USISPF - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Chairman of Network 18
- Chairman of the Quality Council of India
Adil Zainulbhai is the Chairman of the Quality Council of India. Adil is also the Chairman of Network 18 and TV18 and is currently on the Boards of Reliance Industries Ltd., Larsen & Toubro Ltd., and Cipla. As Chairman, QCI, Adil is involved in many initiatives across the government to improve Quality of Goods and Services. Through QCI, Adil has been involved in measuring Swachh Bharat and worked with over 23 Ministries. Adil is involved in projects in Infra, Health Care, Education, Coal and others. Adil retired as Chairman of McKinsey, India after 34 years at McKinsey, and the last 10 in India. Prior to returning to India, Adil led the Washington office of McKinsey and founded the Minneapolis office. Recently, Adil co-edited the book, ‘Reimagining India' which featured 60 authors including prominent businessmen, academics, economists, authors and journalists. The book has been #1 in non-fiction in India on its release and #2 on Amazon's International Business List in the US.
Adil grew up in Bombay and graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology. Adil also has an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Adil is very active in community and social causes. Adil is a Board member on the Board of Trustees at Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust (re-developing Bhendi Bazaar in Mumbai) and Piramal Swasthya, Piramal Foundation, and Anant National University. In his spare time, Adil enjoys sailing in Mumbai harbour.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chairman at General Atlantic
Ajay Banga is vice chairman at General Atlantic. Ajay joined General Atlantic after 12 years at the helm of Mastercard, leading the company through a strategic, technological and cultural transformation over 11 years as president and chief executive officer and one year as executive chair of the board of directors. Over the course of his career, he's become a global leader in technology, data, financial services and innovating for inclusion.
Over the course of his career, Ajay has become a global leader in technology, data, financial services and innovating for inclusion. At present, Ajay also serves as chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce and is an independent director at Temasek and for Exor, where he serves as chair of the company's environmental, social, and corporate governance committee. Ajay became an advisor to General Atlantic's BeyondNetZero venture at its inception in 2021. Ajay has previously served on the boards of Kraft Foods and Dow Inc. Ajay is a member of the Trilateral Commission, the co-chair of the Partnership for Central America, a founding trustee of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum, a former member of the National Committee on United States-China Relations and chairman emeritus of the American India Foundation.
Ajay is a co-founder of The Cyber Readiness Institute, vice chair of the Economic Club of New York, a former member of the World Economic Forum's EDISON Alliance, and served as a member of President Obama's Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. Ajay is a past member of the U.S. President's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.
Ajay is a member of the Weill Cornell Medicine board of fellows. Ajay has also served on the board of governors of the American Red Cross, as well as the boards for the Asia Society, the New York Hall of Science and the National Urban League, among others.
Ajay was awarded the Padma Shri Award by the President of India in 2016, the Distinguished Friends of Singapore Public Service Star in 2021, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2019, and the Business Council for International Understanding's Global Leadership Award. Ajay is a fellow of the Foreign Policy Association and was awarded the Foreign Policy Association Medal in 2012.
Ajay began his career at Nestlé, India, where for 13 years he worked on assignments spanning sales, marketing and general management. Ajay also spent two years with PepsiCo before joining Citigroup, where he rose to the role of chief executive officer of Citigroup Asia Pacific.
Job Titles:
- Vice - President & Managing Director, Meta India
- Vice President and Managing Director, India at Facebook
As the Vice President and Managing Director, India at Facebook, Ajit Mohan spearheads the company's India charter. Ajit and his leadership team are focused on the company's efforts to enable Indians to connect with people, communities, and the things they care the most about.
Prior to Facebook, Ajit was the Chief Executive Officer at Hotstar. He launched and built Hotstar into India's leading premium video streaming platform. Ajit spent five years at McKinsey & Company, first in New York in its media practice, where he worked with media companies in North America, Europe, and Latin America, and two years as a Fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute, where he co-authored India's Urban Awakening, a 2010 report that outlined a new policy approach to India's rapid urbanization.
Ajit has worked extensively in the social sector including initiatives in child nutrition in Bihar, anti-sex selection programs in New Delhi, public school reforms in Cincinnati in the United States, and in improving access to government welfare in New York for a program run by the Robin Hood Foundation.
He is a graduate of the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a BASc in Computer Engineering from NTU in Singapore.
Previously, Akshobh was a Director at BowerGroupAsia (BGA) and a communications consultant with the World Bank, both in Washington, DC
A journalist by profession, Akshobh was based in Singapore for seven years, four of which as a reporter and producer with MediaCorp's Channel News Asia covering foreign policy and international business news. Akshobh reported extensively on investor sentiment, tech trends, Fortune 500 companies, startups and interviewed Singaporean policymakers and visiting foreign dignitaries.
Akshobh started his career in Singapore with ESPN STAR Sports, where he worked as a sports producer. His foray into the world of sports broadcasting began after Akshobh finished in the quarterfinals of a pan-India talent hunt (Dream Job) for the next sports broadcasting face of ESPN STAR Sports.
Akshobh has written on diverse topics such as geopolitics, business, tech, culture and sports and has published articles for outlets such as The Diplomat, The National Interest, the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), where he presently serves as a Visiting Fellow, FirstPost, MoneyControl, The Quint and ThePrint. Akshobh is a two-time TEDx speaker and has moderated several panels at major tech conferences in Singapore.
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- Founder and CEO of Vian AI Systems / Ambassador Arun K. Singh
- Senior Counselor, the Cohen Group
Ambassador Arun K. Singh served as Ambassador of India to the United States from 2015 to 2016, having served earlier as Deputy Chief of Mission from October 2008 to April 2013. During his tenures (spanning the Obama presidency and following the signing of the Indo-U.S. Civil Nuclear Agreement), the relationship between India and the U.S. consolidated significantly. Earlier, Ambassador Singh served as Ambassador of India to Israel (2005-08) and to France (2013-15). Ambassador Singh has extensive experience with the United Nations, including as a Counselor at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN. For ten years, Ambassador Singh was involved in handling relations with Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan, including in the period following 9/11. Ambassador Singh earned his Master's Degree in Economics from Delhi University, specializing in econometrics, development policy, macroeconomics, and Indian economic history.
Currently, Ambassador Singh is a Senior Counselor at The Cohen Group; Visiting Professor at Ashoka University; Distinguished GSI Fellow at Emory University (Atlanta, Georgia, US); Distinguished Non-Resident Senior Fellow at German Marshall Fund of US.
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- International Affairs Advisor, Squire Patton Boggs
- International Affairs Advisor, Squire Patton Boggs / Ambassador Susan Esserman
Ambassador Frank Wisner serves as International Affairs Advisor for Squire Patton Boggs. In addition to his ambassadorship to 4 different countries, Frank has served as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and as Under Secretary of State for International Security Affairs.
