Our Leadership

Ashwin Mittal

Executive Chairman

Ashwin Mittal is the Executive Chairman 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 long-term strategy, mergers and acquisitions, innovation in AI, corporate social responsibility, and brand initiatives at C5i.

Prior to his current role, Ashwin was CEO of C5i from 2016 to 2024. During his tenure as CEO and as founder of the company since 2003, he has maintained a sharp focus on client centricity, analytics and AI adoption, and continuous innovation, and has been the key driving force in architecting C5i’s growth into one of the world’s leading AI & analytics 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 awarded for “Excellence in AI and Data Analytics” at the Economic Times (ET) Business Awards 2025 and 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.

Ashwin Mittal is a member of Nasscom Executive Council 2025‒27 and holds board and advisory positions in several companies. He is a founder member of India’s first organized Angel investing group, Mumbai Angels, and is also engaged in various social impact activities related to education and child health.

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

Chief Executive Officer

Nitesh Jain is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of C5i. He is responsible for running and scaling the business, go-to-market, delivery, IP & solutions, institutionalizing governance, expanding the company’s world-class talent pool, deepening client relationships, and operations of the company.

Prior to his current role, Nitesh led global P&L, operations, and innovation as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of C5i from 2022 to 2024. 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 has been recognized among the “Top 20 CEOs Defining the Future of AI in 2025” by AIM Media House. He was also 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 – BU Lead for Technology, Media, Telecom (TMT) & Products and Innovation Lead

Anees Merchant is Executive Vice President and Business Unit Lead for Technology, Media, Telecom (TMT) & Products and Innovation Lead 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

Executive Vice President & BU Lead – Professional Services

Ajith Sankaran is the Executive Vice President & Business Unit Lead for Professional Services at C5i. 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 has over 27 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’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.

An Adjunct Professor of Practice at Amrita School of Business, Ajith teaches two subjects – Generative AI Applications in Business and Product Management.

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.

Prashant Dabas

Executive Vice President & Global Lead – Analytics & AI Delivery

Prashant Dabas is Executive Vice President and Global Lead for Analytics & AI Delivery for Enterprise Business at C5i. He is responsible for continuously elevating delivery quality, scaling operations efficiently, and raising the bar on customer satisfaction and business impact for C5i’s global clients.

Prior to C5i, Prashant was Managing Director of the Data Analytics & AI Practice at PwC, where he co-led the Cloud, Data Analytics & AI practice, driving innovation, growth, and practice sustainability. In his overall leadership experience of over 26 years at organizations including PwC, Quantiphi, WNS, Evalueserve, GE, and American Express, he has successfully led global client delivery & operations strategy, go-to-market processes, and complex mergers & acquisitions (M&A) integrations, while helping scale AI-led consulting and services businesses with P&L responsibilities. He has worked with global teams and catered to several Fortune 500 companies across the US, UK, India, Chile, Middle East, and APAC regions. Prashant has been awarded several times for innovation, delivery excellence, and values during his career span of over two decades.

Prashant also holds a patent for a unified social media brand benchmark index product that enables brands to manage social reputations and competition. He holds an MBA in Economics & Marketing from the Goa Institute of Management and a BA Honors in Economics from Delhi University.

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.

Chandrasekhar Sharma

Senior Vice President & Co-BU Lead – Healthcare & Life Sciences

Chandrasekhar Sharma is Senior Vice President and Co-Business Unit Lead – Healthcare & Life Sciences at C5i. He leads the Healthcare and Life Sciences  business, driving business strategy, P&L management, and go-to-market (GTM). His leadership fuels organizational growth and fosters innovation, enabling C5i to strengthen its market presence in the rapidly evolving healthcare and life sciences sector.

Before joining C5i, Chandrasekhar’s 25-year career spanned strategic leadership roles at leading healthcare and life sciences companies such as Novo Nordisk, Ranbaxy, Dabur, and Boston Scientific. Transitioning to consulting at Infosys, he played a pivotal role in scaling business across the value chain. At Indegene, he enhanced business impact through innovation, growth, and market leadership using data-centric strategies and solutions, consistently contributing to meaningful industry transformations.

For the past decade, Chandrasekhar has focused on advising healthcare and life sciences organizations on leveraging innovative, data-driven business models to achieve improved patient outcomes.

Chandrasekhar is actively engaged in the healthcare community. His research explores the role of business model innovation in addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), with a vision to drive equitable healthcare access for all.

As an Adjunct Professor at Monroe University, New York City, Chandrasekhar teaches Business Strategy to MBA students. In this role, he helps shape the next generation of business leaders by equipping them with the critical thinking and analytical skills needed to make strategic decisions. Chandrasekhar holds a Master’s degree in Biosciences and an MBA in General Management. He is currently pursuing an executive doctoral program focusing on healthcare business model innovation.

Santosh Nair

Senior Vice President & Co-BU Lead, Analytic Edge (a C5i company)

Dr. Santosh Nair is the co-founder of Analytic Edge and serves as Chief Analytics Officer at the company.

