A global financial services leader, for over 20 years, Mr. Laksh Vaswani has specialized in Global Portfolio Program Management, risk management, operational efficiency, and regulatory strategy across Trust Business, Custody, and Securities Lending. He drives large-scale transformations, remediates complex regulatory issues, and implements efficiency-driven automation while ensuring compliance with OCC, NYDFS, FRB, and other regulatory authorities.

At MUFG, he spearheaded automation initiatives saving 6,000+ hours annually, optimizing risk controls through Microsoft 365 & Power Automate while maintaining strong governance. He partnered with the Risk, Compliance, and Legal teams to enhance regulatory positioning, streamline risk controls, and drive operational efficiencies. He played a key role in MRA remediation and risk framework redesign, ensuring compliance while balancing business objectives.

With a track record of turning around at-risk projects, he was entrusted to lead high-stakes, high-risk global initiatives at Morgan Stanley, BNY Mellon, NYSE, Thomson Reuters, and USAA. Recognized as a BNY Mellon Star Award Winner, he was known as the “James Bond” of mission-critical projects, parachuting into challenging situations to resolve regulatory and operational crises. His work spans fund finance, treasury, and trading desks, ensuring streamlined operations while navigating complex regulatory landscapes.

Beyond risk and efficiency, he is passionate about mentorship and leadership development. He has guided professionals across diverse functions, fostering a culture of learning, adaptability, and resilience. His leadership philosophy is rooted in collaboration, challenging outdated models, and driving continuous improvement to future-proof businesses.

As a bestselling author, he co-authored Pivotal Leadership: A Masterclass in Innovation and Persuasion, sharing insights on leading change, influencing high-stakes decisions, and driving innovation. His thought leadership has been featured in Securities Finance Times, NJ.com, and industry forums, shaping discussions on regulatory trends and financial innovation.

He actively volunteers and contributes to community-driven initiatives and believe in servant leadership, where resilience, integrity, and learning drive long-term success.
With experience spanning North America, the UK, EMEA, APAC, and the Middle East, he helps organizations achieve sustainable growth, optimize risk, and drive regulatory excellence. His mission is to bridge the gap between compliance and business success, ensuring companies thrive in an evolving financial landscape.

Mrs. Agrani Punj’s visionary leadership has been the catalyst behind Supervac’s rapid global growth. Under her guidance, the company has experienced a remarkable doubling of total revenue and an explosive 2,000% surge in exports between FY 2018-19 and FY 2024-25, while extending its market presence to over 37 countries.

These impressive figures underscore her strategic approach to tapping international markets and bolstering India’s reputation for manufacturing prowess. Her transformative impact extends beyond financial milestones. She has redefined industry engagement by launching dedicated platforms that facilitate knowledge sharing among professionals. The Legends of Metallizing Podcast, exclusively tailored to the metalizing sector, has cultivated a global community of over 3,000 engaged listeners on YouTube, Spotify, and LinkedIn. In addition, The World of Metallizing Newsletter, now serves as a crucial resource for over 500 industry experts, offering insightful updates on technical trends and innovations.

A sought-after voice on global stages, she has shared her expertise at key international forums. Her presentation on “Major Threats Facing the Metallizing Industry” at the 2023 R2R USA Conference in Milwaukee provided a deep dive into industry challenges, while her research contributions in Converting Quarterly have further established her as an authority in the field. Serving on the R2R Sustainability Committee under the Association of Roll-to-Roll Converters, she is actively involved in steering the industry towards more sustainable practices.

Supervac’s commitment to excellence is further validated by its suite of quality certifications, including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, SA 8000, and OHSAS 18001, along with accolades for export excellence from both Indian and German authorities. These recognitions reflect a culture of operational rigor and continuous improvement, hallmarks of her leadership.

Beyond driving business success and technological innovation, she is equally committed to social responsibility. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Supervac collaborated with the Ambulance Couple to deliver over 100,000 food packets to those in need, demonstrating her dedication to community welfare. Moreover, her focus on workforce development has ensured that employees are equipped with the skills necessary to thrive in a competitive global landscape.

