Vice Chancellor, Somaiya Vidyavihar University
Professor Ajay Kapoor is a globally recognised academic leader and researcher with a career spanning India, the UK, and Australia. An IIT-BHU alumnus with a PhD from Cambridge, he has dedicated his life to higher education, research, and leadership.
Author of 325+ papers, three books, and several patents, he ranks in the top 2% of scientists worldwide (Stanford–Elsevier) and in the top 0.21% globally (AD Scientific Index). His award-winning research is internationally recognised, and he serves on the editorial board of the IMechE Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit.
Professor Kapoor has held senior leadership roles as Vice Chancellor of Chinmaya Vishwa Vidyapeeth, Pro Vice Chancellor at Swinburne University (Australia), and senior positions at Newcastle, Sheffield, and Leicester in the UK. He has also chaired the ASME UK & Ireland Chapter, served on the VCAMM Board in Australia, and was a member of Swinburne’s University Council.
Passionate about the transformative power of education, he continues to shape institutions and inspire future generations.
Registrar
Prof. Nandkumar Gilke is an accomplished Academician & Administrator with over 33 years of Teaching experience and several years of Industry experience. He is the Professor in Department of Mechanical Engineering, K J Somaiya School of Engineering for the past 33 years. He served as an ex-member of the Management Council, Academic Council, and the Faculty of Technology of the University of Mumbai.
His Academic journey is marked by the significant contribution to Research, evidence by his numerous publications in International & National journals, as well as his active participation in Conferences. Prof. Nandkumar Gilke holds multiple Patents including innovative solutions for contribution Material & Agricultural processing equipment. Prof. Nandkumar Gilke has been serving as the Registrar of Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Mumbai since November 2019.
Trustee of K J Somaiya Trust and K J Somaiya Medical Trust and Team Leader for the Help a Child project
Amrita Somaiya graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from Simmons College, Boston USA. Amrita is a Trustee for Somaiya Trust and Somaiya Vidyavihar & Somaiya Medical Trust. She is the Chairperson of the Help A Child to Study Project, which provides scholarships to motivated students from financially challenging backgrounds. She is the Director of Kitab Khana, a boutique bookshop in fort, Mumbai. Amrita is actively involved as the Managing trustee of The Somaiya School. She loves to read, cook, travel and knit.
Director, Dean, Professor of Practice, and Chair of Management Development Programs at the K J Somaiya Institute of Management.
Raman Ramachandran Ph.D is the Director, Dean, Professor of Practice, and Chair of Management Development Programs at the K J Somaiya Institute of Management. With nearly three decades of experience at BASF India Ltd and PI Industries Ltd, he has held many positions of responsibility and led the strategic evolution of BASF as a leader in the agricultural products business in the Asia Pacific region.
He has global experience and has worked with international organizations in Kenya, the Philippines, and at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA and with BASF in Singapore with Asia Pacific business responsibilities. Raman has a Ph.D from University of Adelaide, Australia and was Robert S. McNamara Fellow of Economic Development Institute, World Bank in 1990. Raman is also a non-executive Chairman on the board of Calibre Chemical Pvt Ltd and an Independent Director of Proklean Technologies.
He is the recipient of the "LifeTime Achievement" Award of FICCI's Chemical and Petrochemical sector for his contribution to the Agrochemical Industry. He is passionate about management education and helping practicing managers to be successful by combining his years of corporate experience with academic experts at K J Somaiya Institute of Management.
Group Chief Economist of Larsen and Toubro Limited, Mumbai
Dr. Sachchidanand Shukla is the Group Chief Economist of Larsen and Toubro Limited, Mumbai. He has around 25 years of experience spanning corporate sector, financial services, and capital markets. Prior to joining Larsen and Toubro Limited, Mumbai, he was the Chief Economist of the Mahindra Group, and was also associated with Axis Capital (earlier known as ENAM) as chief economist. His key areas of research have been financial markets, strategy, development policy, programme implementation and impact evaluation.
He has a Ph.D. in financial economics from Birla Institute of Technology and post graduate qualifications in business management (finance) as well as in economics from the University of Mumbai and has been a recipient of K J Somaiya Gold Medal. He has been a part of NITI Aayog’s panel of Economists and was a part of a Planning Commission/ World Bank study - Maharashtra Development Report - as an `External Expert’.
Dr. Shukla is currently chairperson of the Economics Committee of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce, and Industry (BCCI) and is also co-chairman of the national Economics committee of FICCI. He is also associated with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) & ASSOCHAM. He is keenly connected with the academia and has authored a book (on macro-economics for BMS course in the University of Mumbai) besides publishing several research papers. He contributes regularly to business publications and writes in the Economic Times, Mint, The Financial Express, The Hindu Business line and Moneycontrol etc.
Chairman and Managing Director of Firmenich in India
Satish Rao is the Chairman and Managing Director of Firmenich in India, a Fragrance and Taste company headquartered in Switzerland. With over 30 years of experience in sales, marketing, and general management across multinational companies, he has led over 1000 employees in India, taking Firmenich to a leadership position in the Indian market.
Satish is a Harvard-trained business leader who holds a master's degree in Science and an MBA in Marketing from Mumbai University. He is also a philanthropist, Founder President of his school's alumni association, and National President of the Swiss Indian Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, Satish is an avid golfer and Author of a best-selling book on leadership virtues titled 'CAN I FLY'.
Dean, Faculty of Engineering & Technology and Director, K. J. Somaiya School of Engineering, Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Mumbai.
Dr. S. K. Ukarande is the Director, K. J. Somaiya School of Engineering, Mumbai and the Dean, Faculty of Engineering & Technology at Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Mumbai. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from College of Engineering, Pune, and a Master’s and Ph.D. from IIT Bombay. In his 39 years of exceptional career, he has extensively contributed at various higher technical education leadership positions.
He has served as the Principal of reputed engineering colleges affiliated to the University of Mumbai and Pune University for more than 26 years. He has been the Former Dean, Faculty of Technology as well as Former Dean, Faculty of Science & Technology at University of Mumbai. With 04 books to his credit, he has published more than 50 Papers in National and International Journals / Conferences Proceedings. He has guided 24 PG Dissertations and 08 Ph.D. candidates.
Dr. Ukarande has delegated several responsibilities in various Statutory Bodies of University of Mumbai, such as, the Member - Senate, Management Council, Academic Council, Board of Deans, Board of Examinations. In his various leadership roles, Dr. Ukarande has been instrumental in implementing several educational reforms, including outcome-based education curriculums, establishment of 50+ research centres, online examinations during pandemic, etc. He also contributes to academics / administration of other universities and organizations.
Under his able leadership, the institutes have attained autonomy, accreditation by NAAC and NBA, ISO certification, top ratings from MoE’s Innovation Cell (MIC), platinum categorization in AICTE-CII Survey, and notably high rankings, especially in NIRF - India Rankings. He has led numerous initiatives aimed at enhancing academics, encouraging R&D, and building institutional capacity, resulting in several awards and recognitions for the institute.
He was the guiding force and leadership for development of the satellite ‘Somaiya BeliefSat-0’ by the team at K J Somaiya Institute of Technology, which was successfully launched by ISRO in 2024, a landmark achievement for any engineering institute in India.
Dr. Ukarande is honoured with Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan National Award for Best Engineering College Principal (2018-19) by the Indian Society for Technical Education, Best Principal of the Year Award (2018-19) by the Computer Society of India - Mumbai Chapter, Best Engineering College Principal Award (2016-17) by ISTE - Maharashtra and Goa Section, Most Inspiring Leader in Engineering Education (2023) by Higher Education Digest, etc. for his enormous contributions in the field of education.
Community Architect, riidl, Somaiya Vidyavihar
Senior Managing Director, JLL India Ltd.
