Farrokh K. Kavarana is a Director of Tata Sons Limited and Tata Industries Limited, the apex holding companies of the Tata Group. He is Chairman of several Tata Companies in India and abroad – notably Tata AIG Life and General Insurance Companies, Tata Asset Management Ltd., Trent Ltd. and Tata Projects Ltd; and a Director of Tata Capital Ltd., Tata Tea Ltd., Tetley Group and Titan Ltd. Between 2000 and 2005 he was Executive Chairman of Tata Infotech Ltd. (now merged with Tata Consultancy Services), and from 1994 to 2000 he was Executive Director of Tata Motors Limited, India’s largest automobile manufacturer. Prior to that he was Vice-Chairman & Managing Director of Tata International AG, Switzerland, responsible for the Tata Group’s overseas operations and investments.

Before joining the Tata Group in 1975, he held key positions with McKinsey & Co. Inc., in London and Washington D.C. He has advised leading international financial institutions, including the World Bank, as well as industrial companies on strategic and organizational issues.

Mr. Kavarana graduated with a B.Com (Hons.) degree from the University of Bombay in 1963, and with an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania in 1970. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, and a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

He is involved with several social and charitable institutions and is a trustee of Childline India Foundation, the Lady Tata Memorial Trust, The Nani A. Palkhivala Memorial Trust and the National Centre for the Performing Arts.

He is a recipient of the Dadabhai Naoroji International Millennium Award 2005.

Nandan Nilekani

Co-Chairman, Infosys

Nandan M. Nilekani is the Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Infosys Technologies Limited. From March 2002 to June 22, 2007, he served as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director and has previously held the posts of President and Chief Operating Officer. He is one of the founders of Infosys and has served as a director on the company’s board since its inception in 1981.

In January 2006, Nandan became one of the youngest entrepreneurs to join 20 global leaders on the prestigious World Economic Forum (WEF) Foundation Board. He is listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine, 2006.

Nandan co-founded India's National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) as well as the Bangalore Chapter of The IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE).

Nandan was on the Board of Reuters as a non-executive member from January 2007 till the merger of Reuters with Thomson in April 2008. He is the Vice Chairman of The Conference Board, Inc., an international research and business membership organization. He is on the Board of Directors of the Peterson Institute for International Economics and is a member of the Board of Governors of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER). He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and serves as the Co-chairman of the IIT Bombay Heritage Fund.

In India, Nandan is a member of the National Knowledge Commission and also part of the National Advisory Group on e-Governance. He is also a member of the review committee of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. He took over as the elected President of NCAER (the premier, independent, applied economics research institute in India) in April 2008.

Nandan has been involved in various initiatives of the central and state governments. He was the Chairman of the Government of India’s IT Task Force for power. Nandan has also served as a member of the subcommittee of the Securities and Exchange Board of India that dealt with issues related to Insider Trading, and as a member of the Reserve Bank of India’s Advisory Group on corporate governance.

Nandan is the recipient of several awards. He was the Forbes Asia "Businessman of the Year" in 2006. He, along with Infosys founder (and currently non-executive chairman) N. R. Narayana Murthy, received Fortune magazine’s ‘Asia’s Businessmen of the Year 2003’ award. He was named among the ‘World’s most respected business leaders’ in 2002 and 2003, according to a global survey by Financial Times and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Nandan was also awarded the Corporate Citizen of the Year award at the Asia Business Leader Awards (2004) organized by CNBC. In 2005, Nandan was awarded the prestigious Joseph Schumpeter prize for innovative services in economy, economic sciences and politics.

In 2006, Nandan was conferred the Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian honors awarded by the Government of India.

Nandan received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, India in 1978.

Senthil Chengalvarayan (Moderator)

President and Group Editorial Director Business Media, Television 18

Senthil Chengalvarayan is the Managing Editor of TV18, a listed subsidiary of Network18 and one of India’s leading media conglomerates through its channels, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz. TV18 also runs one of India’s largest web networks, Web18. Senthil heads a host of vertical which form part of the Business Media Ecosystem (Business/Tech/Personal finance magazines, Financial Portals, Business wires, Extentions of CNBC TV18 & CNBC AWAAZ and Mobile). Senthil has been a business journalist for over two decades. After spending his initial years in the profession with various Business Dailies he joined Television Eighteen in 1994 just as the company was pioneering the entry of private companies into Television News. He's seen the industry grow then from uncertain beginnings to the phenomenon that it is today. A Graduate in Economics from Madras.

Ramdeo Agrawal

Co-founder, Motilal Oswal Securities

Mr. Ramdeo Agrawal is the man behind the strong research capabilities at Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd. He is an Associate of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and also a member of the National Committee on Capital Markets of the Confederation of Indian Industry. Mr. Agrawal specialises in equity research. He has been authoring the annual Motilal Oswal Wealth Creation Study since its inception in 1996. In 1986, he wrote the book ‘Corporate Numbers Game’, along with co-author, Mr. Ram K Piparia. He has also featured on 'Wizards of Dalal Street on CNBC TV 18'. Mr. Agrawal has received the "Rashtriya Samman Patra" awarded by the Government of India.

Seth Freeman

CEO & Chief Investment Officer, EM Capital Management, LLC

Seth R. Freeman is the CEO of EM Capital Management, LLC, a privately owned fund manager and restructuring advisor regulated by the SEC under the 40 Act with a dedicated, long-term India investment strategy. Mr. G.N. Bajpai, former Chairman of SEBI and of LIC is a founding member and Senior Advisor of EM Capital Management, LLC. Seth has over 25 years experience as a principal investor and financial advisor and 15 years emerging markets investment and financial advisory experience across numerous industries including manufacturing, consumer goods, banking, health care, shipping and real estate in the U.S., Latin America, Emerging Europe and India.

Seth is the lead Portfolio Manager of EM Capital India Gateway Fund (EMINX), the EM Capital India Discovery Funds, the EM Capital India Master Fund Ltd. (Mauritius) and co-portfolio manager of the EM Capital - Khadija Green Real Estate Fund-1, a Pan-Subcontinent-focused fund, a JV with Khadija & Kassamali Ltd. in Karachi, Pakistan. EM Capital Management, LLC is establishing a leadership position in emerging markets socially responsible investing and is developing the first India SRI fund available to U.S. investors based upon the Standard & Poors ESG India Index. Seth is a member of the International Working Group of the Emerging Markets Disclosure Project co-chaired by the IFC and Social Investment Forum. The firm is the Lead Investor-India coordinating the EMDP initiative to encourage Indian companies to report environmental, social and environmental policies and practices.

Sandeep Naik

Principal, Apax Partners India Advisers Pvt. Ltd.

Sandeep Naik joined Apax Partners in 2004 . He is the co-founder of the Apax Partners India office and manages their Investments in Healthcare, Financial & Business Services and Retail & Consumer Group.

Prior to joining Apax, Sandeep was a Global Marketing Manager at Medtronic, Scientist at Mayo Clinic and a Consultant with McKinsey. He is also the co-founder of a medical device start up firm, InfraScan Inc.