A distinguished academic and industry leader in applied statistics and marketing analytics, he has led the development of advanced analytics solutions for global clients across industries. Under his leadership, Analytic Edge has become a trusted partner in marketing measurement and optimization insights to several Fortune 500 companies in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Santosh is passionate about democratizing analytics, making complex methodologies accessible to business users. He strongly advocates data-driven decision-making and bridging technical rigor with business relevance. His expertise lies in the intersection of statistical modeling, econometric forecasting, and real-world business applications.

Before founding Analytic Edge, Santosh led award-winning analytics teams at Genpact and Symphony Marketing Solutions (Symphony IRI), delivering high-impact analytics solutions to several Fortune 100 companies. A recipient of multiple industry and academic awards, he regularly speaks at leading analytics and marketing science conferences and is part of many industry forums, including I-COM, ANA, and WARC.

A passionate educator and mentor, Santosh delivers guest lectures on applied analytics, AI/ML, and Marketing and has guided numerous professionals and students in the practical application of statistical techniques.

Santosh earned his Ph.D. in Applied Economics and Statistics from Clemson University, USA, where he contributed to research in econometrics, environmental modeling, and statistical applications in business.

Vijay Ramaswamy

Senior Vice President & Co-BU Lead, Analytic Edge (a C5i company)

Vijay Ramaswamy is the co-founder of Analytic Edge and serves as Chief Growth Officer, APAC & EMEA, at the company. He has been instrumental in shaping Analytic Edge’s vision of delivering fast, scalable, and actionable analytics solutions for global clients. Vijay believes that analytics should be accessible, adaptable, and impactful and emphasizes the importance of collaborative problem-solving with clients, technology-enabled decision-making, continuous measurement of business impact, and fostering an entrepreneurial culture.

Vijay has led the development of impactful analytics solutions for several Fortune 500 companies. His areas of expertise include analytics solutioning, embedding point-and-click front-end to complex analytical solutions, and developing strategic frameworks to manage Profit and Loss (P&L). He specializes in building client-centric tools for loyalty analytics, forecasting, and incrementality modeling, with a strong focus on automating data mining processes and designing robust analytical architectures. His work bridges the gap between advanced statistical modeling and real-world business impact.

Before co-founding Analytic Edge, Vijay worked at IBM DemandTec, Symphony Services, and Novartis Pharmaceuticals. In these organizations, he worked to implement advanced analytics solutions for end clients in the areas of shopper insights, dynamic pricing and forecasting, new product incrementality and cannibalization, test and learn, marketing mix analysis, and action boards.

Vijay holds a Master’s degree in Statistics from the University of Mumbai and a Business Management degree from XLRI Jamshedpur.

Imran Saeed

Vice President & BU Lead – Retail, CPG, and Manufacturing

Imran Saeed is the Vice President and Business Unit Lead for Retail, CPG, and Manufacturing at C5i. Imran focuses on developing innovative AI-enabled solutions for client organizations, empowering decision-makers to drive impact at scale through the use of analytics, technology, and human-centric design thinking.

Prior to joining C5i, Imran was Director of Analytics Consulting with Absolutdata Analytics and held various positions of responsibility at HSBC Risk and Genpact before that. He has over 21 years of experience building and embedding analytics across verticals, enabling actionable insights and consulting senior leadership within client organizations on digital transformation initiatives across developed and emerging markets.

Co-founder and a member of the Society for People Analytics, Imran also serves on the board of Rutgers University’s Big Data Advisory Council. He is a regular speaker at international conferences like IIR and ESOMAR on topics such as embedded analytics and big data.

Imran is a graduate of Columbia Business School with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Delhi University and is a certified Six Sigma professional.

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 (AI Labs)

Jayachandran Ramachandran is the Senior Vice President – Artificial Intelligence Labs (AI 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.

Joseph Sursock

Senior Vice President & Growth Leader – Strategic Accounts for Technology, Media, and Telecom

Joseph Sursock is a strategic leader, driving transformative growth as Senior Vice President for Strategic Accounts in Technology, Media, and Telecom at C5i. Partnering with global leadership teams, he unlocks high-impact business value by spearheading strategic transformation programs, often supported by AI-led smart solutions. He is passionate in guiding teams through complex evolution, ensuring every initiative generates substantial, compound value for stakeholders and their clients alike.

With over 25 years of leadership in sales and marketing, Joseph has successfully steered multi-region business units across premier software and services organizations, including Sterling Software, Oracle, Epiphany, Distillery Software, eClerx, and others. His track record includes delivering technology-led solutions across domains such as marketing, CRM, ecommerce, competitive benchmarking, omnichannel sales, and customer services. Beyond technology, Joseph has played a pivotal role in high-value process outsourcing and business systems innovation, spanning Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and investigations platforms for security agencies.

Joseph benefits from a multicultural background and is fluent in several languages, enabling seamless engagement with diverse cultures. He is passionate about several social causes that promote economic empowerment