Ajay Piramal is one of India's leading industrialists and philanthropists and currently serves as the Chairman of the Piramal Group, a US$10 billion global business conglomerate with (office) presence in 30 countries, including US, UK, EU, and Japan, among others and products being sold in over 100 countries. He serves on the Harvard Business School's Board of Dean's Advisors, is co-chair of the UK-India CEO Forum and Non-Executive Director of Tata Sons Ltd. He also serves as President and Chairman of Anant National University and Chairman of the Pratham Education Foundation. He is a firm believer in the tenets of the Bhagavad Gita and is a passionate advocate of trusteeship and responsible business ethos. He actively steers the Group's involvement in various social impact initiatives through the Piramal Foundation. For all of us, most importantly, he serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Taking India Forward Foundation, the parent organisation of I.I.M.U.N.
A.R. Rahman has won two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, four National Film Awards, fifteen Filmfare Awards and thirteen Filmfare Awards South, in addition to numerous other awards and nominations. He is described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by the Times Magazine, and his works are notable for integrating Eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and traditional orchestral arrangements. He is a notable humanitarian and philanthropist, donating and raising money for beneficial causes and supporting charities. An Indian, not just in his passport orientation, he is a champion of all things that have the tricolour.
One of the latest additions to the I.I.M.U.N. family, he has volunteered to travel to more cities across the world than most have. Boman Irani is known as a film and theatre actor, voice-over artist and photographer, but we know him as the man who speaks about India in a way that the world fondly takes note. He is widely known for roles in Bollywood films like Don, Munna Bhai MBBS, 3 Idiots, Happy New Year and Dilwale. He struggled at school due to his dyslexia and started his career as a waiter at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel. From there to making films, his life journey in itself makes his an ideal role model for the youth. But add to this the humility, vivaciousness and laughter that he brings to any room he steps in, he is the perfect representation of the Parsi Irani community!
Deepak Parekh is considered the gold standard of Indian Industry, and we have been blessed to have his counsel since 2016. Former Chairman of HDFC, which is India's largest private sector and the 10th largest bank in the world, he is also the Non-Executive Chairman in India of Siemens Ltd, Glaxo SmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd and BAE Systems India (Services) Pvt Ltd. He is on the international boards of DP World-UAE, Vedanta Resources plc and Fairfax Financial Holdings Corporation - Canada. His performance and sobriety have honored him with several awards. Some of the most important ones are the Padma Bhushan, 'Bundesverdienstkreuz' Germany's Cross of the Order of Merit, one of the highest distinctions by the Federal Republic of Germany, “Knight in the Order of the Legion of Honour” one of the highest distinction by the French Republic, First international recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award by Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Giving us lessons in leadership since 2016, Jamshed Bharucha is an academician par excellence. He has studied, taught and led multiple Ivy League universities in the last four decades and is the first Indian-American to serve as a Dean at an Ivy League University. He completed his education with a B.A. from Vassar College, an M.A. from Yale University and a PhD from Harvard University. He was the president emeritus of The Cooper Union, a trustee at Vassar College, and a provost and senior vice president at Tufts University. He has also been the dean of faculty and deputy provost at Dartmouth. He has been a visiting scholar at Harvard, and he has taught at Stanford University, Cornell University, and Carnegie Mellon University. He was the founding Vice-Chancellor at SRM University - Amravati and then the Founding Vice-Chancellor at SAI University.
Former Member of the Indian Parliament from the ruling party of India, he has held prestigious positions such as the Minister of State for Finance and the Minister of State for Civil Aviation in the Government of India. Former Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Finance, he is an authority when it comes to finance. With a B-Tech from IIT, a Master's from the University of Pennsylvania and then an MBA from Harvard Business School, he left his lucrative job as Partner of McKinsey and then Partner at Omidyar Network to serve India. Awarded as Best Parliamentarian by the President of India, his strong academic background and deep understanding of economic policies have been instrumental in steering the country towards prosperity and progress.
Madhur Bajaj has been on the Board of Bajaj Auto Ltd since 1995 and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the 120+ year-old Bajaj Group. The group has 37+ companies that span business interests from finance to electricals but are most renowned for their commitment and passion towards nation-building. He graduated in commerce from Sydenham College, Mumbai, and did his MBA from the International Institute of Management Development (IMD), Lausanne, Switzerland. A staunch egalitarian in his approach towards everything in his life, we have been lucky to have received his blessings and infectious smiles since 2019.
