CEO, Executive Director & Chairman
Mr. Kalpathi S. Suresh Is an Executive Director Cum Chairman of Our Company, and One of The Promoters of Our Company. He Holds a bachelor’s degree of Technology in Electrical Engineering from IIT Madras (Chennai, India) And A Master’s Degree of Science in Electrical Engineering from The Clemson University, South Carolina (USA). He Started His Entrepreneurial Journey In 1991 With Founding SSI, Along with Our Other Promoters. SSI Was Engaged in Providing Software Education and IT Training in Emerging Software Technologies. SSI Achieved Various Milestones Such as Becoming a Public Listed Company, Entering into A Joint-Venture With NASDAQ, Acquiring Albion Orion Company LLC and Also Acquiring Controlling Stake in Aptech Limited. He Possesses Experience in Finance, Education, Information Technology, And the Entertainment Industry. He Was Awarded The ‘Outstanding Entrepreneur of The Year’ In 1999 By Ernst & Young, India.
Non Executive Director & Vice Chairman
Mr. Kalpathi S. Aghoram Is a Non-Executive Director Cum Vice-Chairman of Our Company. He Is One of The Promoters of Our Company. He Holds a bachelor’s degree In Commerce from The University of Madras. He Started His Entrepreneurial Journey In 1991 With Founding SSI, Along with Our Other Promoters. He Served as The Promoter and Vice-Chairman Of SSI. SSI Was Engaged in Providing Software Education and IT Training in Emerging Software Technologies and Established Itself as A Leading Player in India. In The Year 2003, He Along with Our Other Promoters Also Embarked into The Entertainment Industry by Founding a Production House in AGS Entertainment Private Limited. Our Promoters Further Ventured into Film Exhibition and Established AGS Cinemas Private Limited. He Possesses Experience in Finance, Education, Information Technology, Entertainment, And Sports Industry. He Also Served as The Vice-President of The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association From 2010–2019 And Was a Member of the Marketing Committee of the BCCI.
Non Executive Director
Mr. Kalpathi S. Ganesh Is a Non-Executive Director of Our Company and One of The Promoters of Our Company. He Holds a bachelor’s degree In Applied Sciences from the College of Engineering at Guindy, Master of Science in Software Systems from The Birla Institute of Technology and Science, And AMIE From the Institution of Engineers (India). He Started His Entrepreneurial Journey In 1991 With Founding SSI, Along with Our Other Promoters. He Served as The Promoter and Vice-Chairman Of SSI. SSI Was Engaged in Providing Software Education and IT Training in Emerging Software Technologies and Established Itself as A Leading Player in India. In The Year 2003, He Along with Our Other Promoters Also Embarked into The Entertainment Industry by Founding a Production House in AGS Entertainment Private Limited. Our Promoters Further Ventured into Film Exhibition and Established AGS Cinemas Private Limited. He Possesses Experience in Finance, Education, Information Technology, And the Entertainment Industry.
Non Executive Director
Mrs. Kalpathi Aghoram Archana is a Non-Executive Director of our Company. She is a graduate in Computer Science from the College of Engineering, Guindy in Chennai. She holds Master’s Degree from the State University of New York (USA) and has completed an extensive Wealth Management Programme from SMU-Swiss Institute of Finance-Yale University (USA). She is a Director of AGS Cinemas Private Limited, the feature film exhibition company, which commenced its operations in 2008 in Chennai. She is also an executive producer for movies produced by AGS Entertainment Private Limited.
Non Executive Independent Director
Mr. P. B. Srinivasan is a Non-Executive Independent Director of our Company. He is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He also served as an auditor for Board of Control for Cricket in India. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Commerce from A. M. Jain College, Chennai. Presently, he is a partner of the firm P. B. Vijayaraghavan & Co.
Non Executive Independent Director
Ms. Revathi S. Raghunathan is a Non-Executive Independent Director of our Company. She is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. She is also an Insolvency Professional registered with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India. She has also obtained a Certificate for course on Forensic Accounting and Fraud Detection from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. She is also a Certified Information Systems Auditor registered as a member of the Indian Science Congress Association. She is also a member of the Institute of Directors. Presently, she is a partner at A. Raghunathan and Company.
Non Executive Independent Director
Mr. S. Lakshminarayanan is a Non-Executive Independent Director of our Company. He is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from the University of Madras (Chennai, Tamil Nadu). He is also a Registered Valuer in Securities or Financial Assets and has obtained a Certificate of Registration from the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India and a Certificate of Practice from the IOV Registered Valuers Foundation. He also holds a Company Secretary membership from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. Additionally, he has also obtained Certificates for courses on Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting and Forensic Accounting and Fraud Detection from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He is also a graduate of the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India. Presently, he is the proprietor of S L N & Co, Chartered Accountants.
Non Executive Independent Director
Mr. Kasaragod Ullas Kamath is a Non-Executive Independent Director of our Company. He is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. He also holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree and has attended the Advanced Management Programme at Wharton Business School and Harvard Business School. He has won the CA Business Achiever Award - SME category in ICAI Awards 2008 on January 25, 2009. Presently, he is serving as a Joint Managing Director of Jyothy Labs Limited and has also recently joined the Board of Snapdeal Private Limited as a director.
Non Executive Independent Director
Mr Bajpai's distinguished career in financial services spans over two decades in marquee firms like Deutsche Bank, Macquarie Group, and Edelweiss etc, across a wide spectrum of businesses. Notably, he was the Country Head for Macquarie Group’s India businesses and was also the CEO of its USD 1.2 bn India Fund. Throughout his career, he has managed several business lines like Funds Management, Investment Banking, Equities, Fixed Income Markets, Private Markets Investing and Insurance Broking. He has been featured as a leading deal maker and fund manager in India by many leading media houses over the years.Mr Bajpai is also an avid angel investor into new economy companies and has a passion for technology, education and initiatives with wide societal impact.He is currently the co-founder of Neo Group, a leading Wealth and Asset Management firm. Mr Bajpai holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra and an MBA degree from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.
Founder, J K Shah Classes
Prof. J. K. Shah, Founder And Pioneer Behind J. K. Shah Classes Is A Thorough Educationist. He Has Specialized In Coaching Aspirant Chartered Accountants(CAs) For Last 40 Years. There Must Be Thousands Of Qualified CAs Who Have Studied In J. K. Shah Classes And Have Passed Out With Flying Colours. J. K. Shah Classes Has Virtually Become Synonymous With The Ultimate In CA Coaching.
Begun In 1983 In A One-Classroom Space Of Grant Road Area In Mumbai With Just 7 Students, Prof Shah Built Each Center With His Sweat And Blood, Over The Last 40 Years. Today, J K Shah Classes Is Having Its Presence Pan-India, With 75+ Centers Spread Across 35+ Cities. J K Shah Classes Began With CA Final Coaching, Where Students Would Enroll For Costing Subject’s Lectures, Which Prof Shah Himself Delivered. Over The Years, It Integrated Backwards And Now Offers Coaching From Entrance Level To Final Level Of CA, Apart From Coaching Commerce Stream Students Of 11th Grade & 12th Grade And Other Professional Courses Such As CS, CMA, CFA, ACCA And CMA (US).
Executive Director, Veranda Administrative Learning Solutions Private Limited
Rangarajan Ramabhadran is an industry veteran with close to four decades experience. As the Director at Veranda Learning, Rangarajan has played a significant role in establishing processes across various verticals in the company. He has played his part in developing the company’s future strategic direction and implementing the business plan.
Chief Financial Officer, Veranda Learning Solutions
Ms.Saradha Is The Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) Of Our Company. She Was Appointed As CFO Of Our Company On 1st June’2022. She Holds A Post-Graduation Diploma In Management From XLRI, Jamshedpur And Bachelor Of Engineering From Anna University. She Possesses 12+ Years' Experience Across Functions & Industries. She Started Her Management Career With The Mahindra Group, By Joining Their Leadership Program Initiative. She Was Handling The Role Of Group CFO With Qube Cinema Technologies And Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospitals Before Joining The Veranda Group. She Has Extensive Experience In Managing Large P&Ls With Proven Expertise In Fund Raising, Mergers & Acquisitions, Business Finance And Strategy. In Her Current Role, She Will Be Heading The Finance, Legal Functions Of The Veranda Group And Also Coordinating The Operational Compliance From A Secretarial Perspective.
Company Secretary & Compliance Officer, Veranda Learning Solutions
Mr. M. Anantharamakrishnan Is The Company Secretary Cum Compliance Officer Of Our Company. He Was Appointed On June 1, 2021. He Is A Member Of The Institute Of Company Secretaries Of India Since The Year 1990. He Also Holds A Master Of Commerce Degree From The University Of Madras (Chennai, Tamil Nadu). As A Company Secretary, He Is Responsible For Overseeing The Day-To-Day Secretarial Compliance Of Our Company. He Has Vast Experience In The Field Of Compliance. He Was Employed With Best & Crompton From October 22, 1984 Till August 16, 1991 In A Corporate Secretarial Role. He Also Served As A Director Of Corporate Affairs In Kurian Securities Limited. He Has Also Been The Company Secretary For Beacon Weir Limited And Srinivasa Smelters Limited During His Career. He Has Also Held The Position Of A Company Secretary In Kalpathi Investments Private Limited.
Co founder, Edureka
Lovleen Bhatia has been instrumental in setting up the strategic direction of Edureka, defining the company's priorities, driving the mission and company’s work culture. He brings with him 13 years of expertise across domains like technology, digital marketing, growth hacking, customer acquisition and hiring. Prior to co-founding Edureka, he headed the R&D at DbyDX Labs. At Texas Instruments, Lovleen was a technology evangelist and helped the company stay on the cutting edge. His interests include Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality. He started his career at Infosys as a software engineer and has also held key roles at Texas Instruments and Synopsys.
Co founder, and CEO, Edureka
Vineet has been instrumental in setting up and growing the Edureka learner community and making it stand tall as an Ed-Tech Organisation. At Edureka, Vineet has been closely involved in every business function ranging from Sales to Operations to Marketing, and emerging businesses. He embodies "ridiculous commitment," a philosophy that has seen him tirelessly support various teams and mentor learners, be it night or day. This ridiculous commitment is now deeply ingrained in the DNA of the company.
Chief Business Officer, Veranda Learning Solutions
Nirant is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and is a serial entrepreneur. He has cofounded multiple startups in e-commerce, automotive, hospitality. He has deep experience in building businesses ground up and leading multi dimensional teams. He heads VerandaLabs, the technology and product arm of Veranda Learning
President of Corporate Strategy, Veranda Learning Solutions
Praveen Kumar is an industry veteran with over 25 years of experience in cross border acquisitions and pre-acquisition process in M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions). Praveen previously worked with SSI and Deloitte Haskins & Sells. He is also a member of ICAI and ICWAI.
Chief Marketing Officer, Veranda Learning Solutions
As a veteran in the media industry for over 2 decades, Pravin Menon has a proven track record of building and defining brands across industries. With a pedigree ranging from Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd, Worldwide Media ltd, and Vikatan, he has worked on various brands, events, digital, content, created brands and Intellectual Property in BCCL, WorldWide Media and Vikatan. He has driven a slew of significant campaigns and effective marketing initiatives. Presently, as the Chief Marketing Officer for Veranda Learning Solutions, he is focused towards positioning the brand as one of the leading Education players in the country.
Graduated from the University of Mumbai, studied PG Digital Marketing at TimesPro and Executive Management courses at ISB and ASCI, Hyderabad. He was an Executive Member of CII – Media and Entertainment South and past treasurer of Advertising Club Madras. Pravin started his career as a Sr. Marketing Executive in the year 1995 with Network Digitech, Mumbai following which he joined Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd. (Times Group) and led management level positions across Times Group Companies and Vikatan for over 20 years. Prior to joining Veranda Learning Solutions, he held the Vice Presidential position at Worldwide Media Pvt. Ltd.
Chief Program Officer, Veranda Learning Solutions
Rajesh Pankaj is a dynamic professional with over three decades of experience in the education industry. He comes with an impressive track record of managing businesses, product development, and program management in the past. Rajesh has been instrumental in providing solutions to B2B and B2C clients across various geographies including US, UK, Europe and Africa and understands the industry from a global perspective. He has spent several years in educational research across various age groups and domains -- K-12, Higher Ed, English & Test Preparation to name a few. Pankaj Rajesh possesses hands-on experience across product management, service industry operations and business management.
Chief Instruction Delivery Officer, Veranda Learning solutions
Venkatesh Kothandaraman, who currently serves as the company’s Chief Instructional Delivery, is responsible for customer fulfilment and experience across Veranda Learning's products, content and programmes. Venkatesh has previously been associated with world-class IT organizations and startups such as SSI, E4E, TCS, Primex and Wellcorp in senior management roles. He has an executive MBA from IIMB and is a certified corporate director from IOD.
CEO, Veranda IAS & Founder, Veranda RACE
Bharath, founder of RACE, has been instrumental in putting forth high-quality coaching modules for competitive examinations to all candidates, irrespective of their background. At Veranda RACE, Bharat assembled a team of highly dedicated and expert faculty who worked tirelessly to develop the institute's coaching programmes that are effective, engaging and personalised for the students. As the CEO of Veranda IAS, Bharat is keen on providing the right platform for UPSC aspirants with the launch of the residential programme. With a dedicated focus on service readiness, a residential programme is the perfect setting to master the skills and knowledge required to clear the most challenging exam. Additionally, the programme provides a supportive and motivational environment where aspirants can collaborate, study and grow together.
