ATLAS SKILLTECH UNIVERSITY - Key Persons
Aryaman Vikram Birla, son of Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla and Mrs. Neerja Birla, hails from one of India's most prominent business families. Having stepped into entrepreneurship and business, Aryaman founded Aditya Birla New Age, which has three main divisions, in the F&B, Pet Care and Venture Capital space. Aryaman has been instrumental in building this organisation from scratch. Aryaman also works alongside his father, with several companies of the Aditya Birla Group, including Fashion and Retail, Real Estate, and Paints on key strategic areas of the businesses including overall strategy, business and financial model decisions, M&A's, budgeting, amongst other areas. Before entering business, Aryaman was a professional cricketer, having been the highest run scorer nationally in the U23s, and making his first-class debut in 2017. Aryaman went on to score a first class 100, before representing the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
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- Director for Academic Excellence
An Economist and teacher by profession, Aditya brings in a vast experience in academics, finance and oilseed trading. With a Masters in Economics and Public Policy from University of Queensland (Australia), Aditya is currently focusing on research and policy evaluations at ATLAS ISME Centre for Economic and Public Policy. He also takes keen interest in Tax Economics, Analytical Skills, Government, Macroeconomic Analysis, and Microeconomic Analysis. Apart from Economics, Political Science and Data Science are the two more topics of his interest.
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- Director ABMCPL / Founder ABNA, ABV
Aryaman Vikram Birla, son of Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla and Mrs. Neerja Birla, hails from one of India's most prominent business families. Having stepped into entrepreneurship and business, Aryaman founded Aditya Birla New Age, which has three main divisions, in the F&B, Pet Care and Venture Capital space. Aryaman has been instrumental in building this organisation from scratch. Aryaman also works alongside his father, with several companies of the Aditya Birla Group, including Fashion and Retail, Real Estate, and Paints on key strategic areas of the businesses including overall strategy, business and financial model decisions, M&A's, budgeting, amongst other areas. Before entering business, Aryaman was a professional cricketer, having been the highest run scorer nationally in the U23s, and making his first-class debut in 2017. Aryaman went on to score a first class 100, before representing the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
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- Director, Student Experience
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- Member of the Governing Body
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- Chancellor
- Founding President
- President
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- Dean, School of Management & Entrepreneurship
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- Director, Internal Quality Assurance Cell
Dr. Malcolm F. Homavazir has more than half a decade of teaching and research experience with premier Management Institutions across South Mumbai. Backed by strong educational qualifications (Ph.D., M.Com, LL.B), Dr. Homavazir has demonstrated solid experience in family business management and expertise in more than 15 subjects including Management, Marketing, Strategy, Finance & Law. He has also received the ‘Award for Outstanding Research Paper' at the International Commerce & Management Conference (2018) organised by Department of Commerce, University of Mumbai.
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- Dean, School of Media & Communication
A doctorate in Political Science (International Relations), Dr. Narain has over 20 years of teaching experience at both graduate and post-graduate levels and has worked on several research projects, including at the University of Rochester (New York). Herself a researcher, she has published several research papers in national peer-reviewed journals and has presented papers at national and international conferences. She has also served as a member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Staff Selection Commission, for the selection of officers of the Indian Information Service. In pursuit of her personal passion, she is also a member of the Advisory Board of OSCAR Foundation, an NGO working for the education of poor children. Along with this, she was also involved with Maharashtra State Skills Development Program (MSSDS) for underprivileged women entrepreneurs of Maharashtra.
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- Vice Chancellor, University of Mumbai
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- Dean, School of Film & Animation
An education maven and accomplished entrepreneur, Mayank Kumar is one of the sharpest minds leading the edtech revolution in India. Mayank is the Cofounder & MD of upGrad, which within 6 years of its inception, has impacted over 2 million total registered learners over 100 countries. Mayank has spent most of his professional career in the education sector, where he has been involved in deals with over a billion dollars flowing into the sector. He has served as VP - Education at Bertelsmann and Senior Principal at The Parthenon Group. He has also worked at the Tata Strategic Group. An IIT Delhi and ISB alumnus, Mayank was named the ‘40 Under 40 Achiever' by Business World in 2020. He was also recognised with the title of Influential Leaders of New India in 2021 by the Team Marksmen and is currently the Co-Chairperson at the India EdTech Consortium (IEC) - an IAMAI EdTech Committee.
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- Creative Director
- Founder
- Founder and Creative Director of Innovation Design
Mr. Alok Nandi is the Founder and Creative Director of Innovation Design, specialising in immersive storytelling and interactive experiences. With expertise spanning electromechanical engineering, management and film studies, Alok has led transformative digital projects in Europe and beyond. He is also an author and curator, known for his work on legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray, which has been showcased globally.
