mBillionth Award: Jurors’ Profile

Dr. Amir Ullah Khan, Deputy Director, strategy at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Amir Ullah Khan is an economist working at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as Deputy Director, Strategy. He studied Electronics and Communication Engineer at Osmania University, and Rural Management at the Institute of Rural Management at Anand. He has a PhD in Commerce and Business Studies from the Jamia Millia Central University at New Delhi.Amir has worked as Researcher for the Ministry of Finance, Government of India and the UNDP at Project LARGE (Legal Adjustments and Reforms for Globalising the Economy). He then was Academic Head at the Indian School of Finance and Management, after which he worked with Encyclopedia Britannica as Executive Director and Editor. He teaches a course on Indian Economic Policy at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad and at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in Delhi. His latest book for Academic Foundation is titled Common Property Resource Management: A focus on Forestry, edited with Dr Mousumi Majumdar. He has previously authored States of the India Economy that analyses regional and interstate diversity in India especially with respect to access to water, sanitation, health and education and the net impacts of infrastructure development.

Mr. Ashis Sanyal, Formerly Senior Director, Department of IT, Government of India

Mr. Ashis Sanyal has a Master of Technology degree in Microwave Communications Engineering from Calcutta University. He started his professional career as an Engineer in Ministry of Communications through Indian Engineering Services in 1975 and worked in various capacities in the areas of radio spectrum management and related fields, terrestrial microwave and satellite communication network planning and management. During 1982-2000, he worked in the areas of Electromagnetic Interference and Compatibility and Millimeter wave Electronics. Since the year 2001 his responsibilities in the Department of Information Technology were in the areas of implementation of e-Governance Projects related to various social and economic sectors in various States of India. As the Head of the Division in the Division of e-Governance Infrastructure, Mr Sanyal was responsible for draftinggovernmentPolicy Guidelines, Strategy and Framework for Core e-Governance Infrastructure related to e-Governance Services, planning and implementation of e-Governance infrastructure projects. He was the Mission Leader of the 850 million USD Core e-Gov Infrastructure Project of State Wide Area Networks involving 29 States and 6 Union Territories and also the alternate Mission Leader for the 1.4 billion USD project of establishing 100,000 Common Services Centres in the rural India, under the National e-Governance Plan of the Government of India. Since his retirement from government service in December 2010 Mr Sanyal has been actively engaged in providing consultancy services in the areas of Capacity Building e-governance project formulation, appraisal and implementation, ICT projects and deployment of ICT for development paradigm.

Mr. Sanyal published more than 45 technical papers in various areas of Electronics, Communication Engineering, System Design and e-Governance activities in National & International journals; participated in International Conferences and Workshops in UK, USA, Germany, Poland, Cameroon, South Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Peoples Republic of China, Italy, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ethiopia, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Singapore. He was a recipient of UNDP Fellowship at National Institute of Standardization & Technology, Boulder (USA) in 1991 and also undergone Chief Information Officer Training in e-Governance in Korea in July 2003 in which he was awarded the highest award for the Best Participant among 37 participants from 10 countries. Mr Sanyal wasadjudged as the“ EMC Engineer of the year 2000 “ by the Society of EMC Engineers India, Bangaloreand also ‘ e-Champion Year 2008 ‘, a distinction awarded by the Dataquest magazine of India.

Mr. Amitabh Singhal, Board Member, Public Interest Registry, Promoter / Director, Telxess ConsultingServices Pvt Ltd.

Amitabh Singhal is the Director of Telxess Consulting Services and Vcon. He was a founder and former president of the Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI). He also was a founder, board director and CEO of National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI). He helped conceptualize and set up NIXI as a public private partnership between ISPAI and Department of Information Technology, Government of India and was involved in restructuring NIXI as an autonomous Registry and Regulator of the .IN Domain (Indian ccTLD). He was the spokesperson of India’s ISP industry for over a decade, contributing many articles and forum lectures. He was earlier senior VP at GTL and is now on the Board of Public Interest Registry (PIR), a Virginia based non-profit, which runs the .ORG Domain (the 3rd largest gTLD after .COM and .NET).Amitabh graduated from the Institute of Management Studies and from Delhi Vishwavidyalaya.

