Governing Council

Suresh Prabhu

Shri Suresh Prabhu is a veteran politician and diplomat who has held key positions such as the Union Minister of civil Aviation, Railways, Commerce & Industry among others. He has also served as India’s Sherpa to the G7 and G20. He is a Chartered Accountant by profession, and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). He has been a Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) for 4 consecutive terms from 1996 to 2016, and later a member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) since 2016. He is also serving as the Founding Chancellor of Rishihood university.

Jayant Sinha

Shri Jayant Sinha is a second term Member of Parliament from Jharkhand, India. Mr. Sinha won his Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019 with record margins. Previously, Mr. Sinha served on India’s Council of Ministers from 2014 to 2019; first, as the Minister of State for Finance and then as the Minister of State for Civil Aviation. Prior to his career in public service, Mr. Sinha was Partner at Omidyar Network (ON) and the Managing Director of Omidyar Network India Advisors, where he led overall investment strategy and operations in India from 2009 to 2013. As a global thought leader, Mr. Sinha has been published in the Financial Times, Times of India, Economic Times, Indian Express, Business Standard, Harvard Business Review, and the McKinsey Quarterly. He has pioneered new thinking on platform-based businesses, innovation-driven entrepreneurship, Climate Change, and sustainable development.

MJ Akbar

Shri M. J. Akbar is a former Union Minister of State for External Affairs, and is a distinguished writer who has authored several internationally acclaimed books, mainly on the Indian subcontinent’s complex history and the turbulent interaction between faith and definitions of nationalism. Shri M. J. Akbar has also had an illustrious career as a journalist and editor. In 1976, he launched, as Editor, India’s first weekly political news magazine, Sunday, which quickly became a household presence. He started two daily newspapers: The Telegraph in 1982 and The Asian Age in 1994. He has served as the Editorial Director of India Today, Headlines Today and as the editor of the Deccan Chronicle and The Sunday Guardian. Shri M. J. Akbar entered public life in 1989, when he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kishanganj, Bihar. He went back to the media in 1993, and returned to public life in March 2014, when he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and became the party’s national spokesperson. He was elected as MP to the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand in July 2015. In July 2016, he was elected for another term as MP from Madhya Pradesh.

Vinay Sahasrabuddhe

Dr. Vinay Prabhakar Sahasrabuddhe is an Indian politician, scholar, and public intellectual. He served as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha representing Maharashtra from 2016 to 2022. A senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he held the post of National Vice President from August 2014 to September 2020. As a parliamentarian, he chaired the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, contributing significantly to policy discussions in these sectors. Widely recognized as a political scholar and a thought leader, Dr. Sahasrabuddhe is also an occasional columnist and public speaker on issues related to governance, policy, and ideological discourse.

Preeti Saran

Preeti Saran is currently a Member of the UN’s Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR). She was formerly worked as Secretary (East) at the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. She joined the MEA in 1982, and has most recently served as Ambassador of India to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. She has also undertaken diplomatic postings to Toronto, Geneva, Cairo, Dhaka and Moscow. In New Delhi, she has served as Joint Secretary (SAARC/North), Deputy Secretary/ Director (Establishment) / East Asia, and Under secretary (ICCR/AMS).

Ruchira Kamboj

Ruchira Kamboj is an Indian diplomat and formerly she served as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. A 1987-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service, she has held several key diplomatic posts, including India’s Ambassador to Bhutan and High Commissioner to South Africa. She has also served as India’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO in Paris. Known for her eloquence, leadership, and commitment to multilateralism, Kamboj has played an influential role in shaping India’s voice on global platforms, particularly in areas like women’s empowerment, sustainable development, and peacekeeping initiatives.

Jaideep Mazumdar

Jaideep Mazumdar is a senior Indian diplomat and a 1989-batch Indian Foreign Service officer. He was appointed as Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs in February 2024, succeeding Saurabh Kumar . Prior to this, he served as India's Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the UN and international organizations in Vienna . Mazumdar has also held key positions, including Chief of Protocol and Ambassador to the Philippines, and is fluent in multiple languages, including Assamese, English, Bengali, Hindi, and Chinese .

M. Jagadesh Kumar

Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar is the former Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and an eminent academic in the field of Electrical Engineering. He previously served as the Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where he was known for introducing policy reforms and promoting digital learning. His research spans nano-electronics and semiconductor devices, with numerous international publications to his credit.

G. Satheesh Reddy

Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy is the former Chairperson of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), where he led India's indigenous defence R&D efforts. A renowned aerospace engineer, he played a pivotal role in advancing missile systems such as Agni and Akash. He also served as the Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister and has been instrumental in shaping India’s strategic defence capabilities.

