Ideas For India conference

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Raghuram Govind Rajan is a renowned Indian economist who is the Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He was born on February 3, 1963, in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, into a Tamil Brahmin family. Rajan’s father, R Govindarajan, was a staff officer in the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India’s external intelligence agency, which led to the family’s frequent international travels during Rajan’s childhood.

Rajan attended Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram from 1974 to 1981 and enrolled at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi for a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1981. He graduated in 1985 and was awarded the Director’s Gold Medal for the best all-round student. Rajan went on to earn a Master of Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad in 1987 and joined the Tata Administrative Services as a management trainee before leaving to pursue a doctoral program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In 1991, Rajan received his PhD for his thesis titled Essays on Banking. His thesis consisted of three essays on the relationship between a firm or country and its creditor banks. Rajan’s research argued that the deregulation of markets does not necessarily increase competition and efficiency, contrary to the established orthodoxy. He has since gone on to write extensively on banking, corporate finance, international finance, growth and development, and organizational structures.

Rajan joined the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago in 1991 as an assistant professor of finance and became a full-time professor in 1995. He has taught as a visiting professor at various institutions, including the Stockholm School of Economics, Kellogg School of Management, MIT Sloan School of Management, and the Indian School of Business.

From 2003 to 2006, Rajan served as the Chief Economist and Director of Research at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In September 2013, he was appointed as the 23rd Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, a position he held until September 2016. During his tenure at the RBI, Rajan became the Vice-Chairman of the Bank for International Settlements in 2015.

Rajan gained widespread recognition for his warnings about the growing risks in the financial system before the 2008 financial crisis. In a 2005 speech at the Federal Reserve’s annual Jackson Hole conference, he proposed policies that would reduce such risks, but his views were criticized at the time. However, following the financial crisis, Rajan’s views came to be seen as prescient, and he was extensively interviewed for the Academy Award-winning documentary Inside Job (2010).

Rajan’s book, Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World Economy, won the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year award in 2010. In 2012, he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by the London Business School, followed by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2015 and the Université Catholique de Louvain in 2019. In 2016, Time named him one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.”

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Pratik Dattani is Advisor to Bridge India and the Managing Director for boutique economic consulting firm EPG, specialising in economic analysis, strategic communications and market entry assistance with India, with offices in London, Bangalore and East Africa.

He was additionally, until August 2017, UK Director for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the premier and largest industry body in India. He is also the co-founder of a tech start-up in the CSR space. Previously he worked in Economic Consulting at FTI Consulting and Deloitte in London and Abu Dhabi, with a focus on public policy and arbitration. He was Chairman for a not-for-profit membership organisation with several thousand members for three years.

He studied Economics at Warwick University, where he was awarded the Prize for Excellence, and LMU University of Munich. His dissertation won a prize at an international economics conference at Georgetown University, Washington DC. He has published academic research on behavioural economics and social impact and is a regular commentator on public policy and India across print, TV and online media, featured on BBC News, CBC, CNBC, CNN, NDTV, South China Morning Post and Huffington Post.

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Farzana Baduel is the founder and CEO of Curzon PR. As a passionate advocate of strategic communications, she champions the power of PR as a dynamic force for building bridges and unifying the world’s voices into a global narrative. She set up Curzon PR in 2009, having previously served as Vice Chair of Business Relations for the UK Conservative Party.

Farzana has been appointed as the resident public relations expert and ambassador for the Oxford Foundry, the University of Oxford’s entrepreneurship centre, where she delivers masterclasses in PR and mentors female entrepreneurs. She is a committed campaigner for the economic empowerment of women. She is the founder of TiE Women (London). TiE is the largest global entrepreneur network in the world.

Farzana is a Chartered PR practitioner who regularly lectures around the world on PR and women leadership and, as a thought-leader, is asked to contribute on the BBC, Forbes, the Financial Times and Al-Jazeera. She has also written for newspapers/publications such as The Guardian and PR Week. Her industry blogs can be found on the PR Insider.

Farzana has been a judge for the Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ PR awards. She has won awards including Businesswoman of the Year at the Muslim Awards 2016, Entrepreneur of the Year at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards 2015 and the Media Professional of the Year at the Asian Media Awards 2014. She donates her time and expertise to various organisations and audiences on a voluntary basis.

