Mr. Vineet Jain is the Managing Director of India’s largest media group, Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd, also known as the Times Group. Mr Jain has transformed the Times Group from the No 1 publishing house into India’s largest, diversified, most respected and multi-faceted media conglomerate. As Bennett, Coleman’s strategist, marketing visionary and editorial architect, he has spearheaded the Group’s highly successful forays into the internet, radio, broadcast television and outdoor media. He is also responsible for revamping the Group’s stable of daily newspapers into youthful, contemporary and cutting-edge brands with market leadership in most parts of India.
Apart from taking the Group’s flagship English daily The Times of India and its business daily The Economic Times to No 1 position across markets in the country, Mr. Jain has widened the scope and reach of print into the metro news and lifestyle space with brands such as Mumbai Mirror, Bombay Times, Delhi Times etc, apart from forays into regional languages across the country. He has also transformed the flagship events of the company — Filmfare Awards, Femina Miss India, and The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence — into larger-than-life ground and television properties that are the toast of India’s crème de la crème. The newest offering is TOIFA or the Times of India Film Awards, which was first held in Vancouver, Canada, in 2013.His biggest contribution is to drive the Times Group aggressively into new media — internet, radio and television. In a short span of three years, Radio Mirchi and Times Now are No 1 brand in their respective domains. With the launch of ET Now in 2009 — the Times Group’s business channel, Movies Now – the English Movie channel, ZOOM – the Bollywood News channel, and the recent Romedy Now — the broadcast operations of the group have attained critical mass. Mr. Jain is also director on the board of the Press Trust of India Ltd and many of the Times Group companies. Mr. Jain is recipient of the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Award for Corporate Excellence and Indian Telly Award for his contribution to Indian TV Broadcasting Industry in 2009.
He was also adjudged IMPACT Person of the Year 2013 for his industry-shaping initiatives that have redefined media consumption in the digital age, setting a benchmark with young and vibrant media products. He is also recipient of Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2013 from Bombay Management Association in recognition of The Times Group’s successful diversification from print to other forms of media – television, internet & radio. He also won Media Person of the Year award from International Advertising Association (IAA) in 2015. Mr. Jain is strongly committed to delivering value through customer delight in all group companies. Mr. Jain also enjoys travelling and sports like skiing and tennis.
Dr. Abraham is the Vice Chancellor at Bennett University. Prior to joining Bennett University, he held the positions of Founding Director of Machine Intelligence Research Labs (MIR Labs), a non-profit Scientific Network for Innovation and Research Excellence with headquarters in Seattle, USA, and Dean of the Faculty of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at FLAME University, Pune.
Dr. Abraham has completed research projects valued at over 100 million US$ as an Investigator or Co-Investigator from the United States, the European Union, Italy, the Czech Republic, France, Malaysia, China and Australia. Dr. Abraham has worked in a multidisciplinary setting for more than 34 years, and
he has authored or co-authored more than 1,500 research publications in artificial intelligence and related applications in the industry. A handful of his publications were translated into Chinese and Russian languages, and one of his books was translated into Japanese. Scopus database has approximately 1,400 papers indexed, whereas Thomson Web of Science has over 1000 publications indexed.
In addition to other esteemed universities, Dr. Abraham has worked with researchers from MIT, USA; University of Cambridge, UK; Harvard University, USA and Oxford University, UK. According to Google Scholar, Dr. Abraham possesses over 57,000+ scholarly citations with an H-index of 114+. He has delivered over 250 conference plenary talks and tutorials in more than 20 countries. From 2008 to 2021, Dr. Abraham chaired the IEEE Systems Man and Cybernetics Society Technical Committee on Soft Computing, which has more than 200 members. From 2011 to 2013, he represented Europe as a Distinguished Lecturer for the IEEE Computer Society, USA.
From 2016 – 2021, Dr. Abraham worked as the Chief Editor of Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence (EAAI) at Elsevier, New York. EAAI is one of the oldest Journals (founded in 1988) in the Artificial intelligence domain. Additionally, he sat on the editorial boards of more than 15 International Journals that Thomson ISI indexes. Dr. Abraham received Ph.D. degree in Artificial Intelligence from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia (2001), Master of Science Degree from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (1998) and B.Tech (Hons) degree from University of Calicut in 1990.
