Our Leadership

Ashwin Mittal

Chairman and CEO

Ashwin Mittal is the Chairman, Managing Director, and Chief Executive Officer of C5i. He leads the company with the purpose of amplifying human potential and driving accelerated impact for clients and the community through the ideal combination of human and machine intelligence.

Ashwin is responsible for driving the overarching strategy, organizational development, mergers & acquisitions, and a vibrant and equitable corporate culture at C5i. With a sharp focus on client centricity, analytics and AI adoption, and continuous innovation, Ashwin has architected the growth of C5i into one of the world’s leading Analytics and AI solution providers.

An early advocate of tapping the power of AI to transform business, Ashwin was one of the first Analytics company CEOs to create an R&D-focused AI Labs in 2017. C5i’s AI Labs has been at the forefront of leveraging Generative AI & other advanced technologies to drive amplified value for global clients. Ashwin was recently recognized as one of the 11 “foundational AI market leaders” on the list of “100 Most Influential AI Leaders in India 2024” by Analytics India Magazine (AIM). He was featured in “AI Makers 100” by 3AI in 2023 and 2022, “Top CEOs of Data Science Service Providers 2023” and “10 Most Influential Analytics Leaders in India 2020” by AIM, and Economic Times’ “Promising Entrepreneurs of India” in 2016.

A founder member of India’s first organized Angel investing group, Mumbai Angels, Ashwin holds board and advisory positions in several companies. He is also engaged in various CSR activities related to child and youth development. Academically, Ashwin has an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and London Business School. He also holds a master’s degree in Commerce and is a qualified Chartered Accountant. He was the founding President of the UCLA Anderson Mumbai Alumni Chapter. A strong proponent of continuous learning, Ashwin completed the Harvard Business School Owner/President Management Program in 2023.

Nitesh Jain

President and Chief Operating Officer

Nitesh Jain is the President and Chief Operating Officer at C5i. He is responsible for driving the company’s strategy, growth agenda, sales, delivery, IP & solution approach, analytics consulting, customer success, employee experience, and support functions. Deeply committed to driving sustainable business impact for customers and stakeholders, building long-term value, and nurturing impeccable delivery-based relationships with customers, advisors, analysts, and partners, Nitesh maintains a sharp operational focus on demand shaping, nurturing large engagements that can drive significant business impact for customers, lead indicator-based business management, customer-centricity, talent onboarding agility, employee connect, process discipline, and partner collaboration.

A veteran in the field of analytics and data science, Nitesh has been at the forefront of building innovative solutions and demystifying data science for day-to-day decision-making. Prior to joining C5i, he served as Vice President & Cluster Head, UK&I, and Global Business Head for Travel, Hospitality, and Public Sector verticals at Wipro Limited. He was the founding leader of the analytics practice at Wipro. He has held business management roles at iFlex Solutions and Tata Infotech Limited and has been a trusted partner for driving analytics-based decision-making at GE Medical, Best Buy, Sears Holding, Nike, Primark, and Citibank, among other prestigious clients.

Known for his remarkable leadership skills, Nitesh was awarded Most Valuable Team Leader at GE Medical, Most Impactful Business Solution Architect at Best Buy, and Culture Steward at Wipro. He has authored and co-authored several thought leadership pieces on analytics for Consumer, Retail, Travel, Public Sector, Technology, Manufacturing, and Media. An Associate Board member of the Marketing Research Education Foundation (MREF), he also supports various charities providing food, clothing, and education to underprivileged groups.

Nitesh holds a bachelor’s degree in Maths & Statistics, with an MBA in Finance from Pune University.

Ankur Maheshwari

Executive Vice President & Group Chief Financial Officer

Ankur Maheshwari is Executive Vice President & Group Chief Financial Officer at C5i. He is responsible for managing global finance, corporate development, and legal functions for C5i and its group companies.

Ankur has over 20 years of experience in corporate strategy and execution, financial planning & analysis, corporate finance, corporate development, mergers & acquisitions, and management consulting. He has worked across IT and ITeS, Management Consulting, and Banking and Financial Services organizations globally. Prior to C5i, he was part of the leadership team at Firstsource Solutions Limited, where he led global corporate development, managing end-to-end inorganic growth thesis and structured deals and working with the start-up ecosystem. Additionally, he led several other functions such as Investor Relations, Growth Strategy, and Corporate Planning, and spearheaded several margin expansion initiatives while also driving a unified governance framework across the organization.

