Management & Team
Dr. Mohanakrishnan Raman
C. Devidas Varier Managing Director of AVP
Mr. C. Devidas Varier is the grandson of the founder. Having over 3 decades of experience in the operations and managing the various activities of AVP & Group institutions and is a PG in Business Administration, his experience in AVP helped establish it is first overseas venture in Europe, AVP Baltics in 2015, under which a “randomized double blind placebo controlled crossover study to investigate efficacy and sustainability of individualized Ayurveda management in sub – optimally controlled Type 2 diabetes mellitus as an add on therapy to oral drug therapy” in collaboration with University of Latvia was conducted.
He is keenly interested in the propagation of Ayurveda globally like his predecessors of his family and is working with focus & determination in establishing AVP as a global player promoting Education, Research, scientifically validated Clinical practices formulations to support contemporary modes of treatments and medical practices in the field of Ayurveda. Under his leadership AVP has been a recipient of various prestigious Awards.
K. SRINIVASAN CHAIRMAN & MANAGING DIRECTOR – EMERALD GROUP.
Srinivasan is an industry stalwart that is well-established in the industry. Leveraging his immense experience, he has been able to take Emerald Jewel Industry towards greater heights in the industry.
“Work is worship and Emerald, my temple. Ever since I started the company, I‘ve had but one goal in mind, to become the world‘s largest jewelry manufacturer. And I‘m proud to say, Emerald has grown into a place where its poised to attain that pinnacle soon. We got here by never compromising on quality or design and through relentless innovation, maintaining a steadfast resolve to always deliver the best. Excellence in all things is our guiding tenet and with that in mind, Emerald will continue reaching for the stars.”
Emerald stands for perfection. Every piece we make, down to the smallest details, will be flawless, and that is our guarantee.
Dr. Ken Nisikawa, brings over two decades of experience as a professor at Konan University, Japan. Throughout his academic career. He has cultivated a passion for fostering human transformation within various contexts. Dr. Ken has designed and delivered courses in Management, Organization Development, and self-awareness workshops for students across graduate and undergraduate programs, along with specialized programs for senior learners
His research interests are inherently interdisciplinary, with a particular focus on how group dynamics, organizational structures, and social communities influence personal growth. Dr. Ken actively participates in international conferences, finding immense value in exchanging knowledge and exploring the universality of human development across cultures. Recently, his research focus has shifted towards leader and follower development through a relational lens. This perspective transcends the traditional leader-follower binary and delves deeper into the complexities of leadership dynamics, encompassing both top-level managers and frontline personnel.
Mohanakrishnan Raman is an Organizational Psychologist with Ph.D qualification. Currently he is a Dean Academics and Organization Development (Advisory role) for Mahajana Education Society, Mysore, which is a 80 year old education institution. He has 22 years of wide ranging experience in research, teaching, consulting, institution building projects and enjoys deep corporate exposure. He is passionate to contribute to higher education in India. He was a Professor and Head of HRD and OD department from SDM, IMD, Mysore from 2004 until 2008. He started an Educational Trust called Foundation for Research, Education and Development (FRED), to offer courses on Social & Behavioural Sciences including OD, OB and Leadership. He had worked in Telecom, IT and Banking sectors. His corporate consulting areas are Family Business, OD Consulting, Innovation, Coaching and Strategy. Training and Development being his forte, he has enormous interest in OD, and behavioural science- based training and interventions.
Dr. Tom A Rusen is a Managing Director WIFU / CEO WIFU – Foundation, Born 1974, managing director of the Witten Institute for Family Business (WIFU) at the Witten / Herdecke University. He also directs the non-profit WIFU Foundation as an executive chairman. After completing a degree in economics at the Witten / Herdecke University, he spent several years working for the inhouse consultancy of a large multinational industrial corporation, and for restructuring and recovery consultancies. He has been honorary professor at the economics faculty of the Witten / Herdecke University since 2015, and a visiting professor at Lucerne University since 2017. The main areas of his research, teaching and publication include the examination of conflict and crisis dynamics, structural risks in family businesses, mental models in business families, and family strategies and their evolution over generations. In his coaching and consultancy work, he assists family businesses and business families in developing practical solutions as part of succession processes, conflict and crisis situations, and the development of family strategies and family management systems.
