Board of Advisors
Wheels Global Foundation’s Advisors have deep interest in Wheels mission, impact initiatives and helps Wheels’ team with their deep network of resources, connections, and advice on variety of initiatives.
Typically these are impact-driven professionals and leaders who participate in various meetings and initiatives on a need-basis and play a vital role in WGF’s growth of partners, projects and access to resources.
Ambassador Pradeep Kapur
Currently Visiting Clinical Professor, International Trade, Sustainable Development and Security Issues at the School of Public Policy, University of Maryland College Park (UMD), and Faculty Mentor for the student body, DESI (Develop, Empower, Synergize India). Teaching graduate courses on “Development Diplomacy and Leadership”; mentoring and guiding students; teaching in Executive Development Programs, and coordinating global leadership programs for senior government officials, business executives, and diplomats from many countries. Made significant contributions to outreach activities and international branding of UMD in India, and with leaders, officials, diplomats, business representatives, and students from Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei, China, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and other countries of Latin America and Africa. Co-chairman of the Livelyhood & Sustainalibility Council.
Chairman of the 2018 WHEELS Global Foundation (WGF) 1st Annual Summit Conference on “Leveraging Technology for Enhancing Social Impact” at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, the USA in November 2018. Chairman of Advisory Board on the follow-up conference on “Smart Villages” at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar in April 2019. WGF is a philanthropic endeavor launched by alumni of the IITs in the USA to leverage technology to scale philanthropy and serve persons at the ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’. WHEELS strives to offer technology-enabled solutions to six major challenges faced by people all over the world: Water, Healthcare, Electricity, Education, Livelihood, and Sustainability.
Chairman, Advisory Council, DiplomacyIndia.com; President, International Conference on “Connecting World Heritage Sites and Civilizations”; and Adjunct Professor at the Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon, India.
An alumnus of IIT, Delhi, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, and a Master’s in Management and Systems. Author of many articles and books. Proficient in English, Hindi, French, Spanish, Punjabi, and Marathi.
Dr. Vikas Khurana
Dr. Vikas Khurana is a board-certified Physician in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. He also has an MBA from Wharton’s School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.
He has been involved with WHEELS GLOBAL FOUNDATION since 2014, as a Board Member (2014-2019), Chairman of the Health track and Chairman for WHEELS Educational Conference and Gala in Philadelphia in 2017.
He has served as the Treasurer for American Association of Physicians of Indian origin (AAPI) and as President of Maulana Azad Medical College Alumni Association of North America (MAMCOAANA).
He was instrumental in the initiation of various WGF initiatives including the Menstrual Hygiene Machine Installation in 2014 and Water ATMs in various villages in India.
He completed his Medical training at Maulana Azad Medical College, University of Delhi, India and then at the University of Miami, School of Medicine and State University of New York Health Science Center, Brooklyn, NY.
He now serves as the Co-Chairman of the Board of Advisors for WHEELS GLOBAL FOUNDATION.
Sushil Bhatia
Dr. Sushil Bhatia is the President of Anu Data Inc. He pursued his B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering from IIT Bombay in 1966 and later Ph.D. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1972. Co-chairman of the Water Council at WGF.
Recollecting memories associated with IIT Bombay, he said, “Those were the days. First time out of my parents’ house and living by myself. Making new friends, playing, teasing, bonding, having fun along with learning technical skills. Learning to learn technology as well as dealing with people”.
Mrs. Gauri Kumar
Gauri Kumar is a retired member of the 1979 batch of Indian Administrative Services (IAS). She was Secretary (Coordination and Public Grievances), Cabinet Secretariat, and served as Member/Chairperson of the Public Enterprises Selection Board, post her retirement. In the course of her distinguished career, she served as Secretary in the Union Ministry of Labour& Employment and in the Ministry of Home Affairs (Border Management). She has served as Special/Additional Secretary, Ministry of Mines and Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, Ministry of Environment and Forests. She has also been Principal Secretary, Urban Development; Principal Secretary, Industries & Mines, Industries Commissioner, and Secretary, Education Department in the Government of Gujarat. She also held the position of Director-General, National Institute of Fashion and Technology, Ministry of Textiles.
Gauri Kumar holds a degree of BSc in Physics, Mathematics, and Statistics from Allahabad University. She completed her MSc in Mathematics from Lucknow University and was awarded seven gold medals in the course of her studies, for exceptional academic distinction. She also holds a Master in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. She was awarded the Littauer Fellowship by Harvard University, for her commitment to excellence, academic achievement, and public service. She is the Chairman of the Water Council at WGF.
She is currently an Independent Director on the Boards of Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals Limited (GSFC), Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd (GNFC), TVS Supply chain Solutions, and Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (GMDC). She is appointed by CVC as an Independent External Monitor for the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
She is the Founder of an Edu tech startup which has launched an integrated Learning Platform for the whole education eco-system, encompassing teachers, students, parents, and schools. It’s positioned as a medium for making quality education accessible at scale. She is a Special Invitee to the Management Committee of the Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce (BCIC).
