Team

Prashant Nagre serves as the Managing Director at Fermenta Biotech Limited. He holds a Degree in Pharmacy along with a Master in Management Sciences degree and is a Gold Medalist Post Graduate Diploma holder in International Trade from the prestigious Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi.

With a career spanning 26 years, Prashant has comprehensive experience across various spheres encompassing Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Human and Animal Nutrition domains. He has been associated with Fermenta for almost a decade, leading strategy and overseeing day to day operations of all three business verticals viz. Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals and Environmental Solutions. He also focuses on further building and developing the various strengths of Fermenta i.e. Manufacturing, R&D and allied activities. He forms a core member of the product development team and is also responsible for creating and nurturing large business account relationships. Known for his meticulous planning skills, Prashant adds impetus to timely deliveries of products, quality orientation and human resource development within the company.

Dr. Seetharaman has been appointed as a Member of International Advisory Board of SME Chamber of India and Principal Advisor of India-GCC SME Business Council. The Chamber has been putting efforts for the growth of SMEs and exploring emerging business opportunities related to exports & imports facilitation, identifying business partners for investment, joint ventures, collaborations, technology transfers, contract manufacturing and private equity & supporting SMEs for global competitiveness. The Chamber is 30 years old and founded by Mr. Chandrakant Salunkhe. Mr. Salunkhe has also initiated India-GCC SME Business Council to provide a vibrant platform to SMEs and manufacturing industries from India and GCC countries to enhance multi-lateral trade, investment promotion, setting up manufacturing units and other businesses in GCC countries. The Council is resolving various issues and grievances faced by the companies and trade barriers and hurdles.
Dr. R. Seetharaman was associated with Doha Bank since 2007 as a Chief Executive Officer. He is a Chartered Accountant and holds certificate in IT systems, Corporate Management and economic expert, who has achieved remarkable success for his contributions to Banking, Trade, Investment & Social responsibility. He is recipient of multiple doctorates from leading universities of the world with the 3 PhDs in Global Governance by European University; Green Banking and Sustainability from Sri Sri University and “Economic Implications of Global citizenship” by Sri Sharda Institute of Indian Management.
He was recognized and conferred by the Government of India with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award. He was also conferred “Life time Achievement Award” from the Institute of Directors at the Global Summit and also recently conferred “Life time Achievement Award” by the Entrepreneur Middle East at the "Leaders in Fintech Awards 2023" in Dubai.

Dr. Ravi Kumar Goyal is a seasoned industry academia leader and an ecosystem builder with deep expertise in entrepreneurship development, innovation management, and policy-driven industry growth.

As a Director, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Federation, he has played a pivotal role in nurturing India’s agri-startup ecosystem by incubating and mentoring 800+ agri-startups, facilitating ₹39 crores grant in aid fund recommendations from Govt of India. Dr. Goyal serves as an Advisor to multiple industry associations and has held key positions as Chairman and Member of high-level committees constituted for business development, industrial policy support, and enterprise facilitation. His work consistently bridges government, industry, startups, MSMEs, and academia, translating policy intent into on-ground business outcomes.

An alumnus of NIT Jaipur, Dr. Goyal has held eminent leadership positions, including Vice-Chancellor, CEO, Director, and Chairman across the reputed institutions. He has contributed significantly to international capacity-building initiatives, including the establishment of India’s first Switzerland-based Skill University collaboration, and has served on national-level bodies such as AICTE’s All India Board of Vocational Education.

With 7 world records, 130+ research publications, 20 patents, 15 authored books, extensive international exposures, and 30+ national and international awards, facilitated more than 100 MoU’s, Dr. Goyal brings a rare combination of strategic vision, execution capability, and industry insight

Mr. Ajit Shah is Bcom. LLB.
He is a consultant in Export Import field for more than 35 years.
He has travelled internationally extensively.
He covers the area of :
• Foreign Trade Policy
• Export Documentation
• Custom procedures
• FEMA and RBI regulations / Banking
• International Marketing
Mr. Ajit shah is also a trainer for many years.
He is regularly delivering his lectures with Export Promotion Councils, Export Import organizations, Colleges and Banks
He has written about 15 books on Export-Import.

