Governance

Dr. Vandana Aggarwal, Aged 63 Years, Has Been a Career Civil Servant and Economist for About 36 Years. Dr. Vandana Joined the Indian Economic Service In 1986 After Her Studies at the University of London and University of Delhi, Including Lady Shri Ram College for Women, The Delhi School of Economics, And the Department of Financial Studies & Business Economics. Her Ph.D. Thesis Was on Investment and Regulatory Aspects of Deep-Sea Mining. Dr. Vandana Last Served as Senior Economic Adviser (Additional Secretary) In the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. She Handled Key Reforms and Policy Formulation, Implementation of Schemes, And Economic Regulation, As Well As Security and Crisis Management (Including the Covid-19 Pandemic). She Has Also Served on the Boards of Directors of Central Public Corporates and Councils Such as AAI Cargo Logistics & Allied Services Ltd. (AAICLAS) And Aerospace and Aviation Sector Skill Council (AASSC).

In A Large and Diverse Developing Country Like India, Dr. Vandana Has Worked In Various Central Government Ministries (Civil Aviation, Finance, Commerce, Industry, Cabinet Secretariat, Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Planning Commission, Ninth Finance Commission, And The Permanent Mission Of India To The World Trade Organisation) Handling Core Reforms In India Across Industry, Infrastructure, Trade, And Taxation Sectors, Implementation Of Schemes, Economic Regulation, Climate Change Matters, As Well As National Security And Crisis Management.

Dr. Vandana Is Currently Serving On Some High-Level Governmental Bodies, As Member, Advisory Committee On Maritime Studies And Also As Lead Expert For Course Consolidation, Both At The Indian Maritime University And As Chairperson Of Various Committees For Seeding Greenfield Businesses At The International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) In India's Gift-City, Such As Aircraft As Well As Ship Acquisitions, Leasing And Financing Under Projects Rupee Raftaar And Safal Respectively. She Is Also A Member on the Advisory Committee of the Aircargo Forum India, A Non-Profit, Non-Governmental, Nation-Wide Trade and Logistics Forum.

Dr. Vandana Aggarwal Is on The Board of Blue Dart Aviation Ltd. Since October 27, 2022.

Mr. Prakash Apte, aged 70 years, has a B.E. (Mechanical) degree from the University of Pune and holds a Diploma in Business Management from the University of Mumbai. He has attended various executive and leadership development programs at Harvard Business School, INSEAD, and IMD.

Mr. Apte's professional career spans over 41 years, most of which has been with global multinationals viz. Ciba Geigy, Novartis, and Syngenta in various positions related to specialty chemicals, pharma, and agri-business industries respectively. He was the Country Head and Managing Director of Syngenta India for over a decade, from 2000 to 2011, and thereafter its Non-Executive Chairman till September 2021.

Mr. Apte takes keen interest in developmental initiatives. He was instrumental in setting up Syngenta Foundation India, focusing on providing resources to poor farmers and rural entrepreneurship in 2005. In 2016, he catalysed the setting up of the LNDO Swiss Centre of Excellence, which aims to provide world-class training in advanced vocational skills. Mr. Apte has served on the boards of both these not-for-profit entities till mid-2021.

Mr. Florian Ulrich Bumberger, aged 42 years, is currently the Divisional CHRO, Chief of Staff & Programs of DHL eCommerce Solutions and a member of the DPDHL Group HR Board. Furthermore, he is responsible for divisional strategic initiatives & programs, M&A, and compliance.

Mr. Florian holds a diploma in Business Administration and is a Certified Institutional Investment Analyst (CIIA). Mr. Florian had started his career as an Investor Relations professional with numerous awards like Institutional Investor & Thomson Extel IR Survey. Thereafter, he transitioned into strategic, business development, and financial positions.

He led numerous strategic programs from the greenfield market entries, cost optimization programs, and working capital management initiatives in a €16bn turnover and 200k employees division to several M&A transactions. Mr. Florian has also had a leading role in the carve-out and creation of a new business division within DPDHL Group, including necessary ‘Change Management’ and ‘Communication Initiatives’.

Mr. Balfour Manuel, a Blue Dart veteran of over 35 years, has been instrumental in the success of Blue Dart from the very beginning of the company’s inception. A longtime employee of the company, Mr. Balfour Manuel, prior to his appointment as CEO, was Senior Vice President in charge of Blue Dart’s business-to-business customers, a cornerstone of Blue Dart’s customer base. Prior to this, he also held a key general management position where he was responsible for the growth and development of Blue Dart’s business in the western region in India. Mr. Balfour Manuel holds a master’s in business management in marketing from the University of Mumbai.

Mr. Prakash Apte, aged 70 years, has a B.E. (Mechanical) degree from the University of Pune and holds a Diploma in Business Management from the University of Mumbai. He has attended various executive and leadership development programs at Harvard Business School, INSEAD and IMD.

