Ms. Jayashree Janardhan Ashok —

Founder and Director, Creative School, India

Jayashree Ashok is the Co-founder and Director of Creative School and Pragya Living Wisdom Centre in North Bengaluru. Creative School started a decade ago is a conscious community of teachers and parents practicing conscious parenting and holistic education. The vision of Creative School is to inspire children to become conscious creators of their own lives, empowered by their soul. Today, Creative School is a Cambridge recognized school with children growing in a modern Gurukul-like environment with a beautiful blend of the East and West. Jayashree has over two decades of experience in holistic education, personal empowerment and transformation. She has worked with thousands of teachers, parents and children to bring conscious transformation for the overall well-being and empowerment of both adults and children. Under her leadership, Creative School provides a space for the complete holistic development of children, along with strong academics and multi-faceted opportunities for learning and growth.

Dr. Rajika Bhandari —

Senior Advisor, Research and Strategy and Director (IIE), U.S.

Rajika Bhandari, Ph.D., provides strategic guidance to IIE’s research, evaluation and thought leadership activities and directs IIE’s Center for Academic Mobility Research and Impact through which she leads the flagship Open Doors and Project Atlas projects on global student mobility. With over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit, private and higher education sectors, Dr. Bhandari serves as a senior spokesperson for IIE on global higher education issues, is a frequent speaker and widely published author, including six books, and has written for the Guardian, Times Higher Ed, the Huff Post, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and University World News. Prior to joining IIE, Dr. Bhandari was a Senior Researcher at MPR Associates (now part of RTI International) in Berkeley, California, and an Assistant Director for Evaluation at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She has been an Adjunct Associate Professor at Teachers College and been a Commissioner on the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO. She is currently on the Board of Advisors for AIFS Study Abroad, the Board of Trustees of the AIFS Foundation, and the Advisory Council for IC3. She holds a B.A. (Honors) in Psychology from the University of Delhi, India, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from North Carolina State University in the U.S.

Dr. Pankaj Chandra —

Vice Chancellor, Ahmedabad University, India

Professor Chandra was the Director of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (2007-2013) and Professor of Operations & Technology Management at IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore before joining Ahmedabad University. He has also held tenured appointment at McGill University in Montreal and has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Geneva, International University of Japan, Cornell University, and Renmin University, Beijing. He was the Chairperson of the Doctoral Programme at IIM Ahmedabad and the first Associate Dean (Academic) at ISB, Hyderabad. He was part of the founding team at the Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship at IIMA and its first Chairperson. He holds a Bachelor of Technology degree from Banaras Hindu University and a PhD from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Professor Chandra was a member of the Government of India Committee on Rejuvenation of Higher Education (Yashpal Committee) that relooked at the Indian Higher Education system as well as the Committee on the Autonomy of Central Institutions. He has been a member of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Professor Chandra’s research and teaching interests include manufacturing management, supply chain coordination, building technological capabilities, higher education policy, and hi-tech entrepreneurship. His recent book titled “Building Universities that Matter” studies issues of governance, change and institution building in Indian universities. He serves on boards of several firms and institutions and has been involved with startups.

Dr. Barry Craig —

President, Huron at Western University, Canada

Dr. Barry Craig holds a BA from the University of Kings College, an MA from Dalhousie University and a PhD from the University of Wales. He has extensive experience in curriculum, program and policy development, and has published several books. He was co-chair of the Congress for the Humanities and Social Sciences in 2011 and has received numerous awards for both his teaching and research. Dr. Craig has served on numerous government commissions and task forces and is the recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. Dr. Craig’s new vision for Huron, Leadership with Heart, sets an exciting course for future growth and distinguishes Huron University from other Canadian universities.

Dr. Samir H. Dalwai —

Developmental Pediatrician, New Horizons Child Development Centre, India

Dr. Samir H. Dalway serves as Developmental Pediatrician for New Horizons Child Development Centre in Mumbai, India. His clinical attachments include Hinduja HealthCare Hospital and Nanavati Super Specialty Hospital. He is also Founder-Director of New Horizons Child Development Centre, Mumbai which has an interdisciplinary team of 110 Developmental Pediatricians, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, Occupational and Physical Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Remedial Educators and Nutritionists, with five centers (www.enablemychild.org). Dr. Dalwai is also the Founder of the New Horizons Institute of Education and Research. Dr. Dalwai has presented papers at national and international conferences, as well as contributed chapters to journals and textbooks. He has been awarded the Government of India's Rajiv Gandhi Manav Sewa Award for Services to Children in 2012 and Fellow of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (FIAP).

Prof. Elizabeth Croft —

Professor and Dean Faculty of Engineering, Monash University, Australia

Professor Elizabeth A. Croft is the Dean of Engineering at Monash University and Professor in the Departments of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering. Her research in industrial robotics and human-robot interaction advances the design of intelligent controllers and interaction methods that underpin how people and autonomous collaborative systems can work together in a safe, predictable, and helpful manner. She held the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (BC/Yukon) from 2010-2015 and the Marshall Bauder Professorship in Engineering Economics, Business and Management Training from 2015-2017. Her recognitions include a Peter Wall Early Career Scholar award, an NSERC Accelerator award, WXN’s top 100 most powerful women in Canada and the RA McLachlan Award for Professional Engineering in the Province of British Columbia. She is a Fellow of Engineers Australia, the Canadian Academy of Engineers, Engineers Canada and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Mr. John Fry —

President, Drexel University, U.S.