Santhiran brings with him 30 years of experience in the field of education as he has spent a great number of years working in the management sector. He is an expert in the fields of Leadership in Education, Business Strategy & Quality Assurance, Compliance and Sustainable Profitability. He has been a key player in turning around the recruitment market for education institutions, both domestically and internationally. He has secured countless international and transnational franchise agreements for higher education institutions in the Asian, Middle Eastern and African markets. Santhiran has held various Senior Management and Development roles in colleges, university colleges and full fledged universities. Santhiran has also been conducting industrial training for the past 15 years within Malaysia and abroad in the fields of logistics, supply chain management, educational training and international trade education. He obtained his Masters’ degree in Marketing from the University of Northumbria, UK and a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from UKM. He also possesses a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing. He is currently pursuing his DBA from Poland via UiTM and sits in the Advisory Boards of a few colleges and universities.
W. Gibb Dyer (Ph.D MIT) is the O. Leslie and Dorothy Stone Professor in the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University. He has been a visiting faculty member at the University of New Hampshire and IESE in Barcelona, Spain and was a visiting scholar at the University of Bath in England. He has published 9 books and over 50 articles and his research has been featured in Fortune, The Wall Street Journal and Fast Company. His recent book, The Family Edge, focuses on how “family capital” supports business growth. In 2008 he was given the outstanding faculty award from the Marriott School. He has been ranked as one of the top ten scholars in the world in the field of family business. He and his wife Theresa have seven children and twenty grandchildren.
Dr. Madhuparna Nayak is a researcher at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. Her research interests lie in economic sociology, with a particular emphasis on the dynamics of family businesses and business families. In her doctoral thesis, titled “Gold Trade, Business Succession, and Kindred Ties,” she researched the Subarnabaniks of Bengal, addressing critical themes such as wealth accumulation, kinship relationships, and intergenerational business transfer. Madhuparna’s research provides significant insights into the interplay between social and economic factors within traditional business communities, thereby enhancing the understanding of the sustainability of family-owned enterprises.
Anna Motylska – Kuźma – PhD in Economics, graduate of the Wroclaw University of Technology (Poland), Dean of the Faculty of Economic Sciences at the University of Management and Finance in Wroclaw, an employee of the WSB University in Wroclaw, Head of the Teaching Team of Financial Consulting, currently the Vice-Dean of Faculty of Applied Study, University of Lower Silesia. Author of many articles and publications in the field of financial management and financial decisions, with particular emphasis on financial risk, value management and innovative sources of financing business activities as well the family firms.
Lee Kean Yew, was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Prior to completing his PhD in Economics and Administration at Asia-Europe Institute, University Malaya, he is an academic director of the Centre for Malaysia Chinese Studies undertakes scholarly work on Malaysia with a special focus on the Chinese community and publishes its findings in books, conference proceedings or its bilingual journal.
At the same time, he has been promoted as one of the associate researchers and associate members at both the Department of China Studies and Malaysian Chinese Research Centre (MCRC), University of Malaya by focusing in the research of overseas Chinese business and cultural studies. One of his job tasks is to promote mutual understanding and communication to tap the potential for cooperation between Malaysian Chinese and overseas companies.
Besides, he has also earned a one year diploma in Buddhist studies affiliated with Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka.
Prof. Dr. Heiko Kleve is the Managing and Academic Director of the Witten Institute for Family Business (WIFU) and holds the WIFU Endowed Chair for Organization and Development of Business Families at the University of Witten/Herdecke. He conducts research and teaches on all aspects of life management and governance in business families and advises stakeholders in this context on succession planning and family strategy development. He is the author of numerous books and academic articles, particularly from a systemic-constructivist and postmodern perspective in applied social sciences and family business research.
