With a distinguished educational background, including a Chemical Engineering degree from NIT Trichy and a PGDM from IIM Calcutta, this individual boasts over 35 years of experience as an exceptional leader and transformation specialist. They have been the driving force behind the remarkable evolution of T S Mahalingam & Sons into a highly respected automobile after-market brand in South India, expanding its operations across multiple businesses and locations. As a pioneer, they revolutionized the financial services industry by introducing third-party loan products in collaboration with Citi bank and ventured into real estate, successfully delivering over 100 projects. Notably, they have made a significant impact on various alumni associations, serving as President of REC alumni (RECAL), President of the IIM Calcutta Alumni Chennai, and President of the Madras Management Association (MMA). Additionally, their role on the Chennai Angels’ Executive Committee showcases their dedication to fostering entrepreneurship and supporting budding entrepreneurs through mentorship and investment guidance, solidifying their reputation as a go-to figure in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Nathan is the co-founder and CEO of Visara Consulting, focusing on Human Capital Advisory and enterprise development work. He was the former CHRO of Deloitte South Asia where he was a member of the India leadership team and also of Deloitte Global Talent Leadership.
Nathan has over 40 years of experience in HR management in Indian and MNCs across diverse industries including Manufacturing, Services, Telecom, IT and Professional Services.
A respected voice of the HR profession in India, Nathan was featured in all National events of significance related to HR. He has been recognized as a ‘Distinguished Alumnus’ by XLRI by his Alma Mater. He is recognised as one of the top 20 Influencers of HR, 2024 by Economic Times HR.
He served as the immediate past President of National Human Resources Development Network, the largest body of HR Professionals in the country. He has also served as the Chairman of Sumedhas, an academy of human context.
A TEDx speaker, Nathan is an author of a bestseller ‘The HeArt of work’. He is a regular blogger, an HR Power Influencer on LinkedIn and Twitter, and is well known for his ‘#OfficeTruths’. He is known as an engaging storyteller.
Govind Iyer
Govind Iyer is an Independent Director of Infosys. He is the Chairperson of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee and serves as a member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, Environment, Social and Governance Committee, Cybersecurity risk sub-committee and the Risk Management Committee.
He is a Senior Advisor at Warburg Pincus, a leading global private equity firm.
Govind retired as a Partner at Egon Zehnder (a Global leadership advisory Firm). Prior to joining Egon Zehnder, Govind worked at Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, and Heinz. Govind has served on the Wharton Executive Education Advisory Board and is an active University of Pennsylvania alumnus. He has served on the Advisory Board of Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN). He is a founding board member and Chairperson of Social Venture Partners in India, is a board member at GIVE India, and is a #LivingmyPromise signatory. He is also on the Board of Karmayogi Bharat, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of DoPT, which will enhance capacity building in the civil service through the iGOT Karmayogi platform.
Govind has a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Regional Engineering College, Trichy, and an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Gp Capt R Vijayakumar (Retd), VSM
Gp Capt R Vijayakumar (Retd), VSM, is a highly accomplished individual with a distinguished career in the Indian Air Force and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Madras Management Association (MMA) since April 2007. Throughout his tenure, he has significantly contributed to the growth and reputation of MMA.
During his three-decade-long service in the Indian Air Force, Gp Capt Vijayakumar held various pivotal positions, including Director of Financial Planning and Financial Advisor to the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Air Command. His exceptional service and dedication were recognized through several prestigious awards. He was honored with the Vishisht Seva Medal by the President of India for his outstanding and meritorious service. Additionally, he received the Commendation Medallion on four occasions from the Chief of Air Staff and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief for his commendable contributions.
Gp Capt Vijayakumar is an alumnus of Loyola, Chennai, and holds a diverse range of educational qualifications. He has obtained an LLB degree and pursued his studies further to earn a Master’s degree in Industrial Relations & Personnel Management from Nagpur University. He has also earned a Master’s degree in Management Studies from Osmania University.
Under Gp Capt Vijayakumar’s dynamic leadership, MMA has become a prominent and highly respected management association in India, particularly in Tamil Nadu. The organization consistently attracts top industry leaders and policy makers, solidifying its status as the recognized face of Indian industry in the state. Thanks to his exceptional leadership skills, MMA has been honored with the Best Management Association in India award by AIMA for fourteen consecutive years, including the year 2022-23.
