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Trustee of K J Somaiya Trust and K J Somaiya Medical Trust and Team Leader for the Help a Child project
Amrita Somaiya graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from Simmons College, Boston USA. Amrita is a Trustee of The Somaiya Trust, Somaiya Vidyavihar & The K. J. Somaiya Medical Trust. She is a Governing Board Member of Somaiya Vidyavihar University. She directs the Help A Child to Study Project, an initiative of Somaiya Vidyavihar which provides scholarships to motivated students from financially challenging backgrounds. She is the co-owner of Kitab Khana, a boutique bookshop in fort, Mumbai. Amrita is actively involved in the management of The Somaiya School. She loves to read, cook, travel and knit.
Executive Director of Vakil & Sons Pvt. Ltd
Bimal Mehta is the Executive Director of Vakil & Sons Pvt. Ltd (Vakils), a premier printing and publishing firm based in Mumbai. Over the last 18 years he has been involved in the restructuring off Vakils from a traditional print company to a high-tech IT enabled services company. He is also the working director of Vakils Premedia, a company with offices in India and the US that works with leading corporations to offer premedia and cross media services around the world. Mehta serves on the governing council of the Service Export Promotion Council, and has been Vice President of the Bombay Master Printers Association and on the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Bombay. Part of his Rotary service involves being Chairman of the two Vocational Centres in Mumbai involvement in the Boys Orphanage Home. Mehta holds an MBA from Boston University’s Graduate School of Management.
Executive Director, RIL
Hital R. Meswani is a Management & Technology Graduate from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, UPenn, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from the Wharton Business School. He joined Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) in 1990 and is the son of Rasiklal Meswani,one of the Founder Directors of the company. He is on the Board of the company as Whole-time Director, designated as the Executive Director, RIL, since August 4, 1995. He has been involved with almost all mega initiatives of the group through its growth journey. He was instrumental in the execution of the world class petrochemicals complex at Hazira and the mammoth Reliance Jamnagar Refinery complex, the largest in the world at any single location. Hital Meswani has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship by IChemE (Institution of Chemical Engineers – the International Professional body for Chemical, Biochemical and Process Engineers) in recognition of his contribution to the process industries. He is a member of the Engineering Board of Overseers of University of Pennsylvania (UPENN) and is a recipient of the prestigious ‘The 2011 D. Robert Yarnall Award’ from The Engineering Alumni Society of UPENN. He was conferred the Honorary CEPM-PMA Fellowship Award for Project Management Excellence.
Dr. B.P. Godrej Distinguished Professor at the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India
Lakshmi Kantam served as Director at CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad. She is an Adjunct Professor at Tezpur Central University, Tezpur, Assam and RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. She is a Fellow of Indian National Science Academy, National Academy of Sciences, ; J.C. Bose(DST); The World Academy of Sciences, Italy, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK. Her prizes include ICC D. M.Trivedi LifeTime Achievement Award; Eminent Scientist Award – Catalysis Society of India and Vasvik award. She is a Member of scientific councils, DST, HEMRL (DRDO), IIT-Hyderabad, DAE. She is Non-Executive Independent Director, Godavari Biorefineries Ltd , Indo-Amines Ltd and Vinati Organics Ltd. She has 33 years of experience in the research, design and development of catalysts for innovative green and economical processes for chemical industry. She has authored more than 332 publications and has 42 patents to her credit.
President Emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin
Larry Faulkner is President Emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin and President Emeritus of the Houston Endowment. He served as the 27th President of UT-Austin from 1998 to 2006 and led the Houston Foundation from 2006 to 2011. Prior to these assignments he was Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Illinois. In 2010 UT-Austin named its nanoscience building after him in recognition of his leadership in bringing the university's nanoscience program to national prominence. Faulkner holds undergraduate (Southern Methodist University) and doctoral (UT Austin) degrees in chemistry and taught on the faculties of The University of Texas, the University of Illinois, and Harvard University. He sits on the Board of the Exxon-Mobil Corporation and other companies.
Registrar
Dr. Nandkumar Gilke is Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering in K J Somaiya College of Engineering for the last 28 years. He served as ex-member of Management Council, Academic Council and Faculty of Technology of University of Mumbai.
Chairman, IndAsia Fund Advisors Private Limited
Pradip P Shah runs IndAsia, a corporate finance, private equity, and investment advisory business. He is also the co-founder of www.Grow-Trees.com , a web-enabled social initiative, and Universal Trustees Private Limited. Earlier, IndAsia had a joint venture with AMP of Australia for the private equity business. Prior to that, he helped establish the Indocean Fund in 1994, the first foreign India-dedicated private equity fund, in association with affiliates of Chase Capital Partners and Soros Fund Management. He was the Founder, Managing Director of CRISIL, India’s first and largest credit rating agency. He has been honored with a garden of a hundred trees in his name in Israel. Prior to founding CRISIL, Mr.Shah assisted in founding Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), India’s first retail housing finance company, in 1977. He was seconded from ICICI, where he was Project Officer, to start HDFC from where he was seconded to start CRISIL. Mr.Shah has also served as a consultant to USAID, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. Mr.Shah holds an MBA from Harvard, is a Management Accountant and ranked first in India in the Chartered Accountants’ examinations.