Sandeep's deal experience while at Apax includes Apollo Hospitals, Esprit Pharma, Xanodyne and Spectrum Labs. In addition he managed a vast portfolio of Healthcare investments spanning healthcare services, medical devices and specialty pharmaceuticals during his stint at Apax in the US.

Sandeep has done his MS in Biomedical Engineering from Medical College of Virginia and MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Rajeev Masand (Moderator)

Entertainment Editor, CNN-IBN

At 32, Rajeev Masand has had an accomplished media career spanning 15 years covering the Indian entertainment industry. A graduate from Mumbai University, Rajeev started reporting at the young age of 15 at The Times of India. He rose fast, and the milestones along the way include several leadership positions such as Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, Entertainment Head at Star News and Entertainment Editor and Film Critic at CNN-IBN.

Rajeev is perhaps the only entertainment journalist in the country to have had an eponymous film show – Masand Ki Pasand (on Star News), which redefined the rules of how a TV film critic connects to his audience. He pushes the envelope of innovation further on Now Showing on CNN-IBN, which is characterised by tremendous interactivity, viewer participation, online communities, and user-generated discussion of a very high magnitude.

What has characterised Rajeev’s career throughout is his honesty and rigid standards of excellence. In an industry that is heavily star-dependant and hence sycophancy-led, he is one of the few film critics who hasn’t ever compromised his values while passing judgement on the films he reviews. The only standard that matters when he looks at a film is his own. And the stars respect this, even though they may often feel scathed by his comments in print or on television. As an indication of the respect he wields in the industry, he is also one of the few journalists who can have instant access to almost any star.

In an industry that is divided into Bollywood journalists and others, Rajeev has managed to achieve a wonderful balance. Whether at Cannes or in Goa, interviewing Hrithik Roshan playing Krrish or Daniel Craig playing James Bond, he is equanamous, well informed and incisive.

The highlight of his career is his international coverage. Rajeev has been pathbreaking in the international interviews he has conducted with such talent as Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, M Night Shylaman, Sam Raimi, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Tobey Maguire and Adrien Brody, and in locations like New York, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, Seoul, Cannes and South Africa. In this, it would be right to say that he has served as a cultural ambassador for the Indian entertainment industry and the Indian film industry at large.

Abhishek Bachchan

Actor, Bollywood

Abhishek Bachchan debuted in Bollywood with the film Refugee in 2000, for which he received the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award. In 2004, the actor delivered a critically acclaimed performance in the films Dhoom and Yuva. His performance in the latter was praised, for which he received several awards, including his first Filmfare Award in the Best Supporting Actor category, an award he would win for the two next years as well, for his performance in Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar and in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, the latter being one of India’s highest grossing films of the year at the box office. Since then, Mr. Bachchan has starred in films that have been commercially and critically successful, establishing him as one of the leading actors in the Indian film industry. In addition, Mr. Bachchan has been nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award thrice is his career. One of his most critically acclaimed performances has been in the film Guru, debatedly based on the life and career of Indian industrialist Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani, late father of billionaires Mukesh and Anil Ambani.

Abhishek is a scholar from Boston University and Aiglon College (Switzerland). He is the son of eminent veteran actors Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and Ms. Jaya Bachchan, and the grandson of noted Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan. He is married to actor and former Miss World Ms. Aishwarya Rai.

Abhishek is also involved in the functional and administrative operations of AB Corp. Ltd., which was responsible for conceptualizing and executing the famous Unforgettable World Tour stage production, covering the U.S, Canada, Trinidad, and London.

Abhay Deol

Actor, Bollywood

Abhay Deol is a Bollywood actor and the son of producer-director Ajit Singh Deol. He is the nephew of legendary actor Dharmendra, and a cousin of several renowned second generation actors within his family – Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and Esha Deol. Abhay studied from Mumbai University after which he traveled to the US to study Fine Arts. He completed a two year acting course from Los Angeles after which he returned to India to make his mark in Bollywood.

He is known for working in independent cinema and taking up experimental roles. Abhay made his first debut with Imtiaz Ali’s Socha Na Tha, which was an instant box office rage. He went on to continue his stint in Bollywood film noir with movies such as Ahista Ahista, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., Ek Chaalis Ki Local and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!. His latest movie, Dev D, is a modern version of the legendary parable of Devdas, focused on a niche audience and receiving credits for its cinematography, music and performances.

Abhay has come to be recognized for his adventurous attitude when it comes to picking unconventional roles and playing closer to life characters. He is a promising actor and has been referred to as a ‘Braveheart’ by Indian Express.

Rohan Sippy

Film Director, Bollywood

He directed his first film in 2003, the romantic comedy drama Kuch Naa Kaho starring Abhishek Bachchan & Aishwarya Rai. “Eye-watering production values and a sparkling performance by Bollywood goddess Aishwarya Rai... an impressive debut by Rohan Sippy... (It) ranks as one of the classiest Hindi productions of the year.” (Derek Elley, Variety)

Bluffmaster (2005), Rohan’s second film, saw him team up with Abhishek again and a supporting cast of Priyanka Chopra, Riteish Deshmukh, Boman Irani and Nana Patekar. It succeeded as a slickly packaged entertaining con caper with a taut screenplay that is urbanely tongue-in-cheek. And for the first time a Hindi film featured truly international talent - including prominent Pharsi, Scandinavian, & UK Asian Underground artistes on a breakthrough soundtrack. Capping it was Abhishek's singing debut Right Here Right Now, one of the top songs of the year, and whose video won MTV's Most Stylish Song in Film Award for 2006.

After co-producing the sleeper hit Taxi No. 9 2 11 featuring Nana Patekar & John Abraham, Rohan produced “Chandni Chowk To China”, a Kung Fu & song and dance action comedy featuring Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone and a host of Chinese & Indian talent, which Warner Bros released worldwide January 16 2009. He also produced the English language "indie" The President Is Coming, featuring Konkona Sen Sharma, Shernaz Patel & a host of talented stage actors, which after its release on January 9 2009 has fast become a cult favorite with audiences & critics alike... "Savagely hilarious... a new wave in Bollywood!" (Shubra Gupta, Indian Express)

He is currently preparing for his next film as a director, as well as developing scripts for production.

Vijay Amritraj (Moderator)

Former Indian Tennis Player, Sports Commentator and Actor

So much has been written and said about Vijay Amritraj, that one needs to spotlight those aspects of his life that take him beyond just another celebrity with a foundation.

In sport, Vijay has beaten the world's best in tennis, including Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, John Newcombe, Stan Smith, and has repeated as a Quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and the US Open. Ranked #1 in Asia for 14 years, Vijay holds the record for the longest run in Davis Cup play, where as India's Davis Cup Captain he lead the team to the Finals.

Since 1991 Vij ay has been the Lead anchor and Host for "ESPN Star Sports" broadcasting to the world's largest sporting audience. Covering Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open and other ATP Tour events, along with the PGA Masters, Vijay is one of the world's most recognizable sports celebrities.

