PATRON
INTRODUCTION
We would like to thank the patrons of Serendipity Arts Festival for their commitment to the arts. We hope that this generosity of spirit continues as a long-term engagement in supporting the cultural community in South Asia.
Sunil Kant Munjal
Founder Patron
Mr Sunil Kant Munjal is a business promoter, institution builder, social entrepreneur, angel investor, and a thought leader.
He has been a founder promoter of the Hero Group, India’s premier automotive manufacturing group that has evolved from being the world’s largest bicycle-maker to the largest two-wheeler maker. As Chairman of Hero Enterprise, he now leads businesses with interests in insurance distribution, steel-making, real estate, and corporate training.
He has made key investments in high-growth e-commerce enterprises, cutting-edge lighting solution firms, as well as hospitality and fine dining ventures. He is also supporting start-ups that focus on digital learning, community transportation, healthcare, women empowerment and children’s education. He has also invested in impact investment funds that take an entrepreneurship-based approach to socio-economic challenges.
Mr Munjal co-founded BML Munjal University, a unique higher education venture that has quickly made a mark as a contemporary institution pioneering next practices in knowledge delivery and student development. In 2017, the President of India dedicated the University to the Nation. Mr. Munjal is also President of the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, which is pioneering affordable healthcare in India, and is now among the largest hospitals in the country. His contribution to affordable health care has been recognised by the Royal Society of Medicine, London.
Mr Munjal is the founding patron of the Serendipity Arts Trust, a unique social venture that aims to revive patronage in the arts. He is also President of the Ludhiana Sanskritik Samagam, an organisation that promotes performing arts across North India.
He also serves as the Chairman of Board of Governors of the Indian Public Schools’ Society, which governs and manages The Doon School. He is also a Member of the Boards of the Indian School of Business, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Shriram College of Commerce (SRCC), and the University of Tokyo.
Mr Munjal previously served the CII (Confederation of India Industry) as president. He was also President of the All India Management Association (AIMA) during its Diamond Jubilee year. He currently heads a CII task force on Ease of Doing Business and chairs a government and industry supported skills’ initiative that seeks to create a professionally competent workforce.
Mr Munjal also sit on the boards of DCM Shriram Consolidated, Bharti Foundation, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs and National Teachers Training Organisation —plus the advisory boards of Coca Cola India, Indian Angels Network Fund and UK India Business Council (UKIBC). He was previous on the boards of IIT Ropar, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and PNB Gilts Ltd and chaired the board of governors of Punjab Technical University.
In his role as a policy advisor, Mr Munjal served on the Prime Minister’s Council on Trade & Industry that guided the Prime Minister on economic issues. In the 1990s, he was on the Narasimham Committee that laid a framework for banking and financial sector reforms, and on the Taskforce on Indirect Taxes (Kelkar Committee), which provided the first roadmap for simplifying India’s indirect tax system. He also chaired the Study Group on Skill Development, Training and Workers’ Education set up under the 2nd National Commission on Labour Reforms.
In 2000, India Today chose Mr Munjal as one of the “Faces of the Millennium” for business. In 2016, he won the Jehangir Ghandy Medal for Social and Industrial Peace. In the same year, he was conferred a D. Lit by SRM University, Chennai, and became a Distinguished Fellow at the Institute of Directors. In 2018, he will also be conferred with the Udyog Ratna from Punjab University for his contribution to industrial development in the state. He has also received the GlobScot Award from the Scottish government.
Mr Munjal’s experiences and insights are widely sought by businesses and institutions, and he has addressed elite audiences around the world on a wide variety of subjects including holistic management, geo-politics, economy, technology, globalisation etc.
Shefali Munjal
Patron
Shefali Munjal is a dynamic young business leader, social entrepreneur and philanthropist who featured in Businessworld’s 2018 list of Achievers Under 40.
In 2005, Shefali pioneered the Hero Group’s foray into insurance distribution; she has since transformed a modestly sized division that sold 5000 policies a month into a high-growth enterprise that consistently sells around 10 million policies a year—one of the highest in in India’s insurance industry.
Besides sustaining the growth of Hero Enterprise firms in the areas of insurance, steel, real estate and corporate training, Shefali is involved in developing futuristic and sustainable businesses that are profitable and socially meaningful and in also nurturing entrepreneurs with innovative business models and technologies that can become global in scale.
Shefali is passionate about levering business and management acumen for socially-relevant causes and leaving behind a legacy of responsible capitalism. Through the family office of Hero Enterprise, she has supported start-ups that focus on digital learning, community transportation, healthcare, women empowerment and children’s education.
She is also a Trustee of Serendipity Arts Trust, a unique social project that aims to revive patronage in the arts and plays a pivotal role in designing and executing the Annual Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa, India’s largest and most ambitious interdisciplinary arts festival. Shefali is also independently involved with “Delhi 10,000” — a charity that focuses on feeding people through annual events around the slums of the Delhi.
