VAA to Hold Prerana – A Confluence of Ideas and Motivation on February 24
Mangaluru: VAA, the Alumni Association formed by the recipients of Vishwa Konkani Scholarships instituted by World Konkani Centre, Mangaluru, is organising a day-long mega event called Prerna – A Confluence of Ideas and Motivation on 24th February 2018 at T.V. Raman Pai Convention Hall, Mangaluru. The conference is one of the initiatives as envisaged by VISION TVM of World Konkani Centre. The event will be inaugurated by T.V. Mohandas Pai, in the gracious presence of, Basti Vaman Shenoy, President and Founder World Konkani Centre, Ramdas Kamath U, Chairman, Vishwa Konkani Student Scholarship Fund, Sandeep Shenoy, Chief mentor, Prerna and Pradeep G. Pai, Secretary, VKSSF. Dinesh K Pai, the president of VAA will deliver the welcome address.
‘Prerna’, an event graced by many wonderful personalities over the past three years, is here again with 8 speakers who have not only been inspiration and role models for youth all over the country, professionally and personally but have established a strong foothold in every sphere of their life. Shrikanth Pandith, MD, Omnesys Technologies; Nandagopal Shenoy, CA and Director of Devagiri Tea; Kishore Saletore, Group CFO, Bharath Forge Limited; Nikhil Kamath, Co-Founder Zerodha.com; Neville Noronha, MD&CEO, Avenue Supermarts Ltd.; Dr Chandrika Kamath, Life Skills Trainer and Motivational Speaker; Ullas Kamath, Jt. MD and CFO, Jyothy Laboratories Ltd. and T.V.Mohandas Pai, Social Entrepreneur and Corporate Mentor will be enthralling the young minds with their insights this year.
VKSSF Alumni Association has been established to foster the ideals of giving back to society under the VISION TVM programme of the World Konkani Centre. Today, the members of VAA have spread across the world, occupying coveted positions in various corporations and organisations. As true bearers of the spirit of Konkani speaking people who have wholeheartedly contributed to the region’s all-around development, VAA is initiating a platform event where all the established alumni can interact with the student population of the region, motivate and inspire them and foster creativity and innovation.
Brief introduction of the speakers:
1. Shrikant Pandit: Managing Director, Omnesys Technologies Pvt. Ltd, was a co-founder of one of India’s larget IT services firm, Infosys. Pandit has also served on the board of Infosys till 1996. He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kanpur. His view on trading business in India has been the cornerstone of the achievements of Omnesys. First three years of Omnesys were mainly focused on service and then in 2000, the company took a strategic decision to focus on products. In the year 2003, Omnesys was the first company to be allowed to run automated trading and much of the credit of this success goes to Shri. Pandit.
2. Nandagopal Shenoy, Chartered Accountant, also runs his Family Business of Tea Products. An expert on indirect taxes, he has chaired several state-level committees during VAT regime. His company, Devagiri Tea and Products, stands today as a testimony to his sharp business acumen. He has established Devagiri Tea as a prime tea provider for coastal Karnataka region, where their products have been widely appreciated and accepted.
3. Kishore Saletore is the Chief Financial Officer of Bharat Forge Limited. He has also served as Chief Financial Officer of Tata Realty and Infrastructure Limited. Prior to this, he was the Vice-President, Finance at Tata Teleservices Limited, where he was responsible for raising equity and debt funding. He is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru and has also completed Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management.
4. Nikhil Kamath: Avid biker and chess enthusiast, took a keen interest in trading derivatives at the age of 16. After completing Class 10 in 2001, he decided to take a break from studies to focus on the Indian National Chess Championships. When not practicing chess, he was developing his trading skills. While working at a call centre in 2003, he got an offer from Indiabulls Securities to manage their portfolio in Bengaluru in 2006, which gave him the skills to become a professional money manager. Between 2007 and 2010, Kamath was in charge of the Bengaluru franchise of Way2wealth, a broking firm. By 2010-end, he and his elder brother had founded Zerodha, a discount broking house, with a first of its kind model in India.
5.Neville Noronha: Managing Director of Avenue Supermarts Limited which runs Dmart, led Dmart’s successful IPO offering in 2017. He holds a graduate degree in Science from S.I.E.S College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mumbai and a post-graduation degree in Marketing Management from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai. With over 20 years of experience in the consumer goods industry, he is one of the sought out young leaders for his unique personality and leadership style. Prior to joining Dmart, he worked with Hindustan Unilever Limited for eight years. During this period, he worked in the field of market research, sales and modern trade. His business acumen and know-how on running a company profitably in a segment with overheads has been his foundations of success.
6. Dr Chandrika Kamath, a motivational speaker, a soft skill and life skill trainer has been altering people’s lives for the better through impactful insights on human psychology and how we should orient our mindsets. Her workshops have been widely appreciated and have been considered by people as life-changing. Tackling topics such as stress management, time management, motivation, happiness, she has helped people position themselves for an enriching life ahead. She is also a Hindustani classical performing vocalist and has widely performed in many prestigious platforms. She believes that the rhythm, melody and emotions of music (taal, sur and bhava) have added to her understanding of life. Hinduism, not as a religion but as a way of life, has had a deep impact on Dr Chandrika. She perceives every story in the Purana to have a symbolic meaning and can be used as a guiding light to happy living.
7. Ullas Kamath: He spearheaded one of the marquee acquisition of an MNC by an Indian company in 2011 when Jyothy Lab aquired MNC Henkel’s India operation. His journey in the company with 60 employees with Rs. 6 crores in revenue in 1990 now to an entity with more than 5000 employees with Rs 1,750 Crores in revenues and Rs 6400 Crores plus as market cap is truly inspirational.
8. T.V. Mohandas Pai, Social Entrepreneur and Corporate Mentor: Well known for his efforts in Improving literacy, public infrastructure, public policy process and also for his active role in AKSHAYA PATRA, BPAC etc. T.V. Mohandas Pai is an advocate of start-up revolution in India. In his new avatar as a Social entrepreneur and enabler, he is of the firm belief that Indian youth can propel the country to be the start-up capital of the world, the outcome of which would not only set the growth engine but also create societal changes for good in our country.