Because of his extensive knowledge of politics and business within India, Vijay was secured by ABC, ESPN, Sony Entertainment,Turner Broadcasting, and IMG to strategize their successful business entry into India and other parts of South Asia. Vijay also serves as Chairman of Grey First Serve, Sri Lanka's leading advertising agency, and is director of The Leela Group of Hotels in India. He is also director of Deccan Aviation, operating the first ever low cost airline in India, and serves as a brand Ambassador for American Airlines, Visa, and Rolex.

Internationally, Vijay was appointed United Nations Messenger of Peace on February 9,2001. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India, for enhancing the prestige of India. Vijay was President of the ATP Tour Player Council from 1989 through 1992 and again in 1994. He was awarded the prestigious Pierre Coubertin Award by the United Nations in Paris in November 1988 and is the only Asian to receive the honor. Vijay was named Davis Cup Centennial Ambassador by the International Tennis Federation in 1999, and was unanimously elected to Honorary Membership of The All England Lawn Tennis Club at Wimbledon. In 2006, Vijay founded The Vijay Amritraj Foundation, an international charity serving the destitute of India.

With his charm and talent Hollywood quickly approached Vijay to Co-star in the James Bond film Octopussy with Roger Moore. He later co-starred in Star Trek IV with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Vijay appeared as a guest on "The Tonight Show" with Johny Carson and "Good Morning America" in the U.S., as well as "Breakfast Time" and "Good Morning Britain" in the U.K. He guest starred in various TV Shows in the 70's and 80's, including "Hart to Hart" and "Fantasy Island" and went on to star in his own ensemble cast series "The Last Precinct" and "What a Country." Mr. Amritraj is married with two sons.

Sunil Gavaskar

Former Cricket Captain, Team India

Sunil Gavaskar completed his education from St. Xavier's High School, St. Xavier's College and Bombay University (B.A.). His First Class cricket debut was in 1967 and Test Cricket debut in 1971. He played cricket till 1987. Mr. Gavaskar has played 125 matches and scored 10,122 runs with 34 centuries. He has captained India in 47 Tests and his highest score includes 236 not out versus West Indies at Madras. Mr. Gavaskar has played 108 One-Day International matches and scored 3,092 runs with one century. He has captained India in 37 ODIs.

Mr. Gavaskar was the first player to score over 2000 runs against three countries. He was the first player to score more than 10,000 Test runs and held the record for the highest number of Test centuries scored. Mr. Gavaskar is the author of several books including 'Sunny Days,' 'Idols,' 'Runs 'n' Ruins' and 'One Day Wonders.' He writes a fortnightly column and covers international cricket for the press.

Mr. Gavaskar is a TV Commentator for Sharjah, BBC, Channel 9 Network (Australia), TVI (South Africa), ESPN & STAR Sports, Neo Sports. He is also the Former ICC Cricket Committee Chairman (playing), Former Chairman, National Cricket Comment and Former Chairman, BCCI Technical Committee.

Mr. Gavaskar has been felicitated with Arjuna Award in 1975, Padma Bhushan in 1980, Maharashtra Bhushan Award in 1999, Doctorate of Science (Honoris Causa) by Padmashree Dr. D. Y. Patil University in February 2009.

Geet Sethi

World Professional Billiards Champion

Geet Sethi has completed his BA and MBA. Residing in the city of Ahmedabad, he is married with two children. Mr. Sethi’s sports achievements include the following: BSF World Billiards Champion 1985, 87, 01; IBSF World Billiards runner-up 2002, 2003, 2005; IBSF World Billiards bronze medalist 2007; IBSF World Billiards Silver medalist (point) 2008; IBSF World Billiards bronze medalist (time) 2008; WBA World Billiards Champion 1992,93,95,98,06; WBA World Billiards silver medal 2008; Asian Games Bangkok 1998: doubles gold medal in English Billiards and silver in singles; Asian Games Busan 2002: doubles silver in English Billiards and bronze in singles; Asian Games Doha 2006: doubles bronze in English Billiards; Asian Indoor Games Macau 2007: singles silver in English Billiards; Asian Billiards Champion 1986; International Pontins Snooker Champion 1984; World Amateur Snooker semi-finalist, Asian Snooker Championship no.3 1989; National Billiards Champion 1982,85,86,87.88,97, 07; National Snooker Champion 1985,86,87,88; World Team Snooker Masters Champion in San Jose 2006.

Mr. Sethi has also received numerous awards including Padma Shri in1986, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1992, KK Birla Sports Foundation Award in 1992, Arjuna Award in 1986 and Billiards Player of the year by WPBSA in1999. In the Guinness Book of Records, Mr. Sethi is the first amateur to have recorded a 147 maximum in competition. He also created a world record of 1276-point break in the 1992 world professional billiards championship. That break is the highest world championship break of the last 50 years. Mr. Sethi has authored a book 'Success v/s Joy.' He is the founder and promoter of Olympic Gold Quest, an NGO funding India's Olympic medal hopefuls.

Sreenivasan Jain

Managing Editor, NDTV 24x7

NDTV 24x7’s Managing Editor Sreenivasan Jain has been with NDTV since 1995.

Since then he has gone on to report on virtually every major national and international story, with a focus on politics, diplomacy, terrorism and investigative journalism.

He has reported extensively on conflict zones, from Kashmir , to the North East to Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. Sreenivasan was among the first journalists to report on the LTTE’s Operation Unceasing Waves in 2000, which gave it control of the strategic Elephant Pass, and the subsequent recapturing of it by the Sri Lankan army.

Sreenivasan has anchored and presented prime time news and current affairs shows like the News Tonight, Newshour, Star News on Sunday, Mumbai Live and more recently, Witness.

Currently, Sreenivasan is based in Bombay, where he and his reporting team have made a mark with their reporting on a series of big events that shook the city, from the 26/11 attacks, to the massive deluge of July 2005, to the the bomb blasts attacks that have rocked the city in the past 4 years, culminating in the terrible train attack of 2006.

Sreenivasan has fronted and reported for a series of pathbreaking,and awardwinning investigations, some of them for Witness, the nightly 30 minute investigative prime time show that’s come to set a new benchmark in the mainstream television news.

• An investigation into the confessions and psyche of Qasab, the lone terrorist in Indian custody
• An investigations into why Pakistan based terror groups had made Mumbai, India’s commercial capital their target
• The first comprehensive uncovering of the plot of the Mumbai train blasts in July 2006
• A series of reports from the killing fields of Vidharbha , in eastern Maharashtra, where 1000's of cotton farmer;s have been committing suicides
• A hard-hitting 2 part expose into the links between politicians and the real estate mafia in the tourist paradise of Goa, which led to the scrapping of a controversial blueprint of Goa’s future land use, one that would have caused serious enivrimental damage if implemented

The reporting strength of these investigations and reports, has won global and local recognition, including:

• the World Silver Medal at the New York Festivals
• the Hero Honda Television Award, and
• the Indian Television Award.

Sreenivasan also hosts the popular Bombay Talkies, a freewheeling interview with prominent Bombay personalities from the corporate world, and the world of film, art, literature, music and politics.

