An interview with Reena Dayal, founder and CEO of Benzaiten Advisors, and Chair at Quantum Ecosystems Technology Council of India
John Hoffmire: I understand that you have been a strong advocate and promoter of the field of quantum computing in India, that you have a new position as Chair at Quantum Ecosystems Technology Council of India, and that you founded a startup focused on innovation management and future tech consulting, called Benzaiten Advisors. I’d love to know more about all of this. Reena: Thank [...]
An interview with Basava Purushottam, Private Secretary to Union Minister of Education, Government of India
John Hoffmire: I met you when you were a scholar in the Chevening Research Science and Innovation Leadership Programme (CRISP) at Oxford in 2016. If I remember right, you were creating a plan for a more effective cruise industry in India at the time. I believe that was the assignment you had taken on for the Government of India. Please catch me up [...]
An Interview with Chevening CRISP alum – Siddharth Banerjee, Managing Director, Pearson India & Asia
John Hoffmire: Big congratulations, Siddharth, on your recent appointment as the Managing Director for Pearson-India & Asia. It has been a few years since you were a CRISP (Chevening Research Science and Innovation Leadership Programme) Fellow at Oxford in 2013. Tell us what you have been up to over the years. Siddharth: Thank you, John. When I came to Oxford in 2013 [...]
Good News: Schools go solar as India’s West Bengal state reaches for green goals
Until two years ago, all 12-year-old Sapan Majhi knew about solar power was what he read in his science book. Now he gets to see it in action nearly every day, after his school was fitted with rooftop panels that generate clean electricity. The solar energy system powers the whole school for 1,600 students in the remote town of Kakdwip in West [...]
An interview with Rajesh Parishwad, External Relationships Manager, India at the Royal Society of Chemistry
John Hoffmire: I first met you in Oxford in 2018 when you were a Chevening CRISP Scholar. You were working for the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and I thought that was a UK-based organization. You taught me otherwise. Rajesh: It certainly had its beginnings in England. We were founded as The Chemical Society of London in 1841, in London, by a [...]
An interview with Shyam Menon, Partner and Co-Founder at Bharat Innovation Fund and Infuse Ventures, and Chief Growth Officer at CIIE.CO.
John Hoffmire: Like so many CRISP scholars, you’ve had an interesting journey including everything from being a research engineer to managing two successful venture capital funds you co-founded. Tell me how your career has taken shape. Shyam: For me personally, it began back in 2001 when I got an opportunity to be part of a nanomaterials startup in Ann Arbor, Michigan when I [...]
An interview with Shailesh Pathak, Chief Executive Officer of L&T IDPL (Infrastructure Development Projects Ltd.)
John Hoffmire: I always like to start an interview by asking for a broad brushstroke picture of a career. Will you tell me about yours? Shailesh: A British friend described my career as poacher-turned-gamekeeper-turned-poacher. After my MBA in 1986 I worked in project finance and investment banking with ICICI for four years in Bombay, as it then was. After a brief stint with HSBC, [...]
An interview with Dr. Shalini Sharma, Founder and CEO, Sanshodhan An E-Waste Exchange, and founding Director of the Global Institute for Circular Economy and Sustainable Development Goals (ICE&SDGs)
John Hoffmire: You are the founder of Sanshodhan An E-Waste Exchange, an emerging company working for e-waste management and the development of zero waste businesses and organizations. You also founded Global Institute for Circular Economy and Sustainable Development Goals (ICE&SDGs), the NGO. Tell me how this came about? Shalini: It goes back to January 2017, when I was cleaning and reorganizing my home. I [...]
An interview with Dr. Nitin Shukla, Principal Scientist, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India
John Hoffmire: You are a principal scientist at the National Chemical Laboratory in Pune, which is known for its excellence in scientific research in chemistry and chemical engineering. Tell me about the work you do there, if you will. Nitin: The saying, “Do what you’ll love, and you’ll never work another day in your life” definitely applies to me so I would [...]
An interview with Sreedevi Devireddy, Founding Chief Executive Officer, SR Innovation Exchange, the technology-business incubator of SR University, Warangal
John Hoffmire: In the three years since I met you as a fellow of the Chevening Research Science and Innovation Leadership Programme (CRISP) at Oxford University, you created and have steered SR Innovation Exchange (SRiX) to a level where you are receiving international recognition. Please tell me more about that. Sreedevi: I explain it this way: in the years before Oxford, while I had [...]
Empowering Women and Social Enterprise in India so Both Can Thrive During the Pandemic
In its 72 years of independence, India has shown its unprecedented prowess in building a modern, democratic nation. It has lifted millions out of poverty, is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and has increased its global influence by becoming a member of the G20 and the BRICS. More recently, it has played a central role in providing the [...]
An interview with Sachinder (Sachin) Mohan Sharma, Group General Manager at the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL)
John Hoffmire: I’ve been on trains in India but I still can’t fathom the scale of what you must manage as the Group General Manager at the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL). Tell me more about what you do. Sachin: The Government of India has entrusted DFCCIL with construction, maintenance and operation of the dedicated rail freight corridors across the country. [...]
