Amb. Shashank (Retd)
Former Foreign Secretary

Date of Birth – 27 July 1944
Joined Indian Foreign Service in 1966
Last assignment
- Foreign Secretary(from 1st December, 2003 to 31st July, 2004)
With Concurrent assignment as
- Secretary (Europe, Americas & Africa) (July 2002 to July, 2004)Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India since July 2002
- Responsible for India’s relations with countries of Europe, Africa and Americas
Earlier assignments
- Secretary (Economic Relations) (June 2001 to June 2002)Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
- Responsible for India’s external economic relations, including ITEC
- Looked after Asia-Pacific affairs, ARF, BIMST-EC and India’s relations with Southeast Asia, Koreas and Pacific regions.
- Work relating to Indian Council of World Affairs
- Ambassador of India to Copenhagen, Denmark (March 1999 – May 2001)
- Ambassador of India to Seoul, Republic of Korea (Nov. 1994 – January 1999)
- Ambassador of India to Tripoli, Libya and concurrent accreditation as High Commissioner of India to Malta (May 1991 – October 1994)
- Joint Secretary (CPV) and Chief Passport Officer of the Government of India (March 1986 – May 1991)
- Minister (Political) and Deputy High Commissioner of India in Islamabad, Pakistan (September 1982 – March 1986)
- Handled economic and social work relating to United Nations in the Ministry and was also posted at the Indian Mission in New York. (Jan 1974 – July 1978)
- Held senior positions in the Indian Missions in Brussels, Hanoi & Cairo
Education M.Sc. (Physics) with First Position in the University in April, 1963. Taught graduate classes from July 1963 to April 1966.
Family
(a) Wife – Kalpana, President of External Affairs Spouses Association (2003-2004)
(b) Son – Amit
(c) Daughter – Puja
Shri Shashi Kant Misra

Shashi Kant Misra is the Chairman of INTACH, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, which he joined after retiring from the Government of India. During his government career, he was recognized for the establishment and development of numerous innovative and pioneering institutions. At INTACH, which he serves in a voluntary capacity, he has strengthened and expanded the entire organization, and led it to a position of international, as well as national, prominence and influence.
Shri Misra was admitted to the Indian Administrative Service in 1956, after earning B.A. and M.A. degrees in Political science from Allahabad University. He served in numerous positions in Haryana and the Government of India, including Director-General of the Festivals of India in the U.S. and France, Secretary of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Secretary of Agriculture, and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister. He also served for six years as Member, UPSC.
A primary interest throughout his career has been the creation of successful new educational institutions. These have included the Punjab Agricultural University, the Motilal Nehru School of Sports (a school open to children primarily from the most underprivileged segments of society, but with facilities and quality of education equal to the best schools in the country), and the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in New Delhi. Another special area of interest has been in tourism. In Haryana, he created the concept of “highway tourism,” which became a national model, and gained the state international recognition. He developed the Suraj Kund Crafts Mela, which has now become one of the most successful annual events in the Delhi area, providing new patronage to thousands of rural and urban crafts producers. As Secretary of Tourism and Civil Aviation, he also developed a strong new partnership between government and industry, and was instrumental in convincing government to open the Indian skies to private airlines.
At INTACH, he has strengthened the financial, professional and administrative infrastructures, and also led the organization into several new areas of activity. Primary among these have been the development of numerous programs involving heritage education, and the creation and implementation of projects that involve entire rural communities in comprehensive development projects revolving around local heritage. Under his leadership, INTACH has become recognized as the central force for regional cooperation on heritage issues, and is now ranked as one of the World’s five major heritage trusts. It was his initiative that led to the founding of INTO, the International National Trusts Organization, which came into existence at the International conference hosted by INTACH in Delhi in December 2007. He is Vice-Chairman and a Member of the Executive Committee of the new organization, which is based at the U. K. National Trust in London, and has members from 55 countries.
Shri Misra has received a number of awards, including the Shriomani Award for Excellence, the Nehru Award for International Understanding (London), the AGASTYA Award for Contribution to the Tourism Industry, and election to the IATO Hall of Fame for Contribution to the Tourism Industry. The Award that is most important to him, however, is the success of the innumerable young Indians who have emerged from the institutions he has helped to create, and gone on to often extraordinary success. In 2009, on the 26th January in the Republic Day honours the President of India conferred a very prestigious award Padma Bhushan in recognition of Mr. Misra’s distinguished service of a high order in the field of Civil Service
Dr. Shankar Acharya

