An interview with Shailesh Pathak, Chief Executive Officer of L&T IDPL (Infrastructure Development Projects Ltd.)
John Hoffmire: I always like to start an interview by asking for a broad brushstroke picture of a career. Will you tell me about yours? Shailesh: A British friend described my career as poacher-turned-gamekeeper-turned-poacher. After my MBA in 1986 I worked in project finance and investment banking with ICICI for four years in Bombay, as it then was. After a brief stint with HSBC, [...]
An interview with Dr. Shalini Sharma, Founder and CEO, Sanshodhan An E-Waste Exchange, and founding Director of the Global Institute for Circular Economy and Sustainable Development Goals (ICE&SDGs)
John Hoffmire: You are the founder of Sanshodhan An E-Waste Exchange, an emerging company working for e-waste management and the development of zero waste businesses and organizations. You also founded Global Institute for Circular Economy and Sustainable Development Goals (ICE&SDGs), the NGO. Tell me how this came about? Shalini: It goes back to January 2017, when I was cleaning and reorganizing my home. I [...]
An interview with Dr. Nitin Shukla, Principal Scientist, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
John Hoffmire: You are a principal scientist at the National Chemical Laboratory in Pune, which is known for its excellence in scientific research in chemistry and chemical engineering. Tell me about the work you do there, if you will. Nitin: The saying, “Do what you’ll love, and you’ll never work another day in your life” definitely applies to me so I would [...]
An interview with Sreedevi Devireddy, Founding Chief Executive Officer, SR Innovation Exchange, the technology-business incubator of SR University, Warangal
John Hoffmire: In the three years since I met you as a fellow of the Chevening Research Science and Innovation Leadership Programme (CRISP) at Oxford University, you created and have steered SR Innovation Exchange (SRiX) to a level where you are receiving international recognition. Please tell me more about that. Sreedevi: I explain it this way: in the years before Oxford, while I had [...]
Empowering Women and Social Enterprise in India so Both Can Thrive During the Pandemic
In its 72 years of independence, India has shown its unprecedented prowess in building a modern, democratic nation. It has lifted millions out of poverty, is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and has increased its global influence by becoming a member of the G20 and the BRICS. More recently, it has played a central role in providing the [...]
An interview with Sachinder (Sachin) Mohan Sharma, Group General Manager at the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL)
John Hoffmire: I’ve been on trains in India but I still can’t fathom the scale of what you must manage as the Group General Manager at the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL). Tell me more about what you do. Sachin: The Government of India has entrusted DFCCIL with construction, maintenance and operation of the dedicated rail freight corridors across the country. [...]
An interview with Sushrut Vaidya, innovation leader with one of the largest technology companies in the world
John Hoffmire: One of the things that always impresses me when I sit down with a CRISP scholar is the interdisciplinary learning that each of you have engaged in. You are no exception. You’ve gone from a Bachelor of Engineering, to printing technology and graphic communication, technology management, Indology and Buddhist studies. Then on to consulting for Fortune 100 clients and working on [...]
An interview with Kamesh Gupta, Senior Vice President, Strategic Collaborations & Programs, Group Technology & Innovation Office (GTIO), Tata Sons Limited
John Hoffmire: Kamesh, you are a man who wears lots of hats. Tell me about your many responsibilities at Tata. Kamesh: As a Senior Vice President, Strategic Collaborations and Programs in the Group Technology and Innovation Office of Tata Sons, my job is to create and deliver strategic collaborations and new technology programs for global impact. So, in a way, I wear a focused [...]
An interview with Dr. Mohita Gangwar Sharma, Professor of Quantitative Techniques and Operations Management, FORE School of Management, New Delh
John Hoffmire: I hope you don’t mind my starting out on a somewhat personal note by saying I remember you as one of the nicest people I have ever met. I’ve often wondered how you balance your kindness and positive attitude against the sometimes hard edge that is expected in the business management world. Mohita: In describing the life that we working women lead, [...]
An interview with Suphiya Khan, Associate Professor, Banasthali University, India, and Founding Director at Drumlins Water Technologies Pvt LTD
John Hoffmire: When I met you in Oxford two years ago, if I remember right, you were working on providing safer drinking water throughout India. Is that still one of your priorities? Suphiya: You remember right. In India, as in many other parts of the world, water scarcity is considered a major crisis in the 21st century. And fluoride contamination is a major contributor [...]
More youth in north turn to innovative startups
More youth from the Northern Province are turning to innovative startups under the initiative of Yarl IT Hub (YIT), originally set up in 2013. They are made competitive via the Yarl Geek Challenge Accelerator which runs for six months for a selected cohort of early-stage startups twice a year. During these six months, the startups will be offered training, mentoring, seed funding, [...]
An interview with Nidhi Nagabhatla, Director of Water Without Borders, and Programme Officer, United Nations University
John Hoffmire: I just finished watching the documentary ‘Our Planet’ with David Attenborough. It has deepened my respect for anyone who has devoted their work to preserving our planet’s natural resources and making this world more equitable. That certainly includes you. Please tell me how you became a sustainability science expert and a trans-disciplinary research scholar. Nidhi: I started out with a graduate degree [...]