Prior to Firstsource, Ankur worked with organizations like HDFC Bank, Boston Consulting Group, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Walden International. He has also served on the boards of Quatrro Global Services Pvt. Ltd., CoOptions Technologies Ltd, BankBazaar.com, Anantara Solutions Ltd., and Nanobi Analytics.

A certified Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) from the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI), Ankur also holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from ICFAI Business School.

Anees Merchant

Executive Vice President – Global Head of Innovation, IP, and Analytics Consulting

Anees Merchant is the Executive Vice President and Global Head of Innovation, IP, and Analytics Consulting at C5i. He is responsible for leading the development of intellectual property (IP), frameworks, and solutions leveraging the power of Generative AI and other technologies and providing leadership to Analytics Consulting. Anees is passionate about helping companies grow through a combination of human and machine intelligence and seeks to lead the AI revolution with integrity and impact.

Prior to C5i, Anees was an Associate Principal at eClerx Services Ltd. and has worked with companies like Wipro Spectramind Services Pvt. Ltd., Stream Tracmail Pvt. Ltd., Microgate Corporation, IBS Infotech, and Hardcastle Restaurants Private Limited. He is a member of the AIM Leaders Council and 3AI Thought Leaders Circle (TLC).

Anees has received the AI Makers Award 2023 by 3AI, Outstanding Leadership Award 2022 by Internet 2.0 Conference, and Best Analytics and Insight Leader of the Year by The Customer FEST Awards 2016, among others. He has written extensively in industry publications, including Analytics Insight, Insights Association, AIM, 3AI, and others. On the community front, Anees empowers various communities through the Reliance Foundation.

Anees holds a postgraduate diploma in Marketing Management from NMIMS. He has completed the ‘Finance for Senior Executives’ and ‘Driving Growth Through Innovation–India’ programs from Harvard Business School and received the Lean Management Certification from Benchmark Six Sigma.

Ajith Sankaran

Senior Vice President – Global Operations

Ajith Sankaran is the Senior Vice President of Global Operations, Information Privacy, and Data Governance of at C5i.  In his current role he manages a team of 1000 plus data analytics and insights professionals spread across four delivery centers in India as well delivery teams in USA, LATAM, UK, UAE, and China.

Ajith is focused on the application of analytics, research and AI for generating and communicating insights that drive positive change and business impact for C5i’s clients. He has a track record of winning and growing large global client accounts and maintaining the highest standards of quality and client services, leading to industry-leading client retention levels. Ajith’s articles on the application of the latest technologies in the field of analytics, AI and insights have been featured in leading industry publications, including Forbes.

Ajith has over 26 years of experience in research, analytics and consulting. Prior to joining C5i, he worked at IDC (India) Limited, Deloitte Consulting India Pvt. Ltd., and the Madras Consultancy Group. Ajith holds a bachelor’s degree in technology in mechanical engineering from the University of Calicut and a master’s degree in Business Administration from PSG College of Technology, Bharathiar University. He is also a Certified Management Consultant (CMC), a certification awarded by the Institute of Management Consultants of India.

Suchitra Eswaran

Senior Vice President - Life Sciences

Suchitra Eswaran is the Senior Vice President-Life Sciences of C5i. She joined our Company on March 5, 2012. She holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce (Marketing) from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Louisiana Tech University. She also completed the Harvard Business School online certificate program on leadership principles. Prior to joining C5i, she was associated with Manthan Software Services Private Limited Infosys Technologies Limited and NuWare Technology Corporation. She was also a first director and the chief executive officer at Strata Pro Analytics & Consulting Private Limited.

Prashant Bhatt

Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Prashant Bhatt is the Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer at C5i. He is responsible for business and product investments planning, financial planning and analysis (FP&A), funds and cash flow management, audits and MIS, bank relations, and consolidation for C5i’s global business. He has been instrumental in the merger of group companies, due diligence for fundraising activities, and setting up global entities in US, UK, Dubai, Canada, and other regions at C5i.

Prior to this, he was the Chief Financial Officer at Fractal Analytics Pvt. Limited, where he was responsible for setting up and restructuring global subsidiaries, managing investments and relationships, entity set-up and investor relationships, and setting up the company’s FP&A process. He has also held key roles related to licensing for global joint ventures and acquisitions at Godrej and Arvind, and headlined FP&A for large ventures through consulting assignments for Adecco, Goldman Sachs, HCG, and others. During Prashant’s tenure, Godrej Agrovet Limited won the Best Business Award at Godrej based on the highest economic value generated within two years.