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- Director, Post Graduate Programs ( PGP )
Mr. Ameya Ambulkar is a NET (India rank 7) & SET (State rank 1) certified professor with over half a decade of experience in teaching at institutes like H.R. College of Commerce, Amity Global Business School, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of technology and United Business Institute. With Social Entrepreneurship as his focal interest, Ameya is involved in mentoring students and budding social entrepreneurs. Ameya has won many awards like ‘Outstanding Faculty Award' by Jaro education, ‘Inspirational Leader Award' by then sheriff of Mumbai, Dr. Indu Shahani. Led student and faculty delegation to international universities like Babson, NYU Stern and University of California, Ameya has many national & international research paper to his account.
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- Dean, School of Design & Innovation
Mr. Anando Dutta, a graduate in Communication Design from the prestigious National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad is a practicing Communication Design professional with a career span of over 32 years. He has worked on prestigious projects for the government, in conjunction with diverse ministries. His association with advertising agencies, publishing and media houses, design industry, multinational companies, NGOs and design studios has provided him extensive opportunities to express his ideas and talent. Besides, he is a visiting faculty for design courses at various leading educational institutions. He believes in sharing his knowledge and experience to encourage his students become successful entrepreneurs in the design industry.
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- Managing Director of CEAT LTD
- Managing Director, CEAT Ltd.
- Vice Chairman / CEAT LTD.
Mr. Anant Goenka is the Managing Director of CEAT LTD. Anant has over 15 years of experience during which he has worked in KEC International, Hindustan Unilever, Accenture and Morgan Stanley. He was also the Chairman of Automotive Tyre Manufacturers' Association (ATMA) in the year 2013. Anant has been recognised by Forbes as the "Next Generation Business Leader of the Year" in 2017 and as "India's 40 under 40 Business Leaders" by Economic Times-Spencer Stuart. He also led CEAT to win the Deming Prize in 2017, one of the most prestigious global quality awards in the world. Anant is a fitness freak and an avid traveller, and when he is not managing affairs at CEAT, he can be found playing squash or testing the benefits of endurance running. Anant has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a B.Sc. in Economics from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
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- Senior Director of Design Systems at Verizon
- Senior Director, Design Systems
Mr. Andrew Pendleton is the Senior Director of Design Systems at Verizon, where he leads the evolution and adoption of the company's multi-channel design system. With over a decade of experience in web design and development, Andrew has managed global teams to deliver top-tier customer experiences. His expertise lies in leveraging design as an integrative resource to solve complex business problems and drive innovation. Known for his ability to inspire teams to see the ‘big picture,' Andrew's work continues to shape Verizon's creative solutions.
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- Managing Director of Accenture Ventures & Open Innovation
- Managing Director, Accenture Ventures & Open Innovation, India
Mr. Avnish Sabharwal is the Managing Director of Accenture Ventures & Open Innovation in India, spearheading collaborations with startups and driving the adoption of cutting-edge technologies. Avnish is a prominent voice in the deep-tech startup ecosystem, fostering innovation between India and Israel. A regular speaker and blogger, he has significantly contributed to scaling Accenture's digital capabilities while building bridges between the corporate world and the startup community.
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- Head of Experience & Design for US Studios at Deloitte
- Head of Experience & Design, US Studios
Mr. Ayan Pal is the Head of Experience & Design for US Studios at Deloitte. With a fine arts background specialising in painting and printmaking, Ayan brings a unique and multidisciplinary approach to design strategy. His career spans roles such as Creative Director at Access Leo Burnett Kenya and Associate Creative Director at Contract Advertising, among others. Ayan is a proponent of design thinking and user-centered design, with expertise in mentoring and creating impactful customer experiences.
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- Vice President at Microsoft
- Vice President, Product Experiences
Mr. Deepak Menon is Vice President at Microsoft, where he leads the Product Experience, Design and Research teams for a wide array of products including Windows, Teams and Office. Deepak has also held leadership roles at Google and Myntra, driving innovation across multiple functions. With degrees in Architecture and Fine Arts, complemented by executive education at Stanford and IIM Bangalore, Deepak blends creativity with business acumen to craft transformative user experiences.
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- CEO
- Co - Founder
- Co - Founder & CEO UNIQUS
Mr. Jamil Khatri who leads the Accounting Advisory Services practice of KPMG globally, is the only professional within the Big Four to head a global business unit from India. Mr. Jamil Khatri has been the face of KPMG's accounting and international reporting practice in India for over 16 years. Mr. Khatri, is the Global Head of the Accounting Advisory Services practice of KPMG globally and is the only professional within the Big Four to head a global business unit from India. In his 20-year career, Mr.Khatri has assisted several Indian companies including ICICI, L&T, Wipro, Dr. Reddy's, the Godrej group, MindTree and Tech Mahindra in transitioning to international accounting practices and in meeting their financial reporting and governance obligations for overseas listing. Mr. Khatri was also instrumental in shaping KPMG's point of view on the Companies Act, 2013 and interacts regularly with regulators on transition challenges.