Prof. (Dr.) Dhirendra Singh Parihar is having 27 years of professional experience in senior academic administration roles such as Registrar, Controller of Examinations, Dean Student Welfare, Proctor, Program Director, Convenor IQAC etc. and executive roles in large corporations.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics (Honours) and Master of Science-Physics degree from an Indian Central University, Master’s degree in Business Management and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Management. Prof. (Dr.) Dhirendra Singh Parihar also taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses in
areas of management such as Banking & Insurance, General Management, Marketing Management, Sales & Distribution Management and Consumer Behaviour. His research interest lies in area of supply chain management.
He has in-depth knowledge of higher education regulations, practices and conventions advocated by agencies such as the University Grants Commission, All India Council for Technical Education, National Board of Accreditation, National Assessment and Accreditation Council and academic regulators such as the Bar Council of India, Council of Architecture, National Council for Teacher Education, Physiotherapy Council, Nursing Council, and Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
Dean, School of Computer Science Engineering and Technology & Dean, International Affairs and Corporate Outreach
Dr. Thipendra P Singh is a professor of Intelligent Technologies and a seasoned academician who has occupied various managerial positions like Deputy Controller of Examination, Associate Dean Student Welfare, Cluster Head and Head of Department at his previous affiliations.
Dr. Singh holds a Doctorate in Computer Science from Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi and carries over 27 years of rich experience with him. He has been very thoroughly involved in establishing the University and developing various academic processes thereon. An accomplished fellow in understanding and leading various rankings and accreditation systems.
He also has been a widely travelled academician and participated at various platforms across the countries including UK, France, UAE and Singapore. He has been editor/author of 20 books on various allied topics of Computer Science. He has also authored more than 70 research papers in various high repute journals indexed in Web of Science and Scopus.
Dr. Singh is also a senior member of IEEE and member of various other professional bodies including IEI, ACM, EAI, ISTE, IAENG etc. and also on the editorial/reviewer panel of different journals. He is fellow of IETA-India since 2019. He is also in the board of studies of different Indian and abroad Universities. He has been associated with many conferences throughout India and abroad as Chair, Organizing Committee member, TPC member and Session Chair etc.
Prof. (Dr) Manish Bhalla is serving as Head of the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) at Bennett University. He is responsible for quality assurance and quality enhancement of the university and to work cohesively with every stakeholder to meet the Vision and Mission of University.
Prof. Bhalla is a recipient of several prestigious scholarships, such as Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) from the Ministry of Health (MOH), Government of India, Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) and Research Associateship (RA) respectively from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India in the research area of Medicinal Chemistry. He did his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Chemistry (Medicinal Chemistry) while working on a broad research area of drug development from the University of Lucknow.
In an almost 3-decade long career, inclusive of research, academic and administrative capacities, he has published several research papers/ articles in peer-reviewed journals and attended various National and International conferences for paper presentation. He did his post-doctoral research in the field of Inflammation from the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, King George Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow, that involved the development of potent novel organic molecules, its biochemical activities on metabolic pathways of Arachidonic acid cascade and detailed Pharmacological and Toxicological studies. These theories were based upon Acute and Chronic parameters of Anti-inflammatory activities.
Prof. Bhalla possess over 17 years of academic and administrative experience in handling start-up University project management. He has held positions of Director in several organizations of repute. He also served as the Professor and Founding Registrar of SRM University, Haryana. In addition, he also worked as Assistant Director at All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) during 2006 to 2010 and involved in formulating, planning, and implementing various schemes on Technical Education in the country.
He is also a recipient of the Young Scientist scholarship under Aid for Participating from Developing Countries (APDC) at IBRO conference, Kyoto, Japan. He received Congress Awards, Young Scientist fellowship and was also awarded scholarship from the International Association for Inflammation Society (IAIS), Tokyo, Japan. Prof. Bhalla is also a member of several professional bodies like the New Academy of Sciences, USA Inflammation Research Association (IRA), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Society (NMRS), and Institute of Engineering and Technology, UK.
In 2020, he was admitted as a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC), London, UK and later nominated as the Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) in 2022. He has visited many developed nations like France, Japan, Canada, USA, and Netherlands under various fellowships and interacted with academicians and scientists to share and exchange thoughts on various worldwide forums.
Dr. Sangeeta Shukla is a Professor and Controller of Examination at Bennett University. She is also the Associate Dean of Academics and Evaluation at the School of Management, Bennett University. With a rich academic background, she has worked with renowned institutions like IIM Lucknow and BIMTECH before joining Bennett University.