Nadir Godrej is the Managing Director of Godrej Industries and Chairman of Godrej Agrovet Limited. He is also a Director of numerous firms, including Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co Ltd, Tata Teleservices, Godrej Consumer Products, Indian Hotels Co Ltd (Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces) and Mahindra & Mahindra Limited. Currently, he is the President of Alliance Française de Bombay. For his contribution to Indo-French relations, the French Government has honored him with the awards of "Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite'' and "Chevalier de la Légion D' Honneur". A Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Master of Chemical Engineering from Stanford University, he completed his MBA from Harvard Business School. The custodian of the 120-year-old business conglomerate has been mentoring the organization since 2016 and that too in poetic verse!
Naina Lal Kidwai is a Chartered Accountant and an Indian Banker by profession. She has been awarded Padma Shri, ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India) Ladies League's Delhi Women of the Decade Achievers Award for Excellence in Banking. She pursued an MBA at Harvard Business School and was the first Indian woman to graduate from Harvard Business School. She has served as the Country Head and Group General Manager of HSBC India. She has been a member of the Government of India's Industry Task Force, the Prime Minister's Trade and Industry Council, the National Manufacturing Council, the National Trade Council, the Working Group on Banking, the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission and the National Institute of Bank Management. We have been blessed to have her with us since 2019.
With a calm and dignified demeanor that has reformed the sports in India, she herself has won 100 medals, and rightfully is the queen of track and field. P.T. Usha serves as President of the Indian Olympic Association and a member of the Rajya Sabha. The “Payyoli Express“ received the prestigious Arjuna Award and Padma Shree in 1984 for showing outstanding performance in sports. A year later, in 1985, she was adjudged as the best women's athlete at the Jakarta Asian Athlete meet. In 1986, at the Seoul Asian Games, the Indian Olympic Association awarded her with the Adidas Golden Shoe and named her the Sportsperson of the Century. The best part about P.T. Usha is that she treats every person she meets with the same respect. With her unwavering integrity and commitment, she has been inspiring us since 2019.
Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik, PVSM, VSM, served as the 22nd Chief of the Air Staff and as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff for the Indian Air Force. He took part in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war air actions in the Western and Eastern sectors. In his distinguished career spanning about four decades, he has held many important command and staff appointments, including command of a MiG-21 Bis Squadron, Chief Operations Officer of AF Station Bareilly, Directing Staff at Tactics And Combat Development Establishment and Defence Services Staff College, and command of two important flying bases. He has flown over 3000 hours on all MiG-21 variants and MiG-23 BNs. He is an alumnus of the National Defence College. He has also held the appointments of Air Defence Commander, South Western Air Command, DG Air Force Naval Housing Board (DG AFNHB), and Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) WAC before being appointed the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Central Air Command (CAC), IAF. Always ready to help, we are grateful for his unwavering support since 2019.
Helping us navigate choppy waters since 2019, Admiral Rabinder Kumar Dhowan, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ADC served as the 22nd Chief of Naval Staff of India. He has served as the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. Admiral Dhowan graduated from the National Defence Academy and was honoured with a "telescope" for being the "Best Cadet". On completion of his midshipman training, he was awarded the 'Sword of Honour' and was commissioned an acting sub-lieutenant on 3 May 1975. He has served as the Naval Adviser in the Indian High Commission in London and also as the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy and Plans) in the Integrated Headquarters (Navy) and then commanded the Eastern Fleet. He also served as the Chief of Staff at Headquarters (Eastern Naval Command) in Visakhapatnam and the Chief Staff Officer (Operations) at the Western Naval Command. Later on, he took charge as the Commandant of the National Defence Academy Khadakwasla and later served as a Deputy Chief of Naval Staff.
