Ideas For India conference

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Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (born 3 April 1968), is a British-Pakistani businessman and a Conservative life peer. He was appointed Minister of State for the Commonwealth and United Nations, and later for South Asia; then Central Asia, and then for North Africa, at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 13 June 2017.

In 1991, he entered NatWest’s Graduate Management programme, eventually working as Head of Marketing, Sponsorship and Branding and in 2000 went to work for AllianceBernstein. In 2004, he joined Sucden Financial, where he served on the Executive Committee and as Director of Marketing, Strategy and Research. He is an Associate of the Institute of Financial Services and a member of the Institute of Directors.

From 1999 to 2008 he served as vice-president of AMYA, a British Muslim youth organisation. From 2001 to 2006, he served as a governor of Wimbledon Park Primary school. He joined the Conservative Party in 1994.[9] In 2002, he was elected a Councillor in Wimbledon.[9] He contested Croydon North for the Conservatives in 2005. From 2008 to 2010, he served as Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party.

He is a part of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and was a national vice-president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association’s youth organisation from 2003.

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Lord John Browne serves as Chairman of BeyondNetZero and Senior Advisor to General Atlantic, providing strategic support and advice to the firm’s investment teams and portfolio companies. In both roles, he advises the firm on environmental, social and governance considerations, with a particular focus on climate solutions and the path to Net Zero emissions. Lord Browne served as Group Chief Executive of international energy company BP from 1995 to 2007, after having joined the company in 1966 as a university apprentice. He led the company through a period of significant growth and transformation, including BP’s merger with Amoco in 1998. His landmark speech at Stanford University in 1997 established BP as a global leader in the way it thought about and sought to address climate change. In 2007, Lord Browne joined Riverstone, where he was co-head of the world’s largest renewable energy private equity fund until 2015. He is also a former Chairman of Wintershall Dea, Europe’s largest independent oil and gas company. Lord Browne is Co-Chair of the Prime Minister’s Council on Science and Technology. From 2010 to 2015, he was the UK Government’s Lead Non-Executive Board Member. He was knighted in 1998 and made a life peer in 2001. Lord Browne is the Chairman of the Francis Crick Institute, Chairman of the Courtauld Institute of Art, Fellow of the Royal Society, Fellow and Past President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He previously served on the boards of DaimlerChrysler, Goldman Sachs, Intel and SmithKline Beecham.

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Through his life, Rahul Gandhi has always been the strongest proponent of politics of purpose. Over the years, he has lent his voice to a number of issues but has always remained focused on propagating non-violence, equality and justice. He has imbibed these virtues through a lifelong tryst with Indian politics and history and has developed a keen understanding of the Indian social fabric. Having experienced the pain of losing both his father and grandmother to acts of violence and hatred, Rahul Gandhi has always been a champion of Gandhian philosophies of ahimsa and truth.

Born on 19 June 1970, Rahul Gandhi spent his early childhood between Delhi, the political center of India, and Dehradun, a town nestled in the valley between the Himalayas and Shivaliks. He began his undergraduate career at Delhi’s St. Stephen’s College before moving to Harvard University in the USA. In his second year, Rahul transferred to Rollins College in Florida due to security threats following his father’s, the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s, assassination. Rahul Gandhi graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 1994. The year after, he obtained his M. Phil from Trinity College, Cambridge.

Rahul began his professional career with the Monitor Group, a management consulting firm based out of London – he was adamant on creating a professional career before joining politics. He soon returned to India and set up his own technology consultancy in Mumbai, where he led his team as the Director. The influence of his work in the management and technology sector is apparent in his political leanings. Rahul has always been a strong proponent of harnessing the scale and dexterity that technology can lend while amplifying the power of India’s greatest asset — her citizens.

The call to serve our nation and to be an instrumental part of her growth came to Rahul Gandhi in 2004. He chose to stand from his father’s constituency and continue the legacy of serving the people of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

Rahul won his first election with an overwhelming margin of 2,90,853 votes — a testament to the faith placed by the people of his constituency in him. From the beginning, it was apparent that Rahul believed that our nation’s future lies with her people. Through the ebbs and flows of a decade-long political career, Rahul has held true to the very principles that won him the hearts of the people in his very first election.

