An interview with Himadri Gangwar, Chief Risk Officer, DSP Pension Fund
Dr. John Hoffmire: It’s a pleasure to reconnect with you, Himadri. You have over a decade of experience in risk management and consulting, can you share how your journey in this field began and what motivated you to specialize in enterprise risk management? Himadri Gangwar: Thank you for this opportunity, John. My journey in risk management began during my tenure at Deloitte, where [...]
An interview with Apoorva Bapna, Chief Culture Officer at WPP India
Dr. John Hoffmire: It’s a delight to have the chance to reconnect with you, Apoorva. My lasting impression of you when you were a Chevening fellow at Oxford was that you were a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Your work at WPP India has garnered significant recognition, especially in the realms I’ve just mentioned. What drives your passion for these initiatives? [...]
An interview with Shantanu Gupta, Indian author, political analyst and founder of The Ramayana School
John Hoffmire: Shantanu, you started your career in the corporate world with prestigious organizations like Wipro, Mercedes-Benz, and Intergraph. What inspired you to leave this comfortable path and transition into the social sector and political analysis? Shantanu Gupta: While my corporate career was rewarding, I always felt a deeper calling to contribute to society in a more impactful way. The turning point [...]
An Interview with Prachi Garg, Market Access, Policy, and Communications Lead at Organon
Dr John Hoffmire: Prachi, it’s a pleasure to be back in touch and learn more about your work. You are the External Affairs & Communications Lead at Organon, a global healthcare company focused on improving the health of women. Tell me more about your role at Organon and how it aligns with your long standing mission to improve women’s health? Prachi Garg: [...]
An interview with Swagat Bhandari, Officer on Special Duty, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
Dr. John Hoffmire: Hello Swagat. I’m delighted to have a chance to reconnect and learn more about what you are currently working on. You have had an interesting career that spans diverse and challenging roles, from District Collector of Kasaragod to Managing Director of Kerala Water Authority. I want to ask you what drives you to take on such varied challenges? Swagat [...]
An Interview with Samina Bano, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of RightWalk Foundation
Dr. John Hoffmire: Hello Samina. It’s good to be back in touch and I’m honored to get to ask you some questions about your work. I’ll start as I usually do by asking what inspired you to leave a successful career in management consulting and dedicate yourself to social change in education? Samina Bano: Thank you, John. You probably remember this, but [...]
An interview with Ravi Gadepalli, Consultant to The World Bank and Principal Consultant for Transit Intelligence LLP
Dr. John Hoffmire: Ravi, you’ve been actively involved in public transport and electric mobility reforms in India for over a decade now and you started working across South Asia in recent years. What inspired you to focus on this sector, particularly in a country as complex as India? Ravi Gadepalli: Hello John. My journey into urban mobility started during my time at [...]
An interview with Nrupal Das, Director, Product Management at Paysafe, a fintech company headquartered at London
Dr. John Hoffmire: Nrupal, it’s a delight to be back in touch with you. I want to start by talking about your work at Paysafe, which involves leading payment solutions for North and South America, along with anti-fraud initiatives. Could you tell us about the challenges you face in this space and how you navigate them? Nrupal Das: Certainly. The payments ecosystem is [...]
An Interview with Chalinda Abeykoon, Managing Partner at nVentures PTE LTD
Dr. John Hoffmire: Hello Chalinda! I’m excited to have this opportunity to chat with you and catch-up. I’m first going to site some impressive numbers. You have been working with startups for over 15 years now, mentoring over 3,000 entrepreneurs and have helped launch over 50 startups across South and Southeast Asia. You also played a pivotal role in launching the first [...]
An interview with Shashanka Rayadurga Huliraj, Manager at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (HAL)
Dr. John Hoffmire: Shashanka, I love talking with aerospace engineers. You are all so practical. It’s a pleasure to reconnect even though it’s only been a season since you were in Oxford. You have an impressive background in aerospace and digital transformation. Can you start by sharing what inspired you to pursue a career in this field? Shashanka Rayadurga Huliraj: Thank you [...]
An Interview with Jitesh Choudhary, Director/Center Head at the Center for Development of Advanced Computing in Silchar, Assam, India
Dr. John Hoffmire: In preparing for this interview, I reviewed your impressive CV. You have the resume and skill set that is very much in demand right now: years of technical expertise, AI training, as well as product management experience. When you started out as an Electronics engineer, did you have any idea of the trajectory your career would take – that [...]
An Interview with Dr. Kamal Gulati, Senior Scientist at All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS)
John Hoffmire: We share something in common, you and I. We both wrote doctoral dissertations on topics we feel passionate about and then centered our careers around that topic and passion. For you, the focus has been medical leadership development in a low- and middle-income country, i.e. India. I’d love to know how your interest in medicine, hospital administration and medical leadership [...]