Frank was senior Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs from 1982 to 1986, a time of intense diplomatic engagement in Southern Africa.
After graduating from Princeton University in 1961, Frank joined the State Department as a Foreign Service officer. His first post was in Algiers immediately after it won independence from France. Frank then went to Vietnam, where Frank spent four years at the apex of the war.
Frank worked as a senior diplomat in Tunisia and Bangladesh before returning to Washington as Director of Plans and Management in the Bureau of Public Affairs. Frank joined the President's Interagency Task Force on Indochina, the entity responsible for evacuating and settling nearly one million refugees and served as its Deputy Director.
Later, as Director of the Office of Southern African Affairs, Frank worked closely with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to launch negotiations with Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Before joining Squire Patton Boggs, Frank served as Vice Chairman of External Affairs for American International Group.
Ambassador Sibal joined the Indian Foreign Service in July 1966, eventually serving as the Foreign Secretary of India. Ambassador Sibal has served as Ambassador of India to Turkey, Egypt, France and Russia, besides having served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington D.C., with ambassadorial rank. Ambassador Sibal is currently a member of the Executive Council of the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) and is on the Board of the New York-based East West Institute. Ambassador Sibal writes prolifically on international affairs and is a Padma Shree awardee for 2017.
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- Advisory Board Member of the Kautilya School of Public Policy
Ambassador Navtej Sarna (b. Dec 2, 1957) is a former Indian diplomat as well as an author and columnist.
Ambassador Sarna's last diplomatic appointment was as India's Ambassador to the United States during 2016-18, when Ambassador Sarna guided India's engagement with the US during the first two years of the Trump Administration. Some of the significant developments in bilateral relations during his tenure were the successful visit of Prime Minister Modi to Washington DC, the first 2+2 Dialogue between the two countries, the deepening of the Major Defense Partner status for India, the initiation of the Terroris Designation Dialogue, the signing of the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement and so on.
Prior to this appointment Ambassador Sarna served as India's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom at the time of the Brexit referendum. From 2008 to 2012, Sarna was India's Ambassador to the State of Israel and contributed significantly to the maturing of this critical relationship. Earlier in his career, Ambassador Sarna served in various bilateral and multilateral diplomatic capacities in the Soviet Union, Poland, Bhutan, Geneva, Iran and Washington DC.
Ambassador Sarna has also held several crucial positions at the Foreign Office in Delhi. Ambassador Sarna has the distinction of being the longest serving Spokesperson for India's Foreign Ministry from 2002 to 2008, during which time Ambassador Sarna worked with two Prime Ministers and three Foreign Ministers. This period saw the modernization of the Ministry's outreach effort through greater use of digital platforms.
Later Ambassador Sarna served as the Special Secretary in charge of International Organizations, anchoring India's Presidency of the UN Security Council, arms control and nuclear negotiations, negotiations for the Agenda 2030, election to International bodies, Peacekeeping operations as well as India's entry as Observer to the Arctic Council. As Secretary (West) during 2014-2015 Ambassador Sarna was the top official responsible for India's relations with 95 countries. Ambassador Sarna led the Indian team for hosting the Third India Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi with the participation of 54 African nations
Ambassador Sarna is also an established author of fiction and non-fiction. His works include the novels The Exile and We Weren't Lovers Like That, the short story collection Winter Evenings, non-fiction works The Book of Nanak, Second Thoughts and Indians at Herod's Gate, as well as two translations, Zafarnama and Savage Harvest. Ambassador Sarna has been a regular contributor to several Indian newspapers and journals in India and abroad. Ambassador Sarna writes a monthly column on foreign policy related matters in The Week magazine.
Ambassador Sarna is an advisory board member of the Kautilya School of Public Policy and an independent member of the National Broadcasting Standards Authority. Ambassador Sarna also sits on the Governing Council of the Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University and holds several memberships including that of the India International Centre, India Habitat Centre and the Delhi Gymkhana Club. Ambassador Sarna is also the Patron of the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival in London.
Ambassador Sarna attended Delhi University, where Ambassador Sarna studied law and commerce. Ambassador Sarna is fluent in English, Hindi, Punjabi, and has working knowledge of Russian and Polish. Ambassador Sarna is married to Dr. Avina Sarna; they have two children Satyajit and Nooreen and both practice law in New Delhi.
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- General Counsel and Head of Global Public Policy for Mastercard
Rich Verma is the General Counsel and Head of Global Public Policy for Mastercard. In this role, Rich oversees the company's law and policy functions in the United States and around the world. Rich brings over 25 years of international experience across senior levels of business, law, diplomacy and the military. Rich is a member of the company's Management Committee.
Rich previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to India, where Rich led one of the largest U.S. diplomatic missions and championed historic progress in bilateral cooperation on defense, trade, and clean energy. Rich is a former Assistant Secretary of State and he also worked on Capitol Hill as the National Security Advisor to the Senate Majority Leader.
Rich practiced law for many years at Steptoe & Johnson in Washington, D.C. and is the former Vice Chairman of The Asia Group, a leading international consulting firm. In addition, Rich is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and the recipient of a number of military awards and civilian decorations, including the Meritorious Service Medal and the State Department's Distinguished Service Award.
Rich is a Senior Fellow at Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and a trustee of Lehigh University. Rich serves on a number of boards and commissions, including the T. Rowe Price corporate board and the National Endowment for Democracy board of directors.
Rich holds multiple degrees, including his doctorate (Ph.D.) from Georgetown University and his law degree (J.D.) from American University.
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- Partner, Steptoe & Johnson
Susan G. Esserman is a partner in Steptoe's Washington office, where she leads the firm's International Trade Policy practice. Ms. Esserman provides advice to domestic and foreign clients on expanding access to global markets and represents clients in international trade litigation and dispute resolution matters. Ms. Esserman brings to bear a strategic perspective arising from her experience in the U.S. Government in four high-level positions: as a U.S. trade negotiator, in trade enforcement as the decision maker in antidumping and countervailing duty cases, and in the role of General Counsel of two U.S. Government agencies. A significant focus of Ms. Esserman's practice involves U.S.-India and U.S.-China matters.
Ms. Esserman previously served as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, the second ranking official at USTR, with the standing of Ambassador, and Ms. Esserman held three additional senior posts at USTR and the Department of Commerce. As Deputy USTR, Ms. Esserman was responsible for U.S. trade policy and negotiations in the WTO and with Europe, India, Russia, the former Soviet Union, Africa, and the Middle East. As USTR General Counsel, Ms. Esserman played a lead role in devising U.S. litigation strategy in the critical early years of WTO dispute resolution.
