Board of Advisors

Mr Ashok Soota currently serves as the Executive Chairman of Happiest Minds Technologies. The former President of Wipro Infotech, Mr Soota secured his education in Electrical Engineering along with an MBA qualification from the Asian Institute of Management, Philippines.

He co-founded Mindtree Consulting, in New Jersey, USA, and is a Member of Advisory Council of World Council of Intellectual Property Rights in Geneva.

Dr F C Kohli been honoured with Padma Bhushan. He is the Deputy Chairman of Tata Consultancy Services, Director of Tata Group of Companies and Advisor to Department of Education.

He is also the Member of Ministry of Education on Post-graduate Education and Research in Engineering and Technology, Member of Senate at IIT Mumbai, Member of Board of Governors at IIM Calicut, and Member of Advisory Committee at Ministry of Information Technology.

Mr Arjun Malhotra serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Headstrong’s Board of Directors. Prior to Headstrong, he was the Vice Chairman of HCL Technologies.

He founded and built HCL Technologies from a six-person ‘garage operation’ in 1975 to one of largest information technology companies in the world.

Ms Shabana Azmi is the daughter of renowned leftist Urdu Poet, Kaifi Azmi, and famous stage actress, Shaukat Kaifi. Along with having an illustrious career as a theatre and motion picture artiste, Ms Azmi is also a committed social activist.

Ms Azmi was nominated to the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) as a Member of Parliament by the President of India from 1997 to 2003. She was chosen by TIME Magazine as one of 25 Asian heroes and the only woman amongst four Indians who has made a difference.

Sir J K Chande is the honourable recipient of the Hind Ratna Award. He was appointed as a trustee of the Rotary Foundation in 2003 and Chairman of the Rotary Foundation of the United Kingdom in 2004.

He was made an Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2003, the first of its kind given to a Tanzanian citizen. He has also been honoured with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award by the former President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

Ms Kirtida Menkani currently serves as the Director of CIS Agriferts Pte Ltd. She is a committed environmentalist to social, green and brown issues. Ms Mekani has served as the founding Executive Director of National Council on the Environment (renamed during her tenure to Singapore Environment Council) from 1993 – 1996.

She has also served as Director, Office of Institutional Advancement at Singapore Management University, and Campaign Director at the Anglo-American School of Moscow. 

Mr Boon Yoon Chiang serves as the Deputy Chairman of the Jardine Cycle & Carriage Group. In addition, he is also the Country Chairman of Jardine Matheson Group in Singapore and a director of Food Empire Holdings.

Mr Boon Yoon Chiang serves on the Board of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce and is the Honorary Secretary of the Singapore National Employers’ Federation. He is also a council member of the ASEAN Chambers of Commerce and Industry.  

Mr Karan Singh Thakral is the Chairman of TiE Singapore. He is also the Executive Director of the Thakral Group of Companies. Mr Thakral pioneered the introduction and establishment of the consumer electronics business of the Thakral Group.

Mr Sundar is CEO of Times Business Solutions (a Times Of India group enterprise). He also holds the position of director at the Times School of Management (TSM) and the Times Centre for Media Studies (TCMS). Mr Sundar was formerly Director at Bennett Coleman & Company Limited from October 1980 to October 2004.

Lt Gen (Retd) Sudhir Sharma, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VSM, retired from the Indian Army in 2008, after completing four decades of an illustrious and brilliant career of selfless service to the nation. During his career, he has seen active service in Sri Lanka and Jammu & Kashmir, and has held critical and challenging appointments in higher echelons of defence management, including a diplomatic assignment in London as the Defence Attaché' of India.

Tan Sri Dato' Mohd Hussin bin Abdul Hamid has vast banking experience, having served as an Executive of Standard Chartered Bank for over 30 years before moving on to become the Chairman of MIMB Investment Bank Berhad, Chairman of EONCAP Islamic Banking Berhad, as well as Directorships in EON Bank Berhad, and Government owned banks namely Bank Industri & Teknologi Malaysia Berhad, Export-Import Bank of Malaysia Berhad and Malaysia Debt Ventures Berhad.

He was also formerly Chairman of a property development company known as Naza/TTDI Properties Berhad and currently serves as an independent Director on thirteen companies within the Naza/ TTDI Group. Tan Sri is concurrently a member of the Melaka State Finance and Treasury Council and the Melaka Investment Trust Fund.

Dato’ Sri Abdul Hamidy Abdul Hafiz is currently Chairman, Danajamin Nasional Berhad. His diverse experience ranges from being an Executive Officer at Affin Bank Berhad to Managing Director at Pengurusan Danaharta Nasional Berhad.

His other appointments include Chairman of Corporate Debt Restructuring Committee (CDRC) (established by Bank Negara Malaysia), Board Member of Amanah Raya Berhad, Chairman of Investment Committee of Amanah Raya Berhad and Member, Board of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin.

Datuk Lean Meng Seong has an extensive experience in the banking industry including Standard Chartered Bank. He has served as Board Member of Credit Corporation Malaysia (represented Standard Chartered Bank), Chairman of Audit Committee of Credit Corporation Malaysia, Director, Phileo Allied Finance, Chairman of Phileo Allied Unit Trust, Chairman, Affin Factors Berhad and Alternate Director on the Board of Malaysian Electronic Payments System Berhad.

He is also Member of the Education Committee of Institut Bank-Bank Malaysia. He is currently Director of Sage 3 Capital Sdn. Bhd. and Member of Board of Governors, Anglo-Chinese School, Ipoh (Methodist Secondary School).

Mr Ralph Marshall has over 30 years of experience in financial and general management. He is the Executive Director of Usaha Tegas Sdn Bhd (UTSB), Executive Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer of Astro Holdings Sdn Bhd, and Executive Director of Tanjong Public Limited Company.

Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria holds a PhD in Sociology from Oxford Brookes University, the United Kingdom. His working career began with non-governmental organisations such as the Methodist Church (June 1981 - May 1986), Malaysian CARE (June 1986 - Dec 1993), the Foundation for Community Studies & Development (Jan 1994 - July 1997) and Yayasan Strategik Sosial, the official think-tank of the Malaysian Indian Congress, as its Executive Director from August 1997 to May 2008.

Ambassador Aftab Seth is the Chairman of India Global Link Co. Ltd, Sun and Sands Advisors Ltd. Previously; he was the Indian Ambassador to Japan, Micronesia, Vietnam and Greece. After joining the Ministry of External Affairs of India, he served in the embassies in Beirut, Cairo and Jakarta and, the consulates in Karachi and Hamburg.

Ambassador Seth received a B.A. (Honours) from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University, an M.A. from Christ Church College, Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and a Doctorate of Laws from the American College of Greece.

Mr Masahiko Kaji is the President of Tata Consultancy Services Japan Ltd. He has previously worked with Citibank in Japan and Grindlays in India.

Mr Kaji is a thoroughbred mountaineer, a veteran climber who has been a member of expeditions to Nanda Devi (the second-highest mountain in India) and to Kanchenjunga (at 8,586 metres the highest in India and third highest in the world).