Dr. Subramanya Kusnur is a pioneering leader in water innovation and sustainability, serving as the Founder Chairman & CEO of AquaKraft Group Ventures. He is the visionary behind AqVerium, the world’s first digital water bank, which uniquely issues AquaKredits (water credits) and Water Sustainability Scores. As the founder of The Water Parliament, a global think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C., Dr. Kusnur has gained international acclaim — including the prestigious U.S. President’s Medallion and his appointment as a Goodwill Ambassador in Maryland, USA.

A Governing Council Member of the UN Global Compact Network India (UN GCNI), Dr. Kusnur brings over three decades of experience spanning innovation, sustainability, BFSI, diplomacy, and international relations.

Under his leadership, AquaKraft has made a profound impact, reaching more than 9,000 villages across India, treating over 19 billion litres of water, recycling and reusing 70+ billion litres, and saving 300 trillion litres through nature-based solutions since 2010. His work has comprehensively mapped the water ecosystem — from harvesting to monetization — and successfully exported this "Made in Bharat" model to the USA, Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Dr. Kusnur also leads the AquaKraft Accelerator, India’s first initiative focused on nurturing green and blue entrepreneurship at the district level, driving sustainable innovation from the grassroots upward.

Specialisation:
Mr. Thackeray specialises in Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code, 2016 related disputes and litigation. He is also involved in extensive commercial documentation, international and domestic civil litigation and arbitration.

Experience:
Mr. Thackeray has an acumen for securities related laws, which he derived from his tenure with Legasis Partners, a law firm in Mumbai which is one of the few firms which are empanelled with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Mr Thackeray has worked on various SEBI rules and regulations including but not limited to SEBI (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeover) Regulations, 2011, SEBI (Prevention of Insider Trading) Regulations, 1992, SEBI (Issue and Listing of Debt Securities) Regulations, 2008, etc. Further, Mr. Thackeray has successfully represented SEBI before the Securities Appellate Tribunal.

Mr. Thackeray has been involved in international commercial arbitrations involving companies like Al Jabriah Metals Trading Limited (UAE) and CQM Ltd. (Israel).

Education:
Mr. Thackeray has completed his schooling and junior college from Bombay Scottish School and Narsee Monjee College of Economics respectively. After completing a course on International Commercial Litigation at the London School of Economics (LSE), he completed his LL.B. degree from Government Law College (GLC), Mumbai. Mr. Thackeray has been enrolled with the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa since 2012.

With close to thirty years of experience in seven countries, Markus Pfefferer brings an extremely unique skill set to the table.
Having headed organisations in multiple countries, Markus is an extremely competent leader. He has the added advantage of having a consulting background, which is coupled with several years of experience in market research and global strategic planning across multiple industries including technology, renewable energy, automotive and heavy engineering.
Markus is uniquely qualified to foster business cooperation and collaborative agreements spanning huge geographies. He is a European who has had leadership experience in the Middle East, China and India.
After completing a stint in the United Nations, as a part of his MBA project, Markus began his career with BMW. He is an acclaimed speaker in his areas of expertise and lends a completely global dimension to all his undertakings.
Markus speaks three languages in addition to his native German- English, French and Arabic.

Rajesh Bhagat is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Managing Director of Worldex India Exhibition & Promotion Pvt. Ltd., a company dedicated to international trade promotion and investment. His company organises many international exhibitions in different industry segments.
Rajesh was appointed Consultant in 2009 by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and currently oversees operations across India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. His office was also awarded the ‘Best Branch Award 2015’ by HKTDC.