The keynote will first examine the different logics of the business, ownership, and family. This highlights the polyvalence that family businesses confront in dealing with key stakeholders. To remain capable of action, these stakeholders must address and manage the challenges of polyvalence. This is achieved particularly through the professionalization of the business family, which is conceptualized and illustrated as an independent system beyond the family of the family business.
Dr. K.K. Ramachandran is a prominent academic and marketing professional with over 20 years of experience in higher education and research. He currently serves as a Professor at Dr. G.R. Damodaran College of Science, where he has made substantial contributions to the fields of marketing, management, and educational leadership.
Dr. Ramachandran is actively involved in various committees, including the Finance Committee and the Research Committee, showcasing his dedication to enhancing educational standards and student welfare. He also holds the position of Vice President at the Coimbatore Table Tennis Association.
As a prolific researcher, Dr. Ramachandran has authored numerous articles in national newspapers, magazines, and international journals. He serves as the editor-in-chief of a monthly newsletter and is in the process of launching an e-journal. His research interests encompass consumer behavior, retail marketing, and strategic management, with numerous presentations at both national and international conferences.
He actively consults on marketing strategies for various organizations, leveraging his expertise to enhance branding and promotional efforts. Dr. Ramachandran plays a pivotal role in alumni networking, ensuring ongoing communication for institutional development.
His accolades include fellowships from prestigious organizations such as the Chartered Management Institution (UK) and the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts (RSA). He has been recognized for his contributions to educational branding and marketing strategies.
Beyond academia, Dr. Ramachandran engages in community service initiatives aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and education among youth. His leadership in organizing events like TEDx reflects his commitment to fostering innovation and knowledge sharing.
With a robust portfolio of achievements in teaching, research, and community engagement, Dr. K.K. Ramachandran continues to inspire students and colleagues alike through his dedication to excellence in education and marketing practices.
Dr Aravindan Selvaraj practiced Orthopaedic Surgery for 15 years in the world’s best hospitals in Ireland and UK since 1995. He returned to India in 2010 with a vision of setting up a world-class hospital in Chennai and thus the Kauvery Hospital at Chennai was born. Today, Kauvery hospitals group has 13 hospitals with 2500 beds in Tamil Nadu & Karnataka. It is one of the fastest growing hospitals group in South India.
He has been awarded ‘Best Doctor’ by Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University & ‘Pride of Tamil Nadu’ for his achievements in the healthcare industry. In 2022, he was awarded Sir M Visvesvaraya award for ‘Excellence in Healthcare’ instituted by AIMO from the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in recognition of Kauvery Hospital’s contribution to the healthcare sector in terms of service to the general public, creation of jobs for the underprivileged and the scientific advancement of medical care. In 2023, He secured the ‘Business Innovation Award’ at the Nanayam Vikatan Awards showcasing his continuous dedication to pioneering advancements in the healthcare sector.
PD Dr. Tobias Kollner complements the research at WIFU with his Anthropological perspective on business families and family firms. Since 2020, he is heading a research project that examines the social, cultural and religious embeddedness of family firms and business families cross-culturally. Articles by PD Dr. Köllner have been published by Europe-Asia Studies; Journal of Religion, State and Society; Ethnography and Qualitative Social Research; Anthropology Today and others. From 2006 to 2009, PD Dr. Köllner worked as a PhD student at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle and completed his dissertation on the relation between businesspeople and Orthodox religion in contemporary Russia at the University of Leipzig in 2011. Subsequently, he conducted a research project that was funded by the German Research Foundation. This research forms the basis for his habilitation, which he finished in 2019.
Dr. Bhavani M holds an M.Com, M.Phil., and Ph.D. in Commerce. She is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Witten Institute for Family Businesses (WIFU), Witten, Germany. Her research focuses on the internal dynamics of business families and analyzes the role of women in family businesses – offering a cross-cultural and comparative perspective between India and Germany. She is also a Research Associate at the Foundation for Research, Education, and Development (FRED).