He was awarded the Eisenhower Fellowship in 2000

Dr. Bhaskar Das

Executive President, Bennett Coleman (Times Group)
President, Mumbai Ad Club

As the Executive President of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. (BCCL), he is responsible for maximization of the company's volume & value market share, by ensuring quality service to business constituents and driving value innovations.

Being a Board member of BCCL enables him to leverage his skill sets across the Group’s businesses. Apart from being integrally involved in the broad strategic direction of the company, Bhaskar is also on the boards of ZOOM Entertainment Network Pvt. Ltd. (a television channel), World Wide Media (a BCCL – BBC joint venture company marketing the Group’s magazines) and Vijayanand Printers Ltd. (a recent acquisition of BCCL).

With media being at the center of all his activities, he is also a part of various significant industry bodies. He is Ex-Chairman of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), a Board member at Media Research Users' Council (MRUC), President of Ad Club (Mumbai) and editor of Solus (the Club’s magazine). Bhaskar has also been awarded the ‘Marketing Professional Of The Year’ at the India Brand Summit 2006 and the ‘Outstanding Marketing Professional Of The Year’ at the Indira Marketing Awards 2007.

Apart from his professional calling, Bhaskar’s other passion lies in sharing his knowledge and experience of branding & marketing at industry forums and also with the student fraternity at reputed business schools like Harvard Business School, MIT, IIM, amongst others.

Colvyn Harris

CEO, JWT India

Colvyn J Harris is Chief Executive of JWT, India’s largest and most admired advertising agency with an impressive roster of India’s finest and the world’s best brands.

Armed with a wealth of strategic knowledge and business acumen, Colvyn has championed the kind of creative thinking that breaks boxes, pushes envelopes, propels brands and drives business. Under his leadership, JWT India is today the fastest growing, most successful agency group, having built a formidable reputation on its professional capabilities across a diverse spectrum of marcom services. His mantra is simple: ‘Creativity is a marketing tool’.

Colvyn has been with the JWT Company for 28 years and has been associated with FMCG, Durables, Financial Services, Technology, Telecom and Service categories. He has personally worked on some of the world’s most successful global brands like Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Microsoft, Nestle, HSBC, Franklin Templeton, Cadbury, Ford, Citibank, GSK, Unilever, BAT, as well as India’s finest brands like Hero Honda, Hero Cycles, Reynolds, Himalaya, and others.

He has been President of Contract Advertising - a JWT Group company which is an independent and parallel network, and Managing Director of JWT Sri Lanka.

He has been Jury member and Chairman of many Industry related forums, creative awards shows, and involved with various Industry related initiatives; as well as being integral in developing the idea, content and execution for India’s first Brand Summit amongst others.

Under Colvyn’s leadership, JWT India made history this year having won 2 Grand Prix's, both a first for India. The Cannes Grand Prix for the Lead India campaign, which also won India's first Titanium Lion in the Integrated category, and the Jay Chiat Grand Prix for DTC's Diamond Bride, besides leading the awards tally amongst agencies in India.

Ravi Kiran

CEO South and Southeast Asia, Star-com

Proud of calling himself a lifelong student of marketing and communications, Ravi Kiran is the Chief Executive Officer for South East & South Asia of Starcom MediaVest Group, one of the largest marketing communication networks in the world. Kiran is focused on providing the strategy and vision that will allow Starcom MediaVest Group to attain its goal of being a powerful company in the region that provides brands engaging connections with their consumers. A respected media executive, Kiran joined Starcom in 1998 and was named Starcom MediaVest Group’s CEO - South Asia in August 2005. In January, 2007, Kiran assumed additional charge as CEO-Asia for specialist communication services within the group and has supervised setting up of many units across the region. In April 2008, his role was expanded to include South East Asia region, from which he is slated to transition in February 2009, to take responsibility as Emerging Market Leader for Specialist Solutions in addition to his CEO-South Asia role.

Under his leadership, Starcom MediaVest Group has built competencies in many non-classical disciplines over the last five years. Prominent amongst these are Sports and Cause Enabled Marketing [Relay Worldwide], Entertainment and Embedded Marketing [The Bridge], Online and Wireless marketing [Starcom IP], Activation and Consumer Excitement [ACE], Out-of-Home and Ambient Marketing [Navia], Small Town and Rural Marketing [Xpanse], Retail Branding and Navigational Signage [Enhance], Luxury and Lifestyle Marketing [‘C’]. In addition, the network has begun experimenting with a potentially powerful discipline – Peer-2-Peer Marketing.

Since 2003, Kiran has been chairing the marketing committee of Indian Readership Survey, India’s premier readership and product usage survey, which is conducted under the aegis of the Media Research Users’ Council. He regularly speaks in industry fora across the region as well as is engaged in teaching assignments as visiting faculty in several business schools.

Prior to joining the company in December 1998, that would eventually become Starcom MediaVest Group, Kiran spent a little over eight years in Lintas and Initiative Media, managing accounts such as MasterCard, NIIT, Reckitt, Essar Cellphone, ITC and IDV [now, Diageo].

Kiran holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from University of Kashmir and an MBA Marketing degree from Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi. He lives in Mumbai with his wife Shalini. His interests include technology, behavioral sciences and philosophy.

Satya Prabhakar

President and CEO, Sulekha.com

In his role as Chairman India Subcontinent Arvind is responsible for Leo Burnett operations in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Satya Prabhakar is the President and CEO of Sulekha.com, the biggest and most popular local commerce player in India, uniquely integrating Classifieds, Yellow Pages and Events, enhanced by social trust. Sulekha, with 500 plus employees and operations in Austin, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Mumbai and Seattle, connects millions of Indians in US, India and other countries in a network of nearly 50 cities.

Originally from Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh , Prabhakar earned his Bachelors degree in Electronics and Communications from National Institute of Technology(NIT/REC),Trichy, India; M.S. in Computer Science and an MBA in International Finance from University of Florida.

He has nearly 20 years of professional experience in various technical, business development, strategy and general management roles at TCS India, Philips N.V., Honeywell and AT&T in the areas of databases, real time operating systems, Interactive TV, Internet access, hosting and interactive services.

He has written over 25 technical papers and articles in the areas of artificial intelligence, database design, optimization and integration. He won prestigious awards for technical/business leadership both at SBC and Honeywell. His interests include philosophy, investing, chess, tennis and writing. He has written over 20 articles on a variety of subjects and was featured in “Black, White and Various Shades of Brown” published by Penguin in 2002. Satya and his wife Sangeeta have two daughters Divya and Priya.

Arvind Sharma

Chairman & CEO, Leo Burnett India

In his role as Chairman India Subcontinent Arvind is responsible for Leo Burnett operations in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Arvind is an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. After spending the first two years of his career in marketing, he joined his first love- advertising. Over the years, Arvind Sharma has been associated with brands like Ariel, Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, Fiat, Goodyear, Hitachi, Heinz, McDonald's, Old Spice, Pillsbury, Tide and Vicks Vaporub. His clients also include large local Indian groups like Bajaj, Godrej, HDFC, Reliance and Tatas.