She is the Founder and Trustee of VayahVikas, an organization for the elderly, based in Bengaluru. She is on the Advisory Board of the Pahle India Foundation. She is a Member of the Board of Governors of Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration, Ahmedabad.
She is the Delhi Public School (DPS) Society nominee on the Management Committees of several DPS schools in Gujarat and UP. She has contributed a chapter on ‘Industry and Labour’ in the recently published book ‘Accelerating India: 7 Years of Modi Government’, edited by Shri K J Alphons, Member of Parliament, and a foreword by Shri Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister of India.
Rajesh Tripathi
Rajesh serves as tax & legal advisor on Wheels Board of Advisors and plays a key role in all strategic decisions. Rajesh has more than 20 years of international tax experience, and has worked with clients across various industries, including financial services, private equity, IT, energy sectors, power sector, defense, and real estate. Rajesh has been advising large U.S. companies advising on Int’l tax cross-border issues, planning, acquisition, structuring, and repatriation. He has managed large Int’l tax compliance, E&P Study, and FTC for fortune 50 Companies with a strong knowledge of CorpTax and One Source International tax software.
Rajesh has also worked with PE firms in Mauritius, Singapore, and India with a primary focus on U.S. inbound planning, tax compliance cash repatriation, FATCA, FBAR filing, and performing PFIC analysis.
I have worked in several countries and am very familiar with cross-cultural issues, as well as building strong cross-functional relationships.
Rajesh received his bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Mumbai and then pursued his law education with degrees from the University of Mumbai and Chicago-Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Witty Bindra
Witty Bindra is a seasoned global technology executive with a proven track record in driving digital transformation. As a Global Business Executive for Microsoft Alliances and Strategic Advisor for Kyndryl India (NYSE: KD), the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider serving thousands of customers in more than 60 countries, he shapes the company’s strategic direction and fosters deep partnerships with Fortune 100 leaders. With nearly three decades of industry experience, Witty has held executive roles at multiple global technology companies. His expertise spans startups, enterprise turnarounds, and large-scale digital initiatives.
His extensive international experience, including leadership positions in Singapore, the UK, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, India, and the US, has equipped him with a unique global perspective. In 1995, he received the Confederation of British Industry Scholarship to train in the UK. He sits on the editorial advisory committee of the trade magazine Geosynthetics and has published several technical papers in the US and overseas.
A dedicated philanthropist, Witty has chaired the prestigious IIT Global Conferences and is a prominent alumnus of the PanIIT USA alumni association. He is also a decorated veteran, having served as the first turbaned Sikh commissioned officer in the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteers Reserve. Witty holds a Master of Technology in Geotechnical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and an MBA from Massey University, New Zealand. He is a dual citizen of the United States and New Zealand.
Ravi Sharma
Ravi Sharma is a Director of Product Management at Oracle Corporation. He is an Electronics and Communications Engineering graduate of the 1992 batch of IIT (BHU) Varanasi.
Ravi is a seasoned product professional known for his uncommon commitment to customer success and translating technology into tangible business value. With a track record spanning consulting, product development, and product management, he offers a unique blend of strategic insight, innovative solution design, and adept navigation of complex challenges. Renowned for his exceptional business acumen and pioneering thought leadership, Ravi’s collaborative and compassionate approach positions him as a catalyst for fostering increased adoption and driving organizational growth.
Beyond his corporate role, Ravi plays an active role on the board of PanIIT USA, where he contributes to both the Executive Committee and Scholarships Committee. He also holds the position of President of the PanIIT USA Phoenix Chapter. Additionally, Ravi has previously served on the Board of Greater Phoenix Mensa.
Vinay Karle
Vinay Karle is a financial and software industry veteran, experienced in advanced analytics and enterprise technologies. He currently serves as a Director at Citibank, based in New York City, and is responsible for building products using Data Insights and Artificial Intelligence.
Vinay’s experience spans many industries and functions, including investment banking, enterprise software, pharmaceutical, supply chain, telecommunication, education, and hedge funds. During his career, he has led many strategic initiatives and managed global software, development teams.
Vinay has been active in the IIT alumni community as a volunteer for almost two decades and has served on the boards of a few non-profits/NGOs in the United States and India. Vinay is actively involved in improving educational standards through grassroots efforts at JalkotZillaParishad school. In 2007, Jalkotgrampanchayat (village administration) conferred the ‘Jalkot Bhushan’ award on Vinay. He was also named a finalist for Barclays’ ‘Chairman’s Award’ in 2010 for commitment to the global community. He and Sujay Kumar, a NASA scientist, are working on a Drought Mitigation and Monitoring project for planners and policymakers in Maharashtra, India.
He received his bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and his master’s degree in Engineering from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, in 1999.
Vidya Phalke
Vidyadhar Phalke is the CEO of Social Alpha Innovation Foundation, and the Chief Technology Advisor for the Social Alpha Group. He is a distinguished and highly respected technology professional, having led, built and transformed multiple innovative technologies. His career has spanned pioneering work in the areas of Risk, Compliance (MetricStream), Cybersecurity, Networking (Narus), and Databases (SBIR funded start-ups).
Vidya has a PhD in Computer Science from Rutgers University. He also holds a Management degree from MIT Sloan and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from IIT, Delhi, India.
