Our Team
Executive Management
Dr. ir. Nirmalesh Sampath Kumar
Dr. Nirmalesh Sampath Kumar is the Co-founder of Isotonik Solutions Inc. He is also currently the Director for R&D and Innovation at Vee Technologies Pvt. Ltd., an 8000-employee company that is in diversified fields, and the India CEO for Mycelium Sona Biotech Pvt. Ltd. He is a Chevening Fellow at the University of Oxford, a Marie S Curie Fellow, and an Erasmus Mundus Scholar with the EU. He completed his PhDs in quantum nanophysics and science and technology management in Germany and UK respectively. Previously, he founded his own technology start-up company “Connectdness” in Nice, France. This company was successfully acquired within a few months of its incubation. Following this, he ventured into the field of knowledge transfer, identifying R&D projects and ideas in the lab that can become potential start-up companies, and has been responsible for the creation of at least six deep tech-based start-ups in Europe. On his return to India, he works with the Sona Group leading impact-driven projects and spin-offs.
Komal Kaul
Komal Kaul is an advisor, mentor, thought leader, and mission-driven activist with the potential to enable impact. She is currently the Chair of the impact network, People Action, in YPO. Before this Komal was the co-chair of the Indian American International Chamber of Commerce, DMV Tristate Chapter, and is responsible for all operations and growth of the IAICC. Previously, Komal founded and was the Executive Officer of the Sam India Project, an organization that applies proven and practical solutions to reduce acute malnutrition in India. For the past several years, she has worked with food scientists and non-profits in the United States, as well as leading doctors, government officials, and Members of Parliament in India on the severe issue of malnutrition amongst Indian children. In addition, she is an advisor for a few non-profit organizations, including Foster America and Street Level Awareness Program (SLAP)- India.
Komal has a Masters in Physics from the University of Kanpur, India, and a Masters in Bio-Technology from the University of Maryland.
Board Members
Tom Dretler
Tom D. Dretler: Tom is CEO and Co-founder of Shorelight, an education technology company that helps U.S. universities to internationalize. He was also CEO of Eduventures, a best-practices research company that works with more than 500 top U.S. universities. Tom is Board Chair of US News Global Education and Board Member of the Johns Hopkins School of Education. He is co-author of the Bain white paper, The Financially Sustainable University. Tom is a graduate of Johns Hopkins where he was a Rhodes Scholar candidate and Phi Beta Kappa. He is an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School where he was awarded the Goldsmith Fellowship.
Chocko Valliappa
Chocko Valliappa - Team Leader: Chocko is a social entrepreneur focused on education, mass skilling and democratizing recruitment. He is a Trustee/Vice Chairman of Thiagarajar Polytechnic & Sona College of Technology India’s leading community schools. Chocko founded SonaYukti an accredited chain of skilling schools across India, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Passionate about providing youngsters jobs he founded HireMee a job platform. Chocko is a graduate of Business Graduate of Christ University Bangalore and is the only student in 50 years to lead its student council twice and he also has a Textile Management diploma.
Shirish Pareek
Shirish Pareek- Shirish is Managing Director of AMG Partners. An investment and advisory firm he founded that focuses on transforming US Manufacturing companies through Advanced Manufacturing and worker re-skilling. Previously, Shirish was a Management Consultant with McKinsey and Company and the CEO and Founder of Hydraulex Global, which he grew into the largest hydraulics re-manufacturing business in America. Mr. Pareek served two-terms on President Obama's Manufacturing Council, and in his second term he was Chair of Skills and Workforce commission. He is currently a Board Member at US National Digital Manufacturing Institute, MxD. Shirish earned a B.S. with University Honors in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University.