Mr. Apte's professional career spans over 41 years, most of which has been with global multinationals viz. Ciba Geigy, Novartis, and Syngenta in various positions related to specialty chemicals, pharma and agri-business industries respectively. He was the Country Head and Managing Director of Syngenta India for over a decade, from 2000 to 2011, and thereafter its Non-Executive Chairman till September 2021.

Mr. Apte takes keen interest in developmental initiatives. He was instrumental in setting up Syngenta Foundation India, focusing on providing resources to poor farmers and rural entrepreneurship in 2005. In 2016, he catalysed the setting up of the LNDO Swiss Centre of Excellence, which aims to provide world-class training in advanced vocational skills. Mr. Apte has served on the boards of both these not-for-profit entities till mid-2021.

Ms. Kavita Nair is the Chief Digital Transformation Officer of Vodafone Idea Limited, India’s largest telecom service provider. A member of the national leadership team, Ms. Kavita leads digital transformation across all functions for the organization.

Prior to her present role, Ms. Kavita Nair was Associate Director for Commercial Operations at Vodafone India across customer operations, retail, digital, customer experience and business transformation. Her primary focus was to deliver a superior experience to customers across all touch points and helping Vodafone to become the most loved telecom brand in the country.

A career telecom professional, Ms. Kavita’s career mirrors the evolution of mobile telephony in India. As the industry matured from basic voice and text to the multifaceted world of data, Ms. Kavita played a key role in driving this transformation with a multitude of roles focused on driving innovation and bringing delightful experiences to customers, while creating value for the business.

She has held leadership roles in diverse functions across both consumer and enterprise domains. Ms. Kavita’s areas of expertise include marketing, digital, retail, pricing, product management, channel and customer operations. She has a strong track record of building some of the most admired telecom brands of the country and Vodafone’s iconic Zoozoos were born during her tenure as the Brand Head at Vodafone India.

Her talent and success has been acknowledged at several prestigious forums – Economic Times included her in its 25 Rising Women Leaders of India Inc. in 2015; Business Today voted her as one of the hottest young executives to watch out for in 2011; and Brand Equity named her amongst the 8 Marketing Premier League icons in 2009.

Ms. Kavita is an alumnus of the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), M S University, Baroda, where she did her MBA in Marketing and has also completed senior leadership programs from London Business School and IIM Ahmedabad.

Mr. R. S. Subramanian is currently the Senior Vice President and Country Manager for OHL Express India Private Limited, and a member of the OHL Asia Pacific Management Board. With over 25 years of experience, he has extensive knowledge in sales, strategy, and marketing.

Mr. Subramanian joined OHL Express as the Head of Sales, subsequently moving on to the position of Vice President, ROSA (Rest of South Asia), wherein he was handling OHL Express operations in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, and Bhutan. He assumed the role of Country Manager in 2010 for the business in India and successfully led several key projects.

Mr. Subramanian holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and a Master’s in Management from IIM Bangalore. Prior to OHL, he spent 14 years with Hindustan Unilever Ltd. in a variety of sales and marketing roles. He is Gold Certified in First Choice, which is Deutsche Post DHL’s internal quality programme based on the Six Sigma DMAIC methodology.

Mr. R. S. Subramanian is currently the Senior Vice President and Country Manager for OHL Express India Private Limited, and a member of the OHL Asia Pacific Management Board. With over 25 years of experience, he has extensive knowledge in sales, strategy, and marketing.

Mr. Subramanian joined OHL Express as the Head of Sales, subsequently moving on to the position of Vice President, ROSA (Rest of South Asia), wherein he was handling OHL Express operations in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, and Bhutan. He assumed the role of Country Manager in 2010 for the business in India and successfully led several key projects.

Mr. Subramanian holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and a Master’s in Management from IIM Bangalore. Prior to OHL, he spent 14 years with Hindustan Unilever Ltd. in a variety of sales and marketing roles. He is Gold Certified in First Choice, which is Deutsche Post DHL’s internal quality programme based on the Six Sigma DMAIC methodology.

Mr. Prakash Apte, aged 70 years, has a B.E. (Mechanical) degree from the University of Pune and holds a Diploma in Business Management from the University of Mumbai. He has attended various executive and leadership development programs at Harvard Business School, INSEAD and IMD.

Mr. Apte's professional career spans over 41 years, most of which has been with global multinationals viz. Ciba Geigy, Novartis, and Syngenta in various positions related to specialty chemicals, pharma and agri-business industries respectively. He was the Country Head and Managing Director of Syngenta India for over a decade, from 2000 to 2011, and thereafter its Non-Executive Chairman till September 2021.

