Senior Advisors

Dr. Soumya Swaminathan

Chairperson, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation

Soumya Swaminathan (born May 2, 1959) is an Indian paediatrician and clinical scientist known for her research on tuberculosis and HIV. From 2019 to 2022, she served as the chief scientist at the World Health Organization under the leadership of Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Previously, from October 2017 to March 2019, she was the Deputy Director General of Programs (DDP) at the World Health Organization. Swaminathan received an M.B.B.S. from the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune. She has an M.D. in pediatrics from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. She is a Diplomate of the National Board from the National Board of Examinations. As part of her training, from 1987 to 1989, Swaminathan completed a post-doctoral medical fellowship in neonatology and pediatric pulmonology at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

MS. Gauri Kumar

IAS (Retd.) , Wheels Water Council

Gauri Kumar is a retired member of the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) from the 1979 batch. She retired as Secretary (Coordination and Public Grievances), Cabinet Secretariat, in 2015 and served as Member/Chairperson of the Public Enterprises Selection Board from 2015-18 after her retirement. She held various prominent positions during her career, including Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Ministry of Home Affairs (Border Management). She also served as Special/Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Mines and as Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Ministry of Environment and Forests. In addition, she held significant roles in the Government of Gujarat, such as Principal Secretary in Urban Development and Industries & Mines. Gauri Kumar has a strong educational background, with degrees in Physics, Mathematics, and Statistics, an MSc in Mathematics, and a Master's in Public Administration from Harvard University. She currently serves as an independent woman director on the board of Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Limited (GMDC).

Prof. Anil GUPTA

Founder, The Honey Bee Network and Gujarat Grasroots Innovation Augmentation Network (GIAN)

Anil Kumar Gupta is an Indian scholar in the area of grassroots innovations. He is the founder of the Honey Bee Network. He retired as a full-time professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, in 2017, where he served for about 36 years. Upon finishing his bachelor's degree (Hons) in Agriculture, he went on to complete his Masters in Sciences (Biochemical Genetics) from Haryana Agricultural University in 1974. In 1986, he earned a Ph.D. in Management from Kurukshetra University. He is a Co-Ordinator of SRISTI (Society for Research and Initiative for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions). Since 2011, he has been an advisor on issues pertaining to innovation, the environment, and sustainability to Fair Observer, an online magazine covering global issues. He held the position of executive vice-chair at the National Innovation Foundation. He is also a fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2004 for his contributions to management education.

Contact Us

Email: flagccipforum2023@gmail.com