For 2008 Leo Burnett Mumbai, one of the agencies he oversees, has been rated as the 19th most creative agency in the world by AdAge Creativity and 2nd most creative agency in Asia Pacific by AdAsia.

Arvind has been the copywriter behind a number of transformational campaigns in India- the campaign for launch of Ariel in India for Procter & Gamble, the 'Common man' campaign that brought the Congress-led UPA government in India to power.  

Arvind Sharma has been Chairman of Media Research Users Council of India. He was the Founding Chairman of Goafest Committee of Advertising Agencies Association of India. He is a member of the Board of Governors of Advertising Standards Council of India. He is also a member of the Board of Governors of Education Support Organization- an NGO involved in innovation in education at the primary school level that is currently educating over 10,000 children.

He is a regular columnist on business, marketing and advertising issues and a guest faculty-member at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and other major business schools in India.

Sri Rajan (Moderator)

Partner, Head, Bain & Company's India Private Equity Practice

Sri Rajan is a partner in Bain & Company's Delhi office and is the head of Bain's Private Equity Practice in India. He is also a part of the firm's Global Technology, Media & Telecommunications Practice.

His work with private equity funds includes mergers & acquisitions, due diligence, post-merger integration, offshore outsourcing, and assessing entrance and exit risks. Sri is a frequent contributor of articles and interviews to journals and leading business publications in India, and his insights are often quoted in the media.

Sri earned an MBA from the Wharton School, where he was a Palmer Scholar. He is also a graduate of the Indian Institute of Management and has a Bachelor of Science degree.

Chender K. Baljee

Founder and Managing Director, Royal Orchid Hotels

Chender Baljee an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad is Chairman & Managing Director of Royal Orchid Hotels Limited.

He has over three decades experience in the hospitality industry with 13 hotels in Bangalore, Mysore, Jaipur, Goa and Pune and a Hotel Management College. The group is expanding rapidly with properties coming up in key locations across India and abroad. The group is planning a nationwide presence by 2010.

The group was publicly listed in February 2006.

He has served as the Chairman of the Tourism Committee both Bangalore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCIC) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). He is a certified Hotel Administrator from American Hotel and Motel Association (AHMA)

He is married and has two sons. The elder son Arjun, is a graduate from Cornell Hotel School and the younger son Keshav, is a graduate from Wharton Business School.

Chender Baljee hails from Shimla.

Sabeer Bhatia

Co-Founder, Hotmail, Founder, Arzoo

A pioneer in the field of web-based e-mail, Bhatia co-founded Hotmail Corporation in 1996. As President and CEO, he guided Hotmail's rapid rise to industry leadership and its eventual acquisition by Microsoft in 1998. Today, Hotmail remains the world's largest email provider with over 220 million registered users.

Bhatia's visionary contribution to the Internet revolution has earned him widespread acclaim. His many awards and accolades include:

• "Entrepreneur of the Year," 1997. Awarded by the venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson.
• Named to the "Elite 100," Upside magazine's list of top trendsetters in the New Economy.
• Recipient of the "TR I 00" award, presented by MIT to I 00 young innovators who are expected to have the greatest impact on technology in the next few years.
• Selected by the San Jose Mercury News and POV magazine as one of the ten most successful entrepreneurs of 1998.
• Named by TIME as one of the "People to Watch" in International Business in 2002.
• Named a Global Leader of Tomorrow at the World Economic Forum - 2000.

Bhatia is currently the President and CEO of Arzoo.com, a company that provides online Travel services to consumers in India. He is also the Chairman ofTnstaColl Technology Corporation that runs www.live-documents.com. His most recent visionary project is the conception and creation ofa new city in India called Nano City which has a purpose of bringing Innovation in the fields of Software Development, Nano-technology, Biotechnology, Energy and Pharmaceutical Research in a sustainable region in the state of Haryana designed from ground up with modem infrastructure. He is also the co-founder of VoiFi Technology Corporation and Blogeverywhere.com

Bhatia is also a philanthropist who has supported education efforts such as the re-building of his high school - St. Joseph's Boy's High School (Bangalore) and the building ofa high-speed ethernet network at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani. He also supports charities such as Room To Read and Home of Hope.

Bhatia received a Master of Science degree from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science degree, with honors, from the California Institute of Technology.

Param Parameswaran

Chairman, Indigo Monsoon Group

Param is Chairman, The Indigo Monsoon Group (IMG). IMG is an investment firm that focuses on early stage Internet, Mobile and Technology startups either located in India or targeting Indians.

Param is the Chairman of Indiaplaza.in, Sulekha.com and eShakti.com, three portfolio companies of Indigo Monsoon Group. India Plaza is the leading pure-play Indians ecommerce destination with over four million products including books, electronics, apparel, gifts and more. Sulekha is the biggest and most popular local commerce player in India, uniquely integrating Classifieds, Yellow Pages and Events, enhanced by social trust. eShakti is the premier destination for India-inspired customized fashion apparel for women worldwide.

Param has more than 20 years experience in a variety of operational, strategic and leadership roles. Param began his career with Mckinsey & Company, Inc, in New York. He served clients in the industrial, service, telecommunications, and financial service sectors. Later, after a short stint on Wall Street as the Director of Corporate Finance of a boutique investment bank, he co-founded and was President of Integra Technology, a database software and application development products company. When Integra was sold to IKON, a Fortune 500 company, it was a technology leader in its space and its products enjoyed worldwide critical acclaim and market presence. Param later served IKON as part of their Mergers and Acquisition team, formulating and implementing their acquisition program. He is also Chairman of Indigo Monsoon Group, an investment firm; and sits on the Board of Fabmall / IndiaPlaza.in, an eCommerce company and eShakti, an online, customized apparel company.

Param is a graduate of St.Xavier’s College of Calcutta University, a C.A., and obtained his MBA from the Wharton School of Business. He helped in founding the TiE organization is Seattle. Recently, he completed in and finished two Half-Marathons in Seattle.

Dhruv Shringi

Co-Founder & CEO, Yatra Online Pvt. Ltd

Dhruv Shringi is the Co-Founder & CEO Yatra Online Pvt. Ltd. Dhruv leads the company’s business initiatives across continents.

Dhruv in a very short span of time, by making innovations in the field of travel and tourism, has made his unique identity in the online travel industry. He has contributed actively in rejuvenating the methods of the industry. Since its successful launch in January 2006, Dhruv, has led Yatra.com to grow from a 3 member organization to a 700 people strong leader in the travel industry.

His most recent role prior to Yatra.com was as Director Group Operations and Technology of the Ebookers Group, where he was instrumental in leading the operational integration of a key acquisition by Ebookers. Prior to his stint at Ebookers, he worked with Ford Motor Company in their Business Strategy team based in London, where he was part of the European Business Turnaround team. He also has significant work experience in India having spent over 6 years with Arthur Andersen based in their office in Delhi. Dhruv holds an MBA from INSEAD and is also a qualified Chartered Accountant.

Dhruv is an avid reader and enjoys playing golf in his leisure time.

