Management, Entrepreneur & Thought Leadership Awards Judging Committee
Chair:
Shruthi Boosey Arora, Managing Partner
Jana Consultants WalkAhead Sports and JUS General Trading LLC., Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Shruthi Boosey, a Major in HRM from PWU, Hawaii, is a distinguished Airline and General Sales Agent (GSA) CEO with an illustrious career spanning over 25 years in the aviation industry. Her expertise encompasses collaborations with globally acclaimed airlines, including Delta, Swiss International, Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, and Sabena, SIA Cargo, SwissCargo and Polarair Cargo, facilitated through her association with GSA Aviation Travels. In addition to her notable achievements in the aviation sector, Shruthi is a seasoned entrepreneur with over a decade of experience across diverse business domains.
As the Managing Partner of Jana Consultants, she specializes in Ultrasonics and Renewable Energy solutions. She is also the driving force behind JUS General Trading, focusing on recycling initiatives, footwear, and apparel. As the Executive Director of Truth Eventz, based in Dubai, UAE, she orchestrates events, Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) with unparalleled finesse and expertise. A true Global Citizen, she is an active member of SheTrades and the GLG Council. Her commitment to excellence and industry leadership is further evidenced by her role as a judge at various prestigious awards ceremonies. She serves on the Advisory Board and Steering Committee for the Gulf Sustainable Awards organized by Awards International, where her insights and expertise contribute to recognizing sustainable business practices in the region.
Additionally, Shruthi has been a featured speaker at the Khaleej Times CX Evolve event, sharing her knowledge and perspectives on customer experience and business innovation. Her judging roles extend to the Stevie Awards in both the USA and MENA regions, further cementing her reputation as a discerning industry expert. Beyond her professional commitments, Shruthi is actively involved in the educational sector as a member of the Board of Governors at Al Diyafah High School in Dubai. As a proud mother of a 15-year-old secondary school student who is also a model, she was featured on the "Portrait of Business Women - Top 51 Successful Entrepreneurs." Shruthi embodies the essence of a well-balanced individual. She is a firm believer in pursuing endeavors that resonate with her soul, reflecting her holistic approach to life and career. As a dedicated leader, entrepreneur, and global citizen, Shruthi continues to make significant contributions to her industry and community alike, inspiring others to strive for success and fulfillment in their respective endeavors.
Committee:
Mahmud Adeleye, Chief Technology Officer
Interactif.ai, Aurora, Colorado, United States
Mahmud is an entrepreneur with extensive experience architecting AI software applications.
Deepa Ajish, Vice President
MUFG Bank, Ltd., New York City, New York, United States
Deepa Ajish is a results-oriented technology leader in the banking industry with over 20 years of comprehensive experience in transformation and automation using cutting-edge technology solutions.
Dr. Tirupathi Anand, Deputy Director
SP Jain School of Global Management, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Anand has nine years of experience as an Industrial Engineer in the Consumer-Packaged Goods (CPG) manufacturing, retail, and e-commerce industries. He also has expertise in the field of Supply Chain Operations and Management. He has been employed as Supply Chain Manager at Amazon.com and has served vital roles for renowned multinational organizations.
Srikanth Aravamuthan, Vice President
Exafluence, Chatham, New Jersey, United States
Srikanth leads the Health Care business at Exafluence and is also a founder partner of Ciber Digita Consultants Inc., a cybersecurity organization. He advises and helps start-ups scale and grow. He has more than 25 years of experience across domains such as consulting, technology, and telecom.
Goldie Chan, Founder
Warm Robots, LLC, Los Angeles, California, United States
Amrita Choudhary, Senior Accountant
Wasabi Technologies, Lake Stevens, Washington, United States
Amrita’s role at Wasabi Technologies demonstrates her expertise in lease contract reviews, audit preparations, and fixed asset management, significantly enhancing financial accuracy and compliance with ASC 842. She also founded Narratives of Numbers, a non-profit organization dedicated to enlightening the world about the impact of accounting and finance professionals.
Vikas Choudhry, Senior Director
Target, Austin, Texas, United States
Vikas Choudhry has been Senior Director of Engineering at Target since 2020. He has over 15 years of expertise in technology management and software development. With a distinguished career spanning leading roles at Target and Walmart, Vikas drives innovation, spearheads transformative projects, and cultivates excellence in engineering teams.
Siddharth Damle, Senior Manager
Deloitte and Touche LLP, Morganville, New Jersey, United States
Sid is a highly experienced risk management professional, with over 12 years of experience. He advises FSI & BigTech clients on setting up risk management processes, governance programs and regulatory reporting. He holds a Ph.D. in Risk Management and is an expert in AI/GenAI risk management and governance.
Subroto Das, Member IAC
Global Capital Service Group, New York City, New York, United States
Subroto has decades of experience in the financial sector. He has worked for the private sector, government agencies, and multinational corporations. He is a Columbia University MPA and a Delhi University MBA. As a member of the International Advisory Council of GCAPS he assists clients in exploring new markets in the I2U2 region.
