Pankaj Chandra is the Vice Chancellor of Ahmedabad University. He was the Director of IIM Bangalore and a Professor of Operations & Technology Management at IIM Ahmedabad. He was a member of the Government of India’s Committee on Rejuvenation of Higher Education also known as the Yashpal Committee that relooked at the Indian Higher Education system. He has served as a member of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. His recent book ‘Building Universities that Matter’ studies issues of Governance, Change & Institution Building in Indian Universities. He serves on boards of several firms and institutions. He holds a BTech from Banaras Hindu University and a PhD from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He has taught at McGill University as a tenured faculty and has held visiting faculty positions at Cornell University, University of Geneva, International University of Japan, and Renmin University in China.

Rajeev Sharma began his academic career as a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Ewing Christian College, University of Allahabad. He later joined the Ravi J. Matthai Centre for Educational Innovation at IIM Ahmedabad, where he has been deeply engaged in teaching, research, and training, working closely with educational leaders across schools and higher education institutions. At IIM Ahmedabad, he played a key role in designing and delivering the long-running Management Development Programme, Strategic Leadership for Schools in a Changing Environment, which has been offered for over two decades. He has also contributed to the development of specialized programmes for principals of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Delhi government schools.His academic work spans innovative pedagogical practices, research methodologies, and entrepreneurship in education. Rajeev Sharma has published extensively in national and international journals. He is the author of the book Not Just Grades: Schools that Educate Differently (Penguin Random House, 2018). He continues to engage selectively in teaching at IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Udaipur, and IIM Sambalpur, and serves as an advisor to various educational institutions.

Learning is everything. Learning is active. It is what makes Knowledge kinetic. It is this philosophy that drives the retired Chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi India to be an active learner. With almost 50 years of experience in sales, marketing, brand communication, and consulting, V Shantakumar wants to find new solutions to old and new and yet undiscovered problems. He insists that no child wants to be educated. But that every child wants to learn, in their own unique way. This is what lead him to create Context Engineering™️, the transformational business thinking process that allows businesses to create sustainable business advantage. Context engineering asks the simple question of who you are in business for and drives re-engineering and/or rethinking about every facet of the business. This process is agnostic of category or geography. He is also a traveler, in the mind and in the real world. He lives in Goa. He has written a workbook to help people define their own personal brands. And he is writing a book on Context Engineering. Both of these are due for release this year. Shanta is a qualified life and executive coach.

Ms Tulika Sahai is a trauma-focused therapist, based out of Singapore, working with individuals navigating anxiety, depression, grief, relational challenges, and the lasting impact of difficult experiences. Her approach integrates evidence-based modalities, including CBT, SFBT, EFT, and hypnotherapy, to reduce emotional distress and support meaningful, lasting change. Before becoming a therapist, she spent 15 years in the world of strategic advertising, working across major brands and campaigns. That career taught her how to spot subtle patterns — the unspoken beliefs, emotional triggers, and hidden stories that drive human behaviour. Her work is grounded in the principle of hope—not as passive optimism, but as an active shift. She supports clients in moving away from fear-driven patterns toward greater self-awareness, resilience, and agency. Clients often share that they feel deeply understood and genuinely heard in their sessions. She places strong emphasis on building a safe, non-judgmental therapeutic relationship—because meaningful change begins there. Her approach combines clinical expertise with genuine care, ensuring therapy is not just a space to talk, but a space to transform.

With a career rooted in the prestigious research circles of Milan, Italy, Ms Sushama Swarup brings a sophisticated, global perspective to the fields of mental health and cultural preservation. Decades of experience practicing alongside medical professionals to provide holistic, evidence-based psychological care.As a clinical psychologist who then became a trans-cultural psychologist, her work is defined by an understanding of how our environments, histories, and personal strengths intersect to create flow in our lives. Collaborating on groundbreaking research with Mihaly Csikszentmihályi, whose contributions to the concept of “flow” deepened her engagement with human behaviour across diverse cultural settings. Over the years, she has worked with individuals from varied backgrounds, addressing psychological concerns through culturally sensitive and contextually grounded therapeutic approaches. With a career spanning clinical practice, counselling, research, and authorship, she brings a holistic perspective that combines scientific understanding with cultural insight, contributing meaningfully to mental health. The international academic community in Milan counts on her as a vital bridge, providing specialised guidance and mentoring to students navigating global education. Her practice is not just about clinical support—it is about fostering resilience, cultural belonging, and the pursuit of excellence. She is the author of the book, Costumes & Textiles of Awadh.

Dr. Deepa Joshi is a Physician-Scientist (M.B., B.S., Ph.D.) with over 30 years of experience in clinical development of new medicines, neurobiology and translational medicine. She brings expertise bridging the gap between advanced scientific research and practical clinical application. With a Ph.D. in Experimental Medicine from McGill University, Dr. Joshi’s foundational work in neurobiology and brain function provides a rigorous scientific lens for understanding neurodevelopmental challenges. Her career includes leadership roles at Indian and global pharmaceutical giants like Torrent Pharmaceuticals and Bristol-Myers Squibb, where she spearheaded clinical strategies, and led interdisciplinary teams in the discovery of novel therapeutics. Dr. Joshi is deeply committed to the mission of education and training fostering the next generation of researchers and clinicians. Dr. Joshi’s unique combination of research, medical practice, and academic mentorship will bring evidence-based, ethically grounded oversight to the organization.