Shefali is a member of CII’s National Committee on Insurance & Pensions and a founding member of the CII Young Indians Council and the Delhi Chapter of the Entrepreneurs Organization.
Shefali’s strong business and social credentials stand on the bedrock of academics. She was a CBSE Class 12 topper, and is an alumnus of The Lawrence School, Sanawar. She studied at Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) and acquired her master’s in science with distinction from Warwick University UK. She also attended the Owner President Management Programs at Harvard Business School and Executive education at INSEAD.
Shefali is also an avid and accomplished photographer, and her work has been featured at prominent photography exhibitions in Delhi.
Shrinivas V. Dempo
Chairman Dempo Group
Shrinivas V. Dempo was born on 2nd February, 1969 in Mumbai into a Goan family that has had a history of five and a half centuries of business interests and social responsibility behind it.
Shrinivas is the chairman of Goa’s leading business house, Dempo, whose modern-era activity was pioneered by his grandfather, the late Vasantrao S Dempo in the year 1941, with support from his great –uncle, the late Vaikunthrao S Dempo. The businesses were consolidated by his father, the late Vasudeva V. Dempo. The Group’s activities cover calcined petroleum coke production, shipbuilding, newspaper publishing and electronic media, food processing, real estate development, sports promotion, the travel business, renewable energy generation and mining.
Shrinivas Dempo was called upon to lead the family business from the year 1998, using his post-graduate management education in Industrial Administration received at Carnegie Mellon University, USA, to give a new direction to the business group. His stewardship has been marked by expansion of existing businesses, benchmarking of products and processes to international standards, introduction of progressive people management systems, enterprise resource planning, corporate sustainability reporting and the deepening of corporate social responsibility.
The Group’s extensive engagement with Goan society covers institutions and programmes of higher education, cultural enrichment, environmental conservation, sporting excellence and affirmative action, hardly surprising in view of Shrinivas Dempo’s ardent identification of himself and his family with Goan concerns.
Puneet Dalmia
Managing Director, Dalmia Bharat Group
Puneet is the Managing Director of Dalmia Bharat Group. He also serves as the Founder and Trustee of Ashoka University. Puneet has been recognized as the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 in the manufacturing category. He has served as an Advisory Board Member of NSRCEL (NS Raghavan Center for Entrepreneurship), IIM-B and the YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) Delhi Chapter as Chairman in the year 2004.
Avantika Dalmia
Chairperson, Avanee Foundation
Avantika Dalmia is the Chairperson of Avanee Foundation, an organization committed to a world where all life is cherished and cared for. Under her direction and guidance, the foundation has been able to raise the level of the discourse on Indian spiritual heritage and its relevance to today’s social and cultural context.
Avantika and Puneet are socially conscious individuals and are deeply passionate about education and social issues. They are passionate about the country and strive to create a better India. They firmly believe that good business must be a force for good in society and want to contribute back to the society.
Anil Rai Gupta
Chairman and Managing Director Havells
Anil Rai Gupta is the Chairman and Managing Director of Havells India Limited, a FMEG (Fast Moving Electrical Goods) conglomerate. Having joined Havells in 1992, Anil developed and implemented a market strategy that established the organisation as a global brand.
In the year 2003, he helped the company to expand its offerings and positioned Havells as a Consumer Product Company from initially being a pure Industrial Product Company. He has been responsible for key business acquisitions such as Sylvania in the year 2007, which helped Havells become one of the world’s largest lighting companies.
His foresightedness ensured that Havells continued to make profits despite the global economic crisis in 2008. Anil took forward the vision of his father and played a key role in modernising of plants and overall infrastructure. Today, Havells has the best infrastructure and most modern plants across the entire electrical Industry in India from Wake Forest University, North Carolina, USA.
Anil did his MBA in Marketing and Finance from Wake Forest University, North Carolina, USA and he was also awarded the “Babcock Award” for excellence in academics, integrity and leadership. He completed his Graduations in Economics from Sri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University
A firm believer of giving back to the society, Anil with the blessings from his father initiated the Mid-day meal programme through QRG foundation. Every day, the foundation provides hygienic and nutritious food to over 50000 school children across 666 government schools in Alwar district of Rajasthan. QRG Foundation has taken the mandate to provide sanitation facilities especially for girls in all the schools where it provides mid-day meal in order to provide an ideal environment for education.
A firm believer of power of education, Anil believes that a study of liberal arts is essential in shaping leaders of the future. With this thought, he became one of the founding members of Ashoka University.
Besides wiring Havells’ global future, Anil also takes keen interest in music and playing golf.
