CEO

Somnath Chakraborty

“Som brings nearly three decades of rich and diverse experience cutting across industries and domains. His expertise includes design and development of real time systems, systems engineering, setting up of state-of-the-art labs as well as leading global delivery organizations.

Som’s last job was with Honeywell International Inc. where he spent 14 years in various leadership roles. He was Director of Innovation and IP CoE, India and later that of Global IP and Legal Analytics group. He built teams in multiple practice areas like Patent Analytics, Open Source Software Compliance, Contracts and Trade Compliance. His teams supported Honeywell business groups in new product initiatives, various IP compliance & due diligence matters, patent portfolio management, patent enforcement & licensing. He had crafted a unique cross-domain team to provide technology solutions for digitization, analytics and business process optimization. Before Honeywell, Som had a brief stint with Philips International as a Technology Specialist.

Prior to his corporate career, Som was a Scientist with Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), India for 11 years. At DRDO, he was involved in design and development of underwater detection and tracking systems (SONARs), developing non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques and various image processing systems. He oversaw the development of India’s first Industrial Computed Tomography (CT) Scanner. He was closely involved in stakeholder engagements, acceptance tests and technology transfers.

Som holds two Master’s degree, one in Physics (Specialization in Electronics) from Utkal University, Odisha and the other in Software Systems from BITS, Pilani. He is also an alumnus of IIM, Bangalore.

He has been the recipient of various awards including the coveted “Leadership Excellence” at Honeywell Technology Solutions Lab. He was recipient of national fellowships from University Grants Commission (UGC, India) and Ministry of Defence (Gov of India). He was a University rank holder during his Grad and Post-Grad studies and was awarded Indian national scholarship during his masters. “

Trustee and Chairperson

Dr Arabinda Mishra

A trained economist with over 25 years of experience in inter-disciplinary research, capacity building, and policy engagement in areas of sustainable development, livelihoods, adaptation, and resilience building. He has served in leadership roles across multiple institutions of repute such as International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), TERI University, and Centre for Multi-disciplinary Development Research (CMDR). Till recently he was serving at ICIMOD in Nepal and leading research and implementation of multi-country projects on adaptation solutions for mountain people. Presently he is affiliated to Population Council as Senior Policy Advisor on a consultancy basis. He is also a senior consultant to the Asian Development Bank, Manila on climate change and regional cooperation among SAARC Member Countries.

Managing Trustee

Saroj Kumar Mishra

Saroj is an established entrepreneur with multiple business interests. He employs about 150 people across his various business establishments. He holds a Masters degree in Political Science and MBA in International Business.

Trustee

Professor Rabinarayan Patra

Professor Patra is currently Visiting Professor COATS, Koraput. He completed a long distinguished professional career in teaching and research as Professor of Economics at Ravenshaw University, Cuttack. His fields of specialization include agriculture economics, labour economics, and development economics.