She has 15 years of teaching experience and 10 years of research experience. Her primary research areas are Human Resource Development and Entrepreneurship. She submitted a research report on “Problems and Challenges of Women Entrepreneurs in Mysore District,” funded by the University Grants Commission (UGC). She presented her paper at the International Family Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA) Conference in 2022, held in Spain. She also received the Best Paper Award for her article titled “An Empirical Study on Traits of Women Entrepreneurs” at an international conference organized by Jain (Deemed-to-be University), India.
She holds lifetime membership with the Indian Council for Business Education (ICBE) and annual membership with the International Family Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA). She served as Guest Editor of the 3D… IBA Journal of Management and Leadership, July–December 2021, Volume 13 – Issue 1, themed “Women in Focus: Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Advantages.” She is also the Chief Editor of the edited book titled Crisis in the Indian Banking Sector – Issues and Concerns. Dr. Bhavani has published several research articles in national and international journals.
Mohanakrishnan Raman (Mohan) is an Industrial & Organizational Psychologist (IOP) with Ph. D qualification. He has 25 years of wide-ranging experience in research, teaching, consulting, institution building projects and enjoys deep corporate exposure. He is passionate to contribute to higher education in Family Business, Management, Social Sciences and Organization Development Subjects.
He was a Professor and Head of HRD and OD department from SDM – IMD, Mysore from 2003 until 2008. He started an Educational Trust called Foundation for Research, Education and Development (FRED), to offer courses on Social & Behavioural Sciences including OD, OB and Leadership. He had worked in Telecom, IT and Banking sectors. His corporate consulting areas are Family Business, OD Consulting, Innovation, Coaching and Organization Strategy. Training and Development being his forte, he has enormous interest in OD, and behavioural science- based training and interventions. He had done Competency Mapping through the Development Centre process for more than 1500 managers in a large private bank, as a part of a major change management project in India. His strategy and OD consulting assignments include organizations in Construction, FMCG, Manufacturing, Education, Banking and IT sectors. He has been an invited speaker in various forums like CII, NIPM, IFTDO, ATDO, ISODC and IODA.
He has done more than 250 development workshops for various clients. He also has designed and offered open programs in the areas of Talent Management, Performance & Career Management Systems & Process and Personal Transformation Clinic to say a few. He was instrumental and offered leadership in organizing Global Organization Development Summit (GODS) in the year 2006, and as a result he was instrumental in Founding Asia OD Network (AODN), along with other notable OD leaders. He was also a Founder President of AODN for three years from 2007 to 2009. He had spearheaded and offered his leadership to the GODS in China in 2007 and 2008 in Thailand. Under his leadership GODS was organized again in 2009 and 2016 in India.
He has written a book on “Family Business – Methods and Essentials of Building Business Families”. He has published a paper in the well reputed European journal “Challenging Organizations and Society” 2014, Volume 3, Issue 2, titled “The Caste System in India – its Power in Organizations and Politics”. He also contributed articles / chapters in edited books.
He had served as the Vice President – Conferences and Events (2016-19) for International Organization Development Association (IODA). He served as an Executive Board Member of IODA since 2007 to help the conference organizing teams in IODA across the world.
He was consultant with Integrated Consulting Group (ICG) Austria and involved in
“Innovation Boot Camp” creating an innovation culture at the various ministerial departments of the countries of Finland and Estonia. He was invited to give a motivational and directional speech in the area of “Smart Specialization” (Innovation project) for the Government of Slovenia.
He was a visiting professor at the School of Psychology in Zurich University of Applied Science (ZHAW), Switzerland for the last few years from 2015. He is recognized as an Erasmus Professor to teach in Slovenia by the Education Ministry of Education, Slovenia. He has guided, coached and mentored many European Business Consultants and Executives. He has also delivered keynote speeches and workshops in China. His specialization in coaching is cross-national consonance.
His other interests are Travel, Wildlife and Environment Conservation. He was a Dean – Academics & OD for a large Educational institution in Mysore, India from 2016-2018. He is a Charter Member of TIE Mysore Chapter.
Dr Mohanakrishnan Raman
+91 94483 66589
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