In 2013, Rahul Gandhi was elected as the Vice-President of the Congress Party. Within the Congress party, Rahul Gandhi played the key role of channeling the party along the lines of Congress’ core principles. He tirelessly worked to democratise the student wing and youth wing of the Congress party and ensured a breath of fresh air entered the grand old party by encouraging young leaders to take up leadership positions. His pivotal role in shaping the party along Congress’ core values over his political career earned him the post of President of the Congress Party in 2017. Under Rahul Gandhi’s guidance, the Congress Party has once again emerged as the voice of the nation.

While he was President of the Opposition party, Rahul Gandhi played a key role in raising the demands of various stakeholders of the country. He championed the rights of the poor & the marginalised. He led the battle against the ruling government on poorly implemented policies such as Demonetisation, Aadhar, GST and more.

The vision of Rahul Gandhi and his strategy to fight the democratic battle with love and unity is what makes the Congress Party the true representative of a united India. Going forward, he aims to put these principles into action by creating systems that provide India’s citizens with the tools and opportunities they need to reach their full potential.

In his current role as a Member of Parliament in the 17th Lok Sabha, he represents the constituency of Wayanad in Kerala. After leaving his position as President of the Congress party, he has put all his focus & energy in representing the people of Wayanad & taking on the government on a number of issues, like the undemocratic abrogation of Article 370 & the violation of human rights by the government in Kashmir. He remains steadfast in his quest for truth, peace & harmony for the people of India.

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Rajesh Agrawal is the Deputy Mayor of London for Business. Born in India, Rajesh moved to London in 2001. As an entrepreneur he founded RationalFX in 2005, and Xendpay in 2014, both companies utilising technology to reduce the cost of international money transfer for businesses and individuals. 

Rajesh is passionate about promoting entrepreneurship and creating opportunities for young people. He was appointed Chair of Oxfam’s Enterprise Development Programme in 2015 and has been a Patron of the Prince’s Trust for many years.

As Deputy Mayor Rajesh aims to be a strong voice for London’s business community, protecting jobs and growth, and ensuring that the capital remains the most open and attractive place to do business in the world.

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Dr Ashwath Narayan (born 2 February 1968) is an Indian politician who is the current Minister of Information Technology – Biotechnology, Higher Education, Science and Technology of Karnataka from 20 August 2019. He is additionally Minister of Skill development and Entrepreneurship & Livelihood of Karnataka from 10 February 2020. He served as the 8th Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka from 20 August 2019 to 26 July 2021. He is a Member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the Malleshwaram constituency.

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Salman Khurshid Alam Khan is an Indian politician, designated senior advocate, eminent author and a law teacher. He was the Cabinet Minister of the Ministry of External Affairs. He belongs to the Indian National Congress. He is a lawyer, and a writer who has been elected from Farrukhabad Lok Sabha constituency. He became the Union Deputy Minister of Commerce in June 1991, and later became the Union Minister of State for External Affairs (Jan. 1993 – June 1996). He started his political career in 1981 as an Officer on Special Duty in the Prime Minister’s Office under the prime ministership of Indira Gandhi.

Salman Khurshid read for a BA in Law, successfully graduating with First Class Honours in 1977, followed by a further year of study to gain a BCL. Whilst up at Oxford he played squash and was in the Hall cricket team. After graduation he lectured in Law at Trinity College, Oxford.

He returned to India and started his political career in 1981 as an Officer on Special Duty in the Prime Minister’s Office, during the Prime Ministership of Indira Gandhi in the early 1980s. He later became the Deputy Minister of Commerce in the Government of India, and then Minister of State for External Affairs from 1993-96, having been elected to the Indian parliament in 1991. He is a member of the Indian National Congress party.

In the General Election of 2009 he was again elected as a member of parliament and was made Union Minister of State (with Independent Charges) of Corporate Affairs and Minority Affairs. In a cabinet reshuffle of July 2011, he was made Cabinet Minister for Law and Justice, and Minority Affairs.

He is a grandson of the late Dr Zakir Hussain, President of India and is married to Louise.

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Lyric is an entrepreneur and engineer who founded Logically in 2017, after observing the breakdown in public discourse during the 2016 US presidential election, and the Brexit referendum in the UK. He first began identifying opportunities for early interventions during his time at MIT, and is motivated by the impact Logically can deliver through human-machine collaborations to mitigate risks posed by information disorder. Logically now works with governments, businesses and platforms around the world to uncover and address harmful misinformation and deliberate disinformation.