Shankar Acharya is one of India’s leading policy economists. As Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India (1993-2001) he was deeply involved in the economic reforms of the 1990s. He also served on the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), 1997-2000, and, more recently, as a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (2001-2003) and Member, Twelfth Finance Commission (2004). Earlier, 1971-82, he worked in the World Bank, where he led the World Development Report team for 1979 and was Research Adviser to the World Bank, 1979-82. He was Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance, 1985-90.
He has authored six books and numerous scholarly articles in academic journals. His three most recent books are Essays on Macroeconomic Policy and Growth in India (2006, Oxford University Press, Delhi), Can India Grow without Bharat ? (2007, Academic Foundation, Delhi) and India and Global Crisis (2009, Academic Foundation, Delhi). Forthcoming is a volume edited with Rakesh Mohan, India’s Economy: the Challenges Ahead (2009, Oxford University Press, Delhi).
Currently he is Honorary Professor and Board Member of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER). He also serves on the governing boards of other national research organizations (including the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy) and various advisory bodies of Government (eg. the National Security Advisory Board), the Reserve Bank (the Advisory Committee on Monetary Policy) and some corporates. He is non-executive Chairman of Kotak Mahindra Bank. He writes regularly in the Business Standard and is a consultant to international organizations. Dr. Acharya has a Ph.D (1972) from Harvard University and a B.A.(1967) from Oxford.
Dr. Manu Chandaria (Manilal Premchand Chandaria)

Manu Chandaria OBE EBS, born in Kenya, is engaged in work within the framework of a joint Indian family of seventy members with business interests in more than seventy countries.
In Kenya – Chairman – Mabati Rolling Mills Ltd.
Chairman – Kaluworks Ltd
In Tanzania Chairman – Aluminium Africa Ltd
Founding Chairman - East African Business Council.
Past Chairman – Kenya Association of Manufacturers.
Sits on other Boards/Councils in the manufacturing, insurance and higher education sectors.
Founding Chairman – Kenya Private Sector Alliance, and umbrella body representing over two hundred sectors and organizations.
Council member of University of Nairobi and Director/Trustee of the United States International University
Recently appointed by His Excellency the President to the National Economic and Social Council.
Appointed to serve on various other Government Boards/Committee set up to reduce poverty, revive the flagging economy
through a healthy private sector, encourage modernization through science and technology and improve the lot of children living on the streets.
Deeply involved in charitable and social work.
The University of Nairobi in recognition of outstanding achievements in the industrial, manufacturing and business sector and his contribution to the economy of Kenya awarded him a Doctorate of Science in 1997.
For three consecutive years 2000, 2001 and 2002 he was named the most respected Chief Executive Officer in East Africa.
He has been honoured severally in India, the most important of these awards being in 2003 when the first Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Puraskar was conferred by the Government of India on the ten most distinguished overseas persons of Indian origin, in a worldwide diaspora of twenty million spread worldwide, in recognition of exceptional services rendered to the countries of their domicile. Dr. Chandaria was one of the ten recipients.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II conferred an OBE on him in the New Year Honours List 2003 in recognition of his work for the community in Kenya and for his promotion of Kenyan economic interests.
His Excellency Hon. Mwai Kibaki, President of the Republic of Kenya, conferred on him the honour of Elder of the Burning Spear (EBS) in December 2003 in recognition of outstanding and distinguished service to the nation.
Rotarian – Past Chairman Rotary Club of Nairobi .
Dr. Vishakha Desai President and CEO of the Asia Society