Ravindra has done his Masters in Finance and CAIIB from Indian Institute of Bankers, Mumbai. His banking experience includes a stint with the State Bank of India at its largest Corporate branch, with HDFC Bank, Mumbai as part of its startup team, with ABN AMRO Bank as C&IB head of its western India region, with CALYON Bank as India head of its C&IB business and later as India head of ING Wholesale & Investment Banking business. His most recent assignment was with Standard Bank of South Africa as Senior Regional Head-South Asia & Country in charge India. During his banking career he has been associated with a number of landmark structured financing, ECA backed loans, capital markets, M&A advisory and Debt Restructuring transactions both onshore and offshore for several large Indian corporates and MNCs.
He has specialized in structured lending, project finance, equity raising, internationally syndicated loans and international trade finance to Corporates, Banks & FIs as well as SME sector. Many of his managerial assignments include successful Greenfield ventures or turn around projects. He sat on Board of International Asset Reconstruction Company, India from 2009 to 2013 and was also a member of its Investment & Resolution Committee for stressed debt business. He is an independent mentor, consultant and advisor on matters relating to M&A, risk management, project financing, raising resources, financial restructuring and international trade. He is also a Principal Advisor to Dolma Financial & PE Group, Nepal.

Dr. Sushant Thappa is a Physician and a healthcare medical devices and technology leader with 16+ years of experience in global medical device organisations like GE and Philips and large scale healthcare deployments with organisations like Reliance Jio. Below are brief profile highlights:

• Managed critical care business and clinical product management for GE Healthcare and Philips’ South Asia businesses.
• Expertise in digital healthcare and setting up remote monitoring centres, eICUs, eNICUs and connected medical devices in large hospitals and enterprise settings.
• Have worked in territories spanning India, US, Europe and South Asia.
• Significant exposure to healthcare projects involving state govts. through Reliance Jio
• Managed disease product and growth mandates for various startups in health tech and condition management space.

Across 16 years, he has worked in projects across Hospital digitisation, remote monitoring setups, digit healthcare initiatives, medical devices procurement and deployment as well as improving operational efficiencies in healthcare settings.

Mrs. Manjusha Bhave has been appointed as a Chairperson of Women Entrepreneurs Development Council (WEDC) for Maharashtra State for 3 years to accomplish the objectives of the Council. Mrs. Bhave is a successful global entrepreneur and Managing Director of M/s. Giiava Group involving manufacturing activities & spread across India & Singapore and based in Pune, having Rs.100 crores turnover of her own company and her family-owned business is also having approximately Rs.1,000 crores in BIOTECH & AGRITECH products. She has been regularly organizing training and educational programs under the CSR activities & encouraging women to become entrepreneurs and empowering as well as skilling existing women entrepreneurs for sustainable growth.

Dr. Seetharaman has been appointed as a Member of International Advisory Board of SME Chamber of India and Principal Advisor of India-GCC SME Business Council. The Chamber has been putting efforts for the growth of SMEs and exploring emerging business opportunities related to exports & imports facilitation, identifying business partners for investment, joint ventures, collaborations, technology transfers, contract manufacturing and private equity & supporting SMEs for global competitiveness. The Chamber is 30 years old and founded by Mr. Chandrakant Salunkhe. Mr. Salunkhe has also initiated India-GCC SME Business Council to provide a vibrant platform to SMEs and manufacturing industries from India and GCC countries to enhance multi-lateral trade, investment promotion, setting up manufacturing units and other businesses in GCC countries. The Council is resolving various issues and grievances faced by the companies and trade barriers and hurdles.
Dr. R. Seetharaman was associated with Doha Bank since 2007 as a Chief Executive Officer. He is a Chartered Accountant and holds certificate in IT systems, Corporate Management and economic expert, who has achieved remarkable success for his contributions to Banking, Trade, Investment & Social responsibility. He is recipient of multiple doctorates from leading universities of the world with the 3 PhDs in Global Governance by European University; Green Banking and Sustainability from Sri Sri University and “Economic Implications of Global citizenship” by Sri Sharda Institute of Indian Management.
He was recognized and conferred by the Government of India with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award. He was also conferred “Life time Achievement Award” from the Institute of Directors at the Global Summit and also recently conferred “Life time Achievement Award” by the Entrepreneur Middle East at the "Leaders in Fintech Awards 2023" in Dubai.