Mr. Arvind Rao, Chairman, CEO and Co-founder, OnMobile, MBA Finance, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania; MS, University of Wisconsin-Madison; B.Tech, IIT Murnbai, India

Arvind has more than 20 years of global experience in the Wireless telecommunications, private equity, venture capital and emerging market sectors. With his passion & motivation, Arvind has transformed Onmobile from a start-up with big dreams to the No.1 Telecom VAS player in India. He plays an instrumental role in forging new partnerships with telecom, media & corporate customers, conceiving new business models which are redefining how the telecom VAS sector operates, identifying and negotiating inorganic growth opportunities for Onmobile around the world, representing the face of Onmobile with investors and shareholders, and ensuring a high growth trajectory for Onmobile to build signiticant economic value for all stakeholders including employees. Prior to co-founding Onmobile, he was the Managing Director of Technology investments at Gilbert Global Equity Partners, New York. Prior to that, he was a Principal with the Chatterjee Group, an afliliate of Soros Fund Management. During these years, Arvind led private equity venture capital and strategic public investments in wireless telecommunications, internet, satellites, application software and IT services worldwide.

Earlier while at Mckinsey & Co., Arvind specialized in the IT, telecom and electronics sector, providing strategic counsel to high-tech clients on new business entry and development strategies, acquisitions, alliances, product marketing and distribution strategies.

Mr. Chirag Jain, VP & Co-Founder, Webaroo

Chirag is a seasoned entrepreneur and executive with over two decades of multi-faceted US and India experience.An alumnus of IIT-Delhi, Chirag is a highly analytical thought leader passionate about building high performing teams.His spectrum of experience covers executive ownership for Engineering – product design and delivery, Professional Services for US Fortune 500 clients, Operations – HR, Finance & Legal, as well as Business Development.At Webaroo he has led the mobile initiatives, first with a downloadable client and then with an open SMS based platform called GupShup.He has been instrumental in establishing GupShup as a media channel for user-generated content and an m-CRM platform for enterprises.In the most recent past Chirag has focused energies in policy making working with various stakeholders, namely, TRAI, mobile operators, trade associations and others. A recognized professional and firm believer in the power of the mobile Chirag is a member of the mobile VAS committee at IAMAI and has been an active speaker/panelist at Mobile conferences for Indian Merchants Chamber, Mobile Monday, IAMAI and other industry bodies.Most recently he was conferred with the Amity Leadership Award 2011 on Mobile and Embedded Technology by Amity University.

Mr. Gaurav Chopra, Associate Vice President,Internet and Mobile Association of India

33 year old Gaurav Chopra is Associate Vice President at Internet And Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) where he has been working since 2006. In his current role Gaurav is primarily responsible for strategic planning of finance, new business initiatives, marketing functions and international business. His specialised areas of interest are digital marketing and digital payments. Prior to this, he worked at ICICI Bank for a short while and was responsible for Manufacturing and IT functions at Confederation of Indian Industry in Mumbai. A quintessential entrepreneur, Gaurav founded a logistics company in 2000 at the age of 21 which provided customised solutions to large manufacturing companies. This company was acquired by Assam Bengal Road Carriers. Gaurav is a MBA from Somiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai University and holds a Bachelors degree in Commerce from Mumbai University.

Mr. Jonathan Bill, Head of Data and Internet Services, Vodafone Essar Ltd

Jonathan Bill is Head of Data and Internet Services for Vodafone in India. His remit is to lead India’s data strategy, approach and commercialization. Developing consumer propositions and products in data mean he closely works with solution providers as well as harnessing the capabilities of Vodafone Globally. He brings a wealth of emerging and developed market experience to India. Since his arrival Vodafone has launched 3G and has grown its mobile internet user base substantially. Prior to joining Vodafone Essar Ltd earlier this year, Jonathan was Head of Emerging Markets for Vodafone Group running data and internet operations for emerging markets including 7 markets in Africa, Egypt and Central Europe – the growth engines for Vodafone. Before working at Vodafone Group Jonathan spent two years driving the development of Egypts internet and data business and also lead the acquisition of the region’s largest Arabic content destination business on behalf of Vodafone Egypt. Jonathan has held several key posts outside of Vodafone including Commercial Director for Real Media an online advertising business now acquired by WPP and Director of Business Development for EMEA at Reuters Media.

Mr. Karan Gambhir, General Manager, One97 Communications Ltd.