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- Managing Director of Bain & Company 's India
- Managing Director, Bain & Company
Mr. Karan Singh is the Managing Director of Bain & Company's India offices. He is a leader in Bain's Healthcare practice. He was one of the founding partners who helped establish Bain's India business and has more than 20 years of management consulting experience across Asia, Europe and the United States. His expertise includes transformation, turnaround and growth strategy, mergers and acquisitions, performance management and change management. He also has experience in supporting clients in the consumer products, financial services, industrial goods and services and private equity sectors. He has advised and been a knowledge partner to NATHEALTH - Healthcare Federation of India and works with the Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation. He has also been a member of committees of leading business chambers such as CII. Karan is an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
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- Group CEO
- Group Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors of WNS
Mr. Keshav Murugesh serves as Group Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors of WNS. He is also a member of The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) CEO Council and has been the Chairman of NASSCOM for 2019-2020. Prior to WNS, he has held several leadership positions in global companies, including President and CEO, Syntel Inc. and ITC Ltd. (an affiliate of BAT Plc). Mr. Murugesh is a social evangelist, who introduced the first-ever Cyber Crime educational series for the Mumbai Police through WNS and NASSCOM. He was the founding Chairman of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) India, now known as Enactus, a global organization involved in educational outreach projects in partnership with businesses. He has been honoured as an ‘Outstanding CEO' at the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards, 2015. He has also won the coveted ‘India Disruptor of the Year' award at the CNBC-TV18 India Business Leader Awards, 2018.
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- Vice President
- Vice President, IBS Amea & Global Digital Innovation, Modelez International
- VP, IBS AMEA
Mr. Sanjay Gurbuxani is the Vice President for Global Digital Innovations and the Regional CIO for Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa at Mondelez International. Sanjay is a Digital Enterprise Leader with over 24 years of experience working across North America, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa in a variety of Global and Regional leadership positions of Mondelēz International, focused on Digitally Transforming Sales, Marketing (Consumer) and Supply Chain organizations. Sanjay has delivered large-scale business and technology transformational programs including breakthrough business innovations that have impacted profitability of the business. Most recently Sanjay has been responsible for establishing Low Code / No Code, AR / VR, NLP, Computer Vision & Blockchain Centres of Excellence at Mondelez International. He is an engineer by training and has a M.S. in Engineering Management from Marquette University, Milwaukee and an MBA from Loyola University, Chicago.
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- Co - Founder
- Executive President
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- CEO and Co - Founder of Fractal Ink
- Founder, the Gallery Project
Mr. Tanay Kumar is the CEO and Co-Founder of Fractal Ink, a leading design studio in India. A gold medalist from IIT Bombay, Tanay specialises in Human-Computer Interaction Design and has worked with global brands like Microsoft, Disney and Samsung. His vision to elevate digital design in India has made Fractal Ink a pivotal player in visual design and strategy.
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- Director - Academic Administration
Ms Dipika Bhatia has more than 35 years of teaching and administrative experience with a premier Commerce and Management College in South Mumbai.She has contributed significantly to the academic growth of her students with her innovative Grade improvement programs.Through her constant and regular interactions with students and parents, she motivates and encourages them to academically perform better.
She has been a member of faculty delegations to international universities in the USA and UK to study their best practices and also led students on global and rural immersions.
She holds a Master's degree in Business Accountancy and Management and also a Bachelor's degree in Education from Mumbai University.
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- Founding CEO of TATA Starbucks, MD of Godrej Nature 's Basket
- Strategic Advisor
Ms. Avani Davda was the Founding CEO of TATA Starbucks and Former MD of Godrej Nature's Basket. Growth Strategy & M&A: As a key member of Tata Consumer Products Ltd strategy team, she was responsible for driving strategies for growth. She played a pivotal role in setting up Nourish Co. a 50:50 JV between TCPL and PepsiCo that set the stage for expansion for mineral and fortified water portfolio beyond tea and coffee.Leadership: As Founder CEO for Tata Starbucks, she led the development of the Tata-Starbucks JV relationship. Her strategic direction and leadership ensured that this venture became the fastest growing market in the history of Starbucks, with over 85+ stores across 6 cities within 3 years of market launch. Turnaround: As CEO & MD of Godrej Nature's Basket she led the transformation of the omni channel business over 3 years with a focus on positive store-level profitability and brand repositioning, which culminated in the strategic sale of the business to the Spencer Group. Stakeholder Management: She has extensive exposure to strategic decision making at the board level in her role as an Independent Director on the Board of Public Listed Companies. As a proven values-driven leader she supports the Companies on consumer insight-driven strategy, leadership coaching and team building.