Lyric was named Enterprise CXO Leader of the Year in the CogX Awards 2021, as well as being named by Ozy as one of the 100 people who defined 2020, and being announced as an honouree in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list in the Social Entrepreneurs category. In 2021, Logically was named one of the world’s most innovative artificial intelligence companies by Fast Company and awarded the Rising Star in Tech award at the CogX Awards.

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Mahua Moitra (born 12 October 1974) is an Indian politician and a Member of parliament in the 17th Lok Sabha from Krishnanagar, West Bengal. She contested and won the seat in the 2019 Indian general election as an All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) party candidate. Moitra served as a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly representing Karimpur from 2016 to 2019 and has served as the general secretary and national spokesperson of the AITC for the past few years. She was an investment banker before entering politics.

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Tejashwi Prasad Yadav (born 9 November 1989) is an Indian politician, who serves as the leader of opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, notably the youngest leader of opposition in the country. He also leads the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the single largest political party in the state of Bihar, India. As a professional cricketer, he was in the Delhi Daredevils and the Jharkhand cricket team. In 2015, he was elected as the representative of the Raghopur constituency and served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar between 2015 and 2017. He is also noted to have been the youngest Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar. Yadav was featured in the Indian Express’ 100 Most Powerful Indians in 2020 and 2021.

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Sitaram Yechury is an Indian politician and a leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He was elected as its General Secretary on 19 April 2015. He is a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and was the party’s Parliamentary group leader.

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Pankaj M Munjal is an Indian businessman, and chairman and managing director of Hero Cycles Limited, based in Punjab, India, taking over the company from his father in 2015. He has always had a love for automobiles. He finished his early schooling from The Lawrence School, Sanawar, and graduated in Science and training in Automotive Manufacturing at Kettering University (formerly General Motors Institute), Flint in USA. Thereon, he also attended an executive program in Strategic Marketing Management at London Business School & Harvard University.

Munjal joined his father’s company in 1988, and became Co-chairman and managing director in 2011. Munjal took over the executive responsibilities of Hero Cycles Ltd in 2010 after the Munjal family realigned its businesses. He became chairman and managing director at Hero Motors Limited in July 2015.

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He is the Chief Executive Officer for over 15 years with a demonstrated history of working in the education management industry. Founder of ATMC Education Group, which is head quartered in Melbourne Australia, offers University, Vocational, Higher Education and Professional programs in more than 4 countries with over 800 staff and 7000 students. Skilled in E-Learning, Business and Strategic Planning, Business Development and Lecturing. Strong business development professional with a Executive Education from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford and London Business School. Core background in an Information Technology area with a PhD degree in Computer Science from RMIT University in Melbourne. Apart from leading ATMC Education Group in various teaching disciplines with a strong quality and governance framework, He also have developed Research capability in the organisation to provide private/public partnership, localised businesses and community research, technology based qualifications and academic development programs including scholarly activities.

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Teresa Jacobs is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors, Educational Business Developer, and Director of Quality Assurance with significant experience in Assessment Development and Quality and Process Management in both professional. Teresa managed Pearson Edexcel ELT testing provision before moving on to the construction of assessments for statutory license to practice initiatives. Teresa then proudly worked for Chartered Institute of Management (CIMA) as Head of QA, while also taking lead responsibility and driving companywide external QA recognition for CIMA, using the EFQM model. She then moved across to the delivery side of Higher Education (HE) and discovered an additional passion – the Contribution QA can bring to an acquisitive private sector HE provider. Teresa was the driving force behind a successful entry for the Queen’s Award for Enterprise. She then moved to the Institute of Directors (IoD), UK where she transformed the assessments and their delivery methodology. The IoD became the first professional body to fully adopt remote invigilation. Not only adept at providing a strategic overview and developing and implementing policies and processes but also skilled at business development and project management to enter new educational markets with HE partners. An innovative and proactive approach to problem-solving accompanied by a passion for excellence and ability drive efficiency, quality, and profit. Currently, Teresa serves the position of Executive Director – Learning at ISDC and also, and she works to create and accredit the innovative U.K. awarded programmes to be delivered in India and beyond.

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Shetty has been a global leader in the fight for human rights for decades. Since 2018, he has been a Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, leading a seven-country study on resistance to elected authoritarian leaders. He is also affiliated with Harvard’s Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute. Shetty is studying youth movements in India, the role progressive values play in helping them counter polarization, and India’s soft power on the world stage more broadly.