Air Marshal PK Roy

Air Marshal P.K. Roy (Retd) is a distinguished officer of the Indian Air Force and served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, India’s only tri-service integrated command. Commissioned in 1975, he held several critical appointments including Director General (Operations) at Air Headquarters. He is known for his strategic foresight in joint operations, air defense, and military coordination. A graduate of the National Defence Academy and a recipient of the PVSM, AVSM, and VSM, Roy played a key role in enhancing India’s maritime and aerial capabilities. Post-retirement, he remains active in strategic and security discourse in India.

Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain

Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd) is a highly decorated former Indian Army officer with a 40-year career across conflict zones including Sri Lanka, Siachen, the Northeast, and Jammu & Kashmir, where he served seven tours and commanded the Srinagar-based 15 Corps. An expert on J&K, Pakistan, and transnational extremism, he is a noted writer, speaker, and analyst. He has a strong academic background with global exposure and champions the “Scholar Warrior” concept. A Distinguished Fellow at key think tanks, he also serves as Chancellor of the Central University of Kashmir and contributes to national security discourse in civil and military spheres.

Lt Gen Arun Sahni

Lt Gen Arun Kumar Sahni is a decorated, scholar – soldier, with 40 years of commissioned service in the Indian Army. In his last assignment, tenanting the second highest rank of the army, he was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of one of the six operational commands of the Indian Army.In addition to his Command assignments of leading military formations, his important staff appointments include ‘Chief Operations Officer’ of an Infantry Brigade in Sri Lanka as part of Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), Colonel General Staff responsible for operations of a Counter Insurgency Force in Jammu & Kashmir, ‘Principal Staff officer’ at Army Headquarters, Delhi,and ‘Director General Information Technology.

Lt. Gen. Raj Shukla (Retd.)

Lieutenant Gen Raj Shukla, PVSM, YSM, SM, ADC, is a retired officer of the Indian Army, commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery in December 1982. He served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Army Training Command (ARTRAC) from May 2020 until his retirement in March 2022 . An alumnus of the National Defence Academy and Indian Military Academy, he has also attended the Defence Services Staff College, the Higher Defence Management Course, and the National Defence College. Post-retirement, he was appointed as a member of the Union Public Service Commission and is recognized for his expertise in strategic affairs and leadership.

Ami Upadhyay

Prof. Ami Upadhyay currently serves as the esteemed Vice Chancellor of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar State Open University, Gujarat since 2018. She holds an impressive academiSahityaround, with degrees in Bachelors, Masters, Masters in Philosophy, and a Doctorate in English Literature, as well as a Diploma in Naturopathy and Yogic Science. Prof. Upadhyay is a skilled Indian Classical Dancer and choreographer. With over two decades of experience in the Higher Education Sector, Prof. Upadhyay has contributed her expertise to various committees constituted by MHRD/Ministry of Education, UGC, AIU, NAAC, NIOS, State Education Department, Gujarat Sahitya Akademi, and numerous state and central universities across India.

Rupa Vasudevan

Dr. Rupa Vasudevan is a distinguished educationist and the Founder and Chancellor of the Bharatiya Engineering Science and Technology Innovation University (BESTIU), a state private university in Andhra Pradesh. She also serves as the Co-Founder and Global President of the World Forum for Education, an independent non-profit organization committed to advancing sustainable development,fostering cultural reconnection, and building a knowledge ecosystem that drives initiatives to co-create global impact . An influential voice in education policy and sustainability, Dr. Rupa has represented India at numerous national and international conferences and forums. She is a Governing Body Member of the INSA Women’s Association (IWA) under the Indian National Science Academy and serves as an Academic Nominee on the Karnataka State Higher Education Council (KSHEC).

Shaurya Doval

Shri Shaurya Doval is the Managing Director of Zeus Caps, where he leads the principal investment initiatives and deal originations in India. Mr. Doval is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds a joint MBA Degree from London Business School and University of Chicago.

Ashok Swarup

Shri Ashok Swarup is a seasoned business leader with over three decades of experience in corporate affairs, government relations, and market expansion across diverse industries. An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Columbia University’s Senior Executive Program, he has held prominent roles including Managing Director for Corporate Affairs & Business Development at Citi India, where he led government relations and business strategy initiatives. Previously, he served as Director of Corporate Affairs for PepsiCo India and was President of Seagram India, playing a pivotal role in establishing their operations in the country. Currently, he serves as India Chair and Non-Executive Director at Seamless (formerly Sannam S4), advising on international market entry strategies and helping global clients navigate India’s complex regulatory and business landscape.

PVSLN Murthy

Shri P.V.S.L.N. Murthy is the Chairman and Managing Director of the North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (NEDFi). A seasoned banker with nearly four decades of experience, he has served in key leadership roles across development and commercial banking. Prior to joining NEDFi, Shri Murthy was the Chief General Manager and Chief Strategy Officer at the State Bank of India (SBI), where he played a pivotal role in strategic planning, institutional growth, and innovation within India’s largest public sector bank. His career reflects deep expertise in areas such as credit, infrastructure financing, MSME support, and financial inclusion.