After becoming Drexel University’s 14th president in 2010, John Fry set out to transform Drexel into a private research university with a strong public purpose — an institution that harnesses its strengths in cooperative education, translational research, online education and entrepreneurship to serve students, its neighborhood, the city and nation. Under Fry, Drexel has helped lead the continuous revitalization of West Philadelphia, spearheading the designation of this area as a federal Promise Zone, and initiating Schuylkill Yards, a 14-acre innovation district at 30th Street Station. In addition to leading Drexel, Fry served as chairman of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, concluding his tenure in October 2018.

Mr. Craig Alan Johnson —

Head of School, American School of Bombay, India

Craig Alan Johnson has spent 40 percent of his life in India. He attended a boarding school in Panchgani (a small hill station south of Pune) for 12 years, and since 2010, has been back in India serving as the Head of the American School of Bombay (ASB). Prior to returning to India, Mr. Johnson, his wife, and his three sons were in Brazil where Mr. Johnson served as the principal and then as headmaster of two different international schools. In his capacity as the head of the school at ASB, Mr. Johnson endeavors to stay engaged with his students and faculty by teaching classes, coaching sports’ teams and leading professional learning communities. Additionally, he is a regular presenter and workshop facilitator around the world, on a variety of leadership and educational topics. Mr. Johnson is a passionate advocate for innovation and relevant education and he is also the author of numerous articles on a variety of subjects, a screenplay set in Mumbai (soon to be made into a movie) and has published a novel titled, Wave Watcher.

Prof. Dishan Kamdar —

Vice Chancellor, Flame University, India

Professor Dishan Kamdar is the Vice Chancellor of FLAME University – the pioneer of liberal education in India. He took charge of this position in 2018. Prior to this, he was the Deputy Dean of Academic Programs and Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Indian School of Business (ISB), the top ranked global business school in India. A leading researcher, senior faculty member, executive coach to CEOs of renowned corporates and family businesses in India, and a favorite professor to all his students – Dishan handles these multifaceted roles with equal ease. A passionate teacher before anything else, Dishan’s biggest priority are his students and alumni. In his current role as the Vice Chancellor, he is leading FLAME 2.0 – the next phase of growth, expansion and internationalization of FLAME University designed to make it a truly world-class institution in all respects.

Ms. Rajita Kulkarni —

President, WFEB & President, Sri Sri University, India

Rajita is a humanitarian, an educationist, an author, a global leader and a leadership coach. She currently holds the following prestigious positions:

• President, World Forum for Ethics in Business (www.wfeb.org)
• President, Sri Sri University (www.srisriuniversity.edu.in)
• Trustee Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Vidya Mandir Trust (www.ssrvm.org)
• Global Board Member (www.tlexinstitute.com)
• Board Member, AOL Health and Education Trust (www.aolhet.org)
• Governor of Finance Ved Vignan Maha Vidya Peeth (www.vvmvp.org)
• Board Member, The United Way India ( www.unitedwayindia.org)
• Citibank, N.A. (1992-2010)
• FICCI India National Higher Education Council (www.ficci.in)
• CII Co-Convener Odisha Education Committee ( www.cii.in)

Dr. Bhimaraya Metri —

Director, Indian Institute of Management, Tiruchirappalli, India

Dr. Bhimaraya Metri, Director, IIM Tiruchirappalli is a distinguished academician, renowned teacher, notable researcher and an astute administrator. An outstanding leader of management education, he has performed key leadership roles at many premier management institutes and corporate companies in his remarkable career. Under his dynamic leadership, IIM Tiruchirappalli has attained a position among the league of top business schools in India. He has also contributed immensely as Dean at L&T Institute of Project Management Vadodara, IMI New Delhi, MDI Gurgaon and leading research programs at BITS Pilani.

Dr. Sunder Ramaswamy —

Vice Chancellor, Krea University, India

Sunder Ramaswamy is the Vice Chancellor of KREA University (www.krea.edu.in), a new private non-profit university based on a liberal arts and sciences platform, backed by a galaxy of eminent academicians and corporate leaders in Sri City, near Chennai. He is also on leave from Middlebury College (Vermont), where he is a distinguished College Professor of International Economics. From 2009 to 2015, he was the President of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California (MIIS). He has also been a faculty and administrator at Middlebury College since 1990, as well as has taken sabbaticals at the World Bank, Vanderbilt University, IFMR and the Madras School of Economics (including two stints as director). He has co-authored and co-edited four books, written scores of articles and delivered over 160 lectures on Globalization, Economic Development, Indian Economic Reforms and Economic Literacy.

Dr. Pramath Raj Sinha —

Provost, Anant National University, India

Dr. Pramath Raj Sinha is the Provost of the Anant National University. He was the founding dean of the Indian School of Business (ISB) and is the founder and trustee of Ashoka University. He also started the Vedica Scholars Programme for Women in Delhi, an alternative Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) programme. Dr. Sinha has worked in diverse fields spanning business and strategy, consulting, leadership and academia. He was the Group MD and CEO of ABP Pvt Ltd., one of India’s leading and most diversified media conglomerates. Prior to that, he spent 13 years with McKinsey & Company where he was a partner. In 2013, Thinkers50 listed him in India’s “top 50 management thinkers.” In 2015, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) named him “Personality of the Year.” In 2018, IIT Kanpur conferred upon him the Distinguished Alumnus Award for servicing the society at large. Dr. Sinha is a former academic and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.Tech. degree in Metallurgical Engineering from IIT, Kanpur.