Karan Gambhir has over 8 years of experience spanning across the Financial Services, ITES and Telecom industries, working largely on product and business management. After 4 years of working in large corporate houses like GE and Adobe he moved to the startup world, having worked with companies as small as 20 employees in strength and to One97 Communications, which is among India’s largest and fastest growing mobile value added services companies. Karan has been with One97 for last 2 years as Head of the Prepaid Business. When not at work, he loves spending time with his wife and 2 year old daughter, listening to music, watching the National Geographic channel, and he is extremely fond of driving.

Mr. Manjula Dissanayake, Vice President, Global Operations for Zone24x7 Inc.

Manjula Dissanayake is a founding member of Zone24x7 and currently overlooks the operations as the Vice President of Global Operations. Zone24x7 is head quartered in San Jose California with offices in USA, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. The company holds a track record in providing state-of-the-art enterprise software and hardware designs for Retail, Banking & Finance, Government Institutions and Healthcare sectors. Company’s outstanding client portfolio includes Fortune 500 enterprises. Manjula is the Chairman for the Board at Zone24x7 University of Moratuwa – Electronics Systems Research Lab and was instrumental in establishing research partnerships with prestigious research organizations such as Stanford Research Instituted (SRI) and Oracle (former Sun Microsystems). He had been serving as a visiting faculty member at leading universities and higher education institutes in Sri Lanka. He is an experienced business professional with a progressive career of 14 years in the IT enabled Services sector. Prior to Zone24x7 Manjula has held management, consulting and project roles at Motorola (Former Symbol Technologies), Parcel House PLC and Informatics PLC. He is an Executive Council Member of the Sri Lanka Association of Software Service Companies (SLASSCOM), taking a lead role in sustainable initiatives to build the ICT Capacity in Sri Lanka. He is also a Co-Chair of the Membership Development Sub Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce. Manjula received his Bachelors in Information Systems with a First Class Honors from Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, Masters in Advanced Computing from University of Colombo, Sri Lanka and Executive Management training from Stanford University, USA.

Mr. Milind Pathak, Vice President, South Asia & Mobile Content Solutions Business

Milind heads the SAARC business and the Mobile Content Solutions business unit at Comviva. In his twin role, he provides strategic direction and operational focus to expand the SAARC MU mandate and drives the company’s content aggregation and portal management business. Milind has over 17 years of experience in managing sales, business development, marketing, strategy and operations. Prior to joining Comviva, Milind was Co-CEO & Country Manager, Buongiorno (Hong Kong) Ltd, where he developed and managed the company’s Indian business. Milind played a pivotal role in building Buongiorno’s business in India and the SAARC region. Prior to this he was with Mitsui for over 8 years as Head of New Services Business, where he defined the entry strategy of multiple companies in sectors such as mobile commerce, telematics and mobile value added services. Milind has a BE from Pune University and an MBA in Marketing Management from Jamnalal Bajai Institute in Mumbai

Mr. Rakesh Godhwani, Head, IIMB Alumni Association, Bangalore

After spending amazing formative years in great organizations in the High-Tech space like Wipro , Intel and Qualcomm, doing different roles in sales , product marketing and business development , Rakesh realized that his passion is to make other’s reach their maximum potential and help fulfill their dreams. Nothing gives him more satisfaction than shaping curious minds and learning from them. He currently heads IIM Bangalore Alumni Association, is an Adjunct Faculty at IIM Bangalore and coaches startups in the hi-tech space. His first book “Plunnge” will release in 12th July 2011.For More details ,visit www.plunnge.com.

Mr. SM Ashraf Khan, CEO, Multimedia Content & Communications Ltd

SM Ashraf Khan is currently working as the CEO of MCC ltd and team leader of ZAPP, a mobile application development unit in his company, which takes the initiative to expand applications based on the local needs. He was a pioneer citizen journalism activist using mobile technology in Bangladesh. His expertise in multimedia content development allows him and his team to associate themselves with both public and private sector organizations. He has an extensive track record working with the development sector. He has received recognition for his dedication and excellent contribution to ICT industry by winning the Manthan South Asia Award 2009 & 2010 and WSYA 2010. He has completed his Bachelor degree in Computing and Information Systems from London Metropolitan University and Masters Degree in Development Studies from East West University Bangladesh. He received NUFFIC fellowship in 2007.

