Keynotes
Managing Director of Godrej Industries & Chairman, Godrej Agrovet
Nadir Godrej is the Managing Director of Godrej Industries and Chairman, Godrej Agrovet. He is also a Director of numerous firms including Godrej & Boyce, Godrej Foods and Godrej Consumer Products. A veteran of Indian industry, Nadir has played an important role in developing the animal feed, agricultural input and chemicals businesses owned by Godrej. Currently, Nadir is the President of the Indo French Technical Association and the Alliance Francaise Mumbai. For his contribution to Indo-French relations, the French Government honored Mr.Godrej with the “Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite” and “The National Order of the Legion of Honour”.
Spiritual Leader and Founder of the Isha Foundation
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, is a prominent spiritual leader, a yogi and profound mystic who has quenched the thirst for spiritual transformation in millions of lives around the world. He is also a groundbreaking humanitarian and an environmental champion, pioneering projects to transform the lives of rural poor and inspiring over 2 million volunteers to participate in an ecological initiative that earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Named one of India’s 50 most influential people (2008-2010), he has addressed several global forums on issues as diverse as socio-economic development, leadership and spirituality.
Director, Caparo Group
Mr. Akash Paul is the Director of Caparo Group Limited and serves as a Non-Executive Independent director of Tech Mahindra Limited. He has been employed in various capacities managing businesses in the UK, Spain, USA and India. He is a member of Carnegie-Mellon University, College of Engineering Advisory Council; and a member of Harrow School Development Board. He holds an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.S in Chemical Engineering and Economics from Carnegie-Mellon University.
Keynote for VIP Dinner
Chief Economist, World Bank
Kaushik Basu is currently the Chief Economist of the World Bank. Previously, he was the C. Marks Professor of International Studies and Professor of Economics, and prior to that the Chairman of the Department of Economics and Director, Center for Analytic Economics at Cornell University. He previously served as the Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India.
He has also been Professor of Economics at the Delhi School of Economics, where in 1992 he founded the Centre for Development Economics in Delhi was its first Executive Director. He is also a founding member of the Madras School of Economics. He is currently (the fourth) President of the Human Development and Capabilities Association, which was founded by Amartya Sen. He has held advisory posts with the ILO, the World Bank, the Reserve Bank of India and was, for several years, member of the steering committee of the Expert Group of Development Issues set up by the Swedish Government. In May 2008 he was awarded one of India’s highest civilian awards, the Padma Bhushan, by the President of India.
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