Apart from his professional pursuits, Gp Capt Vijayakumar is an avid golfer and has represented the Indian golf team in various international tournaments. He is actively involved in various philanthropic endeavors as well. Currently, he serves as a member of the Executive Committee of St. John Ambulance Association and P S Educational Society. Additionally, he holds the position of President at P S Matriculation School, North (SRKM, Mylapore).
Sudeep Kunnumal is currently the Head of Human Resource for Banking, Financial Services an Insurance vertical of Tata Consultancy Services which has an revenue of 9 Billion USD and over one hundred and sixty thousand employees globally. Sudeep has been associated with TCS over the last 24 years in his almost three decades of HR career
Sudeep has done his masters in Human Resource Management and Post Graduate Diploma in International Business and Strategy from University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands.
Krishnan Ravishankar is an accomplished HR professional with 0ver 35 + years of Corporate Indian and International working & consulting experience (USA, ME, Africa, Europe, Etc.) in core HR, OD, Training & Industrial Relations functional areas, in Manufacturing, IT/ITES, KPO/BPO, Trading, Hospitality, Medical/Pharma and other types of Industries.
Certified Licensed practitioner of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) – Richard Bandler, Society of NLP-USA & NLP International, UK.
Certified Coach in Leadership, Public speaking and Behavioral skills from the Institute of MILT (Associate of Dale Carnage Institute-USA.
Trainer in Peak Performance & Optimization skills (USA-Antony Robbins Mastery University).
Certified Debriefer, Assessor & Coach from Harrison Assessments on Int’l (Hong Kong).
Trained in Accelerated Project Management skills with Cheetah Learning, USA.
Certified in Competency Mapping/Profiling techniques from Alert Management Institute- consultants (Netherlands).
Trainer in Personal Service Quality, Customer Relations/Customer Service Skills (Certified from Claus Muller, TMI Institute, Denmark).
Designed & executed several Training, HRD projects/interventions for overseas corporate client companies (Manufacturing, Services & Trading Industries), in USA, Africa & Middle East. (Dubai, Abu Dhabi & Qatar).
INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE & ACHIEVEMENTS
Traveled widely abroad to USA, Europe and Far Eastern countries (Japan, Singapore, Malaysia,
Thailand, Italy & Brussels) for participation in International Symposia/ Training Workshops and Conferences and presented Papers on Industrial Relations/Personnel Management and HRD subjects. Toured Japan to study “Emerging Trends in Human Resources Development and Quality of Work Life in Japanese Industries”. Has been the sole delegate representing the Organization of Indian Employers in ILO Workshop on “Asian and European Collective Bargaining Practices” held in Turin (Italy), Brussels.
MEMBERSHIP-PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS & TRAINING INSTITUTES
Corporate Member of National Institute of Personnel Management (NIPM) Member of National HRD Network (NHRD) Life Member of Indian Society for Training and Development (ISTD)
An All-India rank holder in IIT-JEE, he refused to join IITs and instead joined the National Defence Academy in 1982.
A graduate of the Defence Services Staff College (Wellington – India), Centre for Defence & Strategic Studies, Canberra-Australia and National Defence College (New Delhi).
Experienced in managing personnel and logistics of International Task Forces in Cambodia and Sierra Leone and handling short-term projects in forecasting and structuring of large coalitions, including significant civilian components at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Multiple Masters Degrees in Defence, Strategic Management, Nation Building and Conflict Prevention and Creative Writing. Post Graduate Studies in Personnel Management, Human Resources Development and Creative Writing.
Seriously wounded in operations in Jammu and Kashmir. A recipient of the Sena Medal for Gallantry, Yudh Seva Medal for Outstanding Leadership in Conflict, Vishisht Seva Medal for Distinguished Leadership and Outstanding Service.
Awarded the Chief of Army Staff’s commendation four times in addition to the ‘North Star Medal for Excellence’.
Passionate about personality development in general and ‘People – Leadership Development’ in particular. Has conducted about 1000 sessions across a variety of audiences on varied topics. Created a record by successfully conducting a very large workshop for about 17,200 students from all-over India on ‘Leadership and Happiness’, in one session. Conducts workshops for schools/colleges/corporates/within the Army when time permits.
