BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Mr. ROMESH SOBTI President
Mr Sobti is a career banker with over 46 years of work experience in all three sectors of banking in India – Public, MNCs such as Grindlays Bank plc, ABN AMRO Bank, N.V. Holland and Private viz. IndusInd Bank Ltd. He was the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of two Banks for 24 years. While always based in India, Mr Sobti’s geographical area of responsibilities in the Dutch Bank ABN AMRO extended to retail businesses in UAE, Singapore, Pakistan and Indonesia. Mr Sobti was adjudged the Banker of the Year for several years during his tenure as CEO of IndusInd Bank and was also conferred with “The Lifetime Achievement Award for 2017-18”. He is currently based in Dehradun.
Mr. N. RAVI SHANKER Vice President
Mr. N. Ravi Shanker is the Chancellor of DIT University since Oct 2018. He was a Member of the Indian Administrative Service from 1980 to 2015. He served in the Government of UP; Government of Uttarakhand and the Government of India. He retired from the position of Chief Secretary to the Government of Uttarakhand in 2015.
Mrs. USHA RAJEEV Member
Mrs. Usha Rajeev is a Fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and Graduate of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India. She graduated with B. Com (Hons) from SRCC, University of Delhi. Ms. Rajeev joined Price Waterhouse in 1989 and became a Partner in 1999. In her career spanning nearly 30 years, she has worked with Price Waterhouse, Chartered Accountants in various roles, the last one being the 'Risk & Quality Leader, India' for the India network member firms, till she took an early retirement in May 2018. Post retirement, she was engaged in regulatory related advisory services until April 2019. Mrs. Rajeev has also served as the Telecom Sector Leader, India.
Mr. SHYAM SARAN Member
Mr. Shyam Saran is a career diplomat who joined the Indian Foreign Service and served in several capitals of the world including Beijing, Tokyo and Geneva. He has been India’s Ambassador to Myanmar, Indonesia and Nepal and High Commissioner to Mauritius. After a career spanning 34 years in the Indian Foreign Service, Mr. Saran was appointed India’s Foreign Secretary in 2004 and held that position till his retirement from service in September 2006. Subsequent to his retirement, he was appointed Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Indo-US civil nuclear issues and later as Special Envoy and Chief Negotiator on Climate Change. Mr. Saran is a prolific writer and speaker and has authored several books. On January 26, 2011, Mr. Saran was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the President of India for his outstanding contributions to Civil Service.
Mrs. MEETA SENGUPTAMember
Mrs. Meeta Sengupta works at the cusp of policy and practice across the education and skills spectrum and enjoys sharing her gleanings via her writing for a wider audience. She has been an investment banker, a researcher, an editor, a teacher and school leader across continents. A keen observer of how economics, foreign policy and investments affect the policy and thence practice of education, she works with leaders to design interventions that improve the quality and process of education. Designing education processes to realise the potential of individual students is at the centre of her education philosophy. Mrs. Sengupta is a Fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts et al, entitled to use the letters FRSA after her name.
Mr. JAYANT KRISHNAMember
Mr. Jayant Krishna led key initiatives of the Prime Minister’s Skill India mission as CEO, Executive Director & COO of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). He became the first Indian to be appointed Group CEO of the UK India Business Council (UKIBC). As Founding CEO of the Foundation for Advancing Science and Technology (FAST India), he set up the organisation from the scratch. His career spans over three decades across industry, government, think tanks, and nonprofits. Most of his 22 years in the Tata group were in global leadership roles at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). As Executive Director (Public Policy), he headed research and policy at the Silicon Valley nonprofit WF. He is a Senior Fellow in US-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, and serves on various Boards. Mr. Krishna is also a reputed coach and mentor for organizations requiring a breakthrough in their performance. He is a Fellow of the Computer Society of India and the All India Management Association. He studied at the University of Leeds as a British Chevening Scholar, taught at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, and received an Honorary Doctorate and the APJ Abdul Kalam Award for Innovation in Governance. He has published many OpEds and is a frequent panellist on TV channels.
Mrs. VASVI BHARAT RAMMember
Mrs. Vasvi Bharat Ram is the Joint Vice Chairperson of The Shri Ram Schools and a member of the governing body of Lady Shri Ram College, one of the first and most prestigious women’s college of India. She is also on the Boards of the SRF Foundation, Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) India and SAVE the Children India, all of which work towards providing a better quality of life to the under privileged of our country. She is a member of various Education Forums including the FICCI Arise School Education Committee and the Forum of Progressive Schools. Vasvi was the National President of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) 2017-18, the women’s wing of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
MS. RASHMANI SINGH PURIMember
Ms. Rashmani Puri Singh is an alumna of Welham Girls' School, with a deep-seated passion for advancing universal education. Over the years, she has cultivated valuable connections with prestigious educational institutions in India, to benefit the underprivileged. Since her graduation from Welham Girls’ School, Ms. Singh has remained an ardent and engaged member of the Alumnae Association. She played a pivotal role as part of a select team that initiated the tradition of fundraising among the school’s alumnae, leaving a lasting mark on the association's philanthropic endeavours. Ms Singh helped set up Vahani foundation along with the Chairperson and was involved in overseeing its legal, regulatory, financial and accounting aspects. She has been the Managing Director of the Vahani Scholarship since 2015.
MS. ANJALI SAPRAMember
Ms Anjali Sapra is an accomplished artist and a former student of Welham Girls' School. Following her formal education, she embarked on a successful career as a professional artist, with her work featuring in Solo and Group Art Shows and Commissions on national and international platforms. Ms. Sapra served as the President of the Welham Girls' Alumni Association (WGAA) from 2015 to 2018. Her tenure brought transformative changes to the WGAA, including the attainment of FCRA certification for overseas contributions, streamlining registration processes for alumni as well as sale of Welham memorabilia, initiation of the "One for One" Program under WeCare in partnership with the NGO Aasraa and targeted fundraising campaigns.
Ms SHAILA BRIJNATHMember
Ms Shaila Brijnath is a social activist and Founder & Chair at Aasraa Trust in Dehradun. She gave up a career in investment banking abroad and returned to India to follow her childhood dream of working with children from the economically weaker sections of society. Her passion for education led her to acquire a degree in Education and found Aasraa Trust with just 35 children under the Bindal Bridge in Dehradun. Today, the Aasraa Team educates over 9000 children spread over 65+ projects and working in partnership with the Education Department of Uttarakhand in Government Schools across the state.