Looking forward, she remains steadfast in her pursuit of sustainable growth and industry innovation. Her forward-thinking approach and unwavering commitment to quality and social impact continue to drive Supervac’s evolution, setting new benchmarks for success in the global metalizing industry.

Mr. Lakshay Jain has dedicated around eight years to the field of digital transformation, enhancing product accessibility, usability, and customer satisfaction. His proficiency in design research, analysis, synthesis, and visualization has significantly benefited major tech firms in client acquisition. Inspired by Devi Ahilyabai Holkar and committed to mentoring and educating the next generation, he frequently delivers high-quality design lectures and talks on various platforms.

In 2023, he conducted a field study with artisans registered with DC Handicrafts across India. The study aimed to understand the persistent challenges in the low-scale industry, which, despite 75 years of independence, still leaves many artisans lacking necessities. The research sought to uncover their goals, aspirations, and views on the future of the handicraft and handloom industry.

Collaborating with the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, he conducted contextual interviews and observation studies to gain deeper insights. This study not only revealed the artisans’ struggles and aspirations but also served as a practical example for students in the BS Degree in Data Science at IIT Madras to learn about ‘Design Thinking’. The findings were also presented on various prominent platforms.

In 2024, his contributions to design education included:

ADPList.org

• Conducted 161 one-on-one mentorship sessions, totaling over 4830 minutes.
• Led 5 group sessions on topics like Mobile AR, design conversations, and heuristic evaluation.
• Achieved a 99% rating for communication, motivation, problem-solving, and subject knowledge.
• Praised for being analytical, positive, constructive, tactful, detail-oriented, and mindful.
• Ranked among the top 10 mentors in Industrial Design, with a 100% rating for clear communication and interaction with newcomers.

IIT Madras:

• Held 4 mentorship group sessions with 16 students, totaling 480 minutes.
• Discussed accessible visual design and critiqued prototype market readiness.
• Received a Letter of Recommendation for significantly impacting approximately 250 students.
• Crafted and presented 40 cases at the entrepreneurship cell.

Vidwan: Expert Database and National Researcher’s Network:

• Published 6 research articles on Vidwan, focusing on key B2B eCommerce use cases and best design practices.

Mr. Kishor Kumar C K is a visionary animator and self-taught artist with over 12 years of experience in VFX, feature films, and Gaming. His journey into the world of animation was driven by an innate passion for storytelling and movement, shaping his expertise in Creature animation, Game animation, and Feature film animation.

Over the years, he has contributed to some of the most iconic projects in the industry, including Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA 5, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Bobbleheads, Kalki 2898 AD, The Flash, and many more.

His artistic journey began with a deep-rooted passion for art and storytelling, nurtured by his parents from a young age. Following his professional studies at Keltron Animation Campus, where he honed his skills in Animation and VFX, he further deepened his skills with courses like Scott Eaton’s Human and Animal Anatomy, refining his understanding of movement and mechanics.

Throughout his career, he has collaborated with leading studios such as Rockstar Games, DNEG, IRAS, and Tata Elxsi, earning accolades, including the Star Performer award, for his exceptional contributions. His work is heavily influenced by nature and the intricacies of life, which is reflected in his animation style, bringing realism and depth to every project. Among his many career milestones, he considers himself fortunate to have worked as a Lead Feature Film Animator, collaborating with Kirk Wise, the visionary Disney director behind Disney classics.

A true enthusiast of films, game animation, and technology, he continues to push creative boundaries, inspiring the next generation of animators. With a vision to craft immersive experiences and redefine storytelling, he remains dedicated to shaping the future of storytelling, one frame at a time!

Mr. Hardik Dharmesh Ruparel is a distinguished software engineer specializing in Cloud Technology and Distributed Systems. Over the years, he has made significant innovations in the field, playing a key role in optimizing scalability, performance, and resilience in cloud infrastructure. He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), Mumbai. Currently, he is a Member of Technical Staff 3 at Nutanix in San Jose, California, USA, where he designs, develops, and leads multiple large-scale projects, primarily focused on hybrid cloud and large-scale data replication, ensuring secure and efficient replication of petabytes of data across public, private, and hybrid cloud environments.