Shabana Azmi is a celebrated Indian film actor, social activist, and theatre artist who has made a significant impact in the Indian entertainment industry and beyond. She began her acting career in 1974 with the film "Ankur", directed by Shyam Benegal and has since appeared in numerous critically acclaimed and commercially successful films in Hindi and regional languages. With five National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards to her name, She is widely regarded as one of India's most versatile and accomplished actors. Apart from her successful acting career, She is also known for her commitment to social causes and voicing issues that are critical to India. Her contributions to Indian cinema and society have been recognised with several prestigious awards and honours, including the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and the Gandhi International Peace Award, to name a few.
Shantanu Mukherjee, popularly known as Shaan, is inarguably India's most versatile playback singer and is associated with almost all good causes that one can think of. He has been bestowed with titles such as "Golden Voice of India", "Voice of Paradise'', "Magician of Melody'', and "Voice of Youth''. He started his career at the young age of 17 years, and he has sung songs in over 13 languages across various genres, including but not limited to pop, patriotic, jazz, ghazals, hip-hop, and rock, among others. He has sung in over 1000+ films and has given voice to various Actors such as Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, and Akshay Kumar, amongst others. He has won various awards: 7 Filmfares, 8 IIFA's, 3 Zee Cine's, and 4 Star Gold's. He has hosted the television show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on Zee TV, which won the Music Programme of the Year award at the Indian Telly Awards. He has collaborated and worked with various International Singers and has sung the theme song for the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Chairman of the Advisory Board at I.I.M.U.N. and I.I.M.U.N. family since 2014, Shashi Tharoor is an author of 29+ books (at the time of writing this..:P), politician, and former international civil servant. Currently, he is a fourth-term Lok Sabha MP representing the Thiruvananthapuram constituency. He has served as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and as Minister of State for Human Resource Development and Minister of State for External Affairs in the Government of India. During his nearly three-decade-long prior career at the United Nations, he served as Under-Secretary-General during Kofi Annan's leadership of the organisation. One of India's finest public intellectuals, he is a thought leader par excellence - and one thing is for sure: we learn ten new words every time we speak to him!
Attending I.I.M.U.N. concourses and a staunch supporter since its inception in 2011, Shiamak Davar is known as the “Guru of Dance” in India. He is largely responsible for modernising India’s dance scene, especially in the film and theatre industry. With the motto Have Feet. Will Dance., Shiamak Davar International is the world’s biggest dance academy, enriching the lives of over a million dance enthusiasts across India, Canada, Australia, the UAE and the UK. Shiamak also runs- Shiamak’s Victory Arts Foundation (VICTORY) which is a not-for-profit organisation that empowers individuals who are less privileged, vulnerable to HIV/AIDS or with special needs through dance. In 2014, Shiamak received the Medallion and Citation from the Governor-General of Canada for his dedication towards building friendship and cultural understanding between Canada and India. Having taught most of Bollywood at some point, some of his students include Varun Dhawan, Sushant Singh Rajput, Shahid Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and many more.
Cooking up a storm of love at I.I.M.U.N. since 2016, Chef Vikas Khanna is an accomplished Indian-American culinary expert, restaurateur, author, filmmaker, humanitarian, and television personality. With a career spanning several decades, Chef Khanna has established himself as a Michelin-starred chef and a leading authority on Indian cuisine, renowned for his innovation, creativity, and exceptional culinary skills. He has trained in some of the world's most prestigious kitchens, including the Taj, Oberoi, and Leela Group of Hotels in India, and has been the Executive Chef of the Junoon restaurant in New York City, which has earned a coveted Michelin star. Furthermore, he is an ardent philanthropist and a passionate advocate for social causes, having founded several initiatives aimed at helping underprivileged communities across the world.
General Ved Prakash Malik, PVSM, AVSM former Chief of Army Staff and Army Chief during the Kargil War, was commissioned into 3 Sikh LI in 1959. In 1989, he was appointed GOC of a Mountain Division, and in 1992, he assumed command of a Corps in Punjab, where he oversaw anti-militancy operations in the state. As Chief of Army Staff since 1997, he coordinated and oversaw the planning and execution of Operation Vijay, Kargil War, to successfully defeat Pakistan's attempted intrusion into the Kargil sector in 1999. He played an important role in Operation Cactus in 1988 where India intervened to restore order in the Maldives attempted coup. Having travelled the length and breadth of the country with us, since 2019, we are fortunate to have the guidance of one of the most selfless men alive.