Previously, he served as secretary general of Amnesty International (2010–2018), the world’s largest human rights organization with more than 10 million members worldwide. In that role, he helped Amnesty broaden its footprint and convert the organization into a truly global campaigning force for rights and justice. He served as director of the UN’s Millennium Campaign from 2003–2010, helping to develop political momentum toward the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals, and was chief executive of ActionAid International after leading ActionAid Kenya and ActionAid India.

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Tom M. Joseph is a self-driven edupreneur and has been an active profile in the Education and Training industry in India and abroad for a decade.

He is one among the founding member at ISDC (International Skill Development Corporation); UK based Education and Skilling company having global operations. ISDC is working with large number of UK Professional Bodies and Universities across the globe. Tom sits at the board of many ISDC Companies in the UK and in India.

He has been handling the Strategy for ISDC since its inception. His responsibilities include the design and development of new education products, sustainable education processes, market & brand strategies for the company. He has proven his skills for designing innovative education and skill development models, physical & digital education infrastructure creation, sustainable M&A Practices in the Education sector.

Tom also represents ISDC at the Institute of Analytics (IoA) which is the global professional body for Data Science & Analytics and at the AI Society International, a society for advancement in Artificial Intelligence and Education.

Tom works as a part of Senior Leadership Team of JAIN University in India as the Director of New Initiatives ; his role is to ensure the right strategies for the group to keep the brand being timely relevant. He also sits at the Advisory and Governing Councils of many Universities & Professional Bodies.

Tom works closely with the Board of Directors and Senior Leadership Team at ISDC to ensure the right strategies for ISDC to keep the brand being timely relevant. He has educated from the United Kingdom – Master’s Degree in International Business & Strategy and holds many professional body memberships such as Institute of Leadership, Chartered Management Institute, Etc.

Tom travels quite frequently to many International Markets and work closely with the various International Organizations and Local Governments.
Under his Strategic Leadership; ISDC has expanded to many international markets, introduced dynamic products, acquired many education models and also created high value JVs & Partnerships with various organizations.

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Lee Lee Ong is the Project Director at Hamburg Invest for India and Singapore.

Phone: +49 40/227019-475

Fax: +49 40/227019-59

leelee.ong@hamburg-invest.com

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James Quinn is CEO of Faradion, the world leader in non-aqueous sodium-ion cell technology company, based in Sheffield, in the British heart of innovative manufacturing. He is an international technology executive and entrepreneur, with a background in both publicly traded and private companies. He has significant experience with fund raising and mergers and acquisitions.

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Sam Cockerill is the CEO and Founder of the Libertine FPE. He was previously independent management & technical consultant to the renewable energy industry & public sector. Sam was a member of the senior management team of Ensus, which he helped to develop from a project financed startup business in 2007 into one of Europe’s major bioethanol producers and successfully sold toCropEnergies in 2013. Sam has over 20 years of experience in automotive engineering, consumer product development, and strategy consulting. He is a chartered mechanical engineer and has an MBA from INSEAD with 25 years of experience in technology development, general management, and strategy consulting role. He is also a Non-executive Director of Providence Holdings, one of the UK’s major agricultural supply chain management companies.

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AssetCool aims to improve the efficiency of power networks, and reduce power losses by up to 30%, with a photonic coating for power lines that helps them to manage temperature more effectively.

As electricity lines operate, their heat increases because of incoming solar radiation and the current running through them. This increased heat makes power lines less efficient. AssetCool’s solution is an easy-to-use durable coating for overhead power lines that improves their ability to reflect solar radiation while also allowing infrared heat to escape more easily. This creates extra network capacity by improving conductive efficiency resulting in up to 40% more power down the line and reduced carbon emissions.

Niall Coogan, SME Leader and CEO, is responsible for overseeing developments with the technology, while also focusing on industrial scale up, IP portfolio development and gaining commercial traction in key markets. He aims to use support from the SME Leaders Programme to develop leadership skills that will help with setting a clear strategic vision for a global business.

Training and support in effective management and communication skills will also help Niall to grow his team while directing technological and operational developments as AssetCool scales up to meet service market demand.

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Amitabh Behar, Chief Executive Officer of Oxfam India, is a global civil society leader, and an authority on tackling economic and gender inequality and building citizen participation.