General Officer Career
Arun was promoted to the rank of Major General and appointed as General officer commanding a mountain division in the North East. He subsequently served as the Deputy Commandant, Chief Instructor, and officiating Commandant of the Officers Training Academy, Chennai. He also served as Commandant of the Infantry School, Mhow. Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, he served as the Director General of Strategic Planning at Army headquarters.
On 2 January 2021, Arun was appointed the General Officer Commanding Dakshin Bharat Area. Earlier called the Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala Area (ATNK&K Area), the Dakshin Bharat area is a static formation that provides administrative, logistical, and infrastructure support to formations and establishments in these states as well as the union territories of Puducherry and Lakshadweep. In February 2022, he took over as the Colonel of the Grenadiers from Lieutenant General Rajeev Sirohi.In April 2023, he was appointed Chief of Staff of South Western Command in Jaipur. On 26 January 2024, he was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal.
Post retirement in Jun, General Arun is a much sought after Podcast Guest, TEDx and Motivational Speaker and Academic, teaching at two Premier Universities.
Mr Ashok is a Thought leader and a free thinker with a childlike passion for technology. Have deep focus on the cause and means to create outcomes that influence the effect and ends. Drive and promote change for organization growth and development.
Principle of Work :
– Desire > Discovery > Destiny
Work Goals :
– Reduce Complexity
– Increase productivity
– Optimize cost
Current area of interest:
– Design Thinking
– AI & ML
– Robot assisted processing
– Javascript (fullstack)
He is a Techno-Functional person with total experience of 20+ Years including 14 years in Banking & Financial Services domain. Having Architecture, Design and Development experience across banking, telecom and industrial verticals
Enterprise Architect – member of Enterprise Architecture Group, a function associated with the CTOs office. Job function include the following via R&D, EA Governance, Independent Consulting, Solutions, Sales/Pre-sales support, Technology Evangelist, Innovation.
Sridhar Ganesh is the Chairperson of the Management Development Centre of Loyola Institute of Business Administration at Chennai. He is a graduate in Physics, and holds a post graduate diploma in Management from IIM, Calcutta. He has over 40 years of experience in varied facets of human resource management, at both operational and strategic levels.
He started his career with Guest Keen Williams Limited in Kolkata and then had a stint with Metal Box prior to joining Berger Paints as head of personnel. He subsequently moved to Mumbai to join Cadbury India as their Director-HR and was a member of the board. In 2002, he was appointed HR Director for the Africa, India and the Middle-East region based in the UK.
He is an advisor at IIIBFT ( Indo – International Initiative for Billions of Fruit Trees). He is also a member of the Advisory Council of Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA), the Expert panel of Coaching Foundation of India. He is also on the Advisory Board of Shantimalai Trust, an NGO based in Thiruvannamalai, Tamilnadu
He retired in late 2013, as the Director – HR and Lead Director for the Diversified Businesses of the Murugappa Group and a member of the Murugappa Corporate Board, the highest strategy and policy making committee of the 4bn USD Conglomerate. Prior to joining the Group, he was the Director of Learning & Development, Cadbury Schweppes plc-Europe, Middle-East and Africa.
He also serves as an Independent Director in the Boards of Limited, Adrenalin E-Systems Limited (a subsidiary of Polaris, an IT major) and Equitas Housing Private Limited. His area of work and interest in recent times is Executive Coaching, Leadership Development and Social Work.
Ms Uma Srinivasan, as the Head of Talent Management at Larsen & Toubro’s Heavy Civil Infrastructure (HCI), a formidable 25,000+ Crore independent company and a vital entity of L&T’s EPC business, she is responsible for the comprehensive strategies across the entire employee lifecycle within a workforce of 9,500+ spread across India and the Middle East. Her role encompasses the implementation of an efficient Performance Management System, overseeing Compensation and Benefits Administration, executing leadership hiring initiatives, and driving HR systems and digitalization efforts. With a focus on aligning talent strategies with organizational goals, she play a pivotal role in shaping HCI’s success by ensuring the cultivation and optimization of a high-performing and engaged workforce.
Prior to that, as the Head of Leadership Hiring, she led the strategic and operational aspects of leadership hiring, talent development, succession planning, and mentorship across the group. She works closely with the Office of CEO & MD to align the talent agenda with the business vision and goals, and to ensure a robust pipeline of high-potential leaders for the future.