Vikram Shroff

Executive Director, United Phosphorous Limited

Vikram Shroff is the Executive Director of United Phosphorus Limited, the third largers agrochemical generic company with a total turnover of US$ 1 billion. The company’s 30 international acquisitions have been the main trigger of growth to the group. The company has its presence in 100 countries and operations in 13 countries with an employee strength of 800 employees internationally and 3000 employees in India. The company has a strong patent portfolio with many active patented products being sold. Advanta Limited is the second company in the group. Advanta which is an agronomic and vegetable seed company has more than a 20 year track record of success and growth with a turnover of about U.S. $ 120 million.

Mr. Shroff is also actively involved in the Jai Research Foundation, a contract research organization with a turnover of approximately U.S. $ 6 million. Studies conducted by JRF are accepted everywhere including USA and Europe. He is also involved in a number of educational institutes providing education to about 4500 students such as the Sandra Shroff Gynan Dham School, Rajju Shroff GIDC Institute of Management Studies and Sandra Shroff Nursing College. The Family foundation also supports a 200 bed hospital called Rotary Haria. Vikram enjoys skiing and water sports.

Jay Sidhu

Chairman and CEO, Sidhu Advisors, LLC
Former Chairman and CEO, Sovereign Bank

Jay S. Sidhu is the Chairman and CEO of Sidhu Advisors, LLC, a private equity and financial services consulting company based in Palm Coast, Florida and Reading, Pennsylvania. He was the Chairman and CEO of Sovereign Bancorp, Inc. and Sovereign Bank, a $90 billion financial institution, until his retirement on December 31, 2006. During his 20 year career at Sovereign, Mr. Sidhu was responsible for growing Sovereign from a small $450 million banking institution with an IPO value of about $12 million to the 17th largest banking institution in the United States with a market capitalization of almost $12 billion at year end 2006. Mr. Sidhu’s growth strategy resulted in an internal rate of return of over 24% for Sovereign shareholders over the last 17 years, and provided Sovereign shareholders, over the last 5, 10 and 20 year periods, with returns which significantly outperformed all relevant benchmarks, including the S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and major banking indices.

Mr. Sidhu has been recognized as Financial World’s CEO of the year, Turnaround Entrepreneur of the Year, the Chamber of Commerce’s Large Business Leader of the Year, the Caron Foundation’s Citizen of the Year, and has also been the recipient of many awards and other honors, including the National Liberty Museum’s Hero of Liberty Award. He has served on numerous business and not for profit boards of directors, including the Board of Banco Santander in Madrid and presently serves as the Chairman of Board of Trustees of Wilkes University. He has a MBA from Wilkes University and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s CEO Leadership Course. Mr. Sidhu has also been a speaker on Leadership and Emotional Intelligence at several conferences in the United States, Europe (London, Munich), Asia (Tokyo, Hong Kong, Dubai). He has also been a featured speaker on “Leadership and Building Companies to last” at Wharton School Active in community affairs and supporting education, he has helped his Alma Mater, Wilkes University, establish the Jay Sidhu School of Business and Leadership with a goal of becoming one of the prominent business and leadership development schools in Northeastern United States.

Michael Fernandes (Moderator)

Executive Director, Investments Division, Khazanah Nasional

Michael Jude Fernandes joined Khazanah Nasional as Executive Director, Investments Division in April 2008. He is the Country Head for India and also in charge of the Healthcare portfolio of Khazanah. As part of his responsibilities, he sits on the Board of Pantai Holdings, Malaysia's second largest hospital chain; Apollo Hospitals, India's largest hospital chain; and IDFC, a leading infrastructure finance company in India.

Prior to Khazanah, Michael was an Executive Director and Member of the Board of Nicholas Piramal India Ltd (NPIL), a large pharmaceutical healthcare company in India, and was in charge of its custom manufacturing business group. Among his key achievements were the acquisition and integration of businesses in the UK and Canada with sales of USD200 million.

Prior to NPIL, Michael spent 13 years as a consultant with McKinsey and Company. He was part of the leadership group of the pharmaceutical & healthcare practice in Asia/ Global and leader of select high profile public policy & retail work in India/ Asia. Michael obtained his Post Graduate Diploma in Management (MBA) from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta in 1993 and BSc. (Hons) in Economics from St Xavier’s College, Calcutta University in 1991.

Anula Jayasuriya

Managing Director, Evolvence India Life Science Fund

Anula Jayasuriya, MD, PhD, MBA is a life science venture capitalist. Anula is the co-founder of the “Evolvence India Life Science Fund” (EILSF), a $ 90 million fund established in 2006 to make investments in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and related contract service companies based in India.

She was previously a partner with Skyline Ventures in Palo Alto, and prior to that with the German – US venture capital firm TVM, in San Francisco.

Anula’s expertise consists of a unique combination of business, basic science and medical knowledge. Her prior positions include VP-Corporate development at Genomics Collaborative Inc., and Vice President, Global Drug Development at Hoffman-La Roche for opportunistic infections in AIDS and Transplantation.

Anula received a BA from Harvard summa cum laude, and an MD and PhD (in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics) from Harvard Medical School. She interned in Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital and received an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School. Anula also has a M. Phil. in pharmacology from the University of Cambridge, England.

Dr. Hasit Joshipura

Vice President, South Asia & Managing Director, GSK India

Dr. Hasit Joshipura has spent about 16 years with the Unilever Group of companies in India and held positions of increasing responsibility in commercial, sales, marketing and business management functions. He joined the pharmaceutical business of Johnson & Johnson Ltd. as President & Executive Director in October 2001, a position he held until August 2006. Mr. Joshipura was also the Chairperson for the Corporate Contributions Programme and the the lead for Government Affairs for the Johnson & Johnson group of businesses in India. In October 2006, Mr. Joshipura was appointed Vice President, South Asia and Managing Director India with GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (GSK). He serves as the Chairperson pf the Board for GSK Bangladesh and GSK Sri Lanka. Hasit formally took over on 1st January, 2007. Prior to joining the Unilever group, Mr. Joshipura had spent three years with the Tata Administrative Services.He has been recently nominated by the Board of Governors VJTI to their Senate.

Dr. Hasit Joshipura holds a doctorate from the the School of Management at IIT-Mumbai. He holds a baccalaureate degree in Electrical Engineering from VJTI - Bombay University and an MBA from IIM – Ahmedabad. Mr. Joshipura is married and has two sons.

Shobana Kamineni

Executive Director, Apollo Hospital Enterprises Ltd.

Shobana Kamineni has a degree in Economics and 20 years experience in the healthcare industry.  She was employee # 3 at Apollo Hospitals and is part of the founding family. The Apollo Hospitals Group is Asia’s largest healthcare provider and the 4th largest ‘For Profit’ hospital with 8500 tertiary & secondary care beds, Health BPO, 75 Clinics, Pharmacies, Educational Intuitions, Research, Insurance, Wellness spas, and Health Media.