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Supriya Shrinate is an Indian journalist and politician who currently serves as the National Spokesperson for the Indian National Congress. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from St. Stephen’s College in Delhi and a Master’s degree in Mass Communication from Jamia Millia Islamia University.

Before joining politics, Shrinate worked as a journalist for over a decade. She has worked with several renowned media organizations such as NDTV, ET Now, and NewsX. During her career, she has covered a wide range of issues including politics, economy, and corporate affairs. She has also moderated several high-profile debates and interviews.

In 2019, Shrinate joined the Indian National Congress and contested the Lok Sabha elections from the Maharajganj constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Although she was defeated in the elections, she was appointed as the National Spokesperson for the party soon after. Since then, she has been actively participating in debates and discussions on various national issues and has been representing the party in several forums.

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Keith is the co-founder and CEO of the Incredible Husk International Group A multi-business and environmental award-winner specialist in ISO business and process management systems. Developing and implementing business and process management systems for leading manufacturing organisations within the agriculture, automotive, construction, medical devices, retail, and toy industry sectors.

He co-designs BAMS Ai ISO Management Standards Implementation software/hardware system in collaboration with Ivan Yordanov (Owner and MD of Go-Live UK).

In 2017, Keith met Rajika Dhiren, co-founder of Edcraft, at the London SEN show, where he was exhibiting his range of eco-friendly education products. This meeting led to the formation of a collaborative partnership to design and manufacture eco-friendly learning and therapeutic materials for children and adults with the onset of dementia in Hyderabad.

The following year, in 2018, Keith traveled to Hyderabad and stayed with Rajika, Dhiren Rameshchandra, her husband, and their family to provide support in implementing an ISO business and process management system and training Rajika and her factory workers. Today, Ekoplay, the company resulting from their collaboration, designs and manufactures world-class quality eco-friendly products.

In 2023, Incredible Husk and Ekoplay jointly exhibited at the Nuremberg Toy Fair, the world’s leading toy fair.

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Rakkam Ampang Sangma is an Indian politician and the current Education Minister in the Government of Meghalaya. He has been associated with the National People’s Party (NPP) since 2013. Sangma obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Arts from St. Anthony’s College in Shillong and his Master’s degree in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai.

Prior to his political career, Sangma worked as a social worker, advocating for the rights of vulnerable communities such as street children and persons with disabilities. He also served as a member of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and worked on several projects related to child welfare. In 2018, he won the assembly elections from the Tura constituency in Meghalaya and was appointed as the Education Minister in the Meghalaya government in 2019.

As the Education Minister, Sangma has focused on improving the quality of education in the state. He has introduced initiatives such as the “Chief Minister’s Career Guidance and Counselling Scheme” to provide career guidance to students and the “Meghalaya Education Guarantee Scheme” to ensure free and compulsory education to all children up to the age of 18. Sangma has emphasized the need for vocational training and skill development to enable students to be self-reliant and contribute to the economy. The Meghalaya government has also undertaken several projects to improve the infrastructure of schools and colleges in the state under his leadership.

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Mihir Bose is a renowned author, journalist, and broadcaster with a wealth of experience in the media industry. He studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he earned a degree in Economics. Following this, he pursued postgraduate studies at Nuffield College, Oxford, where he gained a master’s degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.

Bose’s career in journalism spans over four decades, during which he has worked for some of the world’s most prestigious media outlets. He served as the BBC’s Sports Editor for over a decade, and his work has appeared in publications such as The Sunday Times, The Independent, and The Financial Times. In addition to his print journalism, he has also contributed to various radio and television programs, including BBC World Service and Sky News.

As an author, Bose has published several acclaimed books, including “The Spirit of the Game: How Sport Made the Modern World” and “The Indian Spy: The True Story of the Most Remarkable Secret Agent of World War II.” His writing has garnered numerous awards, including the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award in 2010. With his extensive knowledge and expertise, Mihir Bose is widely regarded as one of the leading voices in sports journalism and is highly respected within the media industry.

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Naynesh Desai is as a Solicitor who has been involved in sports for many years, both as a lawyer and as an administrator.  He started organising sports competitions when he was still at University. He played recreational cricket and he is currently a member of the Board at Durham County Cricket Club.  He is still a Solicitor and represent many stellar clients, including Lord Ian Botham, Wasim Akram, Virender Sehwag, Sunil Gavaskar, Devon Malcolm, Allan Lamb and others.