Ajay Jha is the Founder of InnoP – Innovative Preneurship, a boutique global innovation, incubation & mentor-driven co-working space located in Fort Collins, Colorado. InnoP incubates and accelerates start-ups in the Agri-Tech, Nutrition, Biotech, Healthcare, Energy, and Big Data sectors, and promotes global trade and investment.
Originally from India, Ajay has over 20 years of global business experience. He obtained his Ph.D. in biotechnology from Delhi University, and began his career as an Advisor for Agri-Tech ventures, building international partnerships between Indian companies and organizations abroad.
In 2001, Ajay relocated to the U.S. to pursue a post-doctoral degree, followed by MBA, at Colorado State University. Since then, he has worked as an expert consultant to a number of different American and foreign companies looking to expand their trade and investments internationally. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies, and helped U.S. as well as Indian companies enter the global market and internal attract talent.
At InnoP, Ajay now acts as a mentor to Colorado-based startups that are looking to go global. He helps them raise capital, build strategies for global trade, and develop partnerships overseas

Sahadeo Ramjit is a professional and a consultant to the financial services sector and has over 20 years’ experience working across a range of business and management consultancies. He advises clients, both individuals and corporate bodies on financial matters. He has been helping both individuals and institutional clients to pursue their goals with confidence and trust. Sahadeo Ramjit has been sitting as director on a number of numerous companies operating in diverse economic sectors and advising a number of British companies to participate in various projects in Mauritius and the Southern and Eastern African market. This multidimensional involvement underscores his versatility and ability to bring valuable insights to various domains. With his extensive experiences, he has been assisting large corporation and high net worth individuals to develop and implement international cross-border and domestic investment structures, and ensure that corresponding global corporate structures are set up to operate efficiently and effectively.
He has worked on various projects with the Indian Ocean Commission as well as UK’s organization such as British Expertise formerly known as British Consultants and Construction Bureau – BCCB London, UK Trade and Investment in Victoria – London, Football Data-Co (English Premier League), Braemar Howells, Currencies Direct, Trident Oleanic, Lagan Group- Northern Ireland

Sailesh Nathan is the President of Diplomats Summit – a global enterprise which connects the private and public sectors across borders. DS is profoundly rooted in the concept of globalization and reflects as a welcoming platform where people from myriad industries join hands to explore the avenues of growth. For more than two decades, DS has been the catalyst to numerous entrepreneurs for successfully expanding their footprints worldwide. From SMEs to MMEs, local to international, Mr. Nathan goes that extra mile to bridge the gaps and facilitate resources to these entrepreneurs thus identifying promising opportunities around the world.
DS escalates on its credibility with its case studies that map out successful business set-ups, lucrative joint ventures, valuable funding plans, constructive partnerships and mergers as well as favorable acquisitions in Dubai, UAE, Middle East, India, Europe, Africa and numerous other countries.
Mr. Nathan also has more verticals of business to his name. A well-established entrepreneur and leader based in Dubai. Managing Director of BuyDoBuy Advertising LLC (www.bdbme.com), an award-winning and leading events and brand management agency, and Dot Ten Technical Services (www.dot10tech.com), specializing in Design, retail branding, interiors and fabrications. Chairman of SME Chamber of India & India GCC Business Counsel, a diploma holder in Mass Media, Photography and Events from USA and is also a specialist in the spheres of hospitality and F & B.

An MBA holder with more than 30 years of experience in the F&B sector, Datuk Abdul Malik Abdullah is a tested entrepreneur who has built the business from scratch. His strong business acumen has been instrumental in carving out the success of D’Tandoor Food Industries. As well as being chairman of the board, he is the company’s leading representative in presenting the company’s aims and policies.