Ms. Esserman also served as the decision maker in hundreds of antidumping and countervailing duty cases as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Import Administration. During her tenure, Ms. Esserman played a lead role in developing comprehensive U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty trade legislation and regulations implementing the WTO Uruguay Round Agreement, which govern U.S. trade cases today. As Acting General Counsel of Commerce, Ms. Esserman counseled the Secretary of Commerce and senior Department officials on a wide range of issues, including trade laws, regulatory reform, litigation strategy, ethics, Freedom of Information Act requests, congressional reviews and oversight, intellectual property, and procurement issues.
Ms. Esserman has been active in firm management. Ms. Esserman has served multiple terms on the Executive Committee, as long-time chair of the firm's International Trade and Investment practice, and as co-founder and leader of the firm's Women's Forum.
Prior to her government service, Ms. Esserman was a partner at Steptoe where Ms. Esserman focused on international trade litigation and policy.
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- Chairman, President and CEO, Air Products / Ambassador Tim Roemer
- Executive Director and Senior Counselor, APCO Worldwide
Tim Roemer, former U.S. Member of Congress and later Ambassador to India, is a strategic counselor at APCO Worldwide. Ambassador Roemer works with clients on government relations. With his background in international trade, education policy, and national security, Ambassador Roemer is a trusted consensus-builder, problem solver and international expert.
In 2009, he was appointed U.S. Ambassador Roemer to India, one of America's largest diplomatic missions. During his time in office, Ambassador Roemer helped move India from being America's 25th largest trading partner to 12th. Ambassador Roemer oversaw the signing of the Counterterrorism Cooperation Initiative, which broadened U.S. - India coordination in intelligence, homeland security, border security, money laundering, and terrorist financing. Ambassador Roemer worked with the U.S. government to assist India on the Global Center for Nuclear Energy Partnership. Ambassador Roemer strengthened U.S. cooperation with India in technology transfers and sales in the defense and space industries.
Earlier, Ambassador Roemer proudly served for 12 years in the United States Congress as the Representative for Indiana's 3rd Congressional District. Coming from a family of educators, Ambassador Roemer fought to improve access, standards and achievement for American education. Ambassador Roemer was instrumental in the work of the 9/11 Commission, and helped pass most of the Commission's recommendations into law. Later, Ambassador Roemer was a member of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy's Presidential Task Force on Combating the Ideology of Radical Extremism, the 21st Century National Parks Commission, the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, and the 9/11 FBI Review Commission.
Ambassador Roemer is a member of the Aspen Institute's U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue, and the Center for American Policy's U.S..-India 21st Century Institute. Ambassador Roemer is also a strategic adviser to Issue One, a non-profit organization working on a non-partisan basis to address the insidious impact of big money on American democracy. Ambassador Roemer is a lecturer at the Washington Campus' Executive MBA Program where he speaks on national security, market entry, and the U.S.-India relationship.
Ambassador Roemer completed his bachelor's degree at the University of California at San Diego. Ambassador Roemer earned a master's and a doctoral degree in American government from the University of Notre Dame, with his dissertation on: "The Senior Executive Service: Retirement and Public Personnel Policy". Both schools have recently recognized his achievements with distinguished alumnus awards.
Ambassador Roemer is married to Sally Johnston Roemer. They have four children, Patrick, Matthew, Sarah, and Grace and live in Great Falls, Virginia. They attend St. Thomas à Becket Catholic Church and have a dog named Hoosier.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director for Digital Economy and TMT
Amiya Mehra has joined USISPF as the Associate Director for Digital Economy and TMT. Prior to joining USISPF, Amiya practiced law for over three years at Touchstone Partners in New Delhi. Amiya has worked on diverse transactions ranging from mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings to data privacy and general corporate matters. Amiya earned her MA (Cantab) and Bachelor of Law degree (LLB) from the University of Cambridge, UK. She also holds a bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature from Smith College, USA.
Arne M. Sorenson is Former President & CEO, Marriott International. Following Marriott's September 2016 acquisition of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, the company includes more than 6,200 properties across 30 leading hotel brands spanning 125 countries and territories. In fiscal year 2016, Marriott reported revenues of more than $17 billion.
Mr. Sorenson joined Marriott in 1996. He became the third CEO in the company's history in 2012-and the first without the Marriott surname. Prior to that, he served as Marriott's President and Chief Operating Officer. He has held a number of positions, including Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and President of Continental European Lodging. He was elected to Marriott's Board of Directors in 2011.
Additionally, Mr. Sorenson served as Vice Chair of the President's Export Council. He is the immediate past Board Chair for Brand USA and continues as a member of the board. He was most recently named to the Board of Directors of the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., serving as Chair of the Global Initiative. Other affiliations include: Chair, U.S. Travel Association CEO Roundtable; member of the Luther College Board of Regents; Stewardship Board of the World Economic Forum System Initiative on Shaping the Future of Mobility; and, member of the Board of Trustees for The Brookings Institution. Mr. Sorenson's Influencer blog, which appears on LinkedIn, has approximately 500,000 followers.
Mr. Sorenson co-founded Marriott's Global Sustainability Council in 2007. The following year, he launched Marriott's rainforest preservation partnership with the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation in Brazil.
Mr. Sorenson chairs Marriott's Global Diversity and Inclusion Council. The Council, along with the Marriott Board of Directors' Committee for Excellence, monitors and evaluates Marriott's strategy to promote a diverse workforce as well as ownership, customer, and vendor communities around the world.
Before Mr. Sorenson joined Marriott, he was a partner with the law firm Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C., where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions litigation.
Mr. Sorenson is a graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and the University of Minnesota Law School. He and his wife, Ruth, live in the Washington, D.C., area, where they raised their four children.
Job Titles:
- President of Grovepike Associates
- Resident Senior Fellow at the Institute of International Finance
- Senior Advisor, Financial Services
Arun Kumar Sharma is a Senior Advisor Financial Services at USISPF. Mr. Sharma is President of Grovepike Associates, a financial and development advisory firm based in Washington, D.C. Grovepike Associates provides strategic and financial advice to several global financial services firms and impact investors. Prior to establishing Grovepike Associates, Mr. Sharma was Chief Investment Officer at the IFC, where Mr. Sharma focused on investment and advisory projects in the Financial Services sector. During his 28-year career at IFC, Mr. Sharma was involved in a range of pioneering initiatives across the globe including privatization of state owned enterprises in Eastern Europe, development of infrastructure and climate finance in Asia and Latin America, and pioneering securitization in emerging markets.