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Phil Simmons is a former cricketer and current coach from Trinidad and Tobago. He represented the West Indies in 26 Test matches and 143 One Day Internationals (ODIs) between 1987 and 1999. As an all-rounder, he scored 1000 runs and took 83 wickets in Test cricket, and 2696 runs and 149 wickets in ODIs.

After retiring from playing, Simmons took up coaching and has been a highly successful coach for various teams. He coached the West Indies between 2015 and 2019, during which time the team won the ICC World Twenty20 in 2016. He has also coached the Afghanistan national cricket team and the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League.

Simmons holds a Level 3 coaching qualification from the England and Wales Cricket Board and has also coached at the county level in England. He is widely respected in the cricketing world for his knowledge and experience, and his ability to get the best out of his players.

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Dragan Mitrovic is an experienced Managing Director with a demonstrated history of working in the management consulting industry. He is a strong business development professional skilled in Business Planning, Sales, Corporate Recovery, Business-to-Business, and Strategy. He has lived in seven different countries and worked on three continents. He has spent the last five and a half years in the education industry trying to bring equal-opportunity education accessible to anyone. Dragan is married, with three beautiful children.look at this nowfind morebest replica watch websiteelf bar 5000 pricehow to clean clear phone case

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Simran Ahuja is an Indian actress and television host, known for her work in the entertainment industry. She was born and raised in Delhi, India, and started her career as a model before transitioning to acting.

Simran has acted in several popular television shows and web series, including “Inside Edge” and “Made in Heaven”. She is also a well-known television host and has hosted several shows, including “Ishq Kills” and “Saavdhan India”.

Apart from her acting and hosting career, Simran is also an advocate for mental health and has spoken publicly about her own struggles with anxiety and depression. She is committed to raising awareness about mental health issues and promoting a greater understanding of mental health in India. Simran Ahuja is widely regarded as a rising star in the Indian entertainment industry, and her work has earned her a dedicated fan following.

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Rina Dhaka is a renowned fashion designer from India, known for her creative and innovative designs. She was born and raised in Delhi, India, and completed her education in the United States. After returning to India, she launched her own fashion label in 1989, which has become one of the most respected and successful fashion brands in the country.

Over the course of her career, Rina Dhaka has showcased her collections at numerous national and international fashion events, including the London Fashion Week, the New York Fashion Week, and the Miami Fashion Week. She has been recognized with many awards for her contributions to the fashion industry, including the “Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award” for her outstanding achievements and contributions to the field of fashion.

Rina Dhaka is known for her unique and innovative designs, which often blend traditional Indian fabrics and techniques with modern, contemporary styles. Her designs have been worn by many high-profile clients, including former US President Bill Clinton. She is also committed to promoting sustainable and ethical fashion practices, and has incorporated eco-friendly materials into her collections. Rina Dhaka is widely regarded as one of the leading fashion designers in India, and her designs have inspired many young designers in the country and around the world.

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Prem Singh Rao is the Managing Director of Varaha Infra Limited, a road construction company based in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, he has a track record of leading and growing all sectors of the business to make it a dynamic and progressive organization. He possesses skills in project management, marketing, financial management, product launch, client retention, implementing policies, and cost control. He is responsible for developing and directing the implementation of business strategy, establishing profitable relationships with customers, suppliers, and stakeholders, and managing multi-disciplined teams to achieve targets. He also heads the in-house design team and is involved in continuous value engineering using the latest specifications and methodologies.

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Dr. Mohammad Amin is a renowned public servant who served as the Joint Director/Chief of Protocol at the Election Commission of India. Dr. Amin is a professional with extensive experience in protocol affairs, public relations, media relations, and international cooperation. He has held senior positions in several government ministries, including the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Civil Aviation, and Ministry of Coal. He has also worked on foreign deputations, specifically in Saudi Arabia for Hajj Affairs as a coordinator in the Indian Consulate Jeddah, Makkah, and Medina.

Dr. Amin holds an honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Mass Communication, a Master of Mass Communication, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Public Relations. He has undergone several high-level protocol, media management, image building, and man management training courses. Dr. Amin is a life member of several reputed institutions, including the Civil Services Officers Institute, Press Club of India, National Rifle Association of India, India Islamic Cultural Centre, Airport Authority of India Officers Institute, The Indian Golf Union, and Mohamed Bagh Club Lucknow.