Lata leads JLL’s centralised Capital Markets team in India. Her roles involves supporting growth in cross-regional capital flows and overseeing the asset management and strategic advisory business lines, including investment sales, advisory and financing business. Lata has oversight of all business operations and go-to-market strategies in the capital markets domain.
Lata is a member of JLL’s India Leadership Council. With 30 years of experience in banking and real estate, paired with a strong business network, she provides strategic direction to the business, focuses on delivering diversified offering to clients, strengthening client relationships, and ensures excellence in providing solutions, thereby addressing needs across range of asset classes and geographies.
In the current times, when institutional investors are looking to increase their capital allocations to real estate, Lata’s local market intelligence along with global investor knowledge helps deliver best-in-class solutions to our clients and unlocks opportunities for foreign investors along with India owners, fund-houses, and developers.
Prior to joining JLL, Lata has worked at ICICI Bank, Deutsche Bank, Edelweiss Financial Services and Yes Bank at senior leadership positions. At ICICI, she was instrumental in building their real estate finance desk, which went on to being recognised as one of the largest players in this sector. In ICICI and Edelweiss, she closely managed distressed asset transactions. At Deutsche Bank, she was heading their Commercial Real Estate group and in the last 2 years, Lata was with Yes Bank, where she oversaw the alternate asset classes, including education, healthcare, and hospitality.
Associate Professor and Assistant Director, Maya Somaiya School of Music & Performing Arts, Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Mumbai.
Assistant Professor, Life Sciences and Assistant Director, Somaiya Institute of Research & Consultancy, Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Mumbai.
Dr. Parvathi J R is an Assistant Professor and Assistant Director at the Somaiya Institute for Research and Consultancy, with nearly two decades of experience in teaching, research, and academic administration. In her administrative role, she also serves as the Co-Director for the Centre for Sustainable Climate Action, Development and Engagement (CASCADE) and as the Executive Coordinator - Special projects under the Chancellor, Somaiya Vidyavihar University.
Her work focuses on nucleating interdisciplinary research–outreach teams, developing community-linked programmatic areas, strengthening science communication, and advancing institutional collaborations in the sustainability space. She plays a central role in integrating Somaiya’s diverse off-campus centres, enabling and implementing ecosystem-wide sustainability initiatives through field studies, community interventions, dialogues, and creative communication efforts.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and a Master’s and Ph.D. in Biotechnology. Her research interests include microbial diversity studies and innovations in science pedagogy and communication. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and holds patents and copyrights.
A committed bioscientoonist, she develops multilingual science illustrations, scientoons, and concept sketches, and actively builds a network of creative educators and science communicators.
Assistant Professor & Assistant Director, Dr. Shantilal K. Somaiya School of Commerce and Business Studies, Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Mumbai.
Muskkan Kukreja is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years of professional experience, including 14 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers, a leading Big Four consulting firm. During her stint at PwC, she worked with venture capital, private equity, mutual fund and NBFC clients, among others. She has assisted in structuring the investment and divestment strategies of PEVCs in Indian companies from an income-tax and regulatory perspective.
She is currently the Assistant Director at Dr. Shantilal K. Somaiya School of Commerce and Business Studies, Somaiya Vidyavihar University and is also the Program Coordinator for the Accounting and Finance programs. She specialises in teaching subjects such as direct and indirect tax, international taxation, corporate finance, corporate restructuring and data management using spreadsheets among others.
Muskkan is passionate about bridging the gap between industry and academia and ensuring that learning is both engaging and practical for students. She founded the Kaizen Club at her institute to provide students with industry insights by organizing interactive sessions with industry professionals and experts on career opportunities, skill development, and industry trends. She is passionate about teaching, engaging with students, sparking curiosity, and equipping them with industry-relevant knowledge.
Muskkan Kukreja is an Associate member at Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). She also serves as a BalVikas Guru, conducting free value-based classes for children as a contribution towards community development.