Prior to joining IFC, Mr. Sharma was with the Reserve Bank of India, where Mr. Sharma focused on foreign investment in India's financial markets and liberalization of Foreign Exchange, Capital and Gold controls.
Mr. Sharma also serves as a Non Resident Senior Fellow at the Institute of International Finance (IIF) and a Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.
Job Titles:
- Professor, Indian Political Economy, Columbia University
Balvinder Arora is an Accounting, Finance and Budget professional with over 17 years of experience in business transformation, systems implementation, and financial management.
Prior to this position, Balvinder worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in New Delhi, India as a budget analyst/accounting technician. While at USAID, Balvinder was responsible for managing a $4 million operating expense budget for USAID's India Mission and supported the management to stay within the operating budgets.
Balvinder is originally from New Delhi and has a degree in Economics from the University of Delhi.
Job Titles:
- Chief Strategic Officer and Senior Vice President, Boeing
- President of Boeing International
As president of Boeing International since 2015, Allen, 44, is responsible for the company's international strategy and corporate operations outside the U.S., overseeing 18 regional offices in key global markets. His responsibilities include developing the company's growth and productivity initiatives outside the U.S., forming new business and industrial partnerships, overseeing international affairs, enhancing Boeing's local presence and providing global functional support. Allen reports to Boeing Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg.
Previously, Allen served as president of Boeing Capital Corporation, a wholly owned Boeing subsidiary that arranges, structures and provides financing for Boeing's commercial airplane, space and defense products. Prior to Boeing Capital, Allen served as vice president of Boeing International and president of Boeing China, responsible for leading the company's business in China from its Beijing headquarters.
Allen earlier served as Boeing vice president for Global Law Affairs and general counsel to Boeing International, leading the company's international legal practice group from its inception. Allen was responsible for international operations' legal issues, crossborder trade regulation matters, and international legal policy matters including the United States-European Union World Trade Organization dispute on aircraft subsidies.
Before Boeing, Allen practiced law in Washington, D.C., litigating complex commercial cases for domestic and international clients. Previous government service includes an appointment as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy's law clerk, plus Allen has prior business experience in strategy consulting and start-up leadership.
Allen is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and a member of the Trilateral Commission. Allen sits on the boards of numerous global trade organizations, including the USISPF, the U.S.-UAE Business Council and the U.S.- Saudi Arabia Business Council. Allen is a native of Southern California in the United States and received his law degree from Yale Law School and his bachelor's degree summa cum laude from Princeton University, majoring in political science with a certificate in economics.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder & CEO, Rubrik, Inc.
Bipul Sinha brings more than 20 years of experience building billion-dollar companies. As co-founder and CEO of Rubrik, the Cloud Data Management company, Bipul is helping companies redefine the way they manage and protect data in a multi-cloud world. Valued at $3.3B, with thousands of customers and 1,500 employees globally, investors have called Rubrik one of the fastest growing enterprise technology companies of all time. Prior to co-founding Rubrik in 2014, Bipul was a full-time partner at Lightspeed Ventures, where Bipul focused on the software, mobile, and Internet sectors with a particular interest in cloud services/infrastructure and social utilities/apps. Bipul has backed a number of successful companies, including Nutanix, Pulse, Hootsuite and Bromium. Prior to Lightspeed, Bipul held sales and engineering positions at Oracle Corporation, American Megatrends and IBM. Bipul holds several patents in distributed computing. Bipul earned a bachelor of technology in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and an MBA from The Wharton School, where he was a Palmer Scholar.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chief Executive Officer
- CEO, Warburg Pincus
Charles R. Kaye, Co-Chief Executive Officer, has been with Warburg Pincus since 1986 and has been jointly responsible for the management of the firm since 2000. Mr. Kaye lived in Hong Kong from 1994 to 1999, where Mr. Kaye was instrumental in the launch and development of Warburg Pincus' Asia operations.
Mr. Kaye is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and co-chairman of the Partnership Fund for New York City and the International Advisory Board of the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI). Mr. Kaye currently serves on the Board of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, as an investment committee member of Sheridan Production Partners, as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Healthcare
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer of Varian, a Siemens Healthineers Company
Chris Toth is Chief Executive Officer of Varian, a Siemens Healthineers Company, overseeing Varian's business operations, including execution of the company's fiscal goals and strategic initiatives. Mr. Toth shares a deep personal and professional passion for increasing global access and quality to care as Varian continues to focus on our vision of creating a world without fear of cancer.
Prior to this appointment, Mr. Toth served as Varian President and Chief Operating Officer. Previous to that role, Mr. Toth served as President of Varian Oncology Systems, Varian's largest business, and also as President of Global Commercial and Field Operations, where Mr. Toth was responsible for global sales strategy and execution for Varian's oncology and proton therapy businesses. Under his leadership, Varian grew its global market share, and the Company's Net Promoter Score reached all-time highs. Mr. Toth joined Varian as an intern and has held multiple cross-functional roles and executive positions during his two decades with the Company.
Mr. Toth holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from the Lundquist College of Business at the University of Oregon.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer of Raytheon Technologies Corporation
- Chief Operating Officer, Raytheon Inc
Christopher Calio is chief operating officer of Raytheon Technologies Corporation. Calio oversees the company's four business units, as well as its functions for technology, engineering, enterprise services, digital, operations, quality, supply chain, and environmental, health and safety.
Calio brings a broad range of experience in business management, strategy and legal matters. Most recently Calio was president of Pratt & Whitney, where Calio led more than 36,000 employees in a business that designs, manufactures and services aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. Calio also served as president of Pratt & Whitney's Commercial Engines business, where Calio led development, program management, sales, customer support and aftermarket services of the company's portfolio of large commercial engines, including the Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engine family.
Calio joined the former United Technologies Company in 2005 as an assistant counsel and served in multiple leadership positions at that company: Calio served as chief of staff for the United Technologies chairman and CEO; led the legal department of Pratt & Whitney's Commercial Engines business during the development and launch of the Airbus A320neo program, and played a key role in the company's acquisition of Rolls-Royce's share in the International Aero Engines collaboration. Calio also served as vice president and general counsel for UTC Aerospace Systems, now Collins Aerospace.
Calio holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Trinity College and two degrees - an MBA and a law degree - from the University of Connecticut.
Job Titles:
- Director for Aerospace & Defense
Colonel Baljinder Singh (Retd.) joined USISPF as Director for Aerospace & Defense. Mr. Singh has served for 29 years as a soldier-engineer in the Indian Army in various terrains. A maroon beret and an armoured vehicle specialist, Mr. Singh commanded his battalion in Strike Corps. In his last appointment with the DRDO Mr. Singh has worked extensively on many Make-in India projects. His experience gives him deep insights into the capability acquisition and development procedures of the Ministry of Defence and the Government in India.
