Organizers

Prof. Dr. Heiko Kleve

The Polyvalences of the Family Business, and the Business Family as a Solution

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.

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.

Dr. KK Ramachandran

Prominent Academic and Marketing Professional, Professor at Dr. G.R. Damodaran College of Science

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.

Academic and Professional Background

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.

Research and Publications

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.

Teaching Expertise

Dr. Ramachandran teaches a diverse range of subjects, including Principles of Accounting, Marketing Management, and Brand Management. He is committed to fostering an engaging learning environment that inspires student participation and innovation.

Consulting and Collaboration
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.

Achievements and Fellowships

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.

Community Engagement

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.

Vijaya Belavadi

Co-Founder & COO – Hype Luxury

Armed with a Master’s degree in Information Technology from the University of Mysore, I’ve embarked on a remarkable journey as a prominent female global leader. My career has seen me hold influential positions at both Accenture and HP, where I’ve shouldered extensive responsibilities for global infrastructure, catering to Fortune 100 companies across 12 different countries.

As a co-founder of Hype Luxury, I’ve been an integral part of this venture from its inception, playing a pivotal role in nurturing it into a globally recognized luxury mobility brand. Thanks to my efforts, the brand has expanded its footprint, now serving 23 cities across India, the UAE, and the UK.

Beyond my corporate achievements, I’ve assumed the role of National President, presiding over WICCI (Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industries). In this capacity, my commitment lies in empowering rural women and fostering entrepreneurship, with a particular focus on the exclusive luxury tourism sector.

With a career spanning over 25 years, I’ve amassed a diverse array of global leadership experiences, including entrepreneurship, which has laid the foundation for my extraordinary journey of success.

Raaghav Belavadi

Founder & CEO – Hype Luxury

A Mechanical Engineering graduate from N.I.E, Mysore, and an Oxford University trained, Raaghav shifted from his global role as group head at Accenture to establish India’s leading Luxury Mobility Startup, Hype Luxury. Today, valued over 1000 Crores, it stands as the most esteemed Luxury Mobility startup in India.

Scheduled for a travel to Outer space through Virgin Galactic in 2026, Raghav Belavadi is set to become the first Indian to participate in the Space tourism program, showcasing his pioneering spirit.

Globally, Hype Luxury boasts an impressive fleet comprising over 21,000 Private Jets, 2800 Luxury Yachts, and 34,000 Luxury Cars, culminating in a total asset value surpassing $650 Billion.

As the founder and CEO of Hype Luxury Mobility, Raaghav has steered the company to success as a completely bootstrapped and profitable venture, without relying on any VC support. This achievement stands as a testament to the viability and effectiveness of successful family business models in the country.

Leela Kirloskar

Embodied Leadership Coach & Facilitator, Author, Affiliate at Aberkyn Wisdom Tree Leadership Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Leela is an embodied leadership coach and facilitator with over 30 years of highly diverse global experience. She is based in Bangalore, India. For the past 18 years she has served a multitude of leading Indian and global clients across diverse sectors and industries. She is associated with several premium global leadership networks, including Aberkyn, a McKinsey company. Her field is leadership presence, communications mastery, somatic coaching, embodied leadership facilitation, systemic family constellation therapy and trauma-informed coaching and consulting.

Leela works with senior clients and top teams, including CEOs, CXOs, founders and core leadership to work through their challenges, explore limiting mindsets and behaviours and do their personal healing to emerge with a powerful ability to connect, inspire and lead. She enjoys supporting individual and collective leadership transformation journeys, building high performance cultures and developing embodied communications expertise. She is a deeply intuitive listener and observer who helps to bring clarity and depth to individuals and groups, holds compassionate spaces that inspire courage and gently nudges clients to tune in to their own power, purpose and joy.

Shweta Shah

Head – Wealth Structuring & Estate Planning, Nuvama Private Wealth Mumbai, India

Shweta Shah is the Head of Wealth Structuring & Estate Planning at Nuvama Private Wealth, previously known as Edelweiss Wealth Management.

With over 18 years of experience, Shweta specializes in Wealth Structuring, Estate and Succession Planning, and M&A tax advisory.

Her extensive expertise encompasses private trust formation, asset protection, stake sale advisory, acquisition & divestment advisory, corporate restructuring, cross-border deals, and capital raising transactions.

Before joining Nuvama Private Wealth, Shweta served as a Senior Manager at EY Mumbai for almost 9 years.

At EY, she assisted clients on wealth structuring and taxation advisory, including estate and succession planning, private trust advisory, asset protection, corporate restructuring, stake sale advisory, acquisition and divestment advisory, and M&A taxation advisory.

Her client segment included promoters of unlisted as well as listed companies, C-suite professionals, investors, and private equity professionals.

She gained rich experience in advisory across diverse environments encompassing both the Consulting and Private Wealth industries.

A BCom in 2004 from the University of Mumbai, R.A. Podar College and a Chartered Accountant (CA) specializing in Tax Law/Taxation from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India in 2006 have been obtained by her.

Shweta’s profound knowledge and extensive experience in wealth structuring and M&A tax advisory have established her as a leading expert in her field.

Her strategic insights and advisory skills have greatly benefited numerous clients across diverse industries, ensuring effective wealth and succession planning, and facilitating complex transactions and corporate restructurings.