Mr. Apte takes keen interest in developmental initiatives. He was instrumental in setting up Syngenta Foundation India, focusing on providing resources to poor farmers and rural entrepreneurship in 2005. In 2016, he catalysed the setting up of the LNDO Swiss Centre of Excellence, which aims to provide world-class training in advanced vocational skills. Mr. Apte has served on the boards of both these not-for-profit entities till mid-2021.

Mr. Balfour Manuel, a Blue Dart veteran of over 35 years, has been instrumental in the success of Blue Dart from the very beginning of the company’s inception. A longtime employee of the company, Mr. Balfour Manuel, prior to his appointment as CEO, was Senior Vice President in charge of Blue Dart’s business-to-business customers, a cornerstone of Blue Dart’s customer base. Prior to this, he also held a key general management position where he was responsible for the growth and development of Blue Dart’s business in the western region in India. Mr. Balfour Manuel holds a master’s in business management in marketing from the University of Mumbai.

Ms. Kavita Nair is the Chief Digital Transformation Officer of Vodafone Idea Limited, India’s largest telecom service provider. A member of the national leadership team, Ms. Kavita leads digital transformation across all functions for the organization.

Prior to her present role, Ms. Kavita Nair was Associate Director for Commercial Operations at Vodafone India across customer operations, retail, digital, customer experience and business transformation. Her primary focus was to deliver a superior experience to customers across all touch points and helping Vodafone to become the most loved telecom brand in the country.

A career telecom professional, Ms. Kavita’s career mirrors the evolution of mobile telephony in India. As the industry matured from basic voice and text to the multifaceted world of data, Ms. Kavita played a key role in driving this transformation with a multitude of roles focused on driving innovation and bringing delightful experiences to customers, while creating value for the business.

She has held leadership roles in diverse functions across both consumer and enterprise domains. Ms. Kavita’s areas of expertise include marketing, digital, retail, pricing, product management, channel and customer operations. She has a strong track record of building some of the most admired telecom brands of the country and Vodafone’s iconic Zoozoos were born during her tenure as the Brand Head at Vodafone India.

Her talent and success has been acknowledged at several prestigious forums – Economic Times included her in its 25 Rising Women Leaders of India Inc. in 2015; Business Today voted her as one of the hottest young executives to watch out for in 2011; and Brand Equity named her amongst the 8 Marketing Premier League icons in 2009.

Ms. Kavita is an alumnus of the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), M S University, Baroda, where she did her MBA in Marketing and has also completed senior leadership programs from London Business School and IIM Ahmedabad.

Mr. Prakash Apte, aged 70 years, has a B.E. (Mechanical) degree from the University of Pune and holds a Diploma in Business Management from the University of Mumbai. He has attended various executive and leadership development programs at Harvard Business School, INSEAD and IMD.

Mr. Apte's professional career spans over 41 years, most of which has been with global multinationals viz. Ciba Geigy, Novartis, and Syngenta in various positions related to specialty chemicals, pharma and agri-business industries respectively. He was the Country Head and Managing Director of Syngenta India for over a decade, from 2000 to 2011, and thereafter its Non-Executive Chairman till September 2021.

Mr. Apte takes keen interest in developmental initiatives. He was instrumental in setting up Syngenta Foundation India, focusing on providing resources to poor farmers and rural entrepreneurship in 2005. In 2016, he catalysed the setting up of the LNDO Swiss Centre of Excellence, which aims to provide world-class training in advanced vocational skills. Mr. Apte has served on the boards of both these not-for-profit entities till mid-2021.

Mr. R. S. Subramanian is currently the Senior Vice President and Country Manager for OHL Express India Private Limited, and a member of the OHL Asia Pacific Management Board. With over 25 years of experience, he has extensive knowledge in sales, strategy, and marketing.

Mr. Subramanian joined OHL Express as the Head of Sales, subsequently moving on to the position of Vice President, ROSA (Rest of South Asia), wherein he was handling OHL Express operations in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, and Bhutan. He assumed the role of Country Manager in 2010 for the business in India and successfully led several key projects.

Mr. Subramanian holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and a Master’s in Management from IIM Bangalore. Prior to OHL, he spent 14 years with Hindustan Unilever Ltd. in a variety of sales and marketing roles. He is Gold Certified in First Choice, which is Deutsche Post DHL’s internal quality programme based on the Six Sigma DMAIC methodology.

Mr. Balfour Manuel, a Blue Dart veteran of over 35 years, has been instrumental in the success of Blue Dart from the very beginning of the company’s inception. A longtime employee of the company, Mr. Balfour Manuel, prior to his appointment as CEO, was Senior Vice President in charge of Blue Dart’s business-to-business customers, a cornerstone of Blue Dart’s customer base. Prior to this, he also held a key general management position where he was responsible for the growth and development of Blue Dart’s business in the western region in India. Mr. Balfour Manuel holds a master’s in business management in marketing from the University of Mumbai.