Vishakha N. Desai is president and CEO of the Asia Society, an international educational organization dedicated to strengthening connections between the peoples of Asia and the United States. She sets the directions for the Society’s diverse set of programs—in the areas of policy, business, arts, culture and education—throughout the vast network of Asia Society’s regional centers in the U.S. and in Asia, including its New York headquarters. She is a frequent speaker and participant at major conferences around the world addressing business, policy and cultural issues. Appointed president in 2004, Dr. Desai has served in various leadership positions at the Asia Society, most recently as Senior Vice President and as Director of its Museum. She is widely recognized as a leader in the museum field for developing dynamic presentations of contemporary works by Asian and Asian American artists and for conceiving innovative exhibitions of traditional Asian art within strong cultural contexts. A noted scholar, she has published extensively on traditional and contemporary arts and has served as an advisor and juror for major international projects and institutions in the U.S., Europe and Asia. She has also lectured widely to business and foreign policy audiences on topics ranging from the role of culture in changing Asian societies to perceptions of the U.S. in Asia.
Prior to joining the Asia Society in 1990, Dr. Desai was a curator at The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She has also taught at the University of Massachusetts, Boston University and
Columbia University. She received her B.A. in political science from Bombay University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Asian Art History from the University of Michigan. The recipient of numerous grants and fellowships, Dr. Desai was awarded an honorary doctorate from Susquehanna University in 1996. She was also awarded the Asian American of the Year Award by the University of Massachusetts, and by Asian Americans for Equality, and is a recipient of the National Institute of Social Sciences Gold Medal. Dr. Desai serves on the boards of the Brookings Institution, Citizens for NYC, and the New York City Advisory Commission for Cultural Affairs. She served as the President of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) in 1998-99, and was on the Board from 1995-2000. She has also served on the Boards of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics), the South Asian Council of the Association of Asian Studies, the College Art Association, ArtTable, and the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities.
Dr. Abid Hussain

Dr. Abid Hussain is currently Chancellor of English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad; member of International Panel on Democracy & Development of UNESCO; Prof Emeritus at Indian Institute of Foreign Trade; Prof. Emeritus at the Foreign Service Institute of Ministry of External Affairs; Chairman of Ghalib Academy and Vice President of Rumi Foundation. He is a member of Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco and BP Koirala Foundation. He was Trustee of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts Trust. He is currently President of Katha, Chairman of Research Council of National Institute of Science, Technology & Development Studies (CSIR); India-China Economic & Cultural Council; Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, NOIDA Kendra, Member of Board of Trustees of Observer Research Foundation, Member of the Board of Governors Himigri Nabh University, Dehra Dun and several other cultural organizations. He is a member of the National Disaster Management Authority, Nehru Memorial Fund; Population Foundation of India; Foundation for Academic Excellence & Access; Administrative Staff College, Hyderabad; Shankar Lall Murli Dhar Memorial Society; and the Governing Council of Ranbaxy Science Foundation. He is President of Lovraj Memorial Trust. He has been a member of the Indian Administrative Service and served in various capacities at the Centre. He was Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries, Commerce Secretary and Chairman, IIFT. He became Member, Planning Commission in 1985. Later on he became India’s Ambassador to the U.S.A In 1988 he was honoured with PADAMA BHUSHAN for meritorious services. Thereafter he became Vice Chairman of Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and was also the Chancellor of Central University, Hyderabad.
Dr Hussain was for nine years Special Rapporteur to UN on Freedom of Opinion and Expression. Hussain was a member of the Constitution Review Commission set up by Government of India. He was a member of the Prasar Bharati Board till April 2001. Till recently Dr. Hussain was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, New York. He is now the member of the Asia Society, New York.
During his long standing career he was U.N Adviser on Turkey on Community Development for two years and also Chief of Industrial, Technology, Human Settlements and Environment in the UN Regional Commission of ESCAP, Bangkok for seven years.
Dr. Hussain has presided over several national and international conferences and contributed papers on contemporary issues.
He had chaired many important committees set up by Government of India, namely Trade Policy Reforms; Project Exports; CSIR Review Committee for Development of Science & Technology; Textile Policy of the Government of India; Development of Capital Market; and Abid Hussain Committee on Small Scale Industries; Report on “Reorganization of Foreign Service Institute” of India.
Amb. Maharajakrishna Rasgotra
President, ORF – Centre for International Relations