Prashant is actively involved in mentoring startups and has played a significant role in guiding several large commercial transactions involving first-generation entrepreneurs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the University of Mumbai and is an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India with over 25 years of post-qualification experience.

Jayachandran Ramachandran

Senior Vice President - Artificial Intelligence Labs

Jayachandran Ramachandran is the Senior Vice President – Artificial Intelligence Labs at C5i. He is responsible for applied AI research for product and solution development and has been instrumental in driving the roadmap for C5i’s core products/platforms and accelerators.  Jay leads C5i with a vision to use and democratize AI responsibly, empowering humans and AI to innovate seamlessly and solve complex challenges, fostering a more equitable and trustworthy world.

Across 28 years of experience as an Analytics and AI leader, design thinker, and inventor, Jay has delivered large-scale, high-impact solutions for retail, CPG, pharma, financial services, semiconductor, consumer electronics, automobiles, aeronautics, manufacturing, telecom, medical devices, energy, utilities, and other industries. Prior to joining C5i, he was associated with Infosys, IBM India, and HCL Technologies and has also worked with companies like Virtusa Consulting Services, Covansys (India), and Maruti Udyog.

Jay is a regular speaker at technology forums and conferences and has written extensively in industry publications like 3AI, Dataquest, Open Data Science Conference (ODSC), Financial Express, CXO Today, and others. He holds multiple patents for inventions related to cognitive systems for diverse purposes and has been recognized by NASSCOM for his contribution to Curate-a-thon, an initiative to create expert learning material for the Engineering and R&D industry. He is a member of 3AI’s Thought Leaders Circle.

Jay holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the College of Engineering, Anna University.

Ashwin Mittal

Chairman and Managing Director

Ashwin Mittal is the Chairman, Managing Director, and Chief Executive Officer of C5i. He leads the company with the purpose of amplifying human potential and driving accelerated impact for clients and the community through the ideal combination of human and machine intelligence.

Ashwin is responsible for driving the overarching strategy, organizational development, mergers & acquisitions, and a vibrant and equitable corporate culture at C5i. With a sharp focus on client centricity, analytics and AI adoption, and continuous innovation, Ashwin has architected the growth of C5i into one of the world’s leading Analytics and AI solution providers.

An early advocate of tapping the power of AI to transform business, Ashwin was one of the first Analytics company CEOs to create an R&D-focused AI Labs in 2017. C5i’s AI Labs has been at the forefront of leveraging Generative AI & other advanced technologies to drive amplified value for global clients. Ashwin was recently recognized as one of the 11 “foundational AI market leaders” on the list of “100 Most Influential AI Leaders in India 2024” by Analytics India Magazine (AIM). He was featured in “AI Makers 100” by 3AI in 2023 and 2022, “Top CEOs of Data Science Service Providers 2023” and “10 Most Influential Analytics Leaders in India 2020” by AIM, and Economic Times’ “Promising Entrepreneurs of India” in 2016.

A founder member of India’s first organized Angel investing group, Mumbai Angels, Ashwin holds board and advisory positions in several companies. He is also engaged in various CSR activities related to child and youth development. Academically, Ashwin has an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and London Business School. He also holds a master’s degree in Commerce and is a qualified Chartered Accountant. He was the founding President of the UCLA Anderson Mumbai Alumni Chapter. A strong proponent of continuous learning, Ashwin completed the Harvard Business School Owner/President Management Program in 2023.

Ramesh Mittal

Non-Executive Director

Ramesh Brahmadutt Mittal is a Non-Executive Non-Independent Director of C5i. He has completed two out of three years in the Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the Government Polytechnic Pune. He has been associated with the Mittal Builder group for the last 40 years and is currently on the board of inter alia Eskays Land Developers Private Limited, and Sealink Construction Co. Pvt. Ltd. He is also a trustee of Balak Education Society and Mittal Foundation Trust (formerly known as Shree Ayurved Prachar Sanstha). He was originally on our Board from December 10, 2003, till July 27, 2011. He has since been re-appointed as a Director and has been on our Board since June 30, 2014.

Sheila Mittal

Non-Executive Director

Sheila Mittal is a Non-Executive Non-Independent Director of C5i. She has passed the Intermediate Arts Examination held by the University of Bombay. She has been associated with the Mittal Builder group which for the last 40 years and is currently a director of inter alia Cambria Investments & Finance Private Limited, Elephant Trading Company Private Limited and Protiz Technologies Private Limited. She has been a Director on our Board since December 9, 2021.