Her experience was largely in the sphere of project management wherein she established most of the Apollo Hospitals Group's large projects. As Executive Director of new initiatives, Ms. Kamineni is currently involved with the pharmaceutical retailing – 700 pharmacies, supply chain mangent, Clinical Trials, Research and the Apollo Group’s foray into Health Insurance.(Apollo DKV Health Insurance in collaboration with Munich Re).

Mrs.Kamineni is also Vice-Chairperson of the KEI Group.  KEI is involved with the development of leisure facilities and theme parks (TRAC India), port management services (KEI-RSOS), Power Projects (KEI Energy & Apollo Energy) Pharma GPO & exchange (IH-X.com).

As an active member of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Ms. Kamineni was the Chairman of CII (Southern Region). She has also on earlier occasions chaired the CII National Committee on entrepreneurship.

An avid sportsperson, Mrs.Kamineni was a national level Squash player sports. 

Her other interests include social development for women. She is also involved with restoration of her husband’s ancestral fort and temple.  She serves on the Young Lives - Save the Children UK which is a part of Centre for Economics & Social Studies. She is married to Anil Kamineni and has 2 daughters and a son.

Dr. Michael A. Ross

President, Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd., USA

Profile coming soon.

Louis Klein (Moderator)

Founder and Managing Director, IREO

Louis Klein is a Founder and Managing Director of IREO, one of the first and largest investment funds focused on real estate in India. IREO has committed approximately $2 billion to approximately 15 real estate investments across India to date. IREO has more than 200 project personnel across seven offices in India and the firm’s strategic partners include Ascendas and Panchshil Realty, among others. Prior to IREO, Mr. Klein was with Colony Capital, where his focus included investments in residential and commercial real estate projects, as well as gaming, agriculture and hospitality properties. Colony Capital has been among the largest acquirers and financiers of real estate and related assets globally since its inception in 1991. Prior to Colony Capital, Mr. Klein was with Secured Capital, a merchant banking and advisory firm focused on the real estate industry, where he was involved in whole mortgage loan portfolio trades, debt and equity placements, and principal investments in portfolios of distressed assets internationally. Mr. Klein is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Urban Land Institute.

Pawan Malhotra

Managing Director and CEO, Mahindra Lifespace Developers, Ltd.

Mr. Pawan Malhotra leads Mahindra Lifespaces, the real estate development arm of the $6 billion Mahindra Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra Limited focused on creating spaces for healthy living in both residential and commercial segments.

Mr. Malhotra is a Management Post Graduate from the prestigious Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi. He brings with him over 30 years of rich experience in India and abroad.

He commenced his career with Dunlop and then joined Hindustan Lever, where he held several senior management positions. His next assignment was with the Fritolay division of Pepsico, India. His overseas assignments include a stint with the Al Futtaim Group in Dubai and Oman National Dairy Products in Oman. He was then instrumental in restructuring and reviving the National Rice Mills.

Sameer Nayar

MD & Head of Real Estate Finance - Asia Pacific, Credit Suisse

Sameer Nayar is a Managing Director of Credit Suisse (CS) and the Head of Real Estate Finance for the Asia Pacific region. In this role he has deployed over USD 7 BN of debt and equity capital in Asia since the beginning of 2007. Previously, he was the head of large loan structuring and pricing in the United States and handled over USD 75 BN of loan originations during his tenure. In addition, he was responsible for setting up Credit Suisse's real estate equity and debt platform in India.

Prior to joining Credit Suisse First Boston in 2001, Mr. Nayar was a Senior Vice President at Moody's Investors Service where he was responsible for CMBS ratings and served as a member of the Global Ratings consistency committee.

He is a founding trustee of the Special Child Trust that raises awareness and funds for children with special needs. The trust deploys its funds with a variety of organizations working in the field of autism and related developmental conditions.

Mr. Nayar holds an MS in Real Estate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Masters in Building Engineering from the School of Planning and Architecture, India and is a graduate of the Manipal Institute of Technology, India.

Sanjay Verma

Executive Managing Director - South Asia, Cushman & Wakefield

Sanjay Verma holds the joint responsibility for the management of the Indian operations and his objective is to help the India team in delivering international best practices for their clients' real estate needs and addressing all service related issues as well as strategic and operational challenges faced by clients. Sanjay has spearheaded the strategic business plan that has led to significant growth of the Indian operations. Under his leadership, Cushman & Wakefield has expanded its presence throughout India, increased the number and range of clients serviced and diversified its expertise to include new service lines. Sanjay has had the opportunity to associate with a number of Indian and Multinational Corporations, thereby gaining significant knowledge about corporate real estate requirements and related dynamics.

Sanjay Puri (Moderator)

President, Alliance for US India Business

Sanjay Puri is a renowned authority and leading expert on US-India relations, bringing real solutions to real issues affecting both economies.

Recently featured in The New York Times, The Washington Times, on National Public Radio (NPR), the Public Broadcast Service (PBS), CNN, Nightline, and India’s top news broadcasts including CNN-IBN, NDTV, and AajTak, Mr. Puri has been repeatedly recognized for his work in furthering the economic dialogue, bolstering US-India energy security, and galvanizing the Indian American community in support of the historic passage of the US-India civil nuclear cooperation agreement which may redefine the way we strategically think about Asia.

Working from 2005 until the nuclear deal was signed into law in 2008, Mr. Puri shored up support in the US Congress one Member at a time through the auspices of two organizations he established and chairs; the US India Political Action Committee (USINPAC), which gives voice to more than 2 million Indian Americans intent on exercising their political clout; and the US India Business Alliance (USIBA), a goals-driven trade body that effectively represents both US and Indian companies.

Anand Eswaran

Vice President of Global Professional Services, HP Software

Anand Eswaran is the Vice President of Global Professional Services (PS) for HP Software. The PS team supports the deployment of solutions across the entire HP Software portfolio. Anand and his team are tasked with getting the PS organization to relevance, and providing the thought leadership, innovation and coverage globally to enable the growth of HP Software. He comes to HP Software from Vignette, where he spent the 7 years in various leadership positions and most recently served as the Vice President of Global Professional Services. Under his leadership, the PS organization grew revenue by 73% over the past three years, while doubling the operating profits over the same period of time. Prior to Vignette, Anand managed the ERP and Business Intelligence Practice at Braun Consulting (now Fair Isaac) for the mid-west. Prior to that Anand held a number of positions all directly related to professional services management and leadership. Anand holds a Masters in computer science.

Adarsh Sarma

Managing Director, TMT Group, Warburg Pincus

Mr. Sarma joined Warburg Pincus in 2005 to focus on Business Services and Financial Technology investments. Prior to joining the firm, he was a Principal at ChrysCapital, a $2 billion private equity fund focused on India. Previously, Mr. Sarma was Vice President of Strategic Alliances at Radiowave, a technology start-up funded by Warburg Pincus, Intel and Motorola. Prior to that, he worked at McCown De Leeuw, a leveraged buy-out fund and at Merrill Lynch & Co. He received a B.A. from Knox College, Phi Beta Kappa, and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. Mr. Sarma is a director of MetavanteTechnologies(NYSE:MV),MLM Information Services and Bridgepoint Education.