CEO, Veranda RACE
Santhosh Kumar is the new Chief Executive Officer at Veranda RACE, equipped with a Computer Science Engineering degree and an MBA in Business Analytics and Finance from IIT Stuart School of Business. With a wealth of experience and expertise in management and finance fields, Kumar began his journey with Veranda RACE as a Branch Head, and quickly climbed the ranks to become the Chief Operating Officer, and then the Vice President (Operations) in 2022. His recent promotion to CEO in April 2023 is a testament to his exceptional leadership skills and proven track record in driving growth.
He envisions Veranda RACE as a platform that offers high-quality competitive exam education to all students in India, irrespective of their socio-economic backgrounds. To achieve this, he plans to leverage the latest technology and innovative teaching methods to ensure that Veranda RACE stays ahead of the curve in the ever-changing world of education. His passion for management and finance extends beyond his professional life, as he is often found reading books and keeping himself updated on the latest industry trends and developments.
Overall, his expertise, leadership skills and commitment to providing quality competitive exam education make him the perfect person to lead Veranda RACE to unprecedented heights and establish it as the leading edutech firm in India
CEO, Veranda HigherEd
Aditya Malik is a successful tech-entrepreneur and CEO of Higher Ed business of Veranda Learning Solutions Ltd, one of the leading new age, technology driven interactive education companies. Prior to joining Veranda, he was the founder of Ed tech company Talentedge and was also working as a Senior Partner at Lumis Partners (a private Equity fund). He has also worked as Senior Vice President & Head - Migrations and Quality and SVP & Head HR at Bank of America.
His experience includes stints as an AVP, GE Consumer Finance SBI cards and VP Operations at GECIS. Aditya is a dynamic thought leader with over twenty-eight years of professional experience and proven leadership and track record in the areas of new business set up, revenue expansion, sales, risk management and global cross boundary operations. He is a driven and motivated professional adept at multitasking as well as managing and leading even under stressful or uncertain conditions. Aditya is a certified Master Black Belt and holds a master’s in business administration from Pune University.
Chief Human Resources Officer, Veranda Learning Solutions
As the Chief Human Resources Officer of Veranda Learning Solutions, Vivek is responsible to streamline the HR Agenda across the group companies to integrate, empower and accelerate the growth of all the entities in the Veranda ecosystem. Critical aspects of his role include aligning the HR Policies and Practices to the Group's corporate goals and business objectives while making entire HR processes tech enabled. Vivek has close to 17 years of professional experience and is an MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur and holds a Master's degree in Engineering.
Prior to joining Veranda, Vivek was Head of HR at NeoGrowth Credit, a fintech NBFC. Here, while leading the People Practice for close to 7 years, he contributed significantly to the journey of the company from a start-up phase to an established organization. Vivek has holistic knowledge of entire spectrum of HR, and he has a proven track record in driving people metrices to enable business outcomes. He further supplements his expertise in HR by leveraging experience gained in Consulting, Strategy, Product and Marketing domain while working with reputed names like EY, L&T Finance, Tata-Hitachi, Mu-Sigma and Infosys.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CUM CHAIRMAN
Mr. Kalpathi S. Suresh is an Executive Director cum Chairman of our Company. He is one of the Promoters of our Company. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Technology in Electric Engineering from IIT Madras (Chennai, India) and also holds a Master’s Degree of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Clemson University, South Carolina (USA). He started his entrepreneurial journey in 1991 with founding SSI, along with our other Promoters. He served as the Promoter and Chairman of SSI. SSI was engaged in providing software education and IT training in emerging software technologies and established itself as a leading player in India. Under the leadership of our Promoters, SSI achieved various milestones such as becoming a public listed company, entering into a joint-venture with NASDAQ, acquiring Albion Orion Company LLC and also acquiring controlling stake in Aptech Limited, a publicly listed entity. Under the guidance of our Promoters, SSI also positioned itself as a company engaged in the business of hospitality and property development. Since the year 2008, our Promoters do not hold any interest or rights in SSI. He, along with our other Promoters founded Kalpathi Investments Private Limited, a NBFC in year 2007 which invest in various ventures. In the year 2003, he along with our other Promoters also embarked into the entertainment industry by founding a production house in AGS Entertainment Private Limited. Our Promoters further ventured into film exhibition and established AGS Cinemas Private Limited. He possesses experience in finance, education, information technology, and the entertainment industry. He is often invited as a speaker at IIT Madras, in a number of societies and large corporations to talk on entrepreneurship. He was also the IIT Alumni Club President. He was awarded the ‘Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year’ in 1999 by Ernst & Young, India. He is also a member of YPO (Young Presidents' Organisation) a global leadership community of chief executives.