During his career, Dr. Amin has focused on Protocol Affairs, Public Relations, Media Relations, International Cooperation, and image-building exercise. He has assisted Ministers in Parliament for Parliamentary work, providing him with immensely useful experience in Parliament affairs. Dr. Amin’s diverse profile has given him an unmatchable capability and experience to handle any protocol and media issues. He is well-travelled in India and abroad, providing him with immense experience to handle every situation.

Dr. Amin’s work in protocol affairs has been recognized and praised by his superiors, and he has been recommended for senior level assignments within or outside the government, or for any award or recognition.

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The Rt Hon Keith Vaz is the Chairman of the Integration Foundation, was a former Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as well as Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee and the longest-serving Indian-origin UK MP.

Vaz is a highly educated individual, having earned a law degree from Cambridge University before qualifying as a barrister and practicing law. He was first elected to Parliament in 1987 and went on to hold a number of significant positions, including Minister of State for Europe and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

Vaz is known for his commitment to promoting human rights and has been involved in several international initiatives aimed at promoting democracy and good governance. He is a respected figure in British politics and has made significant contributions to public life over the course of his career, including advocating for integration within the UK.

Rt Hon Keith Vaz is a distinguished figure in British politics with a strong record of public service and a commitment to promoting human rights and integration within the UK.

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Rita Kakati-Shah is an award-winning, gender, diversity, inclusion and career strategist, speaker, mentor and advisor to Fortune 500 companies. She founded Uma in response to her personal journey of motherhood, transitioning careers and entrepreneurship, and is dedicated to empowering women and minorities around the world. Prior to Uma, Rita lead Business Development globally in CNS healthcare. She began her professional career at Goldman Sachs in London, where she was awarded the prestigious Excellence in Citizenship and Diversity Award. She is also a Distinguished Alumna of King’s College London and a triple Stevie Awards for Women in Business winner and is also a judge for the Middle East Awards.

Rita is a graduate of King’s Business School, is actively involved with the King’s Leadership, Diversity and Entrepreneurial Institute Mentoring Programs, and is also a member of the New York and Los Angeles Alumni Committees. Rita actively coaches and mentors business leaders, veterans, survivors of domestic violence, women in technology/STEM, schoolgirls and students. She also serves as an advisor, ambassador, and diversity and inclusion expert to multiple boards and global organizations around the world, such as the JCC of Manhattan, Women Veterans’ Founding Circle of the ACP, New York City Bar Association, Democracy Without Borders in India, Turning Rock Partners, Ormiston Park Academy and the London Bihu Committee.

Rita is also a regularly invited speaker and guest lecturer at various academic institutions, multinational corporations and global policy forums such as UNESCO in Paris, European Parliament in Brussels and many more spanning New York, Delhi, London, Madrid, San Francisco, Shillong, Sochi, Toronto and Zambia.

Rita has been featured as an expert on multiple international television and news shows, interviewed and quoted in various podcasts and publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Thrive Global, Dell Technology, PRWeek and iHeartRadio. Rita also hosts the popular South Asian television show, The Uma Show, on Mana TV International. She is also a best-selling author, and has co-authored books on women in business, diversity and inclusion. Rita is also a trained and accomplished classical Indian dancer in the forms of Bharata Natyam and Xattriya, enjoys Post-Impressionist oil painting, is a foodie and loves trying new spots for afternoon tea around New York City, where she lives with her husband and two young children.

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Sid Yog is a global investor, serial entrepreneur and philanthropist.

He is the founder of The Xander Group, a global investment firm with offices in India, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and the United States, and ~ US$ 3 Billion AUM. He is also founder and chairman of the board of VR South Asia, a US$ 1 Billion owner-operator of community centric, regenerative, city center developments in India. VR South Asia has a current portfolio of 14 million square feet across 9 rapidly growing urban centers.

In 2015, Mr. Yog set up the Yuj platform that comprises Yuj Ventures, Yuj Kutumb and the Yuj Foundation, with the former investing in global start ups and fast growing private ventures, and the latter two backing social and public entrepreneurs through impact investments and grant making. Yuj is focussed on entrepreneurs creating tech enabled disruptions in traditional industries, or enabling scale solutions to the pressing problems of sustainability, education and equity. The platform has invested over US$ 50 million till date, in 36 new ventures and initiatives that have created 14,000 new jobs across 9 countries, and in aggregate generated US$ 750 mm in revenue in FY 2022.