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- Administrator
- Member of the Governing Body
- Pro Vice Chancellor
Ms. Heena Thakkar is an academician and administrator with a teaching experience of 35 years. Pro-Vice-Chancellor of ATLAS SKILLTECH University. Ms. Thakkar has successfully spearheaded three cycles of the NAAC accreditation as the NAAC Coordinator and consistently received the highest grade in the country while serving as the Vice Principal at H. R. College of Commerce & Economics. Recipient of Winning Teacher Award (2004) and the Best Teacher Award (2014), she holds a Master's degree in Financial Accounting & Management from the University of Mumbai and an Advanced Diploma in Computer Technology from Tata Unisys Ltd
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- Dean - Undergraduate Programs
- Leader at Heart With Business Management
With an experience of over 15 years, Ms. Meena Desai is a passionate academic leader at heart with Business Management, Human Resource Management, Marketing, Organisational Behaviour and Entrepreneurship as her core subjects. She is the proud recipient of the Emerging Woman Leader Award by the Higher Education Forum (2016) and a fully paid Capacity Building Scholarship for a Masters in Human Resource Management at the University of Westminster, London (2007-2008). She was previously working as a full time faculty and Coordinator of the Unaided Programs at the prestigious H.R. College of Commerce & Economics, Mumbai. Currently she is pursuing her PhD from the University of Mumbai in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility.
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- Member of the Governing Body
- Pro Vice Chancellor & I / C Registrar
Ms. Meena Krishna brings in a rich experience of over 15 years in various aspects of academics including mentoring the students in their preferred areas of specialisation as well as enhancing the curriculum along with teaching. She also holds a strong experience of heading a well-known Multi-Disciplinary Design School in Mumbai. Previously, she has also worked in the retail sector in Human Resources Management and contributed significantly to the development of policies and procedures conducive to the betterment of the retail industry and training and development of the employees. With a Post Graduate Degree in Textiles from Mumbai University, she also leads the Academic administration & Faculty Affairs at ATLAS ISDI
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- Founding Partner
- Member of the Board
- Board Member, World Design Organisation
Ms. Sonia Manchanda is a Board Member of the World Design Organisation and Founding Partner at Spread Design + Learning. Sonia specialises in crafting large-scale strategies for branding and experience design. As a leader of interdisciplinary teams, she has demonstrated excellence in addressing complex challenges by integrating design, technology and media to drive impact.
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- Member of the Internal Complaints Committee
Prof. Russell S. Winer is the William Joyce Professor of Marketing and Deputy Chair of the Department of Marketing at the Stern School of Business, New York University. He received a B.A. in Economics from Union College and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University. He has been on the faculties of Columbia and Vanderbilt universities and the University of California at Berkeley. He has written three books, Marketing Management, Analysis for Marketing Planning and Product Management, a research monograph, Pricing, and has co-edited The History of Marketing Science and The Routledge Companion to Strategic Marketing. He has authored over 80 papers in marketing on a variety of topics including consumer choice, marketing research methodology, marketing planning, advertising, and pricing. He is a past Executive Director of the Marketing Science Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Professor Winer is Editor Emeritus of the Journal of Interactive Marketing.
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- President, Enterprise Oral Care Colgate Palmolive ( India ) Ltd.
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- Chairman & Co - Founder, UpGrad
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- Chief Finance & Accounts Officer
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- Director - International Relations
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- Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company
- Trustee of the Aspen Institute India
Vivek co-leads Mckinsey & Company's Private Equity & Principal Investors Practice globally, serving the world's leading investors and shareholders on investment strategy, operations, origination, transformations, and exits. Among shareholders, he serves family-owned businesses, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, private equity funds, and social impact and sustainability funds. Prior to this role, Vivek led Mckinsey's Technology, Media & Telecommunications Practice.
Vivek's engagements span launching and strategy formulation for sovereign wealth funds, investment strategies for private equity funds, sustainability transformations, holistic top-line and cost transformations of businesses, the application of digital and advanced analytics capabilities to drive a step-change in performance, service and product innovations, new business building, unlocking value via capital markets, M&A and divestitures. Vivek supports clients across a wide range of sectors, including technology, telecom, real estate, chemicals, cement, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, film production, cable TV, textiles, retail, IT services, consumer durables, automotive, and payments. His current research focuses on private-equity industry development, sustainability and social impact investing, and investor strategies that improve shareholder returns and persistence.
Vivek serves as a trustee of the Aspen Institute India, as director of Magic Bus and St. Jude's Cancer Care Centers, and served on the Board of Governors of Doon School. He is a Fellow of the Aspen Institute. He joined McKinsey in New York, where he was elected a partner, and has worked in oces across North America, Europe, Japan, and India.