Shruti Khanijow

Partner (Disputes Avoidance and Resolution) at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co

Specialist Mediator at Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC)

Steering Committee Member, Young International Arbitration & Mediation Centre (YIAMC), IAMC Hyderabad

Shruti Khanijow is a Partner (Disputes Avoidance and Resolution) at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, a leading full-service law firm in India. With over a decade of experience, Shruti is a distinguished commercial disputes lawyer, specializing in complex international and Indian arbitrations and mediations.

Her extensive expertise includes representing private parties and state entities in institutional arbitrations under ICC, UNCITRAL, LCIA, and SIAC rules, as well as ad hoc arbitrations seated in India, the MENA region, London, Paris, Singapore, and Geneva. Shruti’s practice spans a variety of sectors, with a particular focus on high-stakes matters involving PE/shareholder disputes, infrastructure, energy, engineering, and construction disputes. She is also known for her work advising third-party funders in cross-border arbitrations and insolvency financing.

In addition to her role at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, Shruti recently assisted the expert committee formed by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) on insolvency mediation and creditor-led out-of-court insolvency resolution policy frameworks, proposing key legislative amendments.

Shruti is empanelled as a Specialist Mediator with the Singapore International Mediation Centre and serves as a Steering Committee Member of the Young International Arbitration & Mediation Centre in India. Her previous experience includes working as a law clerk to the Chief Justice of India, representing clients before the Indian Supreme Court, various High Courts, and tribunals, and serving as a Partner at the arbitration boutique MRP Advisory in Dubai.

Her past roles also include Senior Associate at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Principal Associate at Khaitan & Co, and Senior Project Fellow at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. Shruti has advised clients on shareholders and corporate governance issues, environmental law, and ESG risks in India.

Shruti holds an LLM in International Law from the University of Cambridge, UK, as a KC Mahindra Scholar, and a B.A L.L.B (Hons) from Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur.

In 2017, she taught legal issues’ management to high-tech startups in Armenia and Russia on a Hughes Hall, Cambridge University scholarship and continues to engage with fintech startups across Europe, MENA, and India on governance issues.

Mohanakrishnan

MA, M.Phil, PhD Managing Trustee

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 is currently holding positions as
• Managing Director – Stepup Strategic Consulting Services Pvt Ltd (India)
• Managing Trustee – Foundation for Research, Education and Development (FRED)

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
[email protected]

Bhavani Mohanakishnan

M.Com, M.Phil, PhD

Dr. Bhavani M has M. Com, M.Phil., and Ph.D. in Commerce. She is a Post Doc Research Fellow of the Witten Institute for Family Businesses (WIFU), Witten, Germany. The Focus of her research is on the internal working of the business family and analyses the role of women in the family business – a cross-cultural and comparative perspective of India and Germany. She is also a Research Associate of the Foundation for Research, Education, and Development (FRED).

She has 15 years of teaching and ten years of research experience. Her research areas are Human Resource Development and Entrepreneurship. She submitted her research report on “Problems and Challenges of Women Entrepreneurs in Mysore District” with funding from the University Grant Commission (UGC). She presented her research paper at the International Family Business Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA) conference in 2022, Spain. She has presented and received the Best Paper Award for the article entitled “An empirical study on Traits of Women Entrepreneurs.” at the international conference organized by Jain (Deemed -to-be-University), India.

She got her Life membership in Indian Council for Business Education (ICBE), Annual membership of the International Family Business Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA). She is also a Guest Editor of 3D… IBA Journal of Management and Leadership, July-Dec 2021 Volume 13 – Issue 1, on the theme “Women in Focus: Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Advantages.” She is also a chief editor of an edited Book on “Crisis in the Indian Banking Sector-Issues and Concerns” She has published research articles in various national and international journals.

Mr. Prasad Kumar

Founder of Human Endeavour Associates Family Business Advisor, Bangalore, India

Prasad Kumar is the Founder of Human Endeavour Associates, a niche consultancy firm specializing in strategic advisory for owner led companies, family businesses and corporate development.

He has worked in senior executive roles – in corporates, with many leading companies, partnering in their growth and transformation.

His experience with Family Business Advisory spans three decades.

Most of his engagements are long term partnerships, integrating the cultural and structural dimensions for Growth, Governance and Institution Building.

He is engaged in coaching of Board members, top management and senior leaders across industries and is an active Life Coach to family business leaders.

His last positions were Business Chairman and member of the GMR Group Holding Board, Chairman of RAXA (Homeland Security).

He founded Parampara Family Business Institute and was its Vice Chairman and Managing Director. Post retirement, he is now Advisor and Academic Council member.

He has been member of:
– The Economic Times Advisory Panel on Family Business
– The Economic Times Advisory Panel on Corporate Board Governance

A postgraduate in Management and accredited in Applied Behavioral Sciences, Prasad has been a Certified Professional of the International Association of Facilitators and a Life Member of the Association.
He teaches specialized modules in Family Business, Leadership and Succession at IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, Indian School of Business (ISB), SP Jain Institute and other leading business schools.

He has also been Executive-in-Residence at the Kellogg School of Management, NW University, Chicago, USA.

Mr. Shakir Haq

Chief Executive Officer NKP Empire Ventures Pvt Ltd, Bangalore, India

Steadfast in my business principles and strategy, I am a big proponent of learning from constant experimentation. My understanding & knowledge of restaurant business management and strategic acumen is nurtured by My education at IIM Bangalore, A fuel to our constant pursuit of growth and innovation. One of my proudest claims is driving the organization through the covid crisis and ensuring its
emergence as a profitable, EBIDTA positive Business. As an organization we are now focused on our Vision to be a global Food & Beverage Brand & I intend to reach these heights and more with the support Of the Board at NKP & My dedicated team. I am also grateful for my learning & experience that was inculcated by my Late Father who was a leader in his own right & gave seed to our current vision at NKP.