While serving in the Army Mr. Singh took an active part in operations like "Operation Vijay" and "Operation Parakram". Mr. Singh also participated in joint exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas' with the US forces. Mr. Singh has been awarded GOC-in-C commendation cards on two separate occasions (2009 & 2015) for his professionalism, one among many other achievements Mr. Singh has had. Mr. Singh is an avid adventurer and a golfer.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appointed Frank as the nation's special representative to the Kosovo Status Talks in 2005 where Frank played a crucial role in negotiating Kosovo's independence.
Job Titles:
- Chairman and CEO, Caterpillar
- III Is Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Caterpillar, Inc
D. James Umpleby III is Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Caterpillar, Inc.
Jim joined Solar Turbines, now a Caterpillar subsidiary, in 1980 as an associate engineer. During his career at Caterpillar, Jim has held a variety of positions in engineering, manufacturing, marketing, sales and services. Jim became president of Solar Turbines and a Caterpillar vice president in 2010; from 2013 to 2016 he led Caterpillar's Energy & Transportation business segment as group president. Jim has served as CEO since January 1, 2017 and was elected chairman of the board of directors on December 12, 2018.
Job Titles:
- President for Cisco Asia Pacific
- President, Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China, Cisco
Dave West is President for Cisco Asia Pacific, Japan, and Greater China (APJC). This group comprises seven organizations operating across a diverse set of markets: Australia and New Zealand, ASEAN, India and SAARC, Korea, Japan, Greater China, and Service Provider. In this role, he is responsible for developing Cisco's strategy, accelerating business growth, and ensuring Cisco APJC is the most trusted and relevant IT solutions partner and provider in the industry.
Dave works closely with customers to understand the market transitions influencing their businesses, and within Cisco, works cross-functionally with teams to design and implement innovative go-to-market models for customers' multiyear digital transformations. Dave is passionate about driving a people-first culture, creating opportunities for employee growth, and building diverse, high-performing teams.
Dave is a 20-year Cisco veteran with over 25 years of experience in the ICT industry. His most recent role was President and General Manager for Cisco Japan, where he managed all aspects of the Japanese market, and before that, Dave led Worldwide Sales for Enterprise Networks, with responsibility for the sales, solutions, and engineering motions to deliver innovation and transformation across Cisco's core portfolio.
Prior to that, Dave was the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Architectures leader for Enterprise Networks, Data Center, Security, and Collaboration in Asia Pacific and Japan. Dave was responsible for capturing market transitions, delivering sustained competitive leadership, and driving growth across all technologies. Dave has held various leadership roles within the Worldwide Sales, Global Partner and Public Sector organizations.
Dave is a former Marine Officer, graduated from the Virginia Military Institute, and holds an MS in Information Systems from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Job Titles:
- Director of Financial Services
- Is Director of Financial Services at the US - India Strategic Partnership Forum ( USISPF ) .
Deepak Joshi is Director of Financial Services at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF).
Deepak has over 13 years of experience in the Indian Financial Sector. Prior to joining USISPF, Deepak worked with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as Director, Financial Sector. At CII, Deepak handled Policy Advocacy activities by building and maintaining a strong stakeholder connection. Deepak also has experience in Capital Markets Research, including Mutual Fund Research and Debt Market Research, with previous experience working with Bajaj Capital Limited and Times Internet Limited (ET.com).
Deepak holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Economics with a specialization in Finance from Wigan & Leigh College and earned a CFA from ICFAI University. Deepak graduated in BCom(H) from Delhi University.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President, Enterprise Technology and Chief Information Officer, the Walt Disney Company
- Executive Vice President, Enterprise Technology and Chief Information Officer, the Walt Disney Company Secretary William Cohen
- Secretary William Cohen
- Strategic CTO and Board Member
- Vice President & Chief Information Officer at GM Asia Pacific
Diane Jurgens is a strategic CTO and board member who thrives at the intersection of technology, product development and innovation. A Technologist who has managed large P&Ls, Diane has delivered revolutionary transformation in mining and manufacturing businesses and turned around a Sino-American joint venture. Diane has led teams in 25 countries and had award winning on-the-ground roles in China and Singapore for the past 14 years.
Currently the Executive Vice President, Enterprise Technology and Chief Information Officer for The Walt Disney Company, Diane leads a global organization, which includes enterprise business systems, infrastructure, workforce enablement, and enterprise resilience engineering. Her responsibilities include planning, prioritization, implementation and operations of Disney IT systems and infrastructure across the company.
As Chief Technology Officer at the multinational mining, metals and petroleum company BHP (2015 - 2020), Diane has delivered breakthrough innovation that produced the lowest cost iron ore operations in the world. From advances in autonomous mining operations to improvements in cybersecurity, data science, machine learning and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Diane unlocked latent capacity in the core business and produced industry-leading efficiencies. One of her key initiatives, the deployment of autonomous systems for trucks and drills, reduced safety incidents by 89% and cut haulage costs by 20%.
Based at the time in Singapore, Diane transitioned 17 line organizations into a unified global team with improved technical capability and increased gender diversity. Diane also served on the boards of three BHP subsidiaries and was recognized as a Top 5 Technology Influencer (2018) and one of Australia's "Iron Ladies" for turning BHP from a "fast follower" into a technology leader, and one of the 10 Most Powerful Women Leading Global Markets (2020).
Previously, Diane was President & Managing Director of Shanghai OnStar Telematics (2012-2015), a joint venture of American and Chinese companies that was at the forefront of the "connected car" segment in China. Diane leveraged data mining to create B2B business models with insurance, medical and consumer goods partners, and introduced digital initiatives that led to a 20% increase in revenue. Diane was awarded the Shanghai government's prestigious Magnolia Award for her contributions to the city's social and economic development through innovations in telematics.
Before joining OnStar, Diane had several global roles at General Motors. Based in Shanghai for ten years, as Vice President & Chief Information Officer at GM International Operations (2009-2011), Diane led strategic planning, execution and operation of IT functions in 19 countries across Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa, Middle East, Russia, Europe and Uzbekistan. In this role, Diane supported the expansion into key growth markets with focus on manufacturing in India, Thailand and Vietnam.
As Vice President & Chief Information Officer at GM Asia Pacific, Diane was responsible for delivering IT solutions to drive transformation during a period of financial instability and industry consolidation. And as Chief Information Officer of GM China, Diane worked across 11 joint ventures and two wholly-owned foreign enterprises during a time when GM increased manufacturing capacity and sales distribution channels from 280,000 vehicles to more than 2M per year.
