Directors & Advisors

Directors

P. VENKATRAMAN

Mumbai based Chartered Accountant who has successfully exited from two startups which were acquired by US/UK companies. At the time of divestment the larger startup was having a team size of 3000 spread over 10 locations all across the country with some of the most leading corporate names in India as its clients. Currently he sits on the Board of three companies with a strength exceeding 2500 team members.

He is a Judge and Mentor in the Eureka Business Plan competition of IIT-Bombay and also a Charter Member of TiE- Mumbai. He is also an active Freemason and in the hobby of Ham Radio has held national level positions in the past.

Passionate about technology with a thirst for knowledge his unbridled optimism will see him leading various proactive initiatives for the benefit of the running community.

As a seasoned runner he has been running the TMM Half Marathons over many years. In fact, with a view to maintain physical fitness throughout the year, in the last two years he has been running the Half Marathon distance of 21 kms every single calendar month. The Half Marathon distance is now something that he can run by design.

Besides running, he also loves to read about running and has built a library of running books over the years. This has enabled him to assimilate vast amount of knowledge on running which he delights in contributing on various running forums.

He regularly logs all his runs using his Garmin Heart Rate Monitor and these can be viewed at http://connect.garmin.com/activities?cid=2064843

V. VARALAKSHMI

Bought up and Educated in Mumbai, she is a LLB and a Solicitor who specialises in areas of Corporate Law such as PE Investments, Mergers and Acquisitions etc. Currently employed with a leading law firm she handles some of the largest Investment Banking deals in the country, which hit the newspaper headlines when structured and completed.

As a runner she has also been running the various editions of TMM since its inception. As a means to remain fit throughout the year, she too runs the Half Marathon distance regularly.

Board of Advisors

Dr. Aashish Contractor

Dr. Aashish Contractor is the Head of Department of Preventive Cardiology and Rehabilitation at the Asian Heart Institute. Dr. Contractor has worked and trained in the United States, under the leading authorities and pioneers in his field. He completed his medical training at the TN Medical College, Mumbai and post-graduate training at the Univ of Virginia, USA

Dr. Contractor returned to India and set up the dept of Preventive Cardiology and Rehabilitation at the Asian Heart Institute, and has been with the Institute, since its inception. The Asian Heart Institute was rated as the best cardiac care hospital in India, by CNBC in December 2011. Dr. Contractor had the distinction of being part of the team of doctors who treated our Hon’ble PM, Dr. Manmohan Singh, after his redo bypass surgery in January 2009, and was in charge of his post surgery cardiac rehabilitation.

Dr. Contractor has several scientific publications, both in textbooks as well as Journals. He is a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Chester, United Kingdom. He serves as the Certification Director of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) in India, since November, 2003, and is the only person authorised in the country for the same. Dr. Contractor has been the Medical Director for the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, since its inception in 2004. He is an avid sportsman himself, having run several marathons, the first being in London in 1999. He is also an endurance cyclist and in April 2012, did a non-stop Mumbai -Pune – Mumbai cycle ride (329 km) and in the process raised 1.15 crores for children with cancer.

Ketan Shrimankar

Ketan Shrimankar is a chartered accountant by training with over 25 years of experience in diverse fields.

Beginning his career as a practicing chartered accountant he quickly rose to become a partner specializing in audit and risk management practice.

He went on to head equity research for a broking company and subsequently became a CEO of a broking company with operations on multiple exchanges. Later on he set up a private equity fund specializing in media and internet ventures.

For last several years he has been advising diverse set of companies on growth strategy, growth and risk management. He has worked with several early stage businesses and loves mentoring them to maturity. He is a keen student of economy and futurism and loves to marry them both for business strategy, leading to significant successes both as an investor and a consultant.

Gautam K. Mudbhatkal

Graduated from University of Madras, PG Diploma in Management Studies and Computer Management from NMIMS, Certified SAP/R3 Consultant and CISA

He is an accomplished financial technology professional with a strong background in driving international projects and a wealth of experience in leading strategic initiatives spanning over four decades.

With a successful career spanning several prestigious institutions, including State Bank of Mauritius, IndusInd Bank, Tata Capital and Union Bank, Gautam has made significant contributions to the banking and financial services sector. He was involved in a lead role in successfully setting up organisations such as – IndusInd Bank, Tata Capital and MoTech Software. Until recently, he was the Group Chief Information Officer at State Bank of Mauritius Banking Group, Mauritius and at Tata Capital.

His core strengths are in the areas of technology management, innovation and digital transformation for the Banking and Financial Services sector and also in developing business horizons and mentoring FinTech organisations. He is passionate about leveraging newer technologies and he has recently completed a course on Blockchain Technologies: Business Innovation and Application from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He is also a sportsman, having represented Tamil Nadu in the national Ranji Trophy cricket tournament.