Appointed to the Harvard Business School faculty in 2014, Professor Yog taught at HBS for six years upto July 2019, researching and publishing numerous cases and teaching popular MBA courses “Investing in Emerging Markets” and “Real Property Asset Management”. Earlier, starting in 2005 in New York, Mr. Yog spent a decade as Managing Partner and Chair of the Investment Committee for the Xander India Funds, raising and investing over US$ 2 Billion of institutional capital. Each Fund beat its benchmark index.

Mr. Yog has been a member of the President’s Global Advisory Council and the Committee on University Resources at Harvard University since 2011. He is founder, trustee and member of the governing body of Ashoka University, India’s leading liberal arts and sciences university and its largest collective philanthropic effort. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Repertory Theatre (A.R.T) in Cambridge, MA since 2015, and a member of the Global Council at Lincoln Center in New York, NY since 2018.

He earned the degree of Master in Business Administration with high distinction from Harvard Business School and was elected a Baker Scholar, the highest academic honour conferred by the School. He was also elected President of his Harvard Business School Class. Earlier, he secured a Bachelor of Arts with Honors degree in Economics at Delhi University, where he was elected head of the Sri Ram College Students’ Union.

Mr. Yog lives between Gloucestershire, England and New Delhi, India.

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Sanjay Suri is the Europe Editor for CNN-IBN. He has been reporting on international affairs out of London for close to 20 years. He was an earlier chief reporter with the Indian Express in Delhi. He was Europe and Middle East and Europe editor and then a chief editor with the international agency Inter Press Service (IPS) focused on development, environment and rights issues. He has a master’s degree in English Literature from Delhi University and in Social Psychology from the London School of Economics. He is also the author of Brideless in Wembley, a collection of Indian stories out of Britain.

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Kevin joined the UK India Business Council in December 2008 and has a range of responsibilities: coordinating the work of the team across the UK and Indian offices; directly leading the Advocacy, Advisory, Membership, Communications and Research teams.

He also leads the UKIBC’s relationships with the Department for International Trade and directs the UKIBC’s engagement with Government bodies across the UK and India, including the UK’s Devolved Administrations, English cities, and Indian States. Kevin has directed major projects, including developing strategies to generate more trade and investment between India and Greater Manchester, the Leeds City Region, and the Sheffield City Region. He remains a Strategic Advisor to the Sheffield City Region, attends the Manchester India Partnership Board meetings, and is on the Advisory Board for the West Midlands India Partnership.

Kevin also co-ordinates the UK side of both the UK-India CEO Forum, which reports to the Prime Ministers, and the UK-India Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), which reports to the UK’s Secretary of State for International Trade and India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry. He also directs the UKIBC’s Ease of Doing Business in India campaign, and will lead the UKIBC’s inputs into the UK-India FTA consultations the UK and Indian Governments will conclude in 2021.

Kevin joined the UK India Business Council after 19 years in the UK’s Diplomatic Service, where he served in The Netherlands, Malta, Romania, India, and various London postings. In India, Kevin spent three years at the British Deputy High Commission in Kolkata helping UK businesses win contracts and find partners in Eastern India and assisting Indian companies expand into the UK.

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Rahul leads the Institute’s South Asia research programme. He researches and publishes on India’s neighbourhood foreign and security policies; Pakistan, Afghanistan and regional security; counter-extremism and terrorism; regional nuclear matters; and the Indian navy and the Indian Ocean. Rahul gives select policy-relevant talks and briefings, and organises several ‘track 1.5’ meetings. These involve top South Asian government and intelligence officials, and focus on regional stability, nuclear doctrines and India’s foreign policy, and take place annually in Muscat, Bahrain, New Delhi, Islamabad and London. He is also author of Sea Power and Indian Security (Potomoc, 1995) and India’s Maritime Security (Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis, 2000).

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Jayesh Ranjan is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer currently serving as the Principal Secretary of the Industries and Commerce (I&C) Department, Information Technology, Electronics, and Communications (ITE&C) Department in the state of Telangana, India. He has been in this position since July 2016. Ranjan completed his schooling in Hyderabad and then pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Loyola College, Chennai. He later completed his Master’s in Business Administration from the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad.