Diane began her career as an engineer at The Boeing Company in Seattle, WA, and later graduated from the company's executive leadership development program. Diane has an MBA from Seattle University and an MS and BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washing.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Advisor to
- Advisor, Startup Capacity Building
- Co - Founder and CEO at Byte Kitchen
Divyang Arora is Advisor, Startup Capacity Building, at the U.S. India Strategic Partnership Forum.
As an advisor to USISPF, Divyang works with stakeholders on initiatives around entrepreneurship, skills and capacity building. Divyang is actively involved in education related initiatives and collaborations that bring US-India closer. Divyang firmly believes that capacity building of entrepreneurs is key to helping organizations achieve scale and his work has focused on new models of capacity building for entrepreneurs.
His thought pieces on entrepreneur capacity building have been covered by leading industry publications such as The Times of India, The Economic Times and Mint. Divyang has also been a speaker at conferences such as The Horasis India Meeting, Techsparks and The One Globe Forum.
Divyang is the co-founder and CEO at Byte Kitchen. Byte Kitchen enables independent restaurants to scale to new geographies through its network of kitchens. It is backed by leading Silicon Valley investors including Y-Combinator, Crosslink Capital and Wndrco. Prior to that, Divyang worked at Evercore Partners in their Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) team in New York focusing on the Technology, Media and Telecom (TMT) industries.
Previously, Divyang worked at Central Square Foundation (CSF), a venture philanthropy organization investing in early-stage education in India. At CSF, Divyang advised and invested in multiple enterprises and focused on entrepreneur development, capacity building and growth initiatives. Divyang also led fundraising for portfolio organizations and helped create an accelerator to incubate early-stage enterprises.
Divyang started his career in management consulting in New York first working at Booz and Co. and then at JP Morgan Chase in their strategy team. Divyang graduated with an MBA from Harvard Business School where Divyang was a George F. Baker Scholar and with a Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering (summa cum laude) from the University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Advisor to Siemens Healthineers and ( Ret'D ) President and CEO, Varian Medical Systems
- CEO and Director of Varian Upon the Sale
Dow Wilson retired as CEO and Director of Varian upon the sale of the company to Siemens Healthineers in the spring of 2021. Dow remains an Advisor to Siemens Healthineers. Varian was a NYSE listed cancer equipment and services company with annual sales over $3B and a market cap over $16B. Dow transformed the company from a traditional capital equipment company to a double digit sales and earnings growth company with a dynamic brand and strategy. Dow refocused the company portfolio by spinning out a radiology components business and doubling down aggressively on the company's strong reputation in cancer. Dow oversaw key acquisitions into cancer clinical services, software, interventional oncology, and global expansion. At the same time, nearly doubled investment (as a % of sales) in organic initiatives several of which became billion dollar global product platforms. Dow joined Varian in 2005 as President of the Oncology business and later became COO before his appointment as CEO in 2012. Prior to Varian, Dow worked in senior executive roles at General Electric where he ran significant businesses in both Healthcare and Plastics.
Dow has served on several company boards and is currently Director and Audit Chair at Agilent. Dow also was on the Board and Chair of the Technology and Regulatory Committee at AdvaMed. Dow continues to serve on the board of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. From 2014 to 2020 Dow served by appointment from the US Secretary of Commerce on the President's Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa and later on the CEO Forum for Brazil, where Dow served as co-chair.
A graduate of Brigham Young University, Dow also holds an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director and CEO of the Mahindra Group
- Managing Director and CEO, Mahindra Group
Dr. Anish Shah is the Managing Director and CEO of the Mahindra Group. Anish joined Mahindra Group in 2014, as Group President (Strategy). In 2019, Anish was appointed Deputy Managing Director and Group CFO, as a part of the transition plan to the CEO role.
Anish was President & CEO of GE Capital India (2009-14), where Anish led turnaround of its SBI Card joint venture. Anish's career at GE spanned 14 years, included several leadership positions in US & global units. Anish has also led Bank of America's US Debit Products business and worked with Bain & Company and Citibank.
Anish holds a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business and Post-Graduate Diploma in Management from IIM, Ahmedabad.
Job Titles:
- External Affairs Minister, Government of India
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- Founder and CEO of Vian AI Systems / Ambassador Arun K. Singh
Edward L. Monser is the Former President of Emerson Electric, where Monser drove the company's international growth opportunities and global shared service organizations. Monser has more than 30 years of experience in senior operational positions at Emerson and played key roles in globalizing the company. Monser was a member of the company's Office of the Chief Executive and served as Emerson's chief operating officer from 2001-2015.
Monser began his career as a senior engineer at Rosemount in 1981. After serving in several engineering management positions, Monser was named Rosemount's director of technology in 1987. Two years later, Monser became director of new products and technology. Monser went on to hold vice president positions overseeing several critical operations at Rosemount before becoming its executive vice president and general manager, and then president.
From 1996 until becoming COO in 2001, Monser was president of Emerson's Rosemount business unit. Under his leadership, Rosemount developed a range of innovative "smart" measurement and analytical devices for the process industry, expanded its service and solutions capabilities, and implemented significant operational efficiencies.
Active in promoting international understanding and trade, Monser serves on the advisory Economic Development Board for China's Guangdong Province and the board of advisors for South Ural State University in Chelyabinsk, Russia, in addition to his position with USISPF.
In the St. Louis community, Monser has served on the boards of directors or trustees for several educational, civic and charitable organizations, including Ranken Technical College (current chairman) and the Midwest Cargo Hub Commission (vice chairman). In addition, Monser is a member of the boards of trustees of Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and its Armour College of Engineering (chairman).
Additionally, Monser serves on the Board of Directors for Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., a company that provides gases and related services for the energy, electronics and manufacturing sectors. Monser also serves on the Board of Directors for Canadian Pacific Railroad .
Monser received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology in 1980. Monser also has a bachelor's degree in education from Eastern Michigan University and is an alumnus of the executive education program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Job Titles:
- Founder, CEO and CMO, Xcoal Energy and Resources
Ernie Thrasher has over forty (40) years' experience in the coal industry. His coal experience began in 1974 working for a family owned mining company with operations in Maryland. Thrasher held various positions in mine operations and mine management through 1981. Prior to forming Xcoal Energy & Resources in 2003, Thrasher spent twenty-two (22) years in various global marketing positions at Primary Coal and AMCI. Xcoal is the largest exporter of U.S.. origin coal. In addition to marketing U.S. origin coal to customers throughout the world, Xcoal activities include the financing and development of mining projects and related infrastructure projects. Thrasher founded XLNG Energy & Resources in 2015, which plans to market LNG originating from natural gas reserves in the Marcellus and Utica Shale basins in the U.S., to customers in South America, Europe, and Asia. Thrasher serves on the Board of Directors of Barrick Gold Corporation, the President's Leadership Council-Boy Scouts of America, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, serves as a Director on the National Committee on U.S. China Relations, and serves as a Director of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer, Lockheed Martin
Frank A. St. John is executive vice president of Rotary and Mission Systems (RMS) for Lockheed Martin Corporation.
