Mr. Ajay Nanavati is a seasoned global executive with 35+ years of multi-country, cross-functional experience. He started his career with the Tata Group and joined 3M in India in 1988 as its first employee. He was responsible for forming the JV & building the organization from scratch. In the subsequent 28 years with 3M he held positions of increasing responsibility in different parts of the world. In 1993, he relocated to Singapore to manage the APAC region for the telecom business. He moved to divisional Headquarter in Austin, Texas in 1998 where he led the launch of a major new services diversification initiative for the corporation as well as integration of a large French/German acquisition. He spent the subsequent 4 years at corporate HQ in St. Paul, MN in senior strategy & new business development roles including identifying & leading the acquisition & integration of a new-to-the-company technology venture.

In 2005, he moved to Israel as Managing Director of 3M Israel. He returned to India in 2008 as the first Indian MD of 3M’s only public company outside the US. During this 5 year stint the company’s revenues doubled, market cap quadrupled, a major R&D center was set up and local manufacturing ramped up. He is currently on the board of Alicon Ltd. Additionally, he is an active innovation evangelist on various forums, mentors start-ups/SME’s and is an angel investor. He is the co-chair of the CII Directors Guild on corporate governance, a member of the CII Start-up council, Advisory Board of International Institute of Information Technology (IIITB) & Advisory Board of Israel Center, IIMB. Mr. Nanavati holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Virginia Tech., USA.

Mr. I. V. Subramaniam (Subbu) has over 30 years of experience in the investment management and financial services industry. He is presently the Managing Director and Group Head - Equities in Quantum Advisors Private Limited. He Joined Quantum in June 1996 as a Research Analyst and was appointed as a Director in 1998. Since June 2000, Mr. Subramaniam has managed India-dedicated Portfolios for India-based clients and since 2005, he has been managing India dedicated portfolios for international clients. During 1998-2004, under advisory services provided by Quantum Advisors to Hansberger Global Investors, Inc, USA, his responsibilities included research coverage on Indian companies, electric utilities in emerging countries, and building materials companies globally.

He has travelled extensively to meet many of these companies in emerging markets and in the developed world. Prior to joining Quantum, he was a Research Analyst with Securities Capital (I) Ltd (1995-1996). Mr. Subramaniam began his career in the Indian financial services industry in 1991, working with Karvy Consultants, a share registrar and retail distribution company, where he focused on new IPO listings and back office functions. He had completed Bachelor’s degree in commerce from Osmania University in 1983 and his Law degree from Osmania University in 1986. He is a CFA Charterholder.

Ms. Vande Berg has extensive experience in the public and private sectors. In January 2014, she completed a 9-year tenure as Chief Executive Officer of a membership organization in the USA that delivers creative content via programming for public fiduciaries. During her tenure, she grew the organization into an influential and powerful thought leader in three of the most defining themes of the 21st century: the impact of investments in emerging markets, the role of financial institutions in the development of an economy, and the increased role of the Asia Pacific region in the global economy. Ms. Vande Berg holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Vanderbilt University and a Masters of Arts degree from Duke University, North Carolina, USA.

Mr. Hormazdiyaar Vakil was a Partner in Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe, Advocates, Solicitors & Notaries. He enrolled on the roll of solicitors of the Bombay Incorporated Law Society in 1977, and was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England in 1985. He was one of the specialist editors of the 11th Edition (1988) of Ramaiya’s Guide to the Companies Act and has also contributed to the first and second editions of the India Investment Manual published by Asia Law and Practice, Hong Kong.

Mr. Praveen P Kadle joined the board of Quantum Advisors Private Limited as an Additional Director (Non-executive) with effect from November 26, 2020. Mr. Kadle is currently the non-executive Chairman of Tata Auto-Comp Systems Limited. He has been associated with the Tata Group for close to last three decades. He is on the boards of various Tata and non-Tata companies.

Mr. Kadle is recipient of many recognitions and awards such as CFO of the Year Award in the years 2004, 2006, Best CFO in Auto Sector in the year 2007. Praveen was inducted in to “CFO - Hall of Fame” in 2008. He was recognized “Indian Business Leader of the Year” in 2015 by ‘Horasis’, a Global Leadership Institute and Best Indian CEO in Financial Services Sector by Finance Asia in 2017.

He has also been associated with CRY (Child Rights and You), the most respected social sector player for last fourteen years as an Honorary Trustee and Treasurer and actively involved with various public charitable institutions.

Mr. Kadle holds a bachelor’s degree with Honours in Commerce and Accountancy from Bombay University in 1977. He is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India since 1981. Apart from this, he is a qualified Cost Accountant from the Institute of Cost Accountants of India and also a professionally qualified Company Secretary from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India.

Ms. Nalini Kak as a gazetted officer of the Indian Railway Accounts Service (1981 batch) has 36 years of experience in government administration, holding key managerial positions on several zonal railways .  Most recently, she served as Additional Member - Budget, Railway Board in the Ministry of Railways. Her prior roles have included serving as Principal Financial Advisor & Chief Accounts Officer on Western Railway (~Rs. 12,000 crores earnings budget), equivalent to a rank of Additional Secretary in the Government of India; as well as Financial Advisor and Chief Accounts Officer – Traffic, Finance and Budget on Central Railway. She has had direct oversight on all aspects of Railway accounts, budgeting and finance, pension, revenue, earnings and capital expenditure, tenders and contracts and played a significant role in developing a system of apportionment of earnings after the Indian Railways restructuring from 9 to 16 zones, supervising the creation of a pan-India pension portal, as well as the implementation of an IT based system for receipts and expenditures. She currently serves on the panel of Arbitrators of Northern Railway and is a member of The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. Ms. Kak received a B.A. in English & Economics from Isabella Thoburn College and a M.A. in History from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Ms. Natasha Cupps has almost 20 years’ experience leading strategic performance execution, growing management effectiveness, and managing portfolio turnarounds. Her areas of expertise include: investment management, asset allocation, mergers & acquisitions (M&A), public equity markets, strategic planning, data & analytics, business operations, transformation, and leadership development.

 
She is currently the VP, Technology Transformation and Strategic Execution for Vizient, one of the largest Group Purchasing Organization’s (GPO) in the USA.  Prior to this, she was the Senior Director of Strategic Development at Enverus, the largest SaaS company solely dedicated to the energy space, and she has offered consulting services through her independent advisory since 2017. She has played an instrumental role in supporting and developing numerous businesses at various stages of growth.  Prior to that, Ms. Cupps worked in investment management at several top tier endowments including: Investment Director at the University of Illinois Foundation; Investment Manager at Vanderbilt’s Office of Investments; Senior Analyst at the University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO); and Investment Analyst/Team Assistant at DUMAC, the investment company for Duke University. 

Ms. Cupps holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin, USA and Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Missouri at Columbia, USA.  She is a CFA Charterholder and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). Additionally, she volunteers as an advisor & mentor for the Techstars Austin Accelerator to provide expertise on strategic customer identification, team dynamics, and operational acceleration.