Over 27 years of experience in the recruitment industry across multiple sectors and regions, and she is an alumni of the prestigious INSEAD Senior Executive Program. She brings a wealth of expertise and insights to her role, as well as a passion for creating a high-performance culture that fosters learning, innovation, and excellence. She successfully built and managed large and diverse teams, enabled change management, facilitated process improvement, and delivered on complex and challenging hiring projects. She driven by the mission of attracting, developing, and retaining the best talent for Larsen & Toubro, and contributing to its growth and success.
Mr Shyam C Raman, aged 61 years holds a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering and a PGDM from IIM Calcutta. Mr Shyam has served in various capacities for over twenty-five years in Murugappa Group companies since July 1998. After stints as Chief Marketing Officer of Cholamandalam Cazenove AMC and as business Head of Cholamandalam Securities, he took over as HR Head of Cholamandalam Financial Services Group in 2002. In 2007, he was transferred to Group Corporate as Head of Group HR, a role that he has held since then. He has been anchoring the careers and development of leadership talent in the Group. He has also been the driving force behind several PAN – Group initiatives across the spectrum of HR – including performance management, employee engagement, compensation and benefits, etc. Since 2020 he has also led the Group Corporate Communications function.
Lakshmi is Senior Managing Director and Chief Human Resources Officer for Accenture in India. With over 25 years of HR experience, she is currently responsible for leading the human capital strategy for Accenture in India focusing on enabling 310,000+ people in India to be successful, professionally, and personally.
Lakshmi joined Accenture in 2003 and has held numerous HR leadership positions, supporting different Accenture businesses both locally and globally. Prior to joining Accenture, she has worked with iGate (now Capgemini) and Nestle. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Presidency University, Kolkata, and an MBA in Human Resources from XLRI, Jamshedpur.
Lakshmi is a strong advocate of enabling equal and empowering cultures and enjoys mentoring young people, especially young women from diverse socio-economic backgrounds and at their early career stages. She is a Melvin Jones fellow of Lions Club International and supports activities that enable persons with disabilities. Lakshmi also co-chairs the FICCI’s HR & Skills Committee and is on the advisory board for XLRI’s Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusive Leadership (CGEIL). She regularly features on Business World People’s lists of Most Influential Women in HR and has also been recognized among top HR Thought Leaders in the country by ETHR World in 2024.
Lakshmi lives in Bangalore with her family including her husband, son, and parents-in-law. She enjoys traveling discovering local cultures, foods and languages and can speak 5 languages fluently.
In a career spanning four decades, Ganesh has come to be respected and acknowledged for his contributions as a practitioner, consultant, coach and thought leader in the field of Organisation Development, Leadership Development, Human Resources Management and Executive Coaching.
Ganesh Chella founded totus consulting in June 2000 and CFI in May 2006.
He has three books to his credit (Creating a Helping Organisation, Are you ready for the corner office and HR Here and Now) and a large volume of published articles, blogs and posts.
He is currently the Managing Director of CFI, India’s premier destination for coaching-led leadership development solutions and coach education. As the founder of totus consulting, he continues to advice organisations on their Organisation Development needs.
Ganesh is an alumnus of XLRI, Jamshedpur. He is a professional member of ISABS and served on its Board as Dean–Publications for 6 years. He is a Master Coach trained by Dr. Skiffington, Australia as well as a certified Coach from Coaching Foundation India.
Ambi M G Parameswaran is a Brand /CEO Coach, Brand Strategist and Founder Brand-Building.com a Brand Advisory.
In a career spanning 40+ years Ambi has handled assignments in marketing, sales and advertising with Rediffusion Advtg, Boots Company, UDI Yellow Pages and over 25 years with FCB Ulka Advertising. He served as VP, then as CEO/ED of FCB Ulka from 2003 to 2013 and was key member of the team that turned around Ulka from a loss making ad agency into a top three marketing communications group.
Ambi has helped build numerous brands including Digene, Brufen, Santoor Soap, Sundrop Cooking Oil, TCS, ICICI Bank, Wipro, Indica Cars, Zee TV among others. He has conducted brand coaching assignments for PepsiCo, Tata Motors, Wipro Consumer, Abbott, TI Cycles, Sun Pharma, D Decor, Nippon Paint among others.
Ambi has been contributing articles to business publications, has conducted branding workshops for Indian/ MNC organizations and industry bodies like CII, FICCI, AIMA, OPPI etc.; he has spoken at TEDx and at the Kellogg India Summit at Northwestern University and Cornell University; he is a Adjunct Prof of Marketing at SPJIMR and a guest faculty at IIMC, IIMA, MICA and ISB.