Job Titles:
- Partner and Country Head, KKR ( India )
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Chief Operating Officer of the U.S
Gaurav Verma is the Chief Operating Officer of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF). In this role, Gaurav supervises day-to-day operations, oversees the P&L, and coordinates the strategic management of the Forum's various programs and initiatives. Gaurav provides leadership and direct management oversight to the Forum's team and engages senior leaders across member companies, government stakeholders, and the Forum's Board of Directors.
Before this role, Gaurav worked for over a decade to help solve problems for U.S. companies as they did business in India, providing a forum for senior industry and government leaders in both countries to meet their foreign counterparts. Gaurav has experience in global business development, growth, strategy, day-to-day management, and digital economy portfolio execution for non-profit organizations, as well as Board of Director relations and oversight. Gaurav has created a coalition for jobs and growth to ensure that American businesses have access to international expertise needed to drive economic growth and job creation.
Before this, Gaurav was Director (Operations) at the New York Grant Company, overseeing the company's efforts to help rebuild Lower Manhattan after the 9/11 attack, working closely with businesses impacted and the NYC EDC and NYS ESDC.
Gaurav holds an MBA in finance and investments from Baruch College, City University New York, and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honors) from Delhi University.
Gaurav is an active supporter of social causes in New York. He is a Member of the Boards of Women's Education Project (WEP) and Network 20/20 in New York and an Advisory Board Member of the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC). He is also the Treasurer of the U.S.-India Friendship Alliance (USIFA), a strategic initiative of USISPF.
Job Titles:
- Chairman and CEO of Johnson Controls
George R. Oliver is chairman and CEO of Johnson Controls. Prior to becoming CEO on Sept. 1, 2017, Oliver served as president and chief operating officer with responsibility for the company's operating businesses and leading the integration of Johnson Controls and Tyco following their September 2016 merger.
Oliver previously served as chief executive officer of Tyco and as a member of its Board of Directors from September 2012 through the September 2016 merger with Johnson Controls. Oliver joined Tyco in July 2006 as president of Tyco Safety Products and assumed additional responsibility as president of Tyco Electrical & Metal Products from 2007 through 2010. Oliver was appointed president of Tyco Fire Protection in 2011.
Prior to Tyco, Oliver had a more than 20-year career with General Electric (GE), where Oliver served in operational roles of increasing responsibility in several divisions, including as president and chief executive officer of GE Water and Process Technologies and president and chief executive officer of GE Engine Services, as well as previous leadership roles in GE's Aircraft Engines and Appliances divisions.
Oliver serves on the Board of Directors of Raytheon Company, a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense and other government markets throughout the world. Oliver is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Trustees. Oliver earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where Oliver serves as a member of the Board of Trustees.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director & Chief Policy Officer, Cisco Systems, India & SAARC
As the Managing Director & Chief Policy Officer, Harish leads Cisco's strategic engagement with National and State Governments of India on wide range of public policy issues that concerns Cisco in India - as an investor, globalization hub, business unit and as a corporate citizen. Harish also directs the Corporate Social Responsibility program of Cisco India, operating at the intersection of India's societal needs and Cisco's domain expertise. Harish is based in New Delhi, India and is with Cisco since May 2007.
An industry veteran of over 25 years, Harish actively participates in public policy forums in India and is a member of CII's National Committee on Telecom, Vice President of the Manufacturing Association of Information Technology, Chairman of Corporate Social Responsibility committee of American Chamber of Commerce in India. Harish is also the co-founder of Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI).
From 2003 to 2007, Harish was an Executive in the Governmental Program function of IBM specially focused providing leadership to IBM's policy engagement with the Government of India on Innovation, Global Resourcing & HR issues.
Prior to joining IBM, Harish worked for over 11 years with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) - India's Premier Industry organization in a variety of roles. In his last role as CII's Director for Information Technology, Harish worked with top CEOs of corporate India on issues affecting the IT& BPO industry.
Job Titles:
- Fellow of the Aspen Institute
- Member of the Trilateral Commission
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- Member of the Board of Amazon
Indra Nooyi is the former Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo. During her tenure, PepsiCo grew net revenue more than 80%, and PepsiCo's total shareholder return was 162%.
In this role, Mrs. Nooyi was the chief architect of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo's pledge to do what's right for the business by being responsive to the needs of the world around us. As part of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo was focused on delivering sustained growth by making more nutritious products, limiting its environmental footprint and protecting the planet, and empowering its associates and people in the communities it serves.
Mrs. Nooyi directed the company's global strategy for more than a decade and led its restructuring, including the divestiture of its restaurants into the successful YUM! Brands, Inc. Mrs. Nooyi also led the acquisition of Tropicana and the merger with Quaker Oats that brought the vital Quaker and Gatorade businesses to PepsiCo, the merger with PepsiCo anchor bottlers, and the acquisition of the Russian company Wimm-Bill-Dann, the largest international acquisition in PepsiCo's history.
Prior to becoming CEO, Mrs. Nooyi served as President and Chief Financial Officer beginning in 2001, when Mrs. Nooyi was also named to PepsiCo's Board of Directors. In this position, Mrs. Nooyi was responsible for PepsiCo's corporate functions, including finance, strategy, business process optimization, corporate platforms and innovation, procurement, investor relations and information technology. Between February 2000 and April 2001, Mrs. Nooyi was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of PepsiCo Mrs. Nooyi also served as PepsiCo's Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Development from 1996 until 2000, and as PepsiCo's Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning from 1994 until 1996.
Before joining PepsiCo in 1994, Mrs. Nooyi spent four years as Senior Vice President of Strategy, Planning and Strategic Marketing for Asea Brown Boveri, a Zurich-based industrials company. Mrs. Nooyi was part of the top management team responsible for the company's U.S. business as well as its worldwide industrial businesses, representing about $10 billion of ABB's $30 billion in global sales.
Between 1986 and 1990, Mrs. Nooyi worked for Motorola, where Mrs. Nooyi was Vice President and Director of Corporate Strategy and Planning, having joined the company as the business development executive responsible for its automotive and industrial electronic group. Prior to Motorola, Mrs. Nooyi spent six years directing international corporate strategy projects at The Boston Consulting Group. Her clients ranged from textiles and consumer goods companies to retailers and specialty chemicals producers. Mrs. Nooyi began her career in India, where Mrs. Nooyi held product manager positions at Johnson & Johnson and Mettur Beardsell, Ltd., a textile firm.
