For IIM candidates
Mr. R. Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director, Tata Sons Ltd

Mr. R. Gopalakrishnan is executive director of Tata Sons, Chairman of Rallis India and Vice-Chairman of Tata Chemicals. He is a director of several Tata Group companies such as Tata Motors, Tata Power and Tata Internet Services. He also serves on the board of two non-Tata companies, ICI and Castrol India.

Mr Gopalakrishnan joined Hindustan Lever (HLL) as a management trainee in 1967. In 1987, he joined HLL's management committee as executive director of exports. In 1991, he was appointed Chairman of Unilever Arabia, based in Jeddah, to establish and manage Unilever's consumer products business in Arab countries. On his return to India in 1995, he was appointed managing director of Brooke Bond Lipton. After the company's merger with HLL, he was designated vice Chairman of Hindustan Lever. After 31 years with HLL, Mr Gopalakrishnan joined Tata Sons in August, 1998.

A graduate in physics from Calcutta University, Mr Gopalakrishnan also has a degree in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.

Mr. Arun Maira, Chairman, The Boston Consulting Group India Pvt. Ltd.

Arun Maira is presently the Chairman of BCG India. Prior to joining BCG, he worked with Arthur D Little (ADL) in the US for ten years where he has held several positions. These include Leader of ADL's Global Organisation Practice, Managing Director of Innovation Associates - an ADL subsidiary, Leader of ADL's North American Manufacturing Management Practice and Member of ADL's Senior Management Team.

Before ADL, Arun worked with the Tata Group in India for twenty-five years where he was Managing Director of Tatab Industries in Malaysia from 1977-79, Member of the Board of Telco from 1981-89, Resident Director in Pune from 1981-86 and Executive Director in the Corporate Office from 1987-89. During this time he led the turnaround of Tata Industries as well as Telco's very successful entry into light commercial vehicles.

In the past, he has served as Chairman of CII's (Confederation of Indian Industry) National Export Committee. He has also served on CII's National Council.

Arun received his M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Physics from St Stephen's College, Delhi University.

Mr. Dilip Padgaonkar, Executive Managing Editor, Times of India and Chairman, Asia Pacific Communication Associates Pvt. Ltd.

Mr. Pradip Baijal, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

Mr. Pradip Baijal obtained B.E. (Honours), Mechanical Engineering, I.I.T, Roorkee. He spent one year visiting fellowship in Oxford University. He is a 1966 IAS officer of the MP cadre, directly dealt with a variety of key issues impacting the telecom industry in India, as the Chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Prior to his assignment in TRAI, Baijal was secretary in the divestment ministry from 1999-2003, during which he laid down a host of rules and regulations shaping the route for privatisation of the power sector.

Before his posting in central service, he held key positions in the Madhya Pradesh government as well, including industry secretary and finance secretary.



For IIT candidates
Prof. Rajaram Nityananda, Director, National Centre for Radio Astrophysics

Prof. Arvind Kumar, Director, Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

Prof. Arvind Kumar did Ph.D. in theoretical physics in 1969 at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai. He has been a Visiting Scientist at the European Centre for Nuclear Research, Geneva (1969-70) and at the University of London (1970-71). He taught for nearly 12 years at the University Department of Physics, Mumbai. In 1984 he joined the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, a National Centre of TIFR devoted to R & D work in science and mathematics education. He was appointed the Director of the Centre in 1994.

He played a central role in launching the science Olympiad movement in the country in 1997 and is currently Chairman of the Steering Committees for science and astronomy Olympiads. Under his leadership, HBCSE has become the nodal Centre of the country for olympiad activity in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and astronomy. His efforts led the Centre to organize the 33rd International Chemistry Olympiad hosted by India in July 2001.

Prof. Arvind Kumar has been a member of the Programme Advisory Board of the NCERT, Steering Committee on Secondary education of the Planning Commission for the IX and X Plans, Academic Advisory Committee of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and the National Council of Teacher Education.

He is on the Governing Council of the Atomic Energy Education Society and is Chairman, Planning and Programming Committee of Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai.

Mr. Kiran Karnik, President, NASSCOM

Kiran Karnik, took up the position of President NASSCOM in September 2001. As the chief executive of the apex body representing India's IT software and service industry, he works very closely with the industry, the Indian Central & State governments to formulate policies and strategies for the advancement of this sector locally as well as internationally.

Prior to joining NASSCOM, Mr. Karnik was the Managing Director at Discovery Networks in India from 1995 - 2001. He spearheaded the launch of Discovery Channel in South Asia in August 1995 and Animal Planet (a Discovery - BBC joint venture) in 1999. Earlier, Mr. Karnik worked for over 20 years in the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). He held various positions related to the conception, planning and implementation of applications of space technology, focusing especially on the use of communications for development. He was deeply involved in the conception and, for many years, overseeing the Kheda Communications Project. This pioneering effort won wide national and international acclaim, including the first UNESCO-IPDC Prize for rural Communication. Karnik was a key member of the management team for the India - USA Satellite Instructional TV Experiment (SITE), the first every large scale use of satellite direct broadcasting (1975-76), which took education and development to remote parts of rural India. In 1998, Mr. Karnik was awarded the Frank Malina medal for Space Education by the International Astronautical Federation. From 1983 to 1991, Mr. Karnik held the position as Director of the Development and Educational Communicational Unit.

Mr. Karnik has worked briefly with the United Nations in New York and Vienna, serving as Special Assistant to the Secretary-General of UNISPACE 82. He has done an extended consulting assignment for UNESCO in Afghanistan, and has also been a consultant for WHO, The World Bank, UN Institute for Disarmament Research and Ford Foundation. He has been involved with many committees of the government, including the Prasar Bharati Review Committee.

He has authored and edited a large number of publications, and lectures occasionally at major national institutes. His educational background includes an Honours degree in Physics from Bombay University, followed by post-graduation from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.