With over two decades of experience in academia, Dr. Sangeeta has published research papers in esteemed national and international journals. Her areas of expertise span across Business Communication, Intercultural Communication, Corporate Communication, and Gender Studies, reflecting her diverse research interests.
Dr. Sangeeta has also been instrumental in conducting Management Development Programmes for senior executives of various public and private organizations, including NTPC, Powergrid, Pearson, GAIL, and Goldman Sachs, among others.
Her dedication to academia, coupled with her contributions to executive development, underscores her commitment to fostering excellence in both academic and administrative practices.
Prof. (Dr.) Dhirendra Singh Parihar is having 27 years of professional experience in senior academic administration roles such as Registrar, Controller of Examinations, Dean Student Welfare, Proctor, Program Director, Convenor IQAC etc. and executive roles in large corporations.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics (Honours) and Master of Science-Physics degree from an Indian Central University, Master’s degree in Business Management and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Management. Prof. (Dr.) Dhirendra Singh Parihar also taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses in
areas of management such as Banking & Insurance, General Management, Marketing Management, Sales & Distribution Management and Consumer Behaviour. His research interest lies in area of supply chain management.
He has in-depth knowledge of higher education regulations, practices and conventions advocated by agencies such as the University Grants Commission, All India Council for Technical Education, National Board of Accreditation, National Assessment and Accreditation Council and academic regulators such as the Bar Council of India, Council of Architecture, National Council for Teacher Education, Physiotherapy Council, Nursing Council, and Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
Rajesh Kunnath is a highly accomplished, result oriented finance professional with over 3 decades of post-qualification experience in finance, operations and supply chain across global multi-billion dollar organizations and large Indian corporates. After completing BCom from St.Josephs College of Commerce, Bangalore in 1986, Rajesh qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1989, Rajesh has been associated with companies such as Asea Brown Boveri, Unilever, Heinz, Onmobile and Bennett Coleman in his illustrious career before taking over the role of CFO of Bennett University in March 2019.
Across various roles handled by him in his career thus far, he has demonstrated the ability to streamline business operations, build scale to drive growth with a strong focus on developing and implementing financial controls besides driving change management. By virtue of being a thought leader in finance, Rajesh speaks at various forums on topics ranging from taxation, treasury and related aspects of finance.
Senthil Kumar is a highly experienced professional with over 24 years of expertise in strategic negotiations, sales, business planning, and development. His specialization includes business development, institutional building, marketing management, partnerships, networking, education management, international alliances, project management, and CRM.
Currently the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Bennett University, Senthil was previously the Chief Growth Officer at VMRF Deemed University in Tamil Nadu, where he managed strategic alliances, international branding, communications, admissions, outreach, and industry-academia collaborations. He also served as Senior Director at Global University System (GUS), focusing on business development and growth, strategic planning, and international sales for UPES and Pearl Academy, maintaining key relationships with institutional partners.
Senthil has worked with several prestigious institutions, including SRM University Group, OP Jindal Global University, and firms like Rainmaker and Career Launcher. Academically, he holds a Master of Computer Applications from Bharathidasan University and is pursuing a PhD in management from Gandhinagar National Law University (2020-24).
Dr. Swati Agrawal is the Dean of Research and Development and Professor of Human Resources & Organisational Behavior at the School of Management, Bennett University. She is an avid researcher, and executive trainer and has more than 2 decades of experience in post-graduate teaching. She has published more than 50 research articles in the ADBC list of International Journals, has been part of important leadership and institution-building roles like Dean (Academics) and Chairperson- Internal Academic Quality Assurance in her previous assignments, and has been continuously engaged in the outcome-based teaching-learning process in her academic journey. She is trained by Harvard Business School in Case Teaching and Writing.
She is the recipient of the “Certificate of Excellence for High-Impact Research” from Sage in 2023 for her highly cited research article. She received the Most Outstanding Professor Award from the World Education Congress & ET Now in 2019 and the Best Professor in Human Resource Management from the World HRD Congress & Edutech in 2022. She has also received the Women Excellence Award from HR Success Talk in 2020. Recently she received the “Woman of Excellence Award, 2023” from the Government of India recognized, 80G certified, Indian Achievers Forum for her contribution to Nation building her professional career. She has widely published in national and international journals is also on the reviewer panel of international journals, and has conducted training sessions for executives like NTPC, Airport Authority of India, ONGC, and others. She aims to facilitate a high-impact research-driven ecosystem for faculty and students.