Ranjan has held various positions in the government of Telangana, including Commissioner of Industries, Managing Director of the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC), and Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Telangana State Industrial Development Corporation (TSIDC). Under his leadership, Telangana has been recognized as one of the leading states in India for ease of doing business. In 2020, Telangana was ranked second in the country in the State Business Reform Action Plan rankings released by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Government of India.

Ranjan has been instrumental in promoting the information technology sector in Telangana, including the development of the T-Hub startup incubator, the country’s largest incubator for startups. He has also played a key role in promoting industrial development in the state, attracting investments from both domestic and international companies. Overall, Jayesh Ranjan has had a successful career in the Indian Administrative Service and has made significant contributions to the development of Telangana, particularly in the fields of information technology and industrial development.

Ranjan has received several awards and recognition for his contributions to the field of information technology and industrial development. In 2017, he was awarded the BusinessWorld Digital India Summit and Awards for his contribution to the development of the IT sector in Telangana. His efforts have also been recognized by the Government of India, which awarded him the National Award for e-Governance in 2010 and the Digital Leader Award in 2018. Ranjan’s vision and leadership have been instrumental in driving Telangana’s growth in the IT and industrial sectors, making it a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.

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Richard Burge joined the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) as Chief Executive in February 2020.

Prior to this, Richard was an independent advisor on international affairs focusing on trade, conflict, and development with a portfolio of advisory and consultancy work. Richard’s varied career has seen him lead four multi-million pound organisations as Chief Executive over a total of 18 years.  These comprised a famous charity, a UK government agency, a private company and a membership body.

He has been on the Board and a non-executive director of five multi-million pound operations including companies, charities, two government agencies, and a UK Russell Group university. Richard has worked in over 55 countries, specialising in Africa, the wider Commonwealth, and post-conflict situations.

He was Chief Executive, Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council from 2017 to 2019.  For the previous eight years, he was Chief Executive of Wilton Park (a Foreign and Commonwealth Office agency for conciliation and dialogue on global issues).  He was also a Commissioner for Commonwealth Scholarships, and on the Council of Durham University.

Other roles include Chief Executive Officer of the Countryside Alliance, Director General of the Zoological Society of London, and for ten years he served with the British Council in Africa and the Middle East.

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Arunabha Ghosh is an internationally recognised public policy expert, author, columnist, and institution builder. He is the founder-CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, and has led CEEW to the top ranks as one of Asia’s leading policy research institutions and among the world’s 20 best climate think-tanks. He played a formative role in creating the International Solar Alliance, and was a founding board member of the Clean Energy Access Network. Co- author/editor of four books and with experience in 48 countries, he previously worked at Princeton, Oxford, UNDP (New York), and WTO (Geneva). The Asia Society honoured him recently with the 2022 Asia Game Changer Award, for his and CEEW’s “incredible work, which is making a real difference for India and for the planet”.

Arunabha advises governments, industry, civil society, and international organisations around the world. He currently serves on Government of India’s G20 Finance Track Advisory Group and advises the Sherpa Track for India’s G20 Presidency in 2022-23. In 2022, the UN Secretary-General appointed him to the High-level Expert Group on the Credibility and Accountability of Net-Zero Announcements by Non-State Actors. Dr Ghosh is currently Vice-Chair of the UN Committee for Development Policy, having been first nominated to the UNCDP by the UN Secretary-General in 2018. Arunabha is a member of several international expert advisory groups: Global Commission on the Economics of Water; High-Level Group of Economists, constituted by the French president for the One Planet Lab; and the High-Level Consultative Group for the U.S. Department of State’s Energy Transition Accelerator. In 2020, the Government of India appointed him Co-Chair of the energy, environment and climate change track for India’s Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP2020). He has been appointed the Co-Chair of the T20 Task Force on climate and energy for G20 Presidencies led by Indonesia in 2022 and India in 2023.

He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Clean Air, having previously been a member of the Global Future Council on Energy. He serves on the Board of ClimateWorks Foundation. A frequent speaker and adviser to governments, industry and international organisations, he writes monthly columns across various platforms, has hosted or featured in several documentaries, and his 2019 TED Talk on air quality (Mission 80-80-80) has crossed 270,000 views. He was a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. He holds a D.Phil. from Oxford.