Mrs. Nooyi served as a member of the PepsiCo Board of Directors between 2001 and 2018. Currently, Mrs. Nooyi serves as a member of the board of Amazon, where Mrs. Nooyi sits on the Audit Committee, and Schlumberger Limited, where Mrs. Nooyi is the Chair of the Compensation Committee. Mrs. Nooyi is a member of the International Advisory Council of Temasek, an independent director of the International Cricket Council, a member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum and is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
Mrs. Nooyi has received many prizes, accolades and honorary degrees over the years. In 2007, the Government of India awarded her the Padma Bhushan, the country's 3rd highest civilian honor. In 2007, Mrs. Nooyi was named an "Outstanding American by choice" by the US State Department.
Mrs. Nooyi holds a B.S. from Madras Christian College, an M.B.A. from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta, and a Master of Public and Private Management from Yale University. Mrs. Nooyi is married and has two daughters.
Job Titles:
- Director of Business Development
- Director of Business Development at the U.S
Jason Starr is the Director of Business Development at the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum where he leads the Forum's growth initiatives. In addition, Jason leads the Forum's programming operations in Boston and New York.
Jason has significant experience in strengthening U.S.-India commercial relations by forging meaningful and dynamic partnerships with companies of all sizes to support and advance their business interests in India. These partnerships serve to unite investors, industry leaders, and government officials to facilitate bilateral trade between the two countries.
Jason holds a Master's degree South Asian Studies from Columbia University and Bachelor's degree in English and History from Connecticut College.
Job Titles:
- President & CEO, Chart Industries, Inc.
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- Chairman Emeritus of Cisco, Founder & CEO, JC2 Ventures
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- Fellow at Harvard 's Kennedy School of Government
Juster served as U.S Under Secretary of Commerce from 2001 to 2005, in charge of the Bureau of Industry and Security. In that capacity, Juster oversaw issues at the intersection of business and national security, including strategic trade controls, imports and that affect U.S. security, enforcement of anti-boycott laws, and industry compliance with international arms control agreements. Juster co-founded and served as the U.S. Chair of the U.S.-India High Technology Cooperation Group. Juster was also one of the key architects of the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership initiative between the United States and India. That initiative provided the foundation for the historic civil nuclear agreement between the two countries. In addition, Juster was responsible to the negotiation and signing of the End-Use Visit Understanding between the U.S. and China, which enhanced the security of exports of U.S. high technology to China. Upon completion of his term at the Commerce Department, Juster received the William C. Redfield Award, the Department's highest honor.
Juster also has served as a Visiting Fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government in 2010, a Member of the U.S. President's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations from 2007 to 2010, a Visiting Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in 1993, a law clerk to Judge James L. Oakes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1980 to 1981, and at the National Security Council in 1978. In addition, Juster has served as the Chairman of the Advisory Committee of Harvard's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the Chairman of Freedom House, the Vice Chairman of the Asia Foundation, and a member of the Trilateral Commission. Juster is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Financial Services
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- Chairman & Managing Director, SpiceJet Limited
Mr. Ajay Singh is a first generation entrepreneur and is often regarded as the face of Indian aviation industry. Under his wing, SpiceJet is regarded as one of the most remarkable turnaround stories of recent times in Asia. SpiceJet was staring at an imminent shut down in December 2014, having cancelled hundreds of flights and owed substantial amounts of money to its business partners, when Mr. Ajay came on-board.
Job Titles:
- Retired Officer of the Indian Administrative Service
Ms Aruna Sundararajan is a retired officer of the Indian Administrative Service. Ms Sundararajan served as the Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministries of Steel, IT and Telecom; and retired as Chairperson of the Digital Communications Commission in July 2019.
During her tenure, Ms Sundararajan played a pioneering role in steering various important tech policies and initiatives; across the domains of telecom and hardware manufacturing, e-governance, digital payments, data protection cyber security and tech start-ups.
Post her retirement, Ms Sundararajan serves on the Boards of leading companies including Larsen and Toubro Infotech, Delivery and Bharat FIH; besides India's National Bank of Infra Financing and Development (NabFID), and a neo-banking start-up called Digi Vriddhi. Ms Sundararajan continues to be an active member of various tech mentoring and angel financing initiatives.
Job Titles:
- President and Chief Executive Officer, Bank of the West
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- President, McLarty Associates
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- CEO of the Americas and U.S Senior Partner, Brunswick Group
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- Senior Associate, Healthcare
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- Chairman of the Board, Intel Former Chairman & CEO, Medtronic
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- Office Manager and EA to Mukesh Aghi
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- Associate, Communications and Marketing
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- Vice - Chairman of Bank of America
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- Chairman and Managing Director, Cognizant India and President of Digital Business and Technology
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- President & Chief Executive Officer, Member, Board of Directors, FedEx Corporation
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- Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Emerson
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- Chairman, HCL Technologies
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- President, Tillman Global Holdings ( TGH )
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- Executive Vice President and President of Manufacturing Division, Merck & Co. Inc.
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- Executive Vice President and President, Asia - Pacific, American Tower Corporation
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- Chairman, President and CEO, Air Products / Ambassador Tim Roemer
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- Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Adobe
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- Senior Director, Policy Advocacy
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- Director, Operations and Business Development
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- Director, U.S. - India Tax Forum
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- Director, Energy and Infrastructure
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- Managing Director and General Partner, IVP
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- Co - Founder & Managing Partner, March Capital
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- Founder, Chairman & CEO, ReNew Power
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- Co - Founder and Managing Director, WestBridge Capital
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- Director - Mumbai and Western Region
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- Ambassador
- Leader
- Founder and Director of the University of Maryland SAFE
- International Affairs Advisor, Squire Patton Boggs / Ambassador Susan Esserman
Ms. Esserman is a leader of the firm's pro bono efforts to assist survivors of human trafficking. Ms. Esserman is the Founder and Director of the University of Maryland SAFE (Support, Advocacy, Freedom, and Empowerment) Center for Human Trafficking Survivors. The SAFE Center is the first ever university-based program to combine comprehensive services for sex and labor trafficking survivors (legal, case management, medical, mental health, and economic empowerment) with research and advocacy to combat trafficking.
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- Vice President of Trade and Technology Policy
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- Founder, Director at Marigold Park and Former President, the Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific
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- Co - Founder & CEO, Uniphore
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- Director, Energy, Sustainability and Infrastructure ( India )
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- Senior Advisor, Defense and Aerospace
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- Managing Director, Head of India, Warburg Pincus