Prof. (Dr.) Vinod Shastri has a 35-year varied experience spanning entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education, administration, training, teaching, finance, production, and research. He has played various roles across industry and academia, holding positions like Dean (Student Affairs), Director (IQAC), Dy. Director and Executive Officer. He is currently Professor and Head, Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE).
He holds Master’s degrees in Commerce apart from MBA in Finance from Pune University. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. D.) in Entrepreneurship from Symbiosis International University and has taught Courses in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at both post-graduate and undergraduate level.
From co-founding a unique start-up to co-authoring the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) India Report, Prof. (Dr.) Vinod Shastri is an academician who practices all that he preaches, and an entrepreneur who preaches only what he practices.
Prior to joining Bennett University, he successfully built an entrepreneurial culture at SIBM Pune. He belongs to the rare breed of educators who practice what they preach and is widely acknowledged as a culture builder.
Ms. Preeti Shah, a distinguished leader with over 17 years of experience in Human Resources Management across both healthcare and higher education sectors. As the Vice President and Head of Human Resources at Bennett University, she orchestrates the strategic direction of HR initiatives, fostering a culture of excellence and growth.
Ms. Shah’s expertise lies in recruitment mastery, governance implementation, and the establishment of robust HR processes. Her career is adorned with achievements in crafting transformative HR strategies, elevating talent acquisition, policy formulation, payroll management, performance evaluation, learning and development, and overall HR operations enhancement.
In her relentless pursuit of academic excellence at Bennett University, Ms. Shah endeavors to attract top-tier talent, ensuring the institution remains at the forefront of educational innovation. Her inclusive leadership style and effective communication skills have cultivated a cohesive and purpose-driven environment within Bennett University.
Previously, Ms. Shah served as the Head of Human Resources at DY Patil University & Hospitals, Navi Mumbai, where she exhibited her prowess in human capital management and optimizing HR processes.
Beyond her professional achievements, Ms. Shah’s academic credentials are equally impressive. She holds B.Com. & LLB degrees from the University of Mumbai and a Master’s in Human Resource Development and Management (MHRDM) from the esteemed Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Mumbai.
Ms. Shah’s commitment to advancing HR practices and nurturing talent underscores her dedication to driving organizational success and fostering a culture of excellence at Bennett University.
Ms. Hitankshi Thukral, an alumna of Delhi University, heads Admissions & Marketing department at Bennett University. With a remarkable career spanning over 25 years in the higher education sector, she has held pivotal leadership roles in some of the country’s most prestigious institutions. Ms. Thukral’s expertise encompasses a broad spectrum of domains of higher education, including admissions, marketing, branding & communication, to name a few.
As a key member of Bennett University’s senior leadership team, Ms. Thukral is tasked with formulating and implementing strategies and policies that help to ensure the continued growth and success of the University. Her role involves making strategic decisions, formulating policies, overseeing marketing and communication, managing branding, admissions, and sponsorships, and ensuring student campus activities across the University. She also oversees the University’s International admissions process, ensuring that it is streamlined, efficient, and transparent.
In her capacity as head of the Admissions & Marketing department, Ms. Thukral is the public face of the University on admissions. She is the go-to person for all inquiries related to admissions, and her guidance and expertise ensure that the University’s admissions process is smooth and hassle-free for all applicants & parents.
Dr. Rakesh K Singh brings over two decades of robust executive leadership experience across diverse sectors including Banking/Financial Services, FMCG, Consumer Durables, and Higher Education. Currently serving as the Vice President & Head of Corporate Relations at Bennett University, Dr. Singh has held pivotal roles in esteemed organizations.
Prior to his tenure at Bennett University, Dr. Singh held the position of Director of Marketing & Corporate Resource Centre at two Prominent Universities in India.
With a solid academic foundation, Dr. Singh holds a Ph.D., an MSc in Chemistry, and an MBA with Specialization in Marketing. His academic prowess and extensive industry experience position him as a thought leader in his field.
Throughout his career, Dr. Singh has made significant contributions to various sectors in Corporate, including large MNC’s, where he served in key capacities at organizations such as L&T, Killick Nixon Ltd., ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Ltd., Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Ltd. , and Bharti AXA Life Insurance Co Ltd.
Driven by a passion for excellence and a commitment to fostering strong industry-academia partnerships, Dr. Singh continues to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of corporate relations at Bennett University. His strategic vision and leadership skills make him a valuable asset to the organization, driving innovation and growth in the ever-evolving landscape of higher education.