Professor & Chairperson of the Center for Nano Science & Engineering, Indian Institute of Science
Rudra Pratap is Professor and Deputy Director in the Indian Institute of Science. He is also the Chairperson of the Center for Nano Science and Engineering of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. His research and publication have been in the areas of micro and nano electro-mechanical systems, nonlinear dynamics and applied dynamics systems, and structural vibration and vibroacoustics. He is the author and co-author of three books and over fifty scientific papers, and has lectured and taught in Switzerland and the U.S. Pratap has been honored with the M. Hetenyi Award of the U.S. Society for Experimental Mechanics, H.D. Block Prize for excellence in teaching, and the Blue Ribbon Award for Literary Achievement from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He holds a B.Tech with Honors from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, an M.S. from the University of Arizona and a Ph.D. from Cornell University.
Chairman and Managing Director of Godavari Biorefineries Ltd, President of Somaiya Vidyavihar and Chancellor of Somaiya Vidyavihar University
Samir Somaiya is a distinguished leader with a remarkable portfolio encompassing diverse sectors. As Chairman and Managing Director of Godavari Biorefineries Ltd., he drives the company's sustainable solutions for renewable chemicals and biofuels. Additionally, he holds key positions as the Chancellor of Somaiya Vidyavihar University and President of Somaiya Vidyavihar, contributing significantly to academic excellence and educational development. He also holds the position of President, Indian Chamber of Commerce, advocating for economic growth and trade.
Samir Somaiya's influence extends beyond education and business. He serves as the Chairman of K. J. Somaiya Trust, K. J. Somaiya Medical Trust, K. J. Somaiya Institute of Applied Agriculture Research, and The Girivanvasi Pragati Mandal, organizations dedicated to social welfare, education, and medical advancements. Furthermore, he is the founder of the Research Innovation Incubation Design Laboratory (riidl), a Business Incubator that supports young entrepreneurs and fosters innovation.
Samir Somaiya has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards throughout his career, showcasing his exceptional contributions and achievements. Notable among them are the Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy, honoring his efforts in fostering international collaborations, and the Lala Shriram National Award for Leadership in the Chemical Industry, acknowledging his remarkable leadership and accomplishments in the sector. He has also received the Shri Kutchi Lohana Mahajan Gnati Gaurav for outstanding community service, the American Institute of Chemical Engineer’s Award for Scholastic Achievement, and the American Institute of Chemists Award, highlighting his exceptional academic performance and contributions to the field of chemical engineering. These awards stand as a testament to Samir Somaiya's relentless pursuit of excellence and his significant impact in various domains, earning him respect and admiration from peers and the broader community alike.
Furthermore, Samir Somaiya actively contributes to academia as a Visiting Instructor at the School of Chemical Engineering - Cornell University. He is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Dynamic Sustainability Laboratory at Syracuse University. With a distinguished educational background, including a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University, an MBA, Master of Chemical Engineering, and Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University, Samir Somaiya stands as an accomplished leader, leaving a positive impact on various spheres of society.
Co-founder the Managing Partner of Economic Laws Practice
Suhail Nathani is widely recognised as a leading lawyer in India. He has represented the Government of India at the WTO (Panel and Appellate Body), and has been counsel for the Competition Commission of India and Securities Exchange Board of India at various tribunals and courts in India. He was a member of the high-powered Committee constituted by the Law & Judiciary Department, Government of Maharashtra for amendments to the Maharashtra Public Trust Act and Rules. He serves on the boards of several not for profit organizations, including Salam Bombay Foundation, the Maulana Azad Education Trust, the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat and the Progressive Electoral Trust. Suhail earned his Master’s Degree at Cambridge University, England and has also received an LL.M. from Duke University, USA. Apart from India, he is also admitted to the State Bar of New York. He is an Honorary Adjunct Professor at the Jindal Global Law School in India and on the advisory panel of the Adani Institute of Infrastructure. Suhail Nathani has featured in the India Business Law Journal’s A List as India’s Top 100 Lawyers in 2017 & 2018.
Vice Chancellor of Somaiya Vidyavihar University and Prof. Chemistry of Somaiya Vidyavihar & Somaiya Ayurvihar
Prof. V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai has been at the helm of affairs of many higher educational and scientific research establishments for the last 47 years of service as a teacher, researcher, professor, and executive head of Education, Science and Technology establishments in the country and abroad.