Vijay Thadani

CEO, NIIT

Vijay K. Thadani is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of NIIT Ltd, India, a leading Global Talent Development Corporation. His vision and leadership has led NIIT in taking IT education out of the confines of a few exclusive universities and bringing it to the masses.

Vijay’s guidance led NIIT’s China Operations to expand in over 170 locations, across 25 provinces. Vijay was honoured as ‘Economic Consultant’ to Chongqing, world’s largest city in the People’s Republic of China.

Vijay is actively engaged with many Industry Associations. He is the current Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CIIs) National Committee on Education and The National Accreditation Board for Education and Training, under the aegis of Quality Council of India. In the past, he has been the President of the Indian IT industry association (MAIT), and chaired Indian Government’s Committee on National Information Infrastructure Policy.

Vijay serves on the Board of CompTIA, NIIT Technologies Limited and on the Advisory Board of the Maastricht University, Netherlands for India.

A ‘Distinguished Alumnus’ of the premier IIT Delhi, Vijay has lectured at prestigious institutions like University of Michigan Business School, J L Kellogg Graduate School of Management and Indian Institutes of Management.

Devika Anand

Head-Travel Programming, NDTV Lifestyle

Devika Anand started her journalism and television career with NDTV, India’s largest media company. Over her last fourteen years, she has worn many hats at NDTV - as a reporter, a live news anchor, an input editor, a producer, and most recently as the head of travel programming for NDTV Lifestyle.

As a reporter Devika has covered current affairs and business, as an anchor she has hosted live news and infotainment shows like Good Morning India and The Single Female Traveler and as a producer she has shows such as Scope For Improvement and Spectacular Spas of the World to her credit.

Many of Devika’s shows have won awards in the national and international arena including three Asian TV awards, Asia Spa award and the Hero Honda Best Lifestyle Programme Award. She has been featured regularly in print by The Mint, The Pioneer, Indian Express, Hindustan Times Brunch and most recently appeared in Vogue’s coverage of “Women in Media”.

In 2007, Devika was part of the founding team that launched NDTV Goodtimes, a premier lifestyle channel, and has been its head of Travel Programming. Her key responsibilities include producing and anchoring travel related shows wherein she works extensively with tourism departments across the globe.

Devika has a Bachelor degree in Economics from the Shri Ram College of Commerce at Delhi University and has co-authored an Economic Study Guide for class XII students.

Chender K. Baljee

Founder and Managing Director, Royal Orchid Hotels

Profile provided above.

Vikram Madhok

Managing Director, Abercrombie & Kent India

Upon returning from the States & after a short stint in Banking, Vikram entered the Hospitality & Tourism world in 1985 and held various managerial positions - starting as Product Manager with the Taj group of Hotels and moving on to the Oberoi group as Corporate Director - Sales & Marketing. He joined Abercrombie & Kent India in 1997 as Executive Director and was subsequently promoted to take over as Managing Director. Abercrombie & Kent is a global travel company with 40 offices and 3000 employees worldwide.

Vikram is a specialist in the tourism and hospitality industry - having had wide exposure in all aspects of the trade during the last 20 years. He has been deeply involved in the activities of prominent industry associations and is past President, Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC); Founder Member, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) – India Initiative; Executive Committee Member, Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO); ; Honorary Secretary, PATA India Chapter; Member, Tourism Committee – Core group, PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry; Member, Expert Committee on Tourism & Aviation, The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM); and is also an Industry Council member on the PATA Board of Directors, representing Indian Travel Industry.

He has also been associated with several tourism initiatives within the country, including “The Visit India Year – 2009”, a proposal made by him to the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India which was accepted and now being implemented with great vigor. He was a member of the Organizing Committee of PATA National Conference 2002 held in New Delhi. Mr Madhok is a keen golfer besides being a philanthropist and enthusiast in Eco-Tourism.

Vikram was born in New Delhi (India) in 1960 and has a Business Management Degree from the United States. He currently resides in Delhi with his wife & 2 children.

Kalyan Sengupta

Assistant Director, India Tourism, New York

Mr. Kalyan Sengupta was born on 19th Dec. 1959 in Kolkata. He has been working in the Ministry of Tourism for the last 25 years. Mr. Sengupta joined as an Information Officer in the Ministry of Tourism in 1984. He subsequently worked as Assistant Director and Assistant Director General in the Ministry of Tourism. At present he is the Acting Regional Director of India Tourism (Americas) at New York.

Mr. Sengupta previously worked in various field offices of Ministry of Tourism in India, like Bhubaneshwar, Kolkota, Goa & Delhi. He was also posted at India Tourism, Toronto, Canada for about four and half years.

Dhruv Shringi

Co-Founder & CEO, Yatra Online Pvt. Ltd

Profile provided above.

Sri Rajan (Moderator)

Partner, Head, Bain & Company's India Private Equity Practice

Profile provided above.

Shobana Kamineni

Vice Chairman, KEI Group

Profile provided above.

Farrokh Kavarana

Director, TATA Sons; Chairman of several TATA group companies

Profile provided above.

T.N. Thakur

Chairman, Power Trading Corporation

Mr. Tantra Narayan Thakur is the Chairman & Managing Director of PTC India Limited (PTC) since October 2000. PTC was set up as a Government of India initiated Public Private Partnership with the objective of developing the unique business concept of power trading in India and setting up Power market for the region which would inter-alia encourage investments into the Indian Power Sector specially from the private sector. Having successfully introduced trading and established Power Market in India, PTC has transformed into a solutions provider for the stakeholders in the Indian Power Sector. To provide comfort to power project developers, investors and lenders, PTC acts as an intermediary between the project companies and the off-takers of power. Starting with a paid-up capital of INR 60 Million in the year 2000, PTC has reached annual turnover of INR 40 billion and net worth of INR 16 billion (2008).

Mr. Thakur provided sustained leadership to PTC’s operations, and devised optimal capital structure and organizational processes. He introduced several market making initiatives, including the differential pricing for power transactions, in effect differentiating a commodity-like product.

PTC has operationalised a strategic investment vehicle, PTC India Financial Services Limited (PFS), for providing financial solutions to the entire energy value chain. Apart from PTC as promoter having 60% stake, GS (Goldman Sachs) Strategic Investments Limited and Macquarie Group Limited have 20% stake each in PFS. PTC has set up another subsidiary called PTC Energy Limited for asset-based business in the Energy Sector.

Mr. Thakur’s managerial and financial skills were also amply demonstrated in his past assignment (since June 1995) as Director (Finance & Financial Operations), Power Finance Corporation Ltd. (PFC), New Delhi when he was the Chief Financial Officer at the Board level responsible for managing the entire financial systems and operations of the company.

Mr. Thakur is an engineering graduate and joined the Indian Audit & Accounts Service in 1973. Before joining PFC, Mr. Thakur held various assignments in the Government including Dy. Secretary in Government of India, Asstt. Comptroller & Auditor General, Secretary to Chief Minister-Bihar and Member-Audit Board.