Mr. Behar currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Board of CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organisations and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society across the globe. He also serves on the boards of several other organisations, including the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability, an Indian public policy think tank.

Prior to Oxfam, Mr. Behar was the Executive Director of National Foundation for India and served as the Convener of National Social Watch Coalition and the Co-Chair of Global Call to Action Against Poverty, a network of over 11,000 civil society organisations.

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Manoj Kumar Jha is an Indian politician who is a member of Rajya Sabha in Indian Parliament and a member of Rashtriya Janta Dal. He currently serves as the national spokesperson of the Rashtriya Janata Dal. On 15 March 2018, he was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from the state of Bihar. Jha completed his master’s degree from Department of Social Work from Delhi University in 1992 and PhD in 2000. He has been a Professor at The Department of Social Work University Of Delhi, and its head between 2014 and 2017.

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Sambhrant has committed his life journey to education transformation of the country through a combination of large scale non-profit and for-profit education programmes and policy evangelisation.

His focus areas include the Zero Investment Innovations in Education Initiative (ZIIEI) motivates teachers to come up with micro-innovations to solve the local educational problems, which require zero Investment. This scheme has been implemented across 2m teachers across 31 states and union territories in India. HDFC Bank has provided £10m of funds for this initiative over the last five years. The Edupreneur Village is an edtech incubator now in its second year of existence, and Auro Scholar provides ‘motivation to learn’ by awarding monthly micro-scholarships (conditional cash transfers) of up to £10 to secondary students on achieving benchmark performance in a 10 minute curriculum-aligned quiz on a smartphone.

He is an investor in Scholr, an AI-driven doubt resolution app for school students in remote India, co-founded the Education Innovation Fund of India and a social innovation fund with SRISTI (Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions). He was actively involved in the production of India’s New Education Policy in 2019 and is a Nominated Member for the government panel the National Council for Teacher Education.

He has studied at Harvard University, as well as Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies and IIT Delhi.

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Mr. Sam Pitroda is an internationally respected telecom inventor, entrepreneur, development thinker, and policy maker who has spent 50 years in information and communications technology (ICT) and related global and national developments.

Credited with having laid the foundation for India’s telecommunications and technology revolution of the 1980s, Mr. Pitroda has been a leading campaigner to help bridge the global digital divide. During his tenure as Advisor to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Mr. Pitroda led six technology missions related to telecommunications, water, literacy, immunization, dairy production, and oil seeds. He was also the founder and first Chairman of India’s Telecom Commission. In these plural roles, Mr. Pitroda helped revolutionize India’s development philosophies and policies with a focus on access to technology as the key to social change.

As a way to induce the second phase of India’s technology revolution, in 2005 Mr. Pitroda headed India’s National Knowledge Commission (2005-2009), to provide a blueprint of reform for the knowledge-related institutions and infrastructure for the 21st century in the country.

Recently, Mr. Pitroda served as Advisor to the Prime Minister of India on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovation, with the rank of a Cabinet Minister. He served as the Chairman of the Smart Grid Task Force, as well as the committees to reform public broadcasting, modernize railways, deliver e-governance, and other developmental activities.

Mr. Pitroda is a Founding Chairman of five non-profit organizations including the India Food Bank, the Global Knowledge Initiative and the Institute of Transdisciplinary Health. He is also a founding Commissioner of the United Nations Broadband Commission for Digital Development and Chairman of the International Telecommunication Union’s m-Powering Development Board that looks to empower developing countries with the use of mobile technology.

In addition, Mr. Pitroda is a serial entrepreneur having started several companies in the United States. He holds around 20 honorary PhD’s, close to 100 worldwide patents, and has published five books and numerous papers and lectured widely all over the world. He lives in Chicago with his wife.

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Nikhil leads strategy, business growth, operations and customer care for GoDaddy in India as its Vice President & Managing Director. In his role at the world’s leading platform dedicated to small businesses, Nikhil is passionate about helping small businesses and entrepreneurs establish and grow their ventures.

Nikhil has over two decades of international and India experience in corporate strategy, marketing, business development, and finance. He brings extensive experience operating in emerging markets, along with deep insights on challenges confronting small and micro businesses as they look for growth and to build compelling businesses.

Prior to his current role at GoDaddy India, Nikhil was the Head of Operations for Asia and India General Manager for WeWork, a fast growing global start-up. Prior to joining WeWork, Nikhil was the Managing Director at Intuit India, where he was responsible for implementing Intuit’s India business strategy, strengthening partnerships and capitalizing on social, mobile and global market trends. Previous roles included Vice President and Country Head of Operations at Laureate Education, as well as roles in executive management roles at ADP and in managing M&As and joint ventures at Delphi Automotive.

Nikhil holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona, as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Accounting and Finance from Hofstra University, New York. Having spent time in Russia and Central Asia managing public education projects, Nikhil also holds a Diploma in Russian language.
Nikhil is based out of New Delhi, and his other interests include running marathons, triathlons, obstacle and adventure sports, traveling and exploring new destinations.

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Rosie Sweeney is the Head of Membership at the IoA -Institute of Analytics.
Her role is to help develop the Institute and expand its presence in international markets, whilst ensuring that members have access to a range of benefits that support their career development and learning. Rosie has worked in the membership sector for over 10 years both in the UK and Belgium. Her experience includes working in professional bodies, trade associations, and charities across a variety of industries and professions, including statistics, family medicine, housing, and aviation.

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Steve Waterworth is the head of international partnerships at Liverpool John Moores University, with the responsibility of the development and management of international partnerships for Transnational Education (collaborative provision), staff and student mobility.

An experienced higher education professional, Steve has over 20 years experience of working within the Higher Education Sector, initially leading on university-industry engagement projects. For the past 10 years, Steve’s role has been focused on the creation, development and management of university international partnerships between UK HEIs and both public and private institutions around the world. Steve has significant experience in partnership development in the Middle East, Africa, ASEAN, South Asia, and LATAM.

Steve is passionate about the university to university partnerships, that add value to university students, staff, and local national and international economies and industry.

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Harjinder joined the Civil Service following a private-sector career of over 30 years within the global pharmaceutical industry, primarily with AstraZeneca PLC, where he held numerous senior roles.

As of mid-2019, Harjinder was delighted to be given the opportunity of joining the Department for International Trade to lead the Healthcare, Life Sciences and Bio-economy sectors. In October 2021, he became Chief Negotiator for the UK-India Free Trade Agreement. Harjinder is also the Vice-Chair of Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust and a member of the Council of the University of Birmingham.

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Keith has had a wide ranging and successful career in companies varying from start-ups to multinationals. He founded and grew an automotive control systems company whose engine control systems are used on millions of vehicles around the world. Following the sale of the company to a major OEM he joined Rolls Royce Engines PLC where he worked as Chief Technology Officer in the electrical power and control systems group and later became the Chief Technology Officer at Meggitt PLC.

Keith is now the Non-Executive Chairman of Ilika plc and Libertine FPE and a Professor at Sheffield University’s Automated Control and Systems Engineering department. He also advises a number of companies on their technologies and strategy. Keith is a Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers, a previous Rolls Royce Engineering Fellow and Royal Aeronautical Society Fellow. He is a Computer Science graduate from University College London.

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Latasha is Partnerships Director at what3words. She is a dynamic professional with +20 years of strategic partnerships and business development experience in international markets. Before her current role, she was VP in Commons and Strategic Partnerships for HotelPlanner.com and held similar leadership and growth-related roles in London, Spain, Hong Kong, and Dubai at various travel and media businesses. She has an Economics and Finance degree from the Birkbeck University of London and a Biochemistry degree from the University of Westminster.

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Prior to joining Crossbridge Capital, Manish was with Société Generale Private Banking (SGPB) Hambros Bank Ltd, London as Investment Director from 2008–2011. In this role he managed over $400m in bespoke and advisory portfolios covering multi-asset classes, alternative investment and structured products.

He also chaired the asset allocation committee of SG Hambros VolCap fund, AUM over $200m. From 2007–2008 he was the Head of Structured Product Solutions team at SGPB Hambros and from 2005 to 2007, Manish was at Société Generale Corporate and Investment Banking (SGCIB) as Quantitative Equity Research Analyst in Global Equities and Derivative Solutions (GEDS) division.

During 2004–2005, Manish worked at UBS Investment Bank on the European Securitization desk in London and Interest rate derivative structuring desk in Hong Kong. During 2000 and 2003 he worked at Tech Mahindra in India and UK as Software Engineer.
Manish is a CFA Charter holder and received his BTech degree in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, India and his MSc degree in Finance and Management from the Cranfield School of Management, UK.

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Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, is the Working President of TRS Party and the Cabinet Minister for IT E&C, MA&UD and Industries & Commerce Departments of Telangana government.

The inclination towards public life was always there for KTR as he grew watching his father from close quarters. KTR decided that politics would be his life’s calling as he was strongly influenced by a quotation from his University days. KTR made his political debut by winning from Sircilla Assembly Constituency in 2009.

Born in Siddipet on 24 July, 1976, KTR is the son of K Chandrashekar Rao, the first Chief Minister of Telangana. He grew up in a politically active family and completed his schooling from St. George’s Grammar School, Hyderabad before going to Nizam College, Hyderabad. He studied M.Sc. in Biotechnology from University of Pune and also holds an MBA degree in Marketing and E-Commerce from City University of New York, NY.

After finishing his MBA, KTR worked in the USA between 2001 and 2006. But his interest in the prevailing socio-economic condition in the region brought him back to where his heart belongs – politics. He joined Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and worked under the leadership of his father to achieve Statehood to the region of Telangana. During this period, he travelled the length and breadth of the State and interacted with people to understand their problems and aspirations, which later helped in shaping his political career. KTR made his political entry in 2009 Assembly elections. He assumed the charge of a cabinet minister in the first Government of Telangana in June 2014.

KTR held key ministerial portfolios in the cabinet between 2014 and 2018. On 2nd June, 2014, he was sworn-in as Minister for IT, Panchayat Raj & Rural Development. KTR took charge of Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Industries & Commerce, Mining, and NRI affairs Departments in 2016 and was relieved from Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department later. He was inducted into the Telangana Cabinet on 8th September, 2019 as the Minister for IT, Industries & Commerce and Municipal Administration & Urban Development.

Unflinching resolve, commitment and inclination to fight for the welfare and development of the State helped KTR work steadily with a wide spectrum of industry and political leaders in India and abroad. He has provided visionary leadership and put in relentless efforts in reimagining and reorienting the Departments he was assigned. As the Minister for IT, KTR has come up with a comprehensive plan to cater to the multi-dimensional requirements of the IT industry and has been backed by his dedicated and competent officers and staff. Several initiatives have been launched under his able leadership since 2014.

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Angela Rayner is a British politician serving as Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office and Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work since 2021. She has been Shadow First Secretary of State, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. Rayner has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashton-under-Lyne since 2015. She ideologically identifies as a socialist and as being part of Labour’s soft left.

Rayner was born and raised in Stockport, where she attended the state secondary Avondale School. She left school aged 16 whilst pregnant and without any qualifications. She later trained in social care at Stockport College and worked for the local council as a care worker. She eventually became a trade union representative within Unison, during which time she joined the Labour Party. Selected to contest Ashton‑under‑Lyne in 2014 and elected for the seat at the 2015 general election, she was appointed as Shadow Minister for Pensions by Jeremy Corbyn in January 2016.

Rayner was promoted in July 2016 to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities. As Shadow Education Secretary, she proposed the creation of a National Education Service modelled on the National Health Service (NHS). She endorsed Rebecca Long-Bailey in the 2020 Labour Party leadership election, who came second to Keir Starmer, and instead successfully stood for the deputy leadership, after which she was appointed as party chair and national campaign coordinator. She was removed from these roles in a reshuffle following Labour’s poor performance at the 2021 local elections, subsequently being appointed as Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work.

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Abhinandan Sekhri is co-founder and CEO of media critique, news and current affairs website Newslaundry.

Before founding Newslaundry, he worked as a producer, director and writer in various television and film projects. He regularly delivers lectures and hosts panel discussions on journalism, RTI, and the importance and independence of media, and has delivered talks at Harvard’s India Conference (2018 edition) and several Indian colleges including NIT Karnataka-Surathkal, St. Xavier’s College, Lady Shri Ram College, IIM Lucknow Noida Campus and Manipal University.He also delivered a TEDx talk about ‘journalism of independence’ at TEDxJaiHindCollege in 2015.

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Pradyot Manikya Deb Barman is the former head of Tripura’s Royal Family and the Chairman of Tipra Motha, the Tripura Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance.

He was the president of the Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee from 2016 to 2019, and former his party after resigning from Congress, which aims to represent the indigenous people of Tripura. Tipra Motha won eight seats out of the 28 seats that were contested in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections in 2021.