Mr. Sanjaya Karunasena, Chief Technology Officer, ICTA

Sanjaya Karunasena is an Enterprise Architect with nearly 15 years of industry experience. Sanjaya has significant architecture and development experience in product development and enterprise software development, including experience in the retail, telecommunication, and eGovernment domains. He has experience in leading a 300+ engineering team, developing many enterprise solutions, providing strategic direction to improve software engineering productivity and software quality. He is currently designated as the Head of Technology and Chief Technology Officer at ICTA. In this role, while contributing to the design and the implementation of the nationwide SOA based ICT infrastructure, he provides technical guidance to variety of initiatives. Previously, he worked as the Director of Services in a leading SOA company, responsible for all client services and infrastructure services.

Mr. Shahzad Ahmad, Country Coordinator, Bytes for All, Pakistan

Shahzad is the Country Coordinator of Bytes for All, Pakistan and founder of the Digital Rights Institute (DRI). He is currently working in the area of ICT policy advocacy, internet rights and freedom of expression. He is a development communications expert and at the forefront of Internet Rights movement in Pakistan. Shahzad is a Diplo Fellow, executive board member of the Association for Progressive Communications, advisory board member of .PK ccTLD and member of the International Advisory Board of Privacy International, UK. He regularly contributes to various publications and research studies around ICTs for Development, Freedom of Expression and gender related issues. Widely travelled, he regularly participates in various forums at local, regional and global level. Shahzad maintains a strong engagement with the broader civil society networks and strongly believes in participation and openness.

Mr. Sinnathamby Shanmugarajah, CTO, Microimage Mobile Media

Shan joined Microimage in 1998 as senior software engineer after returning from his entire education in India. He was an extremely talented programmer with greater interest for research and new technology breakthroughs. He became the chief technical officer of Microimage in 2000 and was responsible for leading engineering many technology innovations of the company. He was heading the mobile division of the company since 2004. Shan and his team’s engineering efforts resulted in winning inaugural GMS Asia Innovation Award and getting commended for couple of products at the GSMA World Awards in Barcelona, Spain in 2007. Also some of the key products engineered under Shan’s technical leadership won many local awards and received patents/pending patents as well.

Shan is currently the CTO of Microimage Mobile Media with full time involvement with mobile & media solutions. He has a Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Science) – 1st Class from Bharathithasan University (Trichy, India). He is also a Microsoft Certified Professional.

Mr. Soumya Sarkar, News Editor, Mint

Soumya Sarkar is News Editor in Mint, a sister publication of the Hindustan Times published in partnership with the Wall Street Journal. He has been working in Media and Communications for over two decades and was previously with the The Times of India, The Indian Express Group, the Telegraph and the Down to Earth magazine. He has also worked as development and communications consultant with organizations that include the World Bank and the Aga Khan Development Network. Besides working in the areas of environment, rural livelihoods, energy and water resources, Soumya is keenly interested in science and technology issues.

Ms. Laura Turkington, Director, Vodafone India Foundation

Laura is Interim Director for the Vodafone India Foundation which focusses on improving access to a better education, empowering women and using mobile innovation to create social change. Laura manages the existing portfolio and supports a number of programmes and partnerships which work to achieve this goal. Prior to this, Laura was responsible for Vodafone’s award winning corporate responsibility programme in Ireland and the Vodafone Ireland Foundation. Before joining Vodafone, Laura worked as Director of Strategy for a leading NGO and has worked in several senior positions in the ICT /Telco sector both in Ireland and further afield. Laura holds a Bachelors Degree in Law LLB.

Mr. Suren Pinto, CEO, WaveNET

Suren Pinto is the founder and CEO of WaveNET a leading supplier of value added service platforms for the telecommunications industry in Sri Lanka and the region. Spearheading its global operations with customers and operations across South Asia, South East Asia, Australia and Africa he has been instrumental in transforming the company from a startup into a leader in innovative Data,Voice and Multimedia solutions. A born entrepreneur, Suren has led WaveNET from the age of 19 when he founded the company to date and built around him a strong team of professionals delivering complex telecom solutions to some of the biggest networks in the region. He is passionate about technology and contributes extensively to product vision and is actively involved at the strategic level of product development.

Mr. Christy George
Head – Engineering
OnMobile Global Ltd