Mr. CK Ranganathan

Chairman & Managing Director, M/s. CavinKare Pvt Ltd. Chennai, India

Mr. CK Ranganathan was born in Cuddalore to parents with primary interest in education. He took up his Bachelors in Chemistry and after a short stint in the family business, he set up “Chik India”. The Company began its journey as Chik India and was renamed CavinKare Pvt. Ltd (CKPL) in 1998 with a starting investment of Rs. 15,000/- The Company manufactures and markets many products under the brand of Chik, Spinz, Fairever, Meera, Nyle, Raaga Professional, Karthika, Biker’s, Indica, Cavin’s, Ruchi, Chinnis, Maa and Garden etc both in domestic and international markets.

The Company has pioneered the concept of ‘Unisex Salons’ in India with country’s most popular organized beauty salon brands – Green Trends and Limelite under its salon division, which has a clear-cut focus on providing personal styling and beauty solutions to everyone in the family.

Mr. Ranganathan is the current President of TiE – Chennai Chapter. He was the past Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industries, Southern Region and Past President of All India Management Association and Madras Management Association.

CK Ranganathan is one of the founder-members of the Ability Foundation – an NGO working towards the rehabilitation of the disabled. He instituted CAVINKARE ABILITY AWARDS to celebrate annually the exemplary spirit of rare breed of individuals who have risen above their physical limitations to display that attitude is everything.

He also instituted an annual CHINNIKRISHNAN INNOVATION AWARDS to encourage small entrepreneurs in memory of his father Shri. R Chinnikrishnan, the man who pioneered the sachet revolution.

PD Dr. Tobias Koellner

Social Anthropologist and Sociologist, Witten Institute for Family Business (WIFU), Germany

PD Dr Tobias Koellner is social Anthropologist and sociologist. He complements the research at the WIFU with his anthropological perspective on business families and family firms. Since 2020, he heads a research group that examines the social, cultural and religious embeddedness of family firms and business families in cross-cultural perspective. From 2006 to 2009, he 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 Christianity in contemporary Russia at the University of Leipzig. Subsequently, he conducted another research project funded by the German Research Foundation that formed the basis for his habilitation, which he completed in 2019.

He is the author of numerous books and edited volumes such as Family Firms and Business Families in Cross-Cultural Perspective: Bringing Anthropology Back In (Palgrave Macmillan) and Sociology of the Business Family: Foundations, Recent Developments and Future Perspectives (Springer). Articles by him have been published by Journal of Change Management; Systems Research and Behavioral Science; Europe-Asia Studies; Journal of Religion, State and Society; Qualitative Social Research and Anthropology Today, among others.

Mr. Kabilan Devarajan

Chief Execution Officer URC Construction Private Ltd, Chennai, India

An entrepreneur of the third generation who has initially hired as a management trainee in the family construction business. He acquired knowledge on every facet of construction operations, including procurement, stores, finance, execution, and planning. This quickly led
to his promotion to GM-Operations.

Through his unwavering dedication and perseverance in less than five years after joining, he was promoted to CEO of the organization. In a company with over 2,000 executives and close to 12,500 employees, the transition from the elders was seamless.

After completing his Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, he pursued his MBA from The University of Toledo, Ohio,USA. The financial knowledge he gained through his Master’s made him a thorough Techno commercial Expert. Furthermore, he received the “Best Alumni award” from PSG College of Technology in 2013.

As an ardent business person, he has changed the organization into a complete “System Driven” with generous support and guidance from Padma Bhushan Dr. A. Ramakrishna – Ex L&T – Deputy Managing Director.

He is a part of a team that boosted the turnover from Rs. 500 Cr to Rs. 2000 Cr in a decade with his tireless efforts. He established many Strategic Regional Offices in and outside the country with an addition of more Sector operations to expand and spread the Mantra of the
organization, “Expertise in Quality”.

Through his tremendous efforts, the organization has been strengthened with internal design teams that include architects, structural engineers, and MEP, enabling the company to take on projects in the EPC mode. By making these changes, the company has advanced from being a traditional contractor who accepts work at item rate to an EPC Construction Company.

To enhance the organization’s overall performance, he resolutely devoted himself to making it a world-class organization via his global practice approaches. He was also acknowledged for his diligent nature in the prompt completion of projects.

As a philomath, he always loves to Learn and Explore New areas with Dedication and Devotion. His Esteemed nature has made him attached to every individual of the organization with an altruistic attitude.

Dr. Ken Nisikawa

Professor at Konan University, Japan

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.

Heung Wah Wong

Emeritus Associate Professor of Global Creative Industries program, Hong Kong

WONG is Emeritus Associate Professor of Global Creative Industries program at The University of Hong Kong. He is currently professor of Japanese Studies at Tenri University, Nara, Japan. Wong obtained his Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from Oxford University in 1996. His research interest lies in the globalization of Japanese popular culture, anthropology of business, and cultural policies in East Asia. He conducts research in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and Mainland China. He is the author of Japanese Bosses, Chinese Workers: Power and Control in a Hong Kong Megastore (Hawaii University Press and Curzon Press 1999). He is also the coauthor of Japanese Adult Videos in Taiwan (Routledge 2014), The Japanese Adult Videos Industry (Routledge 2017), Tradition and Transformation in a Chinese Family Business (Routledge 2020), Censorship in Japan (Routledge 2021), and various journal articles and chapters.