Chetan Naik

Nominee Director

Chetan Naik is a Nominee Director and represents 360 One Asset. He holds MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Indore (IIM Indore) with a specialization in Finance. He has 12 years of experience across Private Equity and Investment Banking. He is the Fund Manager and Senior EVP for 360 One AMC’s and specializes in investing in new-age tech firms across the mid-to-late investment stage.

Dr. Kumar Mehta

Non-executive Director

Dr. Kumar Mehta is a Non-executive Director of C5i. He holds a PhD in pharmaceutical socioeconomics from The University of Iowa. He currently serves as a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California. He was CEO of C5i from 2007- 2016. He was at Microsoft, where he started as one of the founding members of the very first research and analytics team, and over time managed some of Microsoft’s most significant and strategic projects. He has been at the forefront of exceptional performance, research, innovation, and data analytics for over 30 years. He founded Bridges Insight, a think tank committed to researching sustained personal and organizational excellence. He is passionate about education and is active as a board member and Treasurer for the Committee for Children (CFC). He is the author of the #1 Amazon bestseller, The Innovation Biome, and The Exceptionals.

Vinati Saraf Mutreja

Independent Director

Vinati Saraf Mutreja is an Independent Director of C5i. She holds a bachelor’s degree in applied science and a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania. She has been part of Vinati Organics Limited for over 15 years and is currently their managing director and CEO. She has won the “Outstanding Woman Business Leader” award in the Family Business Awards 2019 organised by the Economic Times. She has also listed in the “40 under Forty” by Economic Times in 2019. She has been a Director on our Board since December 9, 2021.

Pranav Parikh

Nominee Director

Pranav Parikh is a Nominee Director and represents Nuvama Private Equity. He is C.F.A. charter holder from CFA Institute, USA and holds a B.E. in Industrial Engineering from MS University, Baroda and graduated with honors in the M.B.A. program from University of Texas at Arlington, with a concentration in Finance. He is the Managing Partner and Head, Nuvama Private Equity (renamed. Formerly part of Edelweiss Group). He has over 20 years of successful investment experience in US and Indian Markets. He has been recognized in the past as Private Equity Deal Maker of the Year, India by the Global M&A Network, New York.

Simon Chadwick

Independent Director

Simon Charles Hamilton Chadwick is an Independent Director of C5i. He holds a master’s degree in arts from Exeter College, University of Oxford. He has also completed the “Leading Change and Organisational Renewal” program from Harvard Business School. He is co-managing partner and fifty percent equity holder at Cambiar, LLC since May 20, 2004. He has been recognised in the Insight250 as an innovator by Mtab in 2021 and has also been recognised for his ‘distinguished service and leadership as Chair of the Board of Directors’ by Insights Association in 2017. He has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Marketing Science Institute and has also received a certificate of appreciation from CASRO. He has been a Director on our Board since December 9, 2021.

Kartik Badiani

Non-executive Director

Kartik Badiani is a Non-executive Director of C5i. He is a Chartered Accountant and a commerce graduate from Mithibai College, Mumbai. He has also completed his LLB from Mumbai University. He has overall experience of more than 15 years in Tax & Regulatory Advisory. He has significant experience in advising clients in areas of corporate tax & international tax, inbound investment structuring, establishment of joint ventures, business reorganizations, tax due diligence, tax appeals / litigation and exchange control regulations.

Bijal Tushar Ajinkya

Independent Director

Bijal Tushar Ajinkya is an Independent Director of C5i. She holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in International Law from the University of Mumbai. She is a partner in Khaitan & Co. and a leading tax and private client legal practitioner with over 23 years of experience. She is globally recognized for her expertise in tax and private client matters and has received many accolades from prestigious organizations, including Chambers & Partners, Who’s Who Legal, Legal 500, and so on. She is the first India-qualified lawyer admitted to the American College of Trust and Estate Practitioners, an elite fellowship of globally renowned professionals. She is regularly invited to speak at various global forums on complex issues related to tax and succession planning. She has several publications to her credit and has led several landmark tax litigations in India.

