Governance

Ms  Girija Vaidyanathan is a career civil servant who joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1981. She has wide experience in implementation and financing of schemes in the development sector, having spent nearly fifteen years in the Health, Nutrition and Environment sector in various leadership positions. In her early posting as Project Coordinator in the World Bank funded Tamil Nadu Integrated Nutrition Project, she was exposed to the field level implementation of health and nutrition programmes as well as evaluation and monitoring techniques.  During her years in the Finance Department, she was responsible for   the financing of health, education and other social sector schemes. She was posted as Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission and Commissioner, Maternal and Child Health of the state of Tamil Nadu in  India in 2008. During the three years that she held the post , she was directly involved in various programmes to improve maternal health and reduce the maternal and infant mortality rates in the state.  Her important contributions during this period include setting up of Neonatal Intensive Care Units in all the districts as well as introduction of various skill building initiatives for nurses and doctors. In this period, the State was recognized as the topmost performer among the better off states in health sector achievement. She was responsible for policy formulation in the health sector as Health Secretary, first during 2001 , when she played an important role in the design and sanction of the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project. During her second stint as Health Secretary, she continued to pursue her passion for health system strengthening and reform, working towards system improvement in various functional areas such as maternal and child health, TB control,  public funded insurance, data systems, food and drug safety etc. Even after leaving the Health department, she has been associated with the implementation of PICME , the state’s Mother and Child Tracking System and has been instrumental in linking the same with the civil registration system, which has played an important role in   increased ante natal registration and improved delivery of public services . She also continued to work with the initiatives of the state toward provision of UHC, which include the strengthening of diagnostic services and  setting up of Health and Wellness Centres at the Health Sub Centre and Primary Health Centre level. Post retirement in 2019, she is actively engaged with research in the Health sector with national and international research groups. She is associated with the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras as a Professor of Practice in the Humanities and Social Sciences Department. She also serves on the governing bodies of various academic and non-governmental organizations like the VHS (Honorary Treasurer), Bala Mandir Kamaraj Trust, Public Health Foundation of India, SCARF and the Madras Institute of Development Studies.

Born on 29/12/1959, Dr. Krishnan was educated in Economics at St. Stephens College and Law at the Campus Law Centre University of Delhi & obtained his Ph.D in Economics from IIM Bangalore. He joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1983 & superannuated from the service on 31/12/2019. Before retiring as Secretary Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, he served in various positions in GOK, GOI and the World Bank primarily in the areas of Economic Affairs and Macro Policy and Rural & Urban Development. He has authored a number of reports and published many academic papers. In the year 2012 Dr. Krishnan held the BoK Visiting Professorship in Regulation in the University of Pennsylvania Law School. On 28/12/2017, Dr. Krishnan was conferred with the Distinguished Alumni Award of IIM Bangalore. From August 2020 to December 2021 he served as the IEPF Chair Professor at the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER). Currently he is Honorary Professor at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), New Delhi. Besides, he is also a member of the Governing Boards of a few “for profit” and a few “not for profit” institutions.

Prof.K. Srinath Reddy is Founder (Past) President of the Public Health Foundation of India, where he now is Honorary Distinguished Professor.He formerly headed the Department of Cardiology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. Under his leadership, PHFI has established five Indian Institutes of Public Health (IIPHs) to advance multi-disciplinary public health education, research, health technologies and implementation support for strengthening health systems. He was appointed as the First Bernard Lown Visiting Professor of Cardiovascular Health at the Harvard School of Public Health in (2009-13) and presently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard (2014-2023). He holds advisory positions in several national and international bodies. He has over 570 scientific publications and published a book ‘Make Health in India: Reaching A Billion Plus’. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Emory, Sydney Universities and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the first Indian to be elected to the National Academy of Medicine, USA and was awarded several prestigious international and national doctorates and fellowships. He was President of the World Heart Federation (2013-15). He was awarded Padma Bhushan by the President of India in 2005.He is also an Advisor to the Governments of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh on Health with the rank of a Cabinet Minister.

Lieutenant General  Kanitkar PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd) assumed the prestigious appointment of Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik on 1st November 2021 after 39 years of service in the Army Medical Corps. She is a medical graduate of Armed Forces Medical College, Pune University and Postgraduate in MD (Paediatric) from Indian Naval Hospital Ship (INHS), Asvini. She has had the distinction of being first in Pune University in all the three phases of MBBS. The Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor is a Paediatric Nephrologist who has done her post- graduation in Paediatrics from Mumbai in 1990 and Training in Paediatric Nephrology from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, followed by Fellowships at NUH Singapore and GOS London. She has also completed the FAIMER Fellowship in Medical Education. The Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor has been Professor and Head of Paediatrics at AFMC and also the Dean at her Alma Mater. She has over 25 years of teaching experience and was awarded Best Teacher of MUHS in 2008. She has been known to work for students welfare. Under her leadership the officers, faculty and staff of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences have undertaken many initiatives in a time bound manner. These are illustrated in the Vision Document on the website. For her distinguished service Gen Kanitkar has been awarded Param Vishist Seva Medal in 2022, Ati Vishist Seva Medal in 2018, Vishist Seva Medal in 2014. She serves as a member on the Prime Ministers Science Technology and Innovation Advisory Council