Professor Maksim Belitski

Director of Henley Centre for Entrepreneurship, Henley, Business School, UK

Professor Maksim Belitski is a Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Henley Business School and the Director of Henley Centre for Entrepreneurship.

He is an expert in entrepreneurship and innovation research at micro-, meso- and macro-levels.
His research interests lie in the area of entrepreneurship, self-employment, market entry, firm innovation and regional economics, with a particular focus on entrepreneurial ecosystems and the knowledge spillover of innovation.

Before joining Henley Business School, he served as

– Research Fellow at the Institute for Development Strategies, Indiana University
Bloomington (USA)

– Contract Professor of Econometrics at the University of Bolzano (Italy).

In the past, he has held positions at Loughborough University, University College London, the University of Leicester, the University of Economics Bratislava (Slovakia), and the Belarusian State University (Belarus).

A PhD in Applied Economics from the University of Leicester and another PhD in Economics from the University of Milan, Italy have been obtained by him.

He is recognized as a ‘Trusted’ researcher and has been engaged with microfoundations data from the UK Secure Data Service and Office of National Statistics since 2011.

Teaching on undergraduate, postgraduate, executive education, and Levy programmes is also undertaken by him. He serves as the module convenor for Financing for Entrepreneurship, Advances in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, and Food Recombination. Additionally, he holds editorial roles as an editor of the Small Business Economic Journal and as a member of the Editorial Review Board for the Entrepreneurship and Regional Development Journal.

Manisha Kannur (Shirgurkar)

Director- Strategy and Planning – Ace Microsmatic Group, Bangalore, India

Manisha graduated in Mechanical Engineering from M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore in 1996. Immediately after graduation, she started her career in Ace Designers as Engineer- Design. Ace is India’s largest machine tool company. She belongs to the second generation of this multi-family owned group.

Manisha spent nine years in the design function. She was part of the team which was awarded the prestigious FIE Foundation Award at IMTEX 2004 for the design of CNC lathe with sub spindle.

She then went on to perform management functions working in various change initiatives in the organization like

Business Excellence Model Deployment
Balanced score card deployment
Strategic Business Planning
Diversification and growth initiatives

She currently holds the position of Director- Strategy and Planning and has recently completed a Certificate Masters Program in Business Strategy from ISB.

Manisha also plays an active role in the Indian Machine Tools Manufacturer’s Association as a member of Udaan, the next gen group of IMTMA. She is the Chairman of Vision Steering Committee involved in the formulation and deployment of the Vision for the Indian Machine Tool Industry.

Anna Motylska – Kuźma
PhD in Economics Head of the Teaching Team of Financial Consulting

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.

Anindita Chakrabarti
Professor of Sociology at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Kanpur

Anindita Chakrabarti is a Professor of Sociology at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Kanpur. Her research interests are in the areas of sociology of law, sociology of religion, and economic sociology with a focus on the sociology of work, wealth accumulation, inheritance, and entrepreneurship. She has vast experience in teaching and research. She got awarded Senior Fellow at the Humanities Centre for Advanced Studies (HCAS) at Leipzig University, in June-July 2022. She was a Visiting Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle (February- May 2022) and at Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne, 2022.

Kalpesh Mehta

Founder – CTO, LL Corpus Inc, USA

Kalpesh is an entrepreneur who embarked on his entrepreneurial journey right after completing his Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communication from the University of Mysore. His dedication to the IT field is evident in his over 20 years of experience in Engineering Solutions. His expertise lies in crafting creative solutions for the Fintech and Healthcare sectors.

Kalpesh’s achievements have been recognized with the prestigious ‘Udyog Ratan’ Award bestowed by the Institute of Economic Studies, New Delhi, India. This award highlights his significant contributions to the Indian economy.

Kalpesh brings strong leadership and business strategy skills to the table. These strengths are crucial for building and steering successful ventures.

Kalpesh is passionate about developing a unique solution that is revolutionizing rehabilitation and wellness. He is focused on building a small footprint IoT-based integrated rehabilitation and wellness equipment and software solution. This innovative solution is designed to assist both ambulatory and non-ambulatory patients recovering from neurological and orthopaedic conditions. It also aims to improve the quality of life for wellness patients.

Kalpesh’s profile reflects a blend of technical expertise, business acumen, and a desire to make a positive impact. His current project holds promise for significantly improving the lives of patients and wellness enthusiasts.

Dr. Heila Sha (Saheira Haliel)

Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME) at Aston University

Dr. Heila Sha (Saheira Haliel) is a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME) at Aston University. Her research expertise includes migration, cross-border trade, ethnic minority/migrant entrepreneurship, kinship, gender, marriage, family business, and socio-economic transformations in China. Saheira completed her Ph.D at Max-Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Germany in July 2015. Her Ph.D research focused on inter-generational transformations of family life, care, and gender relations in response to socio-economic transformations in Northwest China. In April 2016, she joined University of Sussex (UK) as a postdoctoral Research Fellow, where her research explored transnational lives, mobilities and networks by applying multi-sited methodologies that bridge scales to connect globally diverse localities within transnational trading networks and commodity markets in the context of global trade liberalization. After Sussex, Saheira was a Research Fellow at Coventry University, where she worked with Migration for Development and Equality ( MIDEQ) hub, with a particular focus on migration intermediaries and inequalities.