Expertise
International Relations
Background
Mr. M. Rasgotra was educated at Government College, Lahore. In September 1949 he joined Indian Foreign Services. In the Pioneering Indian diplomacy, he served with distinction in Indian missions in Washington D.C., Kathmandu and in the Ministry of External Affairs. From 1958 to 1962, he made a notable contribution in the evolution and implementation of India’s policies towards neighbours.
His Ambassadorial career took him to Morocco and Tunisia, the USA, Britain, Nepal, the Netherlands, France and UNESCO. In every post his work has helped advance India’s interests, enhance her image and strengthen her relations with the concerned countries.
His tenure as Foreign Secretary from 1982 to 1985 was marked by a renewal in Indo-American relations, sustained negotiations with Pakistan and a tentative opening to China. He played a significant role in the prestigious events of the period – the Seventh Non-Aligned Summit, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the Six-Nation Appeal on Nuclear Disarmament and the Six-Nation Summit in New Delhi.
After retirement, he was Honorary Visiting Professor in JNU, Regents’ Professor at UCLA and President of the Delhi College of Arts & Commerce. He is founder President of the International Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies. Through his numerous articles, lectures and his commentaries on Indian and Foreign electronic media he continues to make an important contribution to national thinking of foreign policy and security related matters.
In recognition of his life-long service to the Nation and achievements of high distinction in diplomacy, Mr. Rasgotra was decorated with the Padma Bhushan award on the Indian Republic Day 2002.
Presently
Mr. Rasgotra is a member of National Security Advisory Board.
Dr. Marshall M. Bouton
President
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Marshall M. Bouton is president of The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, formerly known as The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, a position he has held since August 2001. Prior to that, he served twenty years at the Asia Society in New York, most recently as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Previous positions include director for policy analysis in the office of the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Near East, Africa and South Asia, special assistant to the U. S. ambassador to India, executive secretary for the Indo-U.S. Subcommission on Education and Culture, and program director for India affairs at the Asia Society in New York. Mr. Bouton earned a B.A. (cum laude) in history at Harvard, an M.A. in South Asian studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in political science at the University of Chicago in 1980.
Ambassador Lalit Mansingh

Mr. Lalit Mansingh has served as India’s Foreign Secretary, Ambassador to the United States and High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Ambassador Mansingh joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1963 after securing the first position in the All India Civil Service Examination. After his initial posting in Geneva, he went on to serve as Deputy Chief of Mission in the Indian Embassies in Kabul, Brussels, and Washington. Besides Washington and London, he has been Head of Mission in the United Arab Emirates and in Nigeria with concurrent accreditation to Benin, Chad and Cameroon.
At headquarters in Delhi, Ambassador Mansingh worked in a variety of assignments: as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Director General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Dean of the Foreign Service Institute and Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs.
Born on 29 April 1941, Ambassador Mansingh graduated in History and obtained a Master’s degree in Political Science. He was awarded the University’s Gold Medals for securing the top position in both subjects. Before joining the Foreign Service, he worked as a Research Scholar in American Studies at the School of International Studies in Delhi, and as Lecturer in the Post-Graduate Department of Political Science, University of Bhubaneswar, Orissa.
Recent engagements include Prof Emeritus at the Foreign Service Institute of India; Member, Executive Committee of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi; Member, Indian Council for Sustainable Development, Member, International Advisory Council, APCO Worldwide, Washington D.C. and Member, Governing Council of Development Alternatives, New Delhi.
Niranjan S. Shah CEO – Globetrotters Group