Prof Ashok Gadgil
Ashok Gadgil is a Distinguished Professor of the Graduate School, and a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Safe Water and Sanitation in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley, and was a Faculty Senior Scientist and Division Director in the Energy Technologies Area of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His research has led to several patents and inventions, and more than 150 scientific peer-reviewed journal publications. A substantial amount of his research aims for technology-based scalable solutions to problems of clean energy and safe drinking water in resource-poor communities and countries.
In September 2022 the first ever graduate-level textbook on Development Engineering, “Introduction to Development Engineering”, co-edited and co-authored by Gadgil, was published Open Access by Springer. By April 2024, the book had more than 205,000 downloads from the Springer website.
Dr. Gadgil is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for his work, including the Heinz Award, The Zayed Sustainability Prize, the Lemelson-MIT Global Innovator Award, induction in the National Inventors Hall of Fame, election to the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Inventors, and in 2023 received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. The latter is the highest national honor bestowed by the President of the United States on the country’s topmost technology inventors and innovators.
George Abraham
Born and educated in India, George Abraham is a senior executive with a technology, finance, cybersecurity and healthcare background with a passion for international collaborations. He has provided strategic business development support to a number of businesses in the areas of finance, technology and healthcare and has lived and worked in three countries. George was one of the original team of eighteen that founded Friedman Billings Ramsey Group, Inc. (formerly NYSE: FBR), and was instrumental in FBR’s international expansion. His Board experience has included The American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science; JINSA; the Indian CEO High-Tech Council; TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs); and USIBEX.
George chaired The Global Connect Track at TiEcon 2023 (Silicon Valley) about Digital Public Infrastructure, as part of ThinkTank20 group of the G20. George holds an M.B.A. (Marketing), Summa cum laude, Southeastern University, and a BE (Industrial & Production Engineering), Mysore University, India.
Jayanti Shukla
Presently, Jayanti is on the Board of Advisors WHEELS Global Foundation, a Non-Executive Director on the Governing Board of Parinaam Foundation, Strategic Advisor on the Special Advisory Group of Anushkaa Foundation and is Advisor to the Governing Board of Learning Links Foundation.
With over 40 years of experience, Jayanti has been at the forefront of social innovation and impact, pioneering campaigns and initiatives that have transformed the social development landscape in India and leading the expansion, governance and growth of the United Way network in India.
As CEO of the India office of United Way, one of world’s largest privately funded nonprofit, she spearheaded the organization’s growth, forging strategic partnerships with corporates, foundations, and government bodies to scale its impact. Her leadership emphasized a community-led approach, empowering local leaders to drive sustainable change.
During her 12+ years at the helm of United Way Mumbai, the organization expanded from conceptualizing impactful flagship programs to implementing large-scale interventions in education, health, public safety, environmental sustainability, social inclusion, disaster relief, and livelihood enhancement, and growing the team to a robust workforce of 60+. Her stewardship fostered innovation, collaboration, and impactful community interventions across India.
A committed fundraiser, Jayanti has raised significant resources for initiatives addressing causes close to her heart, making a measurable impact on communities across India. Her ability to build strategic relationships has ensured long-term, sustainable solutions. Jayanti is a sought-after speaker, panelist & jury member, for events focussed on social impact.
Jayanti has also held prominent board positions on three of Standard Chartered Bank’s group companies in India and contributed to industry initiatives such as the CII Task Force for India@75 and the CSR Committee of the Indian Merchants Chamber. She has served as an external expert on corporate POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) committees and earlier held senior leadership roles responsible for Corporate and Insurance Partnerships at IL&FS Investsmart Insurance Brokers and Regional Manager at New India Assurance.
An M.Sc. and M.Phil. from the University of Delhi, Jayanti is passionate about mentoring, advocating for equality, and driving systemic change. An ardent nature enthusiast, she enjoys running and indoor gardening while continuing to champion social causes.
Kannan Srinivasan
Kannan serves as WGF’s CFO & Treasurer and is a senior finance & analytics professional with strong business acumen with over 25 years of progressive experience in finance, analytics, performance management, operations, and process innovation. He is a thought leader in building a data-driven and customer-centric culture to foster growth and optimize performance through innovative solutions. Kannan is currently Vice-President at ThinkFood Group. Prior to that, Kannan held a variety of senior leadership roles at Asurion, AXA, and Old Dominion University.
Kannan has been active in community service and civic initiatives in Loudon County for more than two decades.
Kannan received his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Madras’ Vivekananda College and his master’s in Accounting from Old Dominion University.
Dr. Jatin V. Mehta
Dr. Jatin V. Mehta is the Founder and CEO of MetaSense, Inc. and MetaSense Marketing. With a strong background in both technology and business, he has worked as a senior management executive across various industries, including Information Technology, Finance, Digital Marketing, Healthcare, and Manufacturing.
Dr. Mehta is an inventor and the author of several books on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). He holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, an MBA from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, and a Certificate in Effective Corporate Boards from The Wharton School.
His career has taken him across the globe, with professional experience in India, Bahrain, the UK, and the USA.