Heung Wah Wong

Emeritus Associate Professor of Global Creative Industries program, Hong Kong

WONG is Emeritus Associate Professor of Global Creative Industries program at The University of Hong Kong. He is currently professor of Japanese Studies at Tenri University, Nara, Japan. Wong obtained his Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from Oxford University in 1996. His research interest lies in the globalization of Japanese popular culture, anthropology of business, and cultural policies in East Asia. He conducts research in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and Mainland China. He is the author of Japanese Bosses, Chinese Workers: Power and Control in a Hong Kong Megastore (Hawaii University Press and Curzon Press 1999). He is also the coauthor of Japanese Adult Videos in Taiwan (Routledge 2014), The Japanese Adult Videos Industry (Routledge 2017), Tradition and Transformation in a Chinese Family Business (Routledge 2020), Censorship in Japan (Routledge 2021), and various journal articles and chapters.

Prof. Dr Heiko Kleve

Academic Director – WIFU Foundation, Germany

Prof. Dr Heiko Kleve has led the WIFU Foundation’s Department of Organisation and Development of Business Families since July 2017. Since October 2020, Dr Kleve has steered the academic activities of the WIFU as academic director. He has also been a consultant, mediator, coach and supervisor for individuals, groups, teams and organisations/businesses for around 20 years.

After training as a data processing technician and working briefly in the field, Dr Kleve (born in 1969) studied social work and social education at the Alice Salomon University in Berlin from 1992 to 1996 and social sciences (sociology, political science and social philosophy) at the Humboldt University of Berlin from 1997 to 1999. In 1998, he gained a doctorate in sociology at the Free University of Berlin, achieving summa cum laude. He worked as a freelance social education worker in the psychosocial counselling of families, children and young people (sociopedagogic family counselling and care) and in sociopsychiatric outreach work with individuals from 1997 to 2002.

He was appointed as the chair of Theory and History of Social Work at the Alice Salomon University in 2002. He taught and researched at the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences as a professor of sociological and social psychological foundations of social work from 2005 to 2017. There, he was the dean of the Social and Educational Sciences Department from 2013 to 2017, as well as the director of a social work course specialising in families and the academic director of further training in systemic case management, systemic coaching and systemic structures.

Dr Kleve possesses additional certifications as a systemic consultant (DGSF), supervisor and coach (DGSv), systemic and teaching supervisor (SG), conflict mediator and case manager (DGCC).

Main areas of work, research and interest
• System theory for business families and family businesses
• Socialisation, education and growing up in business families
• Family governance/strategy
• Consulting, coaching, mediation and organisational development, especially in business families
• Theoretically analysing and practically dealing with ambivalent and paradoxical situations
• Systemic methods of researching business families/family businesses, particularly systemic structures as an analytical and research method
• Theory and practice in applied social sciences, especially social work as a postmodern discipline and profession

Heiko Kleve

Full Professor and Academic Director

Heiko Kleve is Full Professor and Academic Director at the Witten Institute for Family Business and, together with his team, analyzes the business family, especially from a sociological and socio-psychological perspective. He also advises business families on succession issues, family strategy and psycho-social issues.

Kiran Kumar K V

PGDBA, M.Com, CAIIB Program Director

Mr. Kiran Kumar K V holds master graduation in commerce and also in business management. He has attended various workshops and FDPs, especially in the areas of learning analytical tools like MS-Excel and R, including a weeklong workshop at NIT, Calicut. He has also conducted workshops on Research Methods, MS-Excel, R, and Business Analytics for corporate, academicians, and students. He has a total experience of 15 years in corporate, teaching, research, and consulting. His research areas include corporate finance practices, capital market analytics, behavioural finance, and consumer behaviour studies. He has published more than 6 research papers in national and international journals including one in a Scopus indexed journal.

Dr. Swarnalakshmi Umamaheshwaran

M.Sc (Economics), Ph.D

Dr. Swarnalakshmi Umamaheshwaran holds an M.Sc in Economics and Quantitative techniques (Avinashilingam Deemed University) and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. (TERI School of Advanced Studies). Swarna has over 13 years of experience across industry and research. She has worked as a consultant in MNCs such as Amex, GE, Genpact and Scholastic Inc, and TERI, New Delhi. In her role as a consultant, she specialized in building a data-driven business strategy using descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics. She is currently a professor in Business analytics at the International School of Management Excellence and excels in a wide variety of analytical tools such as Excel, SAS, SPSS, Python, R, and Tableau. Swarna has delivered workshops in analytical tools such as SPSS, R & Python. During her tenure as faculty, she has also taken courses and workshops on Machine Learning and AI. She is well-published in national and international journals. Recently she has presented her research work in IIM-Bangalore Conference. Swarna is passionate about data science, analytics, and problem-solving. She believes that analytics and research is for anybody with logical reasoning and a natural curiosity about the world. As analytics and research faculty and trainer, her approach is to deliver analytics education in a simple and approachable way.

Dr. Noble Kumavu (Ghana)

M.Sc. (Occupational Psychology)

Noble is a psychologist with a post-graduate specialization as an Organization Development (OD) Consultant. He divides his time between Africa, the USA, and Europe, undertaking relevant organizational Development (OD) & Management Development Consultancy, Training and Research assignments, or strengthening the capacity of local consultants to do so. In addition to this active consultancy and training responsibilities, he is the Chief Executive of OCIC International. He is also the Coordinator of the OCIC-UCC OD Consultancy Skills Training Programme.