Ambi now has eleven books to his credit including : “FCB-Ulka Brand Building Advertising – Concepts and Cases I & II [with Kinjal Medh]”; “Building Brand Value – Five Steps to Building Powerful Brands” (Winner of 2007 NTPC – DMA Book Prize], “For God’s Sake – An Adman on the Business of Religion”, “Strategic Brand Management Indian Version” [with Prof K L Keller and Prof I Jacob]. He is the author of bestselling books “Nawabs Nudes Noodles – India Through 50 Years of Advertising” [a finalist at Crossword Popular Book Awards 2017], “SPONGE- Leadership Lessons I Learnt From My Clients” [Fin Express #1 Bestseller], “SPRING- Bouncing Back From Rejection” [Tata LitLive Business Book of the Year 2021 Finalist] and ‘All The World’s A Stage – A Personal Branding Story’ [Oct 2022].
Ambi served as the President of AAAI [2014-16] and President of Ad Club Bombay [2003–05]. He served on the Board of Governors of IIMC from 2007-2017; he is an independent director on the board of Galaxy Surfactants Ltd, THG Publishing Ltd, Qube Cinemas P Ltd, FDC Ltd [mrfs of Electral] and Rediff.com India Ltd. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from IITM in April 2009 and from IIMC in November 2018. He has a PhD from Mumbai University , an AMP from HBS and Executive Coaching Certification from CFI .
Name : M S JAGAN
Qualification : PGDM, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (1981)
BE, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (1978)
Some working areas : Ascendas India P Ltd – wholly, First CEO in India. Set up the Indian Company owned by Govt. of Singapore. and ran it for 4 years. Set up large IT Parks Mahindra Group. Responsible for implementing a major 1500 acre Industrial Park project near Chennai, now known as Mahindra World City.Private Management Consultant Advisors to large and medium funds and corporates – Indian and Foreign – in the areas of infrastructure and Real Estate. Education sector Advisory panel for selected management schools on curriculum and selection process.
Lakshminarayanan Duraiswamy, currently the Managing Director of Sundaram Home Finance Limited, brings over 30 years of financial services expertise. Formerly the Chief Operating Officer of Sundaram AMC, he has a strong background in risk management, operations, and strategy. With a career spanning Citibank, GE Capital in India and Australia, and Sundaram AMC, he holds degrees in commerce, cost accountancy, and an MBA from Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai. Additionally, he serves as the Honorary Treasurer of the Madras Management Association.
Mr Harish Lakshman holds Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from BITS, Pilani, and Master’s degree in Business from Krannert School of Management at Purdue University, USA.
With over 26 years of Industry experience, he has held various positions in the areas of marketing, operations, business development overseas and other corporate functions and also spearheads the future growth plan of Rane Group.
He is an active member of several industrial associations and government panels and has played a key role as President of Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) for the period 2013-14. He has also served as Chairman of CII – Young Indians (Chennai Chapter).
He is currently the Vice Chairman & Joint Managing Director of RHL. He is also the Vice- Chairman of Rane Engine Valve Limited, Rane (Madras) Limited and Managing Director of ZF Rane Automotive India Private Limited. He also serves on the Board of all the other Rane Group of companies including Rane Brake Lining Limited and Rane NSK Steering Systems Private Limited. He is also an Independent Director on the board of Oriental Hotels Limited, a Tata group company
Starting his career with Grinwell Group which later became a Saint-Gobain company, Unnikrishnan has been playing an important role in the growth and leadership journey of Saint-Gobain’s Glass Business in India.
With rich experience of over 31 years in the industry, Unnikrishnan now is the Managing Director of Saint-Gobain India Pvt Ltd (Glass & Glass Solutions Business).
Apart from his professional role at Saint-Gobain, he is a thought leader across various fora in the areas of Sustainability and Policy development.He is Vice Chairman of CII Tamil Nadu State Council, immediate Past Chairman of CII Chennai Zone, Chairman of CII Green Product Council, Vice-President of Madras Management Association, past Chairman CII TN CEO Forum, Member of Indo-French Chamber of Commerce Governing Council, CII-National Manufacturing Council, Research Council of CSIR-CGCRI and Indian Green Building Council Executive Board.