Akash Ghavalkar, Co-Founder & COO
Milvia Medical, San Francisco, California, United States
Akash is an engineer and entrepreneur. He has worked across various sectors such as food & drink, social impact, and healthcare. Akash has a focus on operations and has helped startups scale from 1 to 15 employees. He has worked with teams across various continents to bring award-winning products to life.
Raghunandan Gurumurthy, Director of Operations
Crossover Solutions USA Inc, Livonia, Michigan, United States
Raghu is currently the Director of Operations at Crossover Solutions USA Inc. Crossover is a global advisory firm with a focus on manufacturing operations. Raghu has deep experience in industrial engineering, manufacturing operations, and operational turnarounds. He holds degrees in Chemical and Industrial Engineering.
Ken Hodgkins, CFO
Metro Testing & Engineering, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Ken is the Chief Financial Officer for Metro Testing & Engineering, with over 20 years of experience in corporate finance and operations, having spent time as a finance executive in the Architects, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) space. Ken holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Odette School of Business in Windsor, Ontario.
Shelley Hymes, Founder and CEO
Angel Enterprises, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Shelley Hymes is the Founder and CEO of Angel Enterprises, an innovative, woman-owned public relations firm that provides top-level strategic counsel and high-impact custom outreach approaches to clients, including high-profile associations, major corporations, and world-renowned cultural organizations. She oversees winning campaigns ranging from intimate gatherings to high profile, national endeavors.
Aziz Jafri, Trade Marketing Manager
Reckitt Parsippany, New Jersey, United States
Aziz Jafri is a FMCG Sales Professional with 11+ years of experience in various leadership and sales roles. Aziz has worked across multiple organizations, such as Reckitt, AkzoNobel, Nokia, Packages, and SC Johnson (JV Partner-Packages), spanning across Pakistan, the USA, and the UK. Aziz holds an MBA from LUMS, Pakistan.
Leena Jayachaandran, CEO & Founder
TRANSDEFY FAC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Leenna is CEO and Founder of TRANSDEFY, a Sales Performance Improvement organization. She is a Sales Architect with over 25 years of global experience, developing strategies for profitable growth, leading teams, and enhancing customer service processes. Her expertise in sales leadership, mentoring, and strategic planning has driven significant ROI, benefiting Fortune 500 companies.
Kamala Manju Kesavan, Director Engineering
VISA, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Kamala is a visionary technical leader with two decades of experience in enterprise software implementation. Her extensive knowledge spans technology solution strategy, software development, quality engineering, test automation, and DevOps. Kamala's distinctive ability lies in harmonizing business strategy and technology, all while cultivating an environment of innovation and ongoing enhancement.
Tilak Kesavapillai, Director Engineering
Zebra Technologies, Plainview, New York, United States
Tilak has been Head of Engineering with expertise in leading Large Global Engineering teams with expertise ranging from Embedded products to Cloud solutions delivering multimillion-dollar revenue generating products. He has over 30 years of experience in the retail industry, Telecommunication, Embedded and Application Product development for Lucent, Motorola, Nokia, and Zebra technologies.
Mamata Fakirrao Khirade, Healthcare Consultant
Citiustech, Client - UCB, Smyrna, Georgia, United States
Mamata is a product leader with expertise in bioinformatics and data science and experience in the life science and healthcare domains. She has expertise in microarray and Next Generation Sequence (NGS) data analysis in cancer genomics. She has worked on research projects, and her scientific work has been published in high-impact journals.
Tracy Lloyd, Director Procurement
Shell Energy, Houston, Texas, United States
Tracy has worked in Supply Chain for over 20 years, currently serving as Director of Procurement for Strategic equipment with Savion, a Shell Portfolio Company. This current role puts her at the forefront of the energy transition for Shell developing and implementing strategy in the Onshore Power business.
Dhanabal Mani, Director, Relay Software Development
Megger, Dallas, Texas, United States
Dhanabal has over 20 years of global expertise in business development, proactive application support, and software development, with a strong focus on electrical engineering projects ranging from 11kV to 400kV, including IEC61850 substations. As Director of Relay Software Development at Megger Group, he leads product development and customer support initiatives.
Ramzy Merrach, Head of Innovation & Product Architect
City Global, Los Angeles, California, United States
Ramzy Merrach, born in France, has established himself as a dynamic and accomplished leader in the supply chain industry. With an impressive educational background, Ramzy graduated from UC Berkeley, where he earned a Master's degree in Management. This educational foundation equipped him with a solid understanding of business principles and strategic management.
Andrea Vassallo Meyer, Consultant
Freelance, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Andrea Meyer has worked on communications on the agency and client sides of the business, combining CSR, PR, internal communications, and social media. Andrea has worked on many stellar brands, including Allstate, Cartier, Lucasfilm, Sony, Toyota, and Verizon. She graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Sociology.
Bishan Nandy, Director, Hospital Administration
University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Bishan is a healthcare executive with 15+ years of experience in healthcare strategy, planning, and management. He is also a Board Member and part of the senior leadership team at various healthcare and education-related non-profit organizations. He holds a Bachelor's in Engineering from Jadavpur University and an MBA from Purdue University.
Abdul-Hakeem Omotayo, Chief Executive Officer
Interactif AI, Sacramento, California, United States
Abdul-Hakeem is a distinguished figure in the field of artificial intelligence and applied mathematics. He brings a wealth of experience from his tenure as an AI Research Software Development Engineer at Microsoft, where he contributed significantly to pioneering AI projects. He also leads AI research at Ro'Ya, a grassroots computer vision research community for people of Black descent.
Satish Padmanabhan, VP, FM Data Quality
Standard Chartered Bank, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Satish is a seasoned product development and delivery leader with over 22 years of experience in the banking and financial services domain, currently working as the Financial Markets Head of Metadata and Data Quality Delivery, focused on developing Technology and Operational capabilities to support Regulatory compliance and Data Architecture.
Sunilkumar Patel, Associate Director
Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States
Sunilkumar Patel has over 14 years of experience in respiratory medicine development, combining scientific expertise with leadership skills. Holding an MS in Biotechnology and an MBA in Leadership, he adeptly manages a team of scientists and is esteemed globally for his judgment, notably as a judge for top international awards.
Abhishek Patro, Director-Franchising
Firehouse Subs, Miami, Florida, United States
Abhishek leads franchising for Firehouse Subs in the US as part of Restaurant Brands International. He previously led franchise recruitment for Popeyes in North America and field operations for Burger King Asia-Pacific, covering 2,500+ restaurants across 25 countries based in Singapore. He holds Masters degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University and INSEAD.
Ceallaigh Pender, Founder/CEO
Salvation Wellness, Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Ceallaigh Pender is a serial entrepreneur in the field of wellness. She has founded three businesses and has been in the industry for over 20 years. She sits on several boards in wellness and the arts and is the director of a massage program at Essex County College in NJ.
Atul Punj, CEO
IBS FINtech, Bridgewater, New Jersey, United States
With over 30 years of experience in the IT industry, Atul is passionate about delivering innovative solutions that empower businesses to achieve their goals. As the CEO of IBSFINtech USA, he leads the expansion of its corporate finance platform, the TMS, into the US market, a strategic move to revolutionize global treasury operations.
Ritesh Ranjan, Business Director
Capital One, Sterling, Virginia, United States
Ritesh is a business director at Capital One and leads deals between Capital One and other large US companies. He has over 15 years of experience in the financial services industries across credit card, mortgage, and personal loan products. He has made key decisions in credit, analytics, technology, and product functions.
Hariharan Ravichandran, Director, Strategy
Applied Materials, Gainesville, Virginia, United States
Hari has been Business Strategy and Operations Director of Applied Global Services for Applied Materials since September 2019. Hari is a strategy and operations leader with 14 years of experience as a consultant and executive. She has significant experience in leading strategy, performance, and productivity and a profound understanding of semiconductors and technology.
Kelly Roark, Co-Founder
StrateSpheric, New York City, New York, United States
Kelly is an entrepreneurial growth leader who’s commercialized emerging tech and products for brands like HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel and Trulia. She employs thought leadership to build market familiarity with new innovations, launching a strategic advisory to help startups with GTM and reimagining how people connect and do business.
Noah Rowles, Managing Member
Rowles Holdings LLC, Pasadena, California, United States
Noah Rowles is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and business operator with multiple successful exits across a variety of industries over his 30+ year career. A self-taught software engineer who has developed products used by tens of millions worldwide, Mr. Rowles also holds over ten key patents as sole or chief inventor.
Mostofa Shakib, Founder & CEO
ViralVisionAI, Los Angeles, California, United States
Mostofa Shakib started his first company (KurT’s Steam Store) at the age of 17. He has more than 10 years of experience in building companies and Software Development. He is a graduate with a dual bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University.
Aditi Shankar, Partner
Boston Consulting Group, New York City, New York, United States
Aditi is a Partner in BCG's Financial Services sector, focusing on payments and banking. Aditi has extensive experience advising banks and payment providers on their core payment growth strategy. She brings deep knowledge and has hands-on experience collaborating with cross-functional teams (e.g., product, technology, operations, and sales) to design and build digital capabilities.
Anand Sharma, Supply Chain Manager
Amazon Data Services Inc., Herndon, Virginia, United States
Anand has nine years of experience as an Industrial Engineer in the Consumer-Packaged Goods (CPG) manufacturing, retail, and e-commerce industries. He has expertise in the field of Supply Chain Operations and Management and has been employed at Amazon.com since July 2022. Anand served vital roles for renowned multinational organizations managing global business units.