Willie Marais

M.Soc.Sc (Psychology)

Prof. Willie Marais is an expert consultant in Industrial Psychology and founder and owner of OrgDev, a Cape Town, South Africa based Organisational Development Consultancy and I/O Psychology Practice. He is graduated in M.Soc.Sc. from Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa. He is a member of the International Organisation Development Network, South African Assessment Centre Study Group, Psychological Society of South Africa, Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology, South Africa. In his learned career, he has held positions of Former Vice-Chairman of the Western Cape Society of Industrial Psychologists, Former Executive Member of the IPM Western Cape, Past Chairperson of the South African Assessment Centre Group and Guest lecturer and external examiner at postgraduate level at several Universities in South Africa. He has also addressed international conferences held at Italy, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium, India, USA, Thailand, and several professional conferences in South Africa.

Dr. R Palaniswamy

PGDOR, M.Sc (Statistics), M.Phil, MBA, PhD (Statistics), PhD (Management)

Dr. R Palaniswamy comes with rich experience more than 43 years in teaching students and executives. He has worked as Professor with Jansons School of Management, Coimbatore and PSG School of Arts and Science, Coimbatore. He holds two PhD qualifications in Statistics and Management field from Bharathiar University. Dr. Palaniswamy holds five master degrees to his credit – MSc, MPhil, MBA, PGDOR and PGD in Six Sigma. He has presented high quality research papers in national and international conferences. His papers are published in high impact international journals. He is an active resource person for various workshops on Research Methods, Data Analysis, Statistics and Operations Research.

Prof. P Renukadevi

M.Sc (Statistics), MBA

Prof. P Renukadevi is a Post-Graduate in Statistics and Management. She hasa total experience of 5 years, of which 3 years are in teaching and research. She is currently pursuing Chartered Accountancy Program. Prof. Renukadevi is SLET and UGC NET qualified. Her areas of specialisation include Quantitative Methods, Operations Research, Security Analysis & Portfolio Management, and Strategic Financial Management.

Data Analysis using SPSS (Online FDP)

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Financial Analytics using Excel (Online Workshop)

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Foundations of Machine Learning for Marketing Analytics (Online MDP)

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Advanced Machine Learning for Marketing Analytics (Online MDP)

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Dr. Tom A Rusen

Managing Director WIFU / CEO WIFU

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.

D. Venkateswaran alias CD Kumar

Managing Partner of CD Technotex LLC

He is currently the Managing Partner of CD Technotex LLC . His business acumen follows the footsteps of his father’s philosophy. CD. Kumar works on Marketing and Sales, Production, New Product Development, Research and Development areas on a regular perspective.

On completion of his graduation in Mechanical and Production Engineering from Annamalai University, His father, Late Shri C Doraisamy, has fostered values of education, in having him travel to Wayne State University (WSU), Detroit, Michigan, where he pursued his Masters Degree in Industrial Engineering, followed by Masters in Business Administration (MBA). It was then that CD.Kumar took up a Teaching Assistant position in the Department of Industrial Engineering, WSU, handling Probability and Statistics. Later, he discharged the role of a Research Assistant during his MBA program. While in the MBA program, the sudden demise of his father compelled him to take up the family businesses.

CD.Kumar has been involved in Edible Oil Processing of the group, under the guidance of his uncle, Shri.C.Krishnan, since 1987. By 1993, he moved over to manage the group’s Sri Krishna Automobile Enterprises, functioning as a Maruti Authorized Service Station (MASS). Under his leadership, the facility was adjudged as the Biggest MASS for the year 1994.

In 1989, CD.Kumar oversaw the creation and donation of the C.D Memorial Library at Kongu Engineering College, Erode, as part of the group’s vision of ‘Education for All’. He has functioned as the Correspondent of Kongu Engineering College, Treasurer of Kongu Vellalar Institution of Technology Trust (KVITT) and Secretary of KVITT. He has lead the establishment of Kongu Arts and Science College, Kongu Industrial Training Centre and Kongu National Matriculatio School.

In 2003, CD.Kumar saw the establishment of the country’s FIRST Technology Business Incubator (TBI), with the support and guidance of Department of Science and Technology of Government of India. CD.Kumar functioned as its Founder Chairman, only to see it being recognized in 2014, as the Best TBI in India, by the President of India, His Excellency Sri Pranab Mukherjee.

In 2007, CD.Kumar was the Founder Vice-Chairman of CII Erode District and scaled up membership to see it upgraded as a Zonal office, at par with Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Trichy. He was the Chairman of CII Erode Zone for the years 2009-’10.

Since 2012, CD.Kumar is the Vice-Chairman of the philanthropic pursuit in Ulavan Producers Company Limited (UPCL), an organization owned by primary producers to maximize revenue and minimize cost of production for the farmers – Making Agriculture a Sustainable Proposition.

He is also a Trustee of Olirum Erodu Foundation (OEF), an outreach project and functions as its Vice-Chairman, in addition to being the Convenor of the Environment Panel. OEF is a philanthropic pursuit of the Erode brothers consisting of 54 trustees and a non- governmental organization working on five verticals namely, Water Management, Environment Enhancement, Infrastructure Improvement, Holistic Education and Affordable Healthcare.

