Board of Advisors

Bala Warrier

CEO, Manipal Foundation

Since June 2007, Mr. Bala has been heading the Manipal Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Manipal Group, with four  veriticals – education, healthcare for the poor & needy, research, and economic upliftment of the rural poor. The Foundation pursues several activities – from offering scholarships worth Rs. 15 crores for meritorious students, to running maternal and child welfare homes, to sponsoring free heart surgeries for poor children. Their health insurance scheme Manipal Arogya Card covers over 1,00,000 people who live below the poverty line.

Mr. Bala holds a Masters Degree in Engineering and Management from The University of Florida, Gainesville. He has over 48 years of senior management experience in organizations across USA, UK, Middle East and India.

Roopa Ambekar

Founder, Uber Institute

Roopa is an expert in cosmetology, beauty, wellness, nutrtion and dietetics. She has lived in the US for 20 years where she served as Dean & Director Of Operations at Paul Mitchell Schools, McLean Virginia and prior to that, as Director at Graham Webb International, Washington DC. Interestingly, she is also qualified in software applications and computer science from TCJC Arlington Texas.

Roopa returned to India in 2011 and founded Aesthetcs & Wellness International Pvt Ltd.

As a woman professional-turned-entrepreneur, she is equally passionate about topics such as diversity, anti-sexual harassment, women empowerment etc.

Rita Soni

Former CEO, NASSCOM Foundation

During her 4-year stint at NASSCOM Foundation, Rita played a pivotal role in strengthening the efforts of the IT Industry towards inclusive growth and establishing effective linkages between industry, non-profits and the government. Prior to that, she was the Country Head – Responsible Banking at YES BANK.

Rita started her professional journey with General Electric. In a career spanning over 18 years, Rita has also worked with the American India Foundation (AIF) heading Communications & Advocacy for the India operations.

Rita has a Master of International Affairs (MIA) degree from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering with Honours from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey.