Happy Independence Day!
content top
About Us


Honorary Chair

Dianne Feinstein
U.S. Senator

 As California's senior Senator, Dianne Feinstein has built a reputation as an independent voice, working with both Democrats and Republicans to find common-sense solutions to the problems facing California and the Nation.
Since her election to the Senate in 1992, Senator Feinstein has worked in a bipartisan way to build a significant record of legislative accomplishments - helping to strengthen the nation's security both here and abroad, combat crime and violence, battle cancer, and protect natural resources in California and across the country.
 
In the 111th Congress, Senator Feinstein assumed the Chairmanship of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, where she oversees the nation's 16 intelligence agencies - the first female Senator to hold that position.
 
Senator Feinstein is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee, where she chairs the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies. Senator Feinstein also serves on the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, which she chaired during the 110th Congress. In that capacity, Senator Feinstein was the first woman to chair the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, and presided over the Inauguration of President Barack Obama on January 20, 2009.


Gavin Newsom
Mayor of San Francisco

 Gavin Newsom, 42, is the youngest San Francisco mayor in over a century. Newsom, the son of William and Tessa Newsom, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He attended Santa Clara University on a partial baseball scholarship, graduating in 1989 with a B.A. in political science.
 
In 1991, Newsom recruited investors and founded PlumpJack, a wine shop, which he grew into a thriving enterprise of 15 businesses including wineries, restaurants, and hotels.
 
In 1996, Newsom was appointed by San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown to the city's Parking and Traffic Commission for which he was later elected President. In 1997, Brown appointed him to the city's Board of Supervisors. Voters elected Newsom to the board in 1998 and re-elected him in 2000 and 2002. As a supervisor, Newsom focused on combating homelessness. His initiative, Care Not Cash, provided homeless individuals services instead of welfare. Although the city's political establishment opposed Care Not Cash, the voters approved it in November, 2002. One year later, after a fiercely-contested race, Newsom was elected mayor.
 
After only 36 days as mayor, Newsom gained worldwide attention when he granted marriage licenses to same-sex couples. This bold move set the tone for Newsom's first term. Under his energetic leadership, the economy grew and jobs were created. The city became a center for biotech and clean tech. He initiated a plan to bring universal health care to all of the city's uninsured residents. And Newsom aggressively pursued local solutions to global climate change.
 
Since his re-election in 2007, Newsom has built upon the successes of his first term, launching new environmental initiatives and a comprehensive strategy to transform one of the city's most troubled neighborhoods into a life sciences, digital media, and clean tech center. Newsom's commitment to combating homelessness has never waned. As mayor, he has moved 7,000 homeless individuals off the street, and his volunteer initiative, Project Homeless Connect - now imitated in over 130 cities - has attracted over 20,000 San Franciscans who give their time to help the homeless.



Officers

James P. Herlihy
(Co-Chair and Director)



 Ll.B., London School of Economics and Political Science; Former President of the San Francisco Public Library Commission, 1992-1996; Treasurer of the San Francisco-Cork Sister City Committee, 1993 to Present; Past member of the following sister city committees: Haifa, Shanghai, Manila and Osaka; Presently Managing Director, Deutsche Bank, Private Wealth Management.


Madhav Misra
(Co-Chair and Director)


B.A., Economics, St. Stephens College, Delhi University; M.B.A., Columbia University; Chartered Accountant (FCA), United Kingdom; Member of the Board, Coast Asset Management; Previously Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer, Allianz Hedge Fund Partners; Managing Director and Head of Hedge Funds, Citigroup Alternative Investment Strategies.


Kumar Malavalli
(Development Chair
and Director) 		Kumar Malavalli has degrees in electrical engineering and physics from the National Institute of Engineering in Mysore, India and holds several patents in Fibre Channel technology. He is the co-author and driving force behind Fibre Channel, an evolutionary technology that enabled the development of production-class storage area networks (SAN's). Co-founder and former CTO of Brocade Communications; Co-founder and CEO of InMage Systems, currently Chairman of the Board and Chief Strategy Officer. Kumar's philanthropy in the field of education extends from digital learning centers in rural India to our local institutions of higher education. Established the Kumar Malavalli Endowed Chair in Storage Systems Research at University of California Santa Cruz, co-founded the Indus Scholastic Management Services and serves as a trustee of the Indus International Schools.


Uday Bellary
(Treasurer) 		B.S., Finance, Accounting and Economics, Karnatak University; DMA degree, Finance, University of Bombay, India; Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Accountant; Executive Vice-President, Finance Administration and Operations and Chief Financial Officer of VL, Inc., 2003-2005; Presently Director of Versant and Chairman of the Audit Committee and Member of Nominating Committees of the Board; Presently Chief Financial Officer of Atrica, Inc.; Presently CEO of Wortal, Inc.


Sara Mo
(Secretary) 		B.A., University of California, Berkeley; J.D., University of California, Davis School of Law; Licensed as California attorney.



Board of Directors

Vijay C. Advani B.S. Finance and Accounting from the University of Bombay (now the University of Mumbai), India; MBA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, graduated as a foreign student scholar. Vijay C. Advani is Executive Vice President for Franklin Templeton Investments - Global Advisory Services. He is responsible for Franklin Templeton's global retail and institutional distribution strategies and initiatives, including sales, marketing, client service and product development. He is an officer of Franklin Resources, Inc., a member of several Franklin Templeton committees and a board member of various Franklin Templeton subsidiaries. Mr. Advani is a board member of Lok Foundation, Jumpstart, and the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI) at the University of Pennsylvania.


Prakash Bhalerao B.Sc., IIT Bombay; MSEE and MBA, Worcester Polytechnical Institute in Massachusetts; Prakash Bhalerao is a successful high-technology entrepreneur, angel investor and venture capitalist and has been closely involved in launching over forty companies worldwide including IPOs by C-Cube Inc., and Sage Inc., as well as acquisitions of Amber Networks (by Nokia), Ambit Inc. (by Cadence Inc.), Ishoni Networks (by Philips), Armedia Inc. (by Broadcom Inc.), and vEngines Inc. to name a few). His long career in the IT industry included senior postions as the General Manager of the entire semiconductor business at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) as well as the founding Senior Vice President of Engineering and Product Marketing at C-Cube Microsystems; Prakash is an active participant and limited partner in more than 10 venture funds, some of which are focused on emerging opportunities in India.


Mark Chandler BA in Economics from University of California, Davis; MBA in International Marketing from University of California, Berkeley; Mark Chandler is the Director of the San Francisco Mayor's Office of International Trade and Commerce. Mark has been a member of the Mayor's Office for over twenty years and has worked for five mayors. For the last nineteen years, Mark has been responsible for the international business programs of the City of San Francisco, including Sister City ties, trade and investment projects, trade missions, import and export promotion and international business attraction. Mark has coordinated over thirty overseas missions to locations diverse as Mexico, China, France, Israel, Vietnam, Ireland, Australia, The Philippines, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Canada and Japan.


Sada Chidambaram
2020
Subcommittee Chair 		B.S., Chemistry, Loyola College, India; M.S., Chemical Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan; VP Strategic Business Development, Verismo Networks; Managed 2 funds in Silicon Valley investing in more than 25 companies; Served key management roles in Tandy Corp. and ASCII Corp., as well as on the boards of several companies, including ASCII, Nexgen, 8x8, Information Storage Devices, Power Computing, Salon.com, CyberBills, Kiwi Ventures, and the Palo Alto Tennis Club.


Arjun Divecha B.T., Aeronautical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay; M.B.A., Finance, Cornell University; Previously at BARRA directing software development, marketing, client service and emerging markets research and development; Member of GMO Board overseeing GMO Emerging Markets Strategy, GMO Emerging Markets Opportunities Strategy and GMO Emerging Illiquid Strategy, L.P.


Robert Friese B.A., Stanford University in International Relations (specializing in Southeast Asia), J.D., Northwestern University. Bob Friese specializes in the structuring and funding of new ventures, and in dealing with business-related disputes, including taking them into formal legal proceedings. His firm, Shartsis Friese LLP, founded in 1975, deals broadly in business matters. Bob is Board Chair of the charity, San Francisco Beautiful and Board Vice-Chair of the Worldwatch Institute in Washington, DC. He has founded or co-founded several companies other than his law firm, including a language institute in Geneva, Switzerland and the International Plant Research Institute.


Sergio Garcia B.A., Stanford University; J.D., University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law. Sergio is Chair of Reed Smith's Global Technology Transactions Team. He counsels companies in industries as diverse as clean technology, renewable energy, biotechnology, internet and ecommerce. Sergio assists his clients on venture capital investments, strategic transactions and mergers and acquisitions. He also advises on structuring and negotiating complex technology transactions, including international and domestic strategic alliances, joint ventures and licensing arrangements. Sergio previously served as Vice President, Legal and General Counsel of PDL BioPharma, Inc., and is the author of numerous articles, and has delivered dozens of presentations on law, science and technology issues.


Deepa Harris Masters, English and Master, Mass Communication from Lady Shriram College, University of Delhi. Deepa has been with the Taj Group for the last 25 years; presently Vice President-Marketing with the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palace and on the board of Taj Lanka and Taj Varanasi. Heads the Marketing function across all brands of the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, recognized as one of Asia's largest and finest hotel company, extending to over 79 hotels out of which 63 hotels are located across India, and 16 are located in the Maldives, Malaysia, UK, USA, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Africa, Middle East and Australia. Previously, Vice President - Sales, for the Taj Group as well as Director Sales & General Manager - Sales, Luxury Hotels. Her regional assignments included overseeing the Sales & Marketing function for Taj Hotels for Sri Lanka and Maldives as well as all of South India. Prior to joining the Taj, she was Features Editor of 'Fashion' magazine a Clarion publication. Deepa is an executive committee member of the PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) India Chapter and part of the marketing think tank of the Experience India Society a public & private partnership between Ministry of Tourism & Industry.


Scott Heldfond B.A., University of California, Berkeley; J.D., University of San Francisco; Presently Commissioner and President of City and County of San Francisco, Health Services Commission; Presently, Advisor, Kingfisher Airlines (India) and UB Group (India); Director, Nasdaq Insurance LLC.
Regis Kelly B.S., University of Edinburgh; Ph.D., California Institute of Technology; Executive Vice Chancellor at UCSF, 2000-2004; Previously board member of Malaysian Biotechnology Industry Advisory Board; Advisor to Thailand Bionanotechnology; University of Oxford Systems Biology Program; San Francisco Mayor's Biotechnology Advisory Group; Presently serving as Chairman of the Bay Area Scientific Innovation Consortium and Director of one of four California Institutes for Science and Innovation.


Atul Kumria B.S., Delhi University; Pan Am World Airways; Station Manager, Jet Airways; Station Manager, United Airlines (Delhi, Singapore, Chicago), Leader of cross departmental teams on numerous station start-ups, including Ho Chi Minh City, Nagoya, Kuwait, five cities in Mexico and Liberia in Costa Rica; Presently Regional Director of North America, Kingfisher Airlines.


Jim Lazarus Joined the Chamber in January 2006 as senior vice president/Public Policy, where he brings a wealth of experience in the public policy arena and a thorough understanding of the city. Previously, Lazarus served as executive director of the SF Museum & Historical Society, for two years as state director of Senator Feinstein's offices, as CEO of the SF Zoological Society and held senior positions with Mayor Feinstein and Mayor Jordan, including deputy mayor and chief of staff. Lazarus, a fourth generation San Franciscan, is an attorney and is active in numerous civic and governmental organizations, including City's Recreation and Park Commission.


Vish Mishra B.S, Electrical Engineering, Institute of Technology at Benares Hindu University, India; M.S., Electrical Engineering, North Dakota University; Previously Founder of Telera (sold to Alcatel); Co-founder of Excelan (sold to Novell); Member and Incoming President, TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs), Advisor to Silicon Valley Center for Entrepreneurship at College of Business, San Jose State University; Director of India Community Center in Silicon Valley; Presently Venture Capitalist, Clearstone Venture Partners.


Meera Prashad


B.A., Loreto College, Calcutta University, Kolkata, India; Regional Sales Manager, Kingfisher Airlines.
Anisya Thomas B.A., Loyola College in Maryland; M.S. and Ph.D., Management from Virginia Tech; Co-founder of Fritz Institute and a Proprietor of Lynmar Estate. A respected scholar, Anisya is the author of numerous articles on the global system of humanitarian relief, competitive strategy and international entrepreneurship. Her work has been published in leading journals such as Harvard Business Review, Strategic Management Journal, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs and the Journal of International Business Studies. Previously, Anisya was an associate professor of strategic management and international business at the Ryder College of Business Administration at Florida International University and a visiting professor at the Stockholm School of Economics.


Judith F. Wilbur B.A., University of California, Berkeley, Diplome, Sorbonne, Paris; Member of: the Wilbur Ellis Company Board of Directors; Brayton Wilbur Foundation (Chair); The Asia Foundation; Asian Art Museum Foundation and Commission; 870 Market Street Associates; and the Flood Ranch Company. Past President of the Commonwealth Club (1996) and former Chair of: the Asian Art Commission (1981-88); the New Asian Project (1994-03) and the "Essence of Indian Art" Exhibition (1986).

2020 Subcommittee for Sustainability

SF Bangalore Kick-off
Sada Chidambaram (Chair)
Tara Misra
Meena Chidambaram
Sarin Suvarna
Rahul Pathak
Daniel Kilduff
Victor (Tory) Polich
Chander Baljee

 MBA, Indian Institute of Management (IIM). Mr. Baljee is Chairman & Managing Director of Royal Orchid Hotels. He has over 30 years of experience in the Hospitality industry. He currently operates 13 hotels across India, in Bangalore, Mysore, Pune, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Goa, and in Ahmedabad. The Royal Orchid Hotel also operates The Presidency College of hotel management in Bangalore. The group was awarded the best regional hotel chain in India. The chain is expanding rapidly and is the fastest growing hospitality chain with hotels coming up in key locations across the globe with plans to have international presence by 2010.
 
In the past, Mr. Baljee has served as the Chairman of the Tourism Committee, both at the Greater Mysore Chamber of Commerce & Industry ( GMCI) as well as the Confederation of Indian Industry ( CII ) and also served on the managing committee of the Bangalore Management Association. He is a certified Hotel Administrator from American Hotel and Motel Association (AHMA).


Prasad Bidapa

 India's Fashion guru Prasad Bidapa exports Bangalore style to world destinations and has created a distinctive niche in the Indian Fashion scenario. His projects like the annually held India Men's Fashion Fair and the Kingfisher Fashion Awards have put Bangalore on the international fashion map. He presents some of the largest fashion events in India, and his training program for models is legendary for having created some of the biggest names in fashion and film.

His work as an Image and Fashion Consultant has created a state of the art approach to retail fashion and branding exercises.


J Crasta

 Post-graduate,University of Mysore, Organic Chemistry and Lecturer. In 1981, Mr. Crasta founded M/s. C.M. Equipment & Instruments (India) Pvt. Ltd. (subsequently renamed "CM Envirosystems Pvt. Ltd.") and led its evolution as a leading company manufacturing Environmental Test and Simulation Systems in India. The company is presently supplying test and simulation chambers to various DRDOs, Defense Establishments, the automotive and avionics sectors and is exporting to about 15 countries.
 
Mr. Crasta has been elected as the President of the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FKCCI) for 2009-2010. He has served on various sub-committees and has been a member of the Managing Committee of FKCCI for many years. Mr. Crasta has been associated with the following institutions: Member, Advisory Board, Acharya Leadership and Research Institute; Member, IIPM's Advisory Council of Indian Institute of Plantation Management; Member of Advisory Board of Samruddhi Shelter's Pvt. Ltd.; Executive Member of International Chamber of Commerce-ICC India; Member of International Trade Committee for the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and State-level Export Promotion Council for the Government of Karnataka; President (past) of Peenya Industries Association PIA; President (past) of Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association KASSIA; and served on the Board of Directors of the Government Tool Room & Training Center (GT&TC), Karnataka Small Scale Industries Development Corporation (KSSIDC). Mr. Crasta has widely traveled in India and abroad.


Sucharita S Eashwar

Honours degree in English Literature, Post-Graduate Diploma in Mass Communication, University of Calcutta. Ms. Eashwar is currently Regional Director of NASSCOM (the trade body representing the IT and BPO industry in India), based in Bangalore. While she heads the operations of India's IT hub of Bangalore, her special interests are the Product Initiative to enable more IT software product businesses and intellectual property from India and the Gender Inclusivity Initiative to develop women leaders in the IT industry. She has successfully designed a Mentorship model to enable small emerging companies to move to a high growth path with sustained mentoring from eminent leaders of the industry and is also working with a group to position Bangalore as a global R&D and Innovation hub.
 
Ms. Eashwar started her career with communication agency, Ogilvy & Mather, and later worked with RK Swamy BBDO, Sistas, and MAA Bozell to create successful brands and corporate identities for major FMCG and industrial clients. She then founded two not-for-profit organizations, heading them as Founder Director - Madhyam (1984-1992) and VOICES (1992-1999) focusing on policy advocacy for equitable access to media and telecom. Ms. Eashwar helped introduce FM community radio in India and South Asia and worked on setting up a Rural Development Fund for accelerating teledensity and telecom access. In 2000, she joined a startup IT services company, eCapital Solutions, heading their User Experience Design Group until their merger with Leading Edge Systems.
 
Ms. Eashwar led the branding exercise for the merged company called Trigyn Technologies before she left in 2002 to join UNESCO as a Communication Consultant. As part of her UNESCO assignment, she worked with a virtual team to design and promote models of communication hubs for unconnected communities, particularly women.
 
Entrepreneurial ventures, especially in areas relating to green technologies and empowering underserved communities, are her special interest.


K R Girish

Post Graduate Diploma in Taxation practice from M S University, Baroda. K R Girish is a fellow member of the Indian Institute of Chartered Accountants and an associate member of the Australian Taxation Institute. With more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Girish has been involved in advising large overseas corporations on setting up their operations in India and advising them on the most efficient entry structuring from the tax and regulatory angles. He also has substantial experience in advising on Transfer Pricing and related issues and represents clients before tax authorities at various forums. Mr. Girish regularly appears before the Tax Commissioners and the Tax Tribunal on complex tax issues and has authored over 150 articles relating to taxation in various Journals such as Taxman, SEBI & Corporate Laws, ICAI journal and other journals. He contributes several articles on International tax issues and is a regular writer in the Business Line. He also contributes to the International Tax Review journal and is a prolific speaker at public forums.
 
Mr. Girish has been actively involved with the Chambers of Commerce and has worked on various policy initiatives with the Government. He is the President of the Bangalore Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the year 2009-10 and part of the task force of the Infrastructure Committee formed by the GOK for the Global Investors Meet - 2010.
 
Mr. Girish is regularly consulted by NASSCOM on Tax policy issues.
 
Mr. Girish is currently the Tax lead Partner for the Technology & Software services sector and a Partner in Tax & Regulatory Services, National Head, Indirect Tax Practice.


Geetanjali Kirloskar

 Geetanjali Kirloskar belongs to one of India's oldest and most reputed business houses - Kirloskar, known for over 100 years for its manufacturing excellence and market leadership. She was founder and President of her own Advertising Agency in joint venture with Interpublic Worldwide (IPG), the world's second largest advertising network. An enterprising entrepreneur, she set up Toyota Tsusho Insurance Broker India Pvt. Ltd, a joint venture between Kirloskar and Toyota Tsusho, Japan, for insurance brokerage in 2008 and is now Chairperson of the entity. Ms. Kirloskar has also recently taken over as Chairperson of Kirloskar Technologies Pvt. Ltd., in the business of sole Distributorship of high-end medical equipment for Cancer Radiation Therapy and plans to grow this business within the expanding healthcare industry. Ms. Kirloskar currently hosts a reality TV Show on Times Now (India's leading News Channel). She is a keen writer and frequently contributes articles to leading newspapers. She also travels for historical sightseeing and adventure travel and is writing a book on her journey through India.


Dr. M. Maiya Dr. M. Maiya is an MBBS(Mysore), FRCP(Lond.) FRCP(Edin.), FRCP(Glasg), and FICP(India). He is presently appointed as Consultant Physician, Maiya Multispecialty Hospital in Bangalore and was previously appointed to the teaching faculty at Govt. Medical Colleges of Karnataka from 1964 to1980. Dr. Maiya was Professor of Medicine for Undergraduate and Post-graduate studies from 1966 to 1980. He was Vice Dean, ICP and Associate Editor of JAPI from 2000 through 2003 and was Vice President of API from 1999 through 2001. He has also been the Organizing Secretary for the mammoth APICON 98, member of the Governing Body of API from 1993-1996 and 1997-1999, and member of the faculty of the Indian College of Physicians in 1997.

Dr. Maiya has been the Chairman of the Scientific Committee of South Zone Conference in Bangalore, the Karnataka Chapter of the API, All India Conference Committee Chairman of the All India Conference Committee of CSI, and President of the Bangalore Chapter of CSI. He has also been Secretary of the Medical Education and Research Trust since 1978 and has organized more than 1500 CME programs and participated in many CME programs. Dr. Maiya has delivered lectures and chaired sessions in various national conferences, and his research has been published in several books, journals and other publications.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Dr. Maiya has been involved in his community as a Director of Community Services in the Rotary Club and by establishing a Deaf School, Blood Bank and other entities in Hubli. He has also served on the Hepatitis B Vaccination Committee, the Task Force on Health and Family Welfare and the High Court Committee on improvement of Bangalore Hospitals.


Prof. Shivaram Malavalli Prof. Malavalli has 30 years of Industrial and Research experience and has been the architect in the establishment, sustenance and growth of the first Science & Technology Entrepreneurs Park (STEP) in the country and was instrumental in this STEP getting the National Award, from the Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, as "THE BEST STEP" in the country from among fourteen STEPs. He also spearheaded establishment of SEED (Software Entrepreneurs and Employees Development) a Technology Business Incubator (TBI) supporting exclusively IT start-ups.

Honored with a Citation and Medal by WASME (World Association of Small & Medium Enterprises), for his contribution to the establishment/sustenance/growth of SMEs in the Region and for his contribution internationally in China, Mr. Malavalli was instrumental in spreading the concept of Science & Technology Entrepreneurs Parks in Malaysia and Thailand and was Advisor to the University Technology Malaysia.

Mr. Malavalli has chaired a session at the ENDEC World Conference on "Entrepreneurship and Innovative Change" in 1991, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore as well as sessions at the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Conferences. He was also the Secretary General of the Indian Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Park Association and the 2002-2004 Chairman of the Institution of Engineers, Mysore where he organized two important national events: the National workshop on ICT for Masses and the National convention of Production Engineers with the Theme "World class Manufacturing."

Mr. Malavalli is presently the President of an eHealth Company, TeleVital, which was adjudged and awarded as "The Telemedicine Company of the Year" by Frost & Sullivan. He is the Chairman & Managing Director of the eHealth TBI (Technology Business Incubator), an initiative sponsored by the Dept. of Science and Technology, Govt. of India, and also the Trustee of the Indus International Schools. He is also the Director of Biopure SEZ (Special Economic Zone) in the area of Healthcare, Biotechnology, BioPharma @ Nanotechnology.


Kiran Mazumdar Ms. Shaw received a graduate honors degree in Zoology from Bangalore University (1973) and qualified as a Master Brewer from Ballarat University, Australia (1975). Ms Shaw also received an honorary Doctorate of Science in 2004, from her alma mater, Ballarat University, in recognition of her pre-eminent contributions to the field of Biotechnology. She has also been awarded honorary doctorates from University of Abertay, Dundee, U.K. (2007), University of Glasgow, U.K. (2008) and Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, U.K. (2008).

A successful technocrat of global standing, Ms. Shaw heads India's leading Biotechnology enterprise, Biocon. She is highly respected in the corporate world and has been recently voted by Nature Biotechnology as The Most Influential in Bio-business person outside Europe and USA.

Ms Shaw chairs Karnataka's Vision Group on Biotechnology and also served on the Board of Science Foundation, Ireland. She presently serves on the Advisory Council of the Government's Department of Biotechnology where she has been instrumental in bringing government, industry and academia together, to chart a clear and progressive growth path for Biotechnology in India. Most recently, she has been invited to join the Prime Minister's Council on Trade & Industry in India and the US-India CEO Forum.

Ms. Shaw is the recipient of several prestigious awards including Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Life Sciences & Healthcare, World Economic Forum's Technology Pioneer, etc. She has also been granted the national awards, PADMASHRI (1989) and PADMA BHUSHAN (2005) presented to her by the President of India, for her pioneering efforts in Industrial Biotechnology. Most recently, she was awarded The 2009 Nikkei Asia Prize for Regional Growth.

Under her stewardship, Biocon has evolved from its inception in 1978 as an industrial enzymes company to a fully integrated Bio-pharmaceutical enterprise encompassing a well balanced business portfolio of products and services with a research focus on Diabetes, Oncology and Auto-immune disease. During this transition, Biocon has established 2 subsidiaries: Syngene (1994) to provide development support services for discovery research and Clinigene (2000) to cater to services in clinical development. In 2007, a leading US trade publication, Med Ad News, ranked Biocon 20th amongst the leading biotechnology companies in the world.


Gyanesh Misra
Arundhati Nag

 Ms. Nag is an acclaimed stage and film actress in India with over 35 years of experience. One of the very few multilingual actresses in a country, she has over a thousand stage performances in English and in over five Indian languages to her credit. Ms. Nag has performed experimental and mainstream plays by a variety of Indian and Western playwrights. She is the recipient of some of the most prestigious State and National Awards for her service to the Indian Theatre.
 
Currently, Ms. Nag is on the advisory boards of the National School Of Drama and the Kalakshetra Foundation, two of the most prestigious performing art foundations in India. She is also the Managing Trustee of the non-profit, Sanket Trust, and is the Creative Director of the very successful and respected theatre space "Ranga Shankara" in Bangalore, which, in 5 years of its existence has played host to close to 2000 performances in 20 different languages, conducted 6 Theatre Festivals with National and International participation and runs a vibrant Theatre For Children program. Ms. Nag is now showcasing world-class theatre at affordable rates for the people of India; cutting edge theatre experiences are the mandate of this institution.


Milind Nayak

 Over the last few years, Milind Nayak has established himself as one of the finest artists in India. His works adorn the homes of collectors in India, England, Poland, Ireland, Scotland, Holland, Malaysia, Singapore and the USA. He is also widely represented in many corporate collections.
 
Mr. Nayak's paintings are variously described as "...a raw impulsive release of creativity" and "a succession of lyrical and evocative paintings with a natural flow of colours." Viewers have felt his works to be as "tempestuous as magical reality, vivid and fevered, having the flow of an uninterrupted song."


Mr. T Parabrahman

 Graduate degree, Mechanical Engineering, Bangalore University. Mr. Parabrahman started his career in 1974 at BFW, a machine tool industry in Bangalore and in 1990, joined Mysore Kirloskar Ltd. During his tenure with these leading machine tool industries, Mr. Parabrahman built experience in manufacturing, product development, manufacturing engineering, customer service, marketing and HR & IR functions. Mr. Parabrahman was one of the first engineers not only to assimilate the NC technologies in the early 1980's, but he also took a lead role in manufacturing world-class CNC machine tools in India. His unique training methods dispelled fears of using CNC machines, which in turn, led to their applications in even small-scale industries. He has presented many papers on application, maintenance and future trends in machine tools.
 
In 1995, Mr. Parabrahman established Kirloskar Toyota Textile Machinery Ltd. (KTTM), the first joint venture between the Kirloskar and Toyota groups. The plant has, from its inception, incorporated a high degree of innovation in its layout and processes, and the Japanese systems and individual skills of India have been very well integrated in KTTM.
 
Mr. Parabrahman set up the unique "Multi Skilling" training, and he advocates a fundamental policy of "Touch the heart, people first".
 
Under Mr. Parabrahman's leadership, KTTM has diversified from textile machinery to auto components, die casting and material handling equipment. The company has received many awards for its innovation and excellent manufacturing technologies. Mr. Parabrahman is now the Managing Director of KTTM.
 
Mr. Parabrahman has been associated with CII over the past five years as the member of the southern regional and state council. He was elected as deputy chairman in 2008 and as Chairman of the Karnataka State Council in 2009. He is a trustee of the Aluminium Casters Association ( ALUCAST) and is also on the committee of Textile Machinery Manufactures Association (TMMA).


Dr. H. Paramesh

Dr. Paramesh has been a Visiting Professor at Wayne State University, Detroit, USA, the Kanti Children's Hospital, Nepal and at Mc Master University, Environment and Health Division, Canada. He has been Chairman of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Karnataka Sate Pollution Control Board; National Founder and Chairman, IAP Environment Child Health Group; National Chairman, IAP Respiratory Chapter; National President, Indian Academy of Allergy; Founder and Lifetime Patron IAP Respiratory Chapter (Karnataka State); Founder and President of Indian Medical Association, Bangalore East. Dr. Paramesh was also the principal investigator for aeroallergens and health for the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests from 1994 through 1998. In 2003, he was the Chairman of the State of Environment and Health Action Plan for the World Bank Project 2003. Dr. Paramesh has also been a Panelist, Advisor to Health Projects for WHO, UNICEF, UNDP and the Indian Commission of Macro Economics and Health. In 2001 the State award Karnataka Rajya Parisara Prashasthi was conferred on Dr. Paramesh for his 30 years of work on AIR POLLUTION AND IMPACT ON CHILD HEALTH. His work was responsible in bringing about the antismoking resolution in Karnataka State, tackling air pollution in major cities, and working on traffic and non-traffic police that were discussed in Parliament for remedial measures. He was an Invitee of WHO to the 61st & 62nd World Health Assemblies in Geneva Switzerland in 2008 and 2009. Dr. Paramesh was awarded the 2006 Life Time Achievement Award for Allergy, Asthma and Immunology by the International Asthma Forum in Denver, USA and the 2008 Indian Academy of Pediatrics, Annual Dr. Shantilal Seth Oration Award.
 
Dr. Paramesh is currently Director of the Board of International Networking on Children Health, Environment and Safety (INCHES) headquartered in Amsterdam. He is also a member of the sustainable development of metropolis, Bangalore-empowered Committee constituted by the Honourable High Court of Karnataka. Elected as a President of PHANA-Private Hospitals & Nursing Homes Association for 2008-2010, Dr. Paramesh is a 2009 member of the Assessment Committee for PHD Papers National Institute of Social and Economics Change and University, Pune, the Biodiversity Committee of BBMP, the Health Audit Committee on H1N1 Influenza, Government of Karnataka and the Sister City Partnership of Bangalore and San Francisco Core Committee.


Lt. Gen. Arjun Ray
(Retd.)

 PVSM, VSM. Lt. General Arjun Ray retired voluntarily after 38 years of distinguished service in the army. While commanding a corps in the Ladakh region, he successfully prevented insurgency from spilling over from the Kashmir Valley by winning over alienated communities into the mainstream. For his outstanding contribution to nation building and commanding troops in Ladakh, he was honoured with the Param Vishist Sewa Medal, the highest award in the military for distinguished service. General Ray has had the distinction of not only fighting in two wars (1975 and 1971) but was involved in combating insurgencies in Sri Lanka and the Kashmir Valley. As a result of his experience in defeating terrorism, he wrote his first book, The Kashmir Diary - Psychology of Militancy, the first book to analyze the mind and motivation of terrorists.
 
General Ray was India's entry in 2002-2003 for the Commonwealth Award on Women's Empowerment, and for this great achievement, he was awarded the PVSM.
 
General Ray is presently the CEO of Indus International Schools in Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad.


Dr. G S Sastry

 M Sc (Statistics); PhD (Development Studies); Dr. Sastry is an environmental economist working on issues relating to sustainable development of urban, regional and mountain areas, environmental policy and policy instruments, natural resources management, and general development issues. Dr Sastry was a Shastri Indo-Canadian visiting fellow to the Dept. of Economics, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, an Indo-French Visiting Fellow to MSH, Paris, France, a Sir Rattan TATA Trust fellow and also visiting fellow to MSH, Paris, France, and a visiting professor at the Laboratory for Economics of Production and International Integration (LEPII), CNRS, University of Pierre Mendes France (UPMF), Grenoble, France. He also participated in the ARCUS Program, Grenoble, France. Dr. Sastry has published several papers in both national and international journals, and has attended several international and national conferences as resource person, chairperson and discussant. Dr. Sastry has also published two books: Behaviour in Space, relating to rural marketing in underdeveloped economies (co-author); and Pollution Control in the South and North: A Comparative Assessment of Environmental Policy Approaches in India and the Netherlands (co-author) discussing the issues of regional development and environmental policy instrument and its implementation in India and the Netherlands respectively. He is awaiting publication of two further books: Access to Water in Urban Areas: Case Studies of India and France, Yves Saillard and G. S. Sastry (Eds.). Hermes Academic Publishing, Oslo; and Policy Instruments for Environmental Management in India and France. Dr Sastry is currently a project consultant at ISEC after reaching superannuation as Associate professor at the Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources (CEENR), Institute for Social and Economic Change(ISEC), Bangalore and was on the faculty of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Govt. of India, Mussoorie, Uttar Pradesh, the premier administrative institute for civil servants for the government of India.


Dr. Arjun Srivatsa

Born in 1966, Dr. Srivatsa finished schooling at Bombay and studied Medicine in Hubli followed by completing a specialization in Chennai. He has completed numerous fellowships in the USA, Korea and Japan and is now a consultant neurosurgeon and spinal surgeon in Bangalore where he was involved in setting up the Trauma Consortium website.
 
In 1996, Dr. Srivatsa was the founding partner of a medical technology company involved in developing medical portals and platforms for virtual medical training. He served as the Indian Medical Association (East) President in 2002, member of the National Academy of Medical Sciences, and member of the Congress of the Neurological Sciences in the US. Dr. Srivatsa is a trustee in a women-oriented NGO (Guild of Women Achievers) and the Road Accidents Victims Association, as well as a Rotarian and a Paul Harris fellow. In addition, he is a Director on the Board of Kirloskar Medical Technologies Limited and a founding trustee of the Spine Trust, which caters to the needs of poor patients enduring spinal problems. Finally, Dr. Srivatsa serves as the Hon. Secretary of the Bangalore Golf Club.


Mr. Rama
Subramaniam

BSc (Physics), Loyola College, Chennai; B.E. & PG Dip., University from Mysore; Postgraduate, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Currently, Founder Director of the BioPure HealthCare (P) Limited, a Company setting up India's first Integrated Hospital within an SEZ framework. Mr.Subramaniam has spent more than three decades working in the Integrated Space of Pharma, BioTech & HealthCare in USA, Europe & Japan. While involved in the U.S. Pharmaceutical Industry, Mr.Subramaniam pioneered a framework for "ANDA Factory", a rapid filing process for Generic Drug products into US-FDA. He was also instrumental in creation of a Multi-Media Repository that redefined the SOP (Standard Operating Process) training and Compliance. Mr.Subramaniam's pioneering work in the area of Micro-Health Insurance lead to the creation of the BioPure's integrated Health SEZ that leverages Medical Tourism while drastically bringing down the cost of care for the under- privileged without compromising on quality.
 
Mr.Subramaniam is also a trustee of eHealth Technology Incubator (sponsored by Dept. of Science & Technology) and is currently mentoring three projects under the TBI program, which have direct applications in eHealth, RFID, Imaging and Tele-Medicine. As a Board Member of Arrow Coated Products, Mr.Subramaniam has taken a keen interest in green technologies like starch based Bio-Compostable material and has worked on eliminating carcinogenic substances LDPE/HDPE in milk and food packing.
 
He is also a Founder of ThinkGen,(a company that specializes in providing Bio-informatics solutions) and as an entrepreneur, Mr.Subramaniam has been associated with entities that have been listed with both the BSE and the NYSE. Mr. Subramaniam is a member of the Board of The USA India Foundation, a non-profit body that has worked with 50 future US-Presidential candidates and has organized US-Congressional delegations to come to India.
Mr. Rama
Subramaniam

BSc (Physics), Loyola College, Chennai; B.E. & PG Dip., University from Mysore; Postgraduate, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Currently, Founder Director of the BioPure HealthCare (P) Limited, a Company setting up India's first Integrated Hospital within an SEZ framework. Mr.Subramaniam has spent more than three decades working in the Integrated Space of Pharma, BioTech & HealthCare in USA, Europe & Japan. While involved in the U.S. Pharmaceutical Industry, Mr.Subramaniam pioneered a framework for "ANDA Factory", a rapid filing process for Generic Drug products into US-FDA. He was also instrumental in creation of a Multi-Media Repository that redefined the SOP (Standard Operating Process) training and Compliance. Mr.Subramaniam's pioneering work in the area of Micro-Health Insurance lead to the creation of the BioPure's integrated Health SEZ that leverages Medical Tourism while drastically bringing down the cost of care for the under- privileged without compromising on quality.
 
Mr.Subramaniam is also a trustee of eHealth Technology Incubator (sponsored by Dept. of Science & Technology) and is currently mentoring three projects under the TBI program, which have direct applications in eHealth, RFID, Imaging and Tele-Medicine. As a Board Member of Arrow Coated Products, Mr.Subramaniam has taken a keen interest in green technologies like starch based Bio-Compostable material and has worked on eliminating carcinogenic substances LDPE/HDPE in milk and food packing.
 
He is also a Founder of ThinkGen,(a company that specializes in providing Bio-informatics solutions) and as an entrepreneur, Mr.Subramaniam has been associated with entities that have been listed with both the BSE and the NYSE. Mr. Subramaniam is a member of the Board of The USA India Foundation, a non-profit body that has worked with 50 future US-Presidential candidates and has organized US-Congressional delegations to come to India.