Ameet Kumar Gupta
Whole Time Director – Havells India
Ameet Kumar Gupta is the Whole Time Director at Havells India Limited, India’s largest electrical manufacturer. Ameet joined Havells in 1995, where he has developed and implemented multiple strategic tie-ups with global partners helping the organisation register a robust growth.
His passion for research and development has led him to lead product development at Havells. Apart from R&D, few of his focus areas have been manufacturing and sustainability. His endeavours have contributed effectively to transform Havells from a small company with a turnover of INR 100 Cr around 24 years ago to a 10K crore conglomerate.
Ameet, with a profound understanding of international strategic and environmental issues, has contributed immensely in the Havells journey towards sustainability. Under his leadership, Havells became the first Indian Electrical Company in the industry to come out with a sustainability report in 2012. Over the years, Havells has got into several new businesses and Ameet has been accredited for setting up world class manufacturing facilities for these businesses. Along with that, Ameet has also played a pivotal role in the various CSR initiatives by the company.
Ameet graduated with a B.Tech in Electronics and Communications from Delhi University and pursued his MBA in Marketing and Finance from Wake Forest University, North Carolina, USA. In his leisure time, Ameet enjoys travelling and exploring different cuisines from various parts of the world.
Suraj Morajkar
Owner, Sun Estates Developers
Suraj Morajkar is the owner and managing director of Sun Estates Developers, a leading real estate and property developer in Goa. A self-made businessman, he has grown from humble origins to powering a company synonymous with timeless luxury in Goa.
Starting at barely 24 years, Suraj began with a small project – Club Bernard – before moving on to build a company that creates some of the most sought-after real estate properties in India. He made the natural and aesthetic beauty of Goa the foundation of the Sun Estates Developers brand, focusing on villages and the stunning landscape they offer.
Over the years, he has brought world-class luxury real estate to Goa by working with renowned international designers including David Ruff from Design Laboratories in New York, Blink Design Group and Burega Furnell in Singapore, Lars Thomsen from Denmark and Robert Patzschke from Germany, as well as leading architects and interior designers from India including Arvind D’Souza, Edgar Demello and Tarun Tahiliani.
Currently, he is marketing six niche luxury properties in north Goa and has more than 25 projects to his name, all that offer the perfect balance between urban creations and natural landscape, contemporary design and traditional sentiment. No two units are the same, and design is at the very heart of each project, maintaining premium exclusivity.
In 2010, Suraj set foot in the hospitality space, opening Sol de Goa, a luxury boutique hotel that integrated Goan influences with Portuguese elements, all blended within the natural landscape. The interiors were originally conceptualised by renowned fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani, and within a year, travel magazine Condé Nast Traveller India named it in its Hot List of New Hotels for 2011. This year marks the hotel’s 10th anniversary, coinciding with the company’s 25th year in service.
Suraj’s most recent hospitality venture – and his biggest project to date – is the Hilton Goa Resort, a magnificent property atop the scenic, terraced slopes of Saipem hill overlooking the Nerul river. He considers the soon-to-be-launched hotel, which features the largest guest rooms in north Goa and 17600 square feet of event space, his biggest achievement so far.
With Sun Estates’ recent redevelopment of the Bento Miguel House, Suraj has set a new standard for conservation projects in Panjim through a high street commercial property showcasing the city’s rich architectural heritage. The century-old Bento Miguel House is the venue of a unique exhibition of contemporary Goan art by the Serendipity Arts Festival.
Swati Salgaocar
Director at the Vimson Group
Swati Salgaocar is a Director at the Vimson Group, an Indian conglomerate with its origins in Goa over seven decades ago. As part of her role, she oversees iron ore mining, export and trade operations in V.M. Salgaocar & Bro. Pvt. Ltd. the mining arm of the group. Additional responsibilities include active involvement in the company’s treasury and legal strategies. She also heads the group’s real estate division, Altura Spaces, which is involved in the design and execution of residential projects in Goa. As part of Vimson’s social welfare initiative, Swati heads Salgaocar Football Club’s Youth Development Program, which includes structured pre-professional training for over 200 children (age 10-20 yrs) and their Community Outreach Program which provides grassroots training to over 600 children (age 6-12 yrs) each year.
From a young age, Swati has been involved with creating art and over time this has evolved into an interest in collecting and viewing. A recipient of a silver medal for painting at the Shankar’s International Children’s Competition while in school, Swati went on to study Sculpture and History of Art alongside Architecture during her time at Yale. In recent years, her international travel has been actively focused on destinations that are relevant to art and design which allow her to continue her engagement with the visual arts.
Swati is the Co-Director of the Yale India Alumni Schools Committee and a member of the Campus Development Committee of the Goa Institute of Management.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Architecture from Yale University and a Masters in Architecture from Columbia University.
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