CD.Kumar is the Chairman of Madras Management Association – Erode. He is a Vice President of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), Coimbatore chapter, an organization that promotes budding entrepreneurs.

He is also the Life member of Native Angel Network, which supports entrepreneurs in growing innovative business ideas into viable business propositions.

Education	Master of Science (M.S) in Industrial Engineering Wayne State University, Detroit, USA	1986
	Bachelor of Engineering (B.E) Mechanical & Production Engineering Annamalai University, Chidambaram, INDIA
Business Leadership	Partner, CD TechnoTex LLP (formerly, Venbro Polymers) Manufacturers of Polypropylene Woven Sacks/Fabrics/Tea Bags	Since 1995
	Chairman, Ulavan Producer Co. Ltd., Erode First-in-the-Country initiative in E-Auctioning of Agri Produce	Since 2012
	Head, Sri Krishna Automobile Enterprises, Erode “A” Grade Maruti Authorised Service Station (MASS)	Since 2006
	Partner & Head – Technical & Production, Cooking Oils Division of C.D.Group of Companies	1987-1993
	Research Assistant, Department of Management Studies, Wayne State University, Detroit, USA.	1986-1987
	Teaching Assistant – Probability & Statistics, Dept.of Industrial Engg., Wayne State University, Detroit, USA	1985-1986
Public Position Held	Member, Board of Management, Tamilnadu Agricultural University.	Since 2018
	Member, Board of Management, Tamilnadu University for Veterinary & Animal Sciences	Since 2022
	Secretary, Kongu Vellalar Institute of Technology Trust, Perundurai	2001-2004
	Founder Chairman, Technology Business Incubator (TBI @ KEC) Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, in association with DST, GoI, New Delhi	2003-2004
	“Best TBI in India” – Awardee from The President, GOI Treasurer, Kongu Vellalar Institute of Technology Trust, Perundurai (Running Kongu Institutions, Perundurai and Nanjanapuram)	1995-‘98
	Correspondent, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai	1992-‘95
	Area Commander – Tamilnadu Home Guards, Erode District	1992-‘93
Social Leadership	Vice-Chairman, Olirum Erodu Foundation	Since 2014
	Chairman, Madras Management Association(MMA) – Erode Chapter	Since 2014
	Secretary, The Indus Entrepreneurs(TiE), Coimbatore Chapter	2013-‘16
	Chairman, Confederation of Indian Industries(CII)-Erode Zone	2009-‘10
	Chairman, Mega Agri Business Consortium of Producer Companies	2016-‘22
	Life Member, Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE)

Mr C Devarajan

Past Chairman CII Erode & Managing Director URC Constructions(P) Ltd

Mr C Mr C Devarajan, Past Chairman CII Erode & Managing Director URC Constructions(P) Ltd. believes in the philosophy “With ethics and values to be the foundation to the business, connecting the business with Education, Social and Spiritual needs would result in a better society”

He was born on 12th May 1961 in A.Anumanpalli village, near Erode to Shri.U.R.Chinnusamy and Smt. C. Thulasiammal into a respected family with strong traditional and spiritual background.

He has around 37 years of experience in the field of Construction and Infrastructur Development. He was responsible for steering URC to greater heights and later diversified the business into Real Estate, Software, Sustainable Textiles, and Agriculture. The 65-year-old URC Business now helps around 10,000 families through direct and indirect employment.

Mr Devarajan has established ‘URC Gurukulam’, a Skill Development School for Construction Workers which led to the formation of a new initiative ‘Labour Home’ as a separate entity. He is one of the Syndicate Member of Annamalai University, Tamilnadu. He is one of the Board of Directors of ILCE, an initiative for the Efficiency Improvement and Production Enhancement of the Construction and Infrastructure activities. He is the Co-Founder and Vice-Chairman of Texvalley, Erode and Prathinithi at Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust Institute, Erode. He is one of the founding members and Vice Chairman of Olirum Erode Foundation, Erode.

Mr Devarajan is a social worker contributing towards the upliftment of youngsters in the field of education through URC Palaniammal Matriculation School and Kongu Engineering College. He also actively and dedicatedly supports many temple renovations, make contributions to old-age homes and orphanages, and provide medical and educational aid to poor children.

PD Dr. Tobias Kollner

Complements the research at WIFU

PD Dr. Tobias Köllner 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.

Heung Wah, WONG

Founder of the Global Creative Industries Program at The University
of Hong Kong.

He obtained his Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from Oxford University in 1996. His research interest lies in the globalization of Japanese popular culture, anthropology of business, and cultural policies in East Asia. He conducts research in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and Mainland China. He is the author of Japanese Bosses, Chinese Workers: Power and Control in a Hong Kong Megastore (Hawaii University Press and Curzon Press 1999). He is also the co-author of Japanese Adult Videos in Taiwan (Routledge 2014), The Japanese Adult Videos Industry (Routledge 2017), Tradition and Transformation in a Chinese Family Business (Routledge 2020), Censorship in Japan (Routledge 2021), and various journal articles and chapters.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Monika Nadova Kroslakova

Founder of Family Business Centre, co-founder at IBERA, Director of Partner Engagement at Institute of One World Leadership, Associate Professor at University of Economics in Bratislava, a family business owner (2nd gen.).