Background :
Niranjan Shah attended engineering college and earned a B.E. (Civil) degree from Sardar Patel University in 1967. He earned a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Mississippi in 1972 and later completed the Executive Management program at Harvard Business School.
Business Experience :
In 1974, Mr. Shah founded Globetrotters Engineering Corporation, a company that would grow to become one of the preeminent engineering, architectural, and facility management companies in the United States. Under Mr. Shah’s leadership as Chairman and CEO, Globetrotters has received numerous local and national awards and has been a key contributor to the revitalization and growth of the City of Chicago.
Public Service :
Perhaps even more impressive than the success he has achieved in the engineering and business fields are the numerous contributions that Mr. Shah has made to his home country of India as well as the United States. Mr. Shah has helped provide support for services, educational institutions, and medical clinics in India and coordinated relief efforts for victims of the 2001 Gujarat earthquake.
Awards :
In recognition of these accomplishments, Mr. Shah has been honored at the highest level in both the United States and India.
- Mr. Shah was selected as a recipient for the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2006, an award presented to influential leaders of various fields and ethnic backgrounds including former U.S. Presidents who contribute greatly to American society.
- Mr. Shah was also awarded the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award by the Government of India in 2006. India’s President, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, presented the award stating, “Shri Niranjan Shah has made the country proud of his achievements and increased the prestige of India and Indians not only in America but in the entire world.”
Commissions & Boards:
Niranjan Shah has served on many city, state, and federal boards and commissions.
- For over 6 ˝ years, he served as a Trustee and then as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.
- Currently he is a member of the Illinois State Police Merit Board.
- Served as Regent for the Illinois Board of Regents.
Prof. Bala V. Balachandran J.L. Kellog Distinguished Professor of Accounting and Information Management and Founder and Dean, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai

Education
PhD, 1973, Industrial Administration, Carnegie Mellon University
MS, 1963, Applied Statistics, Annamalai University
MA, 1961, Mathematics, Statistics, Annamalai University
In 1973 he joined the Kellogg School of Management faculty. He was Chairman of the Department of Accounting Information and Management from 1979 - 1983. In 1984 he was appointed Professor of Accounting Information and Management and was Director of the Accounting Research Center from 1985-2006.
Professor Balachandran's teaching interests include managerial accounting, auditing, management information systems, and mathematical programming. He is one of three Kellogg faculty members who started the Information Resource Management Program (IRM) at Northwestern in 1974. He has authored more than 55 research articles and is currently writing a managerial accounting textbook with emphasis on cost management in an automated manufacturing environment. He is department editor in accounting for Management Science, associate editor for The Accounting Review and on the editorial boards of Contemporary Accounting Research, and the Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance.
He has provided executive education for various companies and the government and is the program director for "Managing Cost Information for Effective Strategic Decisions," a three-day program conducted at the James L. Allen Center each year during the spring and fall.
He is on the Boards of several Indian companies including Godrej and CRISIL. He is also Chairman of the Board of ALLSEC Technologies – a global consulting and call center company with over 2,400 professionals headquartered in Chennai and operating in New Jersey, India, and Jamaica.
Prof Balachandran has been honored with the prestigious Padmashri Award, for Excellence in Education and Literature. He is also the founder of the Great Lakes Institute of Management, a global business school, in Chennai, India.
Dr Bala’s MBA School - Great Lakes Institute of Management
Great Lakes has several luminaries on its advisory board. Ratan Tata, Madhur Bajaj, Kumaramangalam Birla, G.P. Goenka, Indira Nooyi -CEO of Pepsi, Narayana Murthy of Infosys, Deepak Parekh - Chairman of HDFC, S Ramadorai - CEO of TCS, Ravi Venkatesan - Chairman of Microsoft India are on the advisory board of the school.
He is also closely associated with President Jimmy Carter in the "Habitat for Humanity" program.
Professor Bala Balachandran is considered one of the top 10 management gurus of Indian origin in the United States. He represents the first wave of Indian scholars who moved to top U.S.-based business schools and have since contributed to the growing recognition of India as a resource for ideas and academic talent.
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