Mohanbir Sawhney

Mohanbir Sawhney is a globally sought consultant and speaker on Enterprise Analytics, Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Innovation, and Marketing. Sawhney is the Associate Dean for Digital Innovation, the Director for the Center for Research in Technology and Innovation and McCormick Foundation Professor of Technology at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. Professor Sawhney’s consulting and speaking clients include Accenture, Adobe Systems, AT&T, Boeing, Cisco Systems, Dell, Entergy, Fidelity Investments, General Mills, Honeywell, Microsoft, Salesforce, Vanguard, and others. His research has been published in leading journals, including Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review, and he has written several books, of which the latest on Analytics-driven decision making titled ‘The Sentient Enterprise: The Evolution of Business Decision Making’ was on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list.

Sawhney is a Fellow of the World Economic Forum and an advisory board member of Chicago Innovation. He is an award-winning educator and a Distinguished Alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.

Ananth Raman

Dr. Ananth Raman is a member of the Strategic Advisory Board of C5i. Dr. Raman is UPS Foundation Professor of Business Logistics at Harvard Business School, where he teaches various areas of Technology and Operations Management and served as Faculty Chair for the Owner/President Management Program from 2017 to 2024. His research work in Operations and Supply Chain Management has been published in leading management journals, including Harvard Business Review and California Management Review.

An advisor to several CEOs of global retail firms, Dr. Raman has helped multiple retailers and suppliers design and develop decision-support systems for supply chain management. He is the founder and director of 4R Systems, which uses science and technology to help retail chains maximize profit from inventory.

Dr. Raman is co-director of the Global Consortium for Operational Excellence in Retailing, a research group that involves academics from numerous universities and leading retailers from around the world. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, and a PhD in Operations Management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Douglas Hillary

Douglas Hillary is a member of the Strategic Advisory Board of C5i. He is also an advisor with Aviso Inc. and a venture partner with NextGen Venture Partners. Doug has over 30 years of experience in high technology, serving executive roles at Northrop Grumman, Motorola, and Dell Technologies. While at Dell, he helped create Dell’s global services capabilities and led large-scale global service operations and global sales operations. In his last role with Dell, he led an enterprise-wide transformation program to improve the company’s use of data, BI, and analytics. He also has expertise in leading enterprise-wide transformation initiatives in enterprise support operations, managed service operations, and digital sales transformation.

A mentor with the RealCo Seed Fund Program, Doug shares his experience in P&L leadership, talent and organizational development, operations, services, big data, analytics, and strategic transformation to help portfolio companies achieve success. Formerly on the Board of Directors of Girlstart, an initiative that aims to increase girls’ interest and engagement in STEM, Doug has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan magazine, and Austin American Statesmen regarding his advocacy for STEM education for young women and increasing opportunities for women in leadership roles in technology. Doug has an MBA in Finance from Loyola Marymount University and a BA from UCLA in Political Science and International Economics.

Aaron Maass

Aaron Maass joined C5i as a member of the Strategic Advisory Board on January 30, 2024. Aaron is currently a Partner at Datavantage Partners and has previously held key executive management positions at companies like ADT, Comcast, and DuPont, where he was involved in enhancing data strategies and digital transformation initiatives. He also founded a digital analytics consulting firm that was acquired by Hero Digital, where he managed large-scale enterprise data, BI, and marketing technology platforms. Aaron has a B.A. from Cornell University and is recognized in the data and analytics field for his thought leadership on organizational management, data-driven decision-making, and monetization.

Ajit Sivadasan

Ajit Sivadasan was appointed as member of CAB with effect from November 3, 2020 and is currently employed with Lenovo as a VP/GM Global eCommerce.

Brian King

Brian King was appointed as member of CAB with effect from November 1, 2020 and is currently employed with Lenovo as a VP, Digital Transformation.

Deepak Jose

Deepak Jose was appointed as a member of CAB with effect from August 2023 and is currently employed with Mars as ODDA Senior Director and Global Head Data & Analytics Solutions.

Ivor Dorkin

Ivor Dorkin was appointed as a member of CAB with effect from September 28, 2020 and is currently employed with National Bank of Fujairah PJSC as Head of Credit with effect from October 2021.

Kalindi Mehta

Kalindi Mehta was appointed as member of CAB with effect from November 1, 2020 and was employed with Colgate-Palmolive for over 16 years.

Manik Gupta

Manik Gupta was appointed as a member of CAB with effect from July 2023, and is currently employed with Bayer Consumer Health as the Chief Analytics and Insights Officer of the Analytics and Insights (aI) group in North America.

Ram Iyer

Ram Iyer was appointed as member of CAB with effect from November 1, 2020 and is currently employed with Microsoft as Worldwide Director – Digital Strategy and eCommerce with effect from June 2016.