She works as an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Commerce of the University of Economics in Bratislava, Slovakia. She is the founder of Family Business Centre at the University of Economics in Bratislava. She is co-founder of the Network of Top Business Leaders and Researchers in The International Business and Economic Research Academy (IBERA), the Director for Partner Engagement/International Advisory Council Member of the Institute of One World Leadership® and Advisory Council Member of Asiatech Education. She is appointed as an expert in the field of the family business in the Slovak Business Agency and a member of the working group at the Ministry of Economy of Slovakia.

In the field of pedagogical, scientific research and publishing she focuses on entrepreneurship issues. She is a guarantor of the subjects Family Business and Commercial Entrepreneurship and a co-guarantor of two study programmes at the University of Economics in Bratislava, an author or co-author of several scientific publications, university textbooks dealing with entrepreneurial environment and business (fast-growing enterprises, small and medium enterprises, women in business, business plans and family businesses). She lectures topics related to the business environment and entrepreneurship and actively cooperates on projects and research focused on the issues at scientific and professional conferences. She is a co-owner of the family-owned production company Novplasta Ltd (2nd gen.). She was cooperating with PWC Slovakia and KPMG Slovakia to elaborate research studies. In cooperation with the largest Slovak research agency Gfk Slovakia, she participated in implementing 3 strategic documents in the context of the Europe 2020 strategy. She is a co-researcher of several KEGA and VEGA research grants for the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport.

Shital Jayantilal

Shital Jayantilal has a PhD in Business Studies from Universidad de Extermadura (2016) and a degree in Economics from the Faculdade de Economia do Porto (1999).

She, currently, is the Head of the Department of Economics and Management at Portucalence University. She lectures undergraduate and graduates courses in Strategy and Strategic Management.

She is also a practitioner and an experienced Senior consultant, with more than 15 years of hands-on experience in aiding more than 50 SMEs and family firms, across diverse industries promoting their sustainability and enhancing trans-generational family business wealth.

Presently, she is a member of the research unit REMIT – Research on Economics, Management and Information Technologies, Porto. Her main topics of research are Main research interests: Family Firms; Strategy; and Game Theory and has been published in various international journals. Having been awarded the 2021- Schulze Publication award by Entrepreneurship and Innovation Exchange and Family Business editorial teams.

Prof. W Gibb Dyer

Professor in the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University

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. Rodrigo Basco

Professor at American University of Sharjah (AUS)–United Arab Emirates

As part of a fourth-generation family-owned Argentinean firm, Dr. Rodrigo Basco has always been interested in the nuances of family businesses. He is currently a Professor at American University of Sharjah (AUS)–United Arab Emirates and holds the Sheikh Saoud bin Khalid bin Khalid Al-Qassimi Chair in Family Business. He is the Board Chairman of STEP Project Global Consortium and Associate Editor of Journal of Family Business Strategy. He is also visiting professor at IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca (Italy). His research focuses on entrepreneurship, management, and regional development with special interest in family firms, and he has taught economics, management, and family business courses at universities in Spain, Chile, and Germany. Dr. Rodrigo Basco was ranked as the World’s Top 2% most-cited scientists by Stanford University.

His research has been published in international academic journals, including Journal of Family Business Strategy, European Planning Studies, Family Business Review, European Management Journal, Journal of Management & Organization, Journal of Business research, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, Business Strategy and the Environment, Harvard Business Review, and International Small Business Journal, among others. Dr. Basco recently edited several special issue on the topics of “Family Business and Regional Development”, “Entrepreneurial Families in Business Across Generations, Contexts, and Cultures, and “Family Business, “Local development in Ibeoramerica”, and “Family Business in the Arab World”. He is an editorial board member for several leading journals.

He is author and co-editor of several books on family firms. Recently, he co-edited the academic book “Family Business and Regional Development” in the editorial house Routledge. He is also co-author of one the first Spanish textbooks on family firms for undergraduate and postgraduate students and general audience interested in the topic of family firms.

Before joining AUS, Dr. Basco was a postdoctoral scholar at the Witten Institute for Family Business at the University of Witten/Herdecke in Germany. He was also a visiting researcher at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) and at CeFEO at Jonkoping University. He blogs actively about family business topics for a general audience on his Family Firm Blog.

Arjun Ranga, CEO, NR Group

CEO of N Ranga Rao & Sons Pvt Ltd.

N Ranga Rao & Sons Pvt. Ltd. was established in 1948 by Shri. N. Ranga Rao in Mysuru. It is the manufacturer of Cycle Pure Agarbathi, India’s largest selling prayer brand. Managed by the third generation of the Ranga family today, the NR Group is a global conglomerate with a presence in over 75 countries. It has diversified into new business categories such as functional air care products, wellness and home fragrance products, floral extracts, solar irrigation systems, healthcare solutions, defence, aerospace and education.

Arjun completed his engineering from S J College of Engineering Mysuru and MBA from Thunderbird, USA. He worked in the US for a couple of years before joining the family business in 2000.

Under his leadership, the group has launched many innovations and initiatives that have become trendsetting for the industry. He is passionate about driving, transforming and scaling the business based on ethical, collaborative and value-based growth.

As the world’s largest incense manufacturer, the group is committed to providing hope for future generations by following ethical and sustainable business practices. Cycle Pure is the world’s first certified Zero Carbon Manufacturer of incense, prayer and air care products.

Arjun is President of the All India Agarbathi Manufacturers Association (AIAMA), Chairman of Karnataka State Council – CII and Chairman of Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM).

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