At UBS, he was part of the Credit-Risk team, where he played a key role in developing software to calculate credit-risk metrics for trillions of dollars in assets. He led a multi-year cloud migration initiative, architecting a system that imports, processes, and analyzes hundreds of terabytes of data daily from a private cloud endpoint before uploading the results to Azure.

He also optimized data processing workflows by leveraging Spark’s parallelism capabilities, accelerating software jobs by 15%, saving the company millions in cloud infrastructure costs. Additionally, he worked on enhancing data security by implementing end-to-end encryption and robust access controls to safeguard sensitive financial data on cloud. For these groundbreaking contributions, he became the youngest recipient of UBS’s prestigious “Diamond Badge,” an honor awarded to the top three performers in the APAC region.

At UBS, he also led the development of Meri Dukaan, a cloud-powered mobile game that teaches rural youth about banking, taxation, and financial literacy. He architected the backend using Cloud and Socket.io, ensuring efficient scaling and peer-to-peer communication, which enabled the platform to reach 180,000+ students across India, China, and Singapore.

He is also the founder of EasyReferrals, a cloud-based web platform that helps students and professionals secure job referrals more efficiently. The platform is currently in beta, with hundreds of users and referral requests within just a few months. A strong believer in “Responsible Tech,” he plans to keep it pro bono for students.

Additionally, he actively contributes to research and open-source development in cloud computing, cloud storage, and distributed systems. He regularly publishes research papers, is the inventor of multiple patents in Cloud and AI (awaiting approval), and gives back by serving as a reviewer for international journals in cloud and distributed systems, as well as a judge for various international technology awards.

Beyond his technical work, he dedicates his weekends to mentoring students, offering free cloud career guidance and resume reviews. He has helped 200+ students, which led to multiple awards and his feature on the Times Square Billboard in January 2025.

In today’s data-centric world, Mr. Chandrashekar Althati stands out as a visionary leader with over two decades of experience as a Data/Solutions Architect. His journey is a testament to how deep expertise and strategic vision can reshape industries and create lasting value.

At the core of his career is his groundbreaking patent, “Multivariate Transaction Classification” (US8965820B2). Unlike traditional models that analyze variables independently, this system employs multivariate analysis to examine relationships between variables, unlocking deeper insights and greater accuracy. This innovation has proven invaluable across sectors like healthcare, finance, and marketing, enhancing capabilities in fraud detection, customer segmentation, and trend analysis.

One of the most notable implementations of this patent is within SAP Labs, where it has been integrated into SAP Ariba, a leading global procurement solution. Automating anomaly detection has revolutionized fraud prevention, safeguarding organizations from significant financial risks. SAP’s CRM platforms have enabled precise insights into customer behaviors, fostering personalized strategies that boost engagement and loyalty. In SAP Health, this innovation has improved billing accuracy, regulatory compliance, and fraud prevention, enabling healthcare providers to focus more on patient care.

Beyond patents, his expertise in designing data strategies for healthcare technology has been instrumental. His work in data workflows and patient management has empowered healthcare providers to make informed decisions, ensuring that systems are both responsive to current demands and adaptable to future challenges.

His influence extends to his commitment to mentorship and fostering innovation. Known for his inclusive leadership style, he actively promotes cross-functional collaboration, inspiring professionals to think creatively. Many of his mentees have gone on to lead impactful projects, reflecting the principles he champions—adaptability, curiosity, and resilience. Through mentorship, Chandrashekar has shown that leadership is not just about sharing technical expertise but about nurturing a mindset capable of navigating a tech-driven world.

A hallmark of his work is his ability to anticipate and align with industry trends, particularly in data security and predictive analytics. By designing robust and adaptable data ecosystems, he ensures that his solutions remain relevant and impactful. His philosophy of sustainable innovation focuses on creating future-proof frameworks without compromising quality.

What truly sets him apart is his dedication to leveraging technology for societal good. In an industry often driven by profitability, his focus remains on meaningful, sustainable progress. His innovations, technical acumen, and commitment to mentorship reflect a vision of technology as a force for positive change.

As he continues to shape the future of data solutions and healthcare technology, his journey serves as an inspiration. His relentless pursuit of excellence not only reshapes industries but also uplifts those around him. Through his work, he proves that data, when wielded with integrity and foresight, can drive progress and make a lasting, positive impact.