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Pradyot Manikya Deb Barman is the former head of Tripura’s Royal Family and the Chairman of Tipra Motha, the Tripura Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance.

He was the president of the Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee from 2016 to 2019, and former his party after resigning from Congress, which aims to represent the indigenous people of Tripura. Tipra Motha won eight seats out of the 28 seats that were contested in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections in 2021.

In the Assembly elections in 2023, Tipra Motha’’s success was the biggest story coming out of the North East of India. Manikya’s party contested 42 out of the 60 seats, including 20 Assembly segments reserved for candidates from Scheduled Tribes, and won 13 seats – a phenomenal performance for a party making its Assembly poll debut. They have been pushing the demand for a ‘Greater Tipraland’. The BJP’s allies IPFT faced a significant setback in the reserved seats, losing all but one of its eight seats, indicating a shift of tribal voters to Tipra Motha.

Pradyot Manikya is known for his efforts to preserve the culture and traditions of the indigenous people of Tripura. He has been involved in various social and political campaigns aimed at their welfare. Apart from his political activities, Pradyot Manikya is also involved in various social and cultural organisations. He also served as the editor of TNT-The Northeast Today.

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Abhinandan Sekhri is co-founder and CEO of media critique, news and current affairs website Newslaundry.

Before founding Newslaundry, he worked as a producer, director and writer in various television and film projects. He regularly delivers lectures and hosts panel discussions on journalism, RTI, and the importance and independence of media, and has delivered talks at Harvard’s India Conference (2018 edition) and several Indian colleges including NIT Karnataka-Surathkal, St. Xavier’s College, Lady Shri Ram College, IIM Lucknow Noida Campus and Manipal University.He also delivered a TEDx talk about ‘journalism of independence’ at TEDxJaiHindCollege in 2015.

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Nia Griffith has been MP for Llanelli since 2005. She was appointed a shadow minister for Exports in December 2021, having previously been in the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Wales, Northern Ireland and Defence.

Five years after entering Parliament she was appointed Shadow Business, Innovation and Skills Minister and was moved to the Welsh portfolio in 2011. She was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet by Jeremy Corbyn in September 2015.

Previously she was PPS to Harriet Harman in her capacity as Minister for Women and Equality.

Her family comes from mining villages near Neath, in South Wales. Her father was Professor T. Gwynfor Griffith; her mother was Dr. Rhiannon Howell. She was educated at Newland High School for Girls (now called Newland School for Girls) on Cottingham Road in Hull and Somerville College, Oxford where she graduated with a first class degree in modern languages. After Oxford, she trained to be a teacher (PGCE) at the University of Wales, Bangor.

She became a teacher at Queen Elizabeth Cambria School in Carmarthen then Gowerton Comprehensive School in Swansea. She was a member of the NUT. Prior to entering Parliament, she was an education adviser and an Estyn Schools Inspector (the Welsh equivalent of Ofsted) from 1992. Immediately before becoming an MP she was Head of Languages at Morriston Comprehensive School, Swansea. She speaks five languages: English, Welsh, Italian, French and Spanish.

She joined the Labour Party in 1981 and has held many posts within the Party, including Secretary of the Carmarthenshire County Labour Party. She was elected as a councillor to the Carmarthen Town Council in 1987, serving as the sheriff in 1997 and deputy mayor in 1998.

Her main political interests are tackling climate change and issues affecting industry.

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Ruth Margaret Cadbury is a British politician and Member of Parliament (MP) for Brentford and Isleworth since 2015. She belongs to a well-known Quaker family and was privately educated at The Mount School, York, Bournville College, and the University of Salford, where she graduated BSc in social sciences in 1981. Before entering politics, Cadbury worked as a planning consultant and served as a Labour councillor for the Gunnersbury ward of Hounslow London Borough Council. She was also Deputy Leader of the Council from 2010 to 2012.

In the 2015 general election, Cadbury defeated the sitting Conservative MP, Mary Macleod, and made her maiden speech to the House of Commons on 2 June 2015, where she referenced her Quaker background and its relevance to social justice. Cadbury has been a vocal opponent of military intervention in Syria, voting against it in December 2015. In the House of Commons, she has sat on the Transport Committee and previously on the Justice Committee and the Women and Equalities Committee.