In the Assembly elections in 2023, Tipra Motha’’s success was the biggest story coming out of the North East of India. Manikya’s party contested 42 out of the 60 seats, including 20 Assembly segments reserved for candidates from Scheduled Tribes, and won 13 seats – a phenomenal performance for a party making its Assembly poll debut. They have been pushing the demand for a ‘Greater Tipraland’. The BJP’s allies IPFT faced a significant setback in the reserved seats, losing all but one of its eight seats, indicating a shift of tribal voters to Tipra Motha.

Pradyot Manikya is known for his efforts to preserve the culture and traditions of the indigenous people of Tripura. He has been involved in various social and political campaigns aimed at their welfare. Apart from his political activities, Pradyot Manikya is also involved in various social and cultural organisations. He also served as the editor of TNT-The Northeast Today.

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Rahul leads the Institute’s South Asia research programme. He researches and publishes on India’s neighbourhood foreign and security policies; Pakistan, Afghanistan and regional security; counter-extremism and terrorism; regional nuclear matters; and the Indian navy and the Indian Ocean. Rahul gives select policy-relevant talks and briefings, and organises several ‘track 1.5’ meetings. These involve top South Asian government and intelligence officials, and focus on regional stability, nuclear doctrines and India’s foreign policy, and take place annually in Muscat, Bahrain, New Delhi, Islamabad and London. He is also author of Sea Power and Indian Security (Potomoc, 1995) and India’s Maritime Security (Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis, 2000).

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Kevin joined the UK India Business Council in December 2008 and has a range of responsibilities: coordinating the work of the team across the UK and Indian offices; directly leading the Advocacy, Advisory, Membership, Communications and Research teams.

He also leads the UKIBC’s relationships with the Department for International Trade and directs the UKIBC’s engagement with Government bodies across the UK and India, including the UK’s Devolved Administrations, English cities, and Indian States. Kevin has directed major projects, including developing strategies to generate more trade and investment between India and Greater Manchester, the Leeds City Region, and the Sheffield City Region. He remains a Strategic Advisor to the Sheffield City Region, attends the Manchester India Partnership Board meetings, and is on the Advisory Board for the West Midlands India Partnership.

Kevin also co-ordinates the UK side of both the UK-India CEO Forum, which reports to the Prime Ministers, and the UK-India Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), which reports to the UK’s Secretary of State for International Trade and India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry. He also directs the UKIBC’s Ease of Doing Business in India campaign, and will lead the UKIBC’s inputs into the UK-India FTA consultations the UK and Indian Governments will conclude in 2021.

Kevin joined the UK India Business Council after 19 years in the UK’s Diplomatic Service, where he served in The Netherlands, Malta, Romania, India, and various London postings. In India, Kevin spent three years at the British Deputy High Commission in Kolkata helping UK businesses win contracts and find partners in Eastern India and assisting Indian companies expand into the UK.

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Sanjay Suri is the Europe Editor for CNN-IBN. He has been reporting on international affairs out of London for close to 20 years. He was an earlier chief reporter with the Indian Express in Delhi. He was Europe and Middle East and Europe editor and then a chief editor with the international agency Inter Press Service (IPS) focused on development, environment and rights issues. He has a master’s degree in English Literature from Delhi University and in Social Psychology from the London School of Economics. He is also the author of Brideless in Wembley, a collection of Indian stories out of Britain.

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Bankim Chandra has been the CEO and passionate driving force behind Dotsquares since its inception back in 2002. From very humble beginnings in a cold garage to several hundred employees in six countries this is a family business that has an international focus. Dotsquares is a web and mobile app development company with an enviable portfolio in the Fintech and Travel industries amongst others. Bankim progressed through roles at RBS and American Express before identifying a gap in the market for software development.

Dotsquares has been involved in several ground breaking projects including Gamification on a car assembly production line and a Guinness Book of Records entry for the largest Android pad mosaic ever created. Recent developments have seen further expansion into a new London Office. Bankim has been heavily involved with UK Trade Missions as a Thought Leader, invited to sit on numerous Business Panels, and has been a KeyNote speaker at many events including GITEX in Dubai.A keen sense of business foresight is couple with a great capacity to give back – both to the communities in which the company operates and at a more business level. Bankim has been heavily involved in mentoring in schools and providing apprenticeships, whilst also not forgetting long established roots by providing employees the opportunity to help at the Mother Theresa Centre in Jaipur.

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