Shree Shyam Sundar Agarwal
Managing Partner, Himalaya Paper Company
S.S. Agarwal is a B.Com (Hons) and has been in the paper trade for more than five decades representing reputed domestic paper mills such as JK Paper Limited, & Emami Paper Mills Ltd. His other group companies are manufacturers and exporters of CI products and are importers of Glassware, Cookware, Tableware and Porcelain figures which are marketed on a pan India basis under the “ROXX” brand. He has been President of the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Paper Traders Associations of India, and Calcutta Paper Traders Association. He is associated with several social and philanthropic organizations & Board Members of Parivaar Education Society, Thakkurpukur, West Bengal & Board Advisor to Samaritan Help Mission, Tikkiapara, Howrah, West Bengal. He is also on the Board of Trustees in : (1) Sri Bal Hanuman Mandal Seva Trust (PAKURIA SALASAR HAM) Pakuria, Howrah. (2) Maharaja Agrasain Dham, Ghoraghata, Bagnan, Howrah. (3) Kolkata Gives Foundation, (A Philanthropy organization), Kolkata.
Shyam Sundar Agarwal
Somanth Sengupta
Somnath Sengupta
Former CFO and Director on the Board of Axis Bank
Somnath Sengupta worked as a banker for nearly 39 years and was the CFO and a Director on the Board of Axis Bank, one of the largest private sector banks in the country. He now spends a large part of his time in the social sector – an area that deeply interests him. He is also on the Board of a small finance bank and a non-banking financial company.
Kaushik D Shah
Chartered Accountant, Law Graduate and Company Secretary
Kaushik Shah is a Chartered Accountant, Law Graduate and Company Secretary. At final CA examination he topped on all India basis in two subjects viz. Taxation and Commercial Laws & Other Indirect Taxes. Kaushik has long association with pharmaceutical industry. He worked with Fulford India Ltd., an Indian affiliate of one of the top 10 global pharmaceutical company based in USA viz. Schering-Plough Corporation in various capacities. During his last 10 years with Fulford, he was Managing Director looking after India and Nepal operations. He also held position of Vice President of Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India, an association of mainly global pharmaceutical companies operating in India. Post retirement from Fulford, Kaushik has handled various assignments including Advisor on Pharmaceutical industry to one of the country’s leading brokerage firm, advisor to large private sector Indian bank as well as a foreign bank. He is also an active member of Caring Friends which is associated with approx..25 not for profit organizations across the country. As a representative of Caring Friends he has mentored some of its associates and their founders in areas of Organisation Building and Development, Team Building, developing systems and process improvement, Finance and Accounting system and overall quality improvement program. His vision is to help and support founders build high quality, credible organizations which can deliver best of class services to disadvantaged section of the society for whom these organizations work.
KAUSHIK D SHAH
education portfolio
Nandini Menon
Nandini Menon
Charter Member of The Indus Entrepreneurs, Founder of an Educational Research Foundation
Dr. Nandini Menon is a serial entrepreneur. She worked as a professional textile engineer/designer for more than a decade and then founded Cedar Hill Prep School, a Kindergarten through Grade Eight school in Somerset, NJ, in 2003. The school received the National Blue-Ribbon Award for exceptionally high performing students in 2017. Additionally, Cedar Hill Prep School is accredited by the Middle States Association which is a worldwide leader in accreditation and school improvement. In 2022 she founded New Jersey Institute of Nature with a focus on experiential learning to build a strong foundation of scientific research for future scholars, to support the development of future entrepreneurs, and to share wellness resources for personal health and development. In 2023 Cedar Hill Prep School became a candidate school to become an International Baccalaureate World School to incorporate the primary and middle school programs. Cedar Hill Prep School uses the leading research-based, whole-child preschool curriculum to ensure student success in school and life.
Nandini has worked with multi-national organizations which included collaborating with artists, designers, manufacturers, educational experts, and business leaders across the globe. She has been a featured speaker for many global conventions, focusing on education and entrepreneurship. Her current projects include collaborating with technologists from multi-national teams to create learning management systems and creating opportunities for youth and young adults through experiential learning and facilitating entrepreneurship. She also has a podcast called Decoding Education that helps demystify the educational paradigm.
Nandini had her primary, secondary, and undergraduate education in India and her graduate studies include a post graduate degree in Textile Engineering from Philadelphia Textile/Jefferson University and a doctoral degree from Johns Hopkins University specializing in Mind, Brain, and Teaching, with special focus on instructional pedagogy and multilingual learners. Nandini is currently on the board of the IAWEA(Indian American Women Entrepreneurs Association); Charter Member of the The Indus Entrepreneurs and is the co-chair of their Next Gen initiatives. She is also the Founder of an Educational Research Foundation whose mission is to support underprivileged children access private school education and avail themselves of programs that build their skill sets in the STEM fields.
Brian Cleary
Professor of Education University of Alaska. 1988-2005, Educational Consultant K-16 /2005 to present
Bachelor of Arts Elementary Education BA,
Cal Poly State University San Luis Obispo California USA
Master of Education MA
Curriculum and Instruction
Cal Poly State University San Luis Obispo California USA
Master of Science MS
Computer Science Education
University of Oregon
Eugene Oregon USA
30 years teaching and working with teachers and schools integrating technology into classroom instruction
Brian Cleary
volunteer
Seema Bahri
Seema Bahri
Chairperson (2023-2024) of Best Friendz, Member of the Early Childhood Association (ECA)
Seema Bahri is an educationist and philanthropist by profession. Her journey in the field of
education began as a Montessori teacher at Kangaroo Kids Delhi. Then, with her caring
husband and two beautiful children, she shifted to Kolkata. Luck led her to be associated
with a special mother whose need for her child's education and the lack of such schools
motivated Seema to embark on a journey of inclusivity. She opened up Basic Funda, an
inclusive Playschool in Tollygunge, Kolkata.
As a strong believer in inclusion, Seema is also a philanthropist associated with NGOs,
engaging in social work to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged children. This
commitment to helping all led to the initiative called "Egaro Takar Paathshala," where less
privileged children were taught 11 activities on weekends in her school premises by
well-trained and qualified personnel.
Currently serving as the Chairperson (2023-2024) of Best Friendz, an NGO, and a
member of the Early Childhood Association (ECA), Seema continues to prioritize
education. She is actively involved in opening schools in the interiors of West Bengal in
collaboration with Best Friendz society. Her pledge is to establish inclusive schools where
they are lacking.
Volunteer to work with students with special needs,
providing assistance and support in the classroom or during extracurricular activities.