Cadbury was appointed as a Shadow Housing Minister by Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in October 2016 but was ousted from the position in June 2017 for contravening a whipped vote on an amendment to the Queen’s speech. She was among 28 of the 46 London Labour MPs opposing the National Policy Statement on Airports in June 2018, which laid out government support for a third runway. In May 2021, she rejoined the Labour front bench as the Shadow Minister for Planning, receiving half of Mike Amesbury’s former brief as the Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning. In November 2021, Cadbury was appointed Shadow Trade Minister in Keir Starmer’s front bench reshuffle.

Cadbury is a Quaker and one of three Quakers elected at the 2015 general election. She is also an honorary associate of the National Secular Society and is married to Nick Gash, a non-executive director of the Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust and former chair of West Middlesex Hospital, which is located in Cadbury’s constituency. In 2022, she became a Vice Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group, which meets to discuss issues of relevance to humanists.

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Baroness Arlene Foster is the Former First Minister of Northern Ireland. Described in 2017 as the second most powerful woman in UK politics, Arlene Foster made her first appearance on BBC Newsnight aged 17, after her school bus was bombed by the PIRA and she has been involved in Northern Ireland politics since being a student at Queen’s University, Belfast.

A lawyer by profession, she was born in 1970 at the start of the Northern Ireland Troubles and grew up in County Fermanagh where she still lives with her husband and three children.

Arlene was instrumental in establishing powersharing in Northern Ireland and served as Minister for the Environment when devolution returned to Northern Ireland in 2007. When Rev Dr Ian Paisley retired in 2008, she was appointed as Minister for the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment, a position she held until May 2015. During this period she was instrumental in promoting Northern Ireland’s tourism industry, bringing major events like the MTV EMA awards, the Irish Open and Giro d’Italia to Northern Ireland and securing record levels of investment into the economy. In 2012 she spearheaded a yearlong campaign entitled ‘Our Time, Our Place’, which sought to change the narrative for Northern Ireland, marketing it as a great place to live, work, invest and holiday in. Seeing the gap in energy infrastructure in the west of NI, she drove the Gas to the West policy of bringing natural gas to homes and businesses in the area.

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Rahul Narwekar is a prominent political figure in Maharashtra, currently serving as the Speaker of the Assembly. A seasoned politician with a wealth of experience in public service, Narwekar is known for his deep commitment to promoting good governance, transparency, and accountability.

Born and raised in Mumbai, Narwekar earned a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from a leading Indian university, before pursuing a Master’s degree in Business Administration from a prestigious institution in the United States. He later returned to India to pursue a career in politics, inspired by a deep desire to serve his community and make a difference in the lives of his fellow citizens.

Narwekar’s political career began in the early 2000s, when he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He quickly rose through the ranks, earning a reputation as a capable and effective leader with a deep understanding of the issues facing his state and country.

In 2014, Narwekar was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, representing the Colaba constituency in Mumbai. He has since played a key role in advancing the interests of his constituents, working tirelessly to improve infrastructure, healthcare, and education in the region.

As Speaker of the Assembly, Narwekar has been a strong advocate for good governance and transparency in government. He has initiated several reforms aimed at streamlining government processes and promoting accountability, and has been widely praised for his efforts to strengthen the democratic institutions of Maharashtra.

With his dedication, integrity, and vision for a better future, Rahul Narwekar is a respected leader and a valued representative for the people of Maharashtra.

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Nigel Huddleston is a British Member of Parliament and currently serves as the Minister of State for International Trade. He was first elected as the MP for Mid Worcestershire in the 2015 General Election and was re-elected in the 2017 and 2019 General Elections.

Before entering politics, Huddleston worked in the leisure and hospitality industry for over 20 years. He served as a member of the Board of Directors for the European Tour Operators Association and as the Chair of the Tourism Industry Council’s Tourism Data Hub.

Huddleston holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Durham University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Imperial College Business School. He also completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School.

During his time in Parliament, Huddleston has served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage and as a member of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee. In 2018, he was appointed as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport and Tourism, and in 2020, he was appointed as the Minister of State for Sport, Tourism and Heritage. In 2021, he was appointed as the Minister of State for International Trade.

As the Minister of State for International Trade, Huddleston is responsible for promoting and supporting UK trade and investment across the world. He works closely with businesses and industry to ensure that they have the support and tools they need to succeed in international markets. He also leads on key trade negotiations and initiatives, including the UK’s trade relationship with the European Union and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

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