Lt. Gen. (Dr.) M. D. Venkatesh is the seventh Vice Chancellor of MAHE Manipal. He graduated from Mysore Medical College in 1978 with an exceptional academic record and was commissioned in Armed Medical Corps in 1979. He acquired his MS (ENT) from Mumbai University in 1986 and is an outstanding ENT Surgeon. He has undergone training in Cochlear Implantation and Neurotology in India and Overseas. He has contributed significantly in the field of medical education, having trained generations of undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune and, also, having had the unique distinction of holding, over the years, all the academic positions of AFMC, from Reader to Dean. He was also a founder faculty of the department of Medical Education Technology at AFMC. He was in the armed forces for 38 years, during which, besides academic, he has also held numerous administrative appointments, and is credited with many achievements. He was instrumental in instituting the “on-line admissions process” for UG, PG and Post-Doctoral admissions to the Armed Forces Training Institutions that ensured total transparency and efficiencies in the system. He also headed the premier training establishment of AMC that provides training to all para medical personnel of AMC and medical officers of AFMC.
 
Dr. Venkatesh joined as the Vice Chancellor of Sikkim Manipal University on July 1 2017 and complete his three-year term successfully on June 30 2020. During his tenure he has contributed immensely to the development and improvements in infrastructure, academic processes, and IT infrastructure of SMU.
 
He has been able to bring research and publication sharply in to focus and SMU has seen a remarkable upswing in the number of projects and publications. He has revamped all the academic, HR, IT and financial policies of SMU for improved productivity outcomes. He has displayed inspiring leadership qualities and team building skills and has made “Team SMU” a confident, cohesive and result oriented unit. Under his leadership SMU achieved the recognition as a leading Private University in the country

Mr. Natarajan is Founder of Foundation Partners- Corporate and Venture Capital Advisory firm. (since 2018).

He has 30+ years of experience in the VC /PE industry & large Technology Companies.
He is Advisor to- Early to Mid Stage Companies and Early Stage Funds. He provides Strategic advisory to Early Stage Companies and Family Business 
 
Mr. Natarajan has held proven leadership roles in Organizational Building & Scaling, Governance and Compliance with over 30 years of hands-on experience in Finance & Accounting, Taxation, Planning, Sales & Marketing, and HR.
 
Mr. Natarajan holds board positions in companies like: Navi Technologies Private Ltd, a Fintech holding company founded by Sachin Bansal, (ex Flipkart), having 3 subsidiaries in Digital lending, Micro Finance and General Insurance;  Lifecell International Private Ltd, diagnostics company ; Venkatnarayana Active Ingredients Private Ltd, Pharma company ;  Virtusa Consulting services India Board, IT consulting company listed in Nasdaq and Mlinda Renewable Energy Private Ltd, an NGO, providing electricity to Rural India

Professor Sachin Chaturvedi is currently Director General at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), a New Delhi-based Think-Tank. He works on issues related to development economics, involving development finance, SDGs and South-South Cooperation, apart from trade, investment and innovation linkages with special focus on WTO.  

Professor Chaturvedi has persistenly endeavoured to build up institutions and launching of networks, both at national and international levels. He is credited with the launch of Network of Southern Think Tanks (NeST) and Forum for Indian Development Cooperation (FIDC). He has also created “Delhi Process”, a major forum for exchange of ideas on South-South and triangular Cooperation.

Professor Sachin Chaturvedi has been part of several important initiatives of the Government of India and takes keen interest in transforming economic policymaking towards integrated and evidence based approaches. He is one of the foremost commentators on India’s external sector economic engagements and partnerships. He is considered as most dynamic and affable by his peers and has mentored several bright scholars and researchers in the profession.

He has authored/edited more than 22 books, apart from contributing several chapters in the edited volumes and also publishing several research articles in prestigious journals.  He is on the Editorial Board of several journals including the South Asian Economic Journal, IDS Bulletin, Sussex, UK among others.  His book “The Logic of Sharing – Indian Approach to South-South Cooperation” has been acclaimed internationally as one of the best volumes on international development cooperation.

Professor Sachin Chaturvedi was also the ‘Global Justice Fellow’ at the MacMillan Center for International Affairs at Yale University (2009-2010) and has served as a Visiting Professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and was a Developing Country Fellow at the University of Amsterdam (1996), Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla (2003), and Visiting Scholar at the German Development Institute (2007). 

Currently, Prof. Chaturvedi  is also Independent Director on the Board of Reserve Bank of India.

Sangita Jindal, Chairperson of JSW Foundation, has significantly impacted India’s social and cultural landscape over the past three decades.

Under her leadership and strategic direction, JSW Foundation, the social development arm of the JSW Group (one of India’s leading conglomerates) has an established track record and a legacy of enabling holistic change across communities around India.

A visionary who believes in the transformative power of art, Sangita set up the Jindal Arts Creative Interaction Centre (JACIC) at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in 1994. She also publishes ART India Magazine, which has been a chronicler of the Indian art scene since 1996.

As one of India’s most prominent philanthropists, patrons and collectors, she has supported art and heritage through numerous projects, both at home and globally. Her efforts to preserve heritage for future generations led to extensive restoration work at the Hampi temple complex in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, and the Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue and iconic David Sassoon Library and Reading Room in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The projects received conservation awards and an award of merit respectively from UNESCO.

She has recently undertaken the restoration of the Shalimar Bagh - the world-renowned Mughal Garden in Srinagar, Kashmir.

Sangita founded Hampi Art Labs, an art residency and exhibition space aimed at nurturing artists globally. She encourages and invests in art as a practice. She supports the AD x JSW Prize for Contemporary Craftsmanship.

Sangita is an Eisenhower Fellow, serving on the Board of Trustees of the World Monuments Fund - India Chapter. She is a member of the Tate International Council, the UN Women Business Sector Advisory Council (BSAC) and a global trustee of Asia Society. She has also been elected as Chairperson of the Asia Society India Centre in 2024. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the British Asian Trust and also serves as an Advisory Board Member of Meyer Paediatric Hospital, Florence, Italy.

She joined the Advisory Council of the Kochi Biennale Foundation, host of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Asia’s largest and most influential contemporary art festival.

Sangita was recognized by Vogue India as ‘Heritage Keeper of the Year’ in 2019 in their Women of the Year awards in recognition of her work preserving cultural heritage in India. She also received the Golden Peacock Award for Social and Cultural Leadership 2019.

Most recently, in Sep 2025, she was conferred the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, one of the most prestigious honours bestowed by the French Government, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to arts, culture, and heritage conservation.

Mr. Srini Raju founded iLabs Group in 2000. iLabs Group is one of the pioneers of the Investment Ecosystem in India. Over the years, it has grown its scope in terms of both Investment and Industry. Originally started as an Angel Investor, iLabs Capital has expanded into, Seed-Stage, Early-Stage and Growth-Stage Investments, as well as Re-Structures and Buy-Outs. Initially focused on Technology & Technology enabled Ventures, iLabs Capital has extended into Consumer Products & Services; Health Care; Skills-Development; Media and Entertainment; Corporate and Industrial Parks. Today, iLabs Group is one of the front-runners of the Investment landscape in India. 
Srini has an MS in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Utah State University, USA and a BS in Civil Engineering with Honors from REC (NIT), Kurukshetra. 
Srini has over 35 years of experience in Information Technology, Venture Capital and Private Equity. Prior to iLabs Group, Srini was Founding CEO & MD of Dun & Bradstreet Satyam Software (later became Cognizant Technology Solutions) and Satyam Enterprise Solutions. 

Number of iLabs Investee Companies have become Leading Companies in their respective areas. Sri City, a leading Industrial City started by iLabs Group is home to over 150 companies from 25 Countries and two of India's leading Universities.
Srini is passionate about Educations and Skills Development. He is a Founding-Member & Member of Governing Council of International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Hyderabad;  Industry Partner (Donor) & Member of Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Information Technology, Sri City;  Executive Board Member of Indian School of Business (ISB) and Benefactor of Srini Raju Center for Networked Economy (SRITNE);  Co-Sponsor (Donor) and Board Member of KREA University;  and Founding-Member & Board Member of T-Hub, Hyderabad ; Chairman, INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCES HYDERABAD SOCIETY.

Vandana Shroff is a partner at Amarchand Mangaldas’ Mumbai office. She has over 27 years of wide-ranging experience in general corporate matters and specific expertise in private equity and funds related areas. She has extensive experience in corporate law and has been advising both domestic and international clients on all aspects of their activities, including mergers, acquisitions, restructuring, foreign investment and commercial agreements. She has acted for several foreign and domestic private equity funds and venture capitalists, both in public and private investments and has handled all aspects, including due diligence, regulatory filings, open offers and other compliance issues. Her clientele includes blue-chip private equity funds across a range of geographies

Prof. Sanjay Zodpey is the President, Public Health Foundation of India. He has served as Vice President - Academics, Public Health Foundation of India and led the Indian Institute of Public Health, Delhi as its Founding Director. He has held joint appointment as Honorary / Adjunct Professor in five international universities: Georgia Southern University, Georgia; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA;The University of Sydney, Australia; Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia; and Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Nepal.
He is conferred ‘Doctor of Science (DSc) (Honoris Causa)’ by DMIMS Deemed to be University, Wardha for long-standing contribution to medical science and public health. With over 425 publications, he features in top 2 percent scientists across the world for his research contribution in Tropical Medicine for three consecutive years as part of worldwide ranking of scientists in all science fields. He is the recipient of Public Health Education Leadership Award for significant contributions in promoting public health education in the WHO’s South-East Asia Region.

He has served as Director of Indian Institutes of Public Health at Gandhinagar and Bhubaneswar. He has also served as Professor at Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Faculty in Clinical Epidemiology Unit and Vice Dean at Government Medical College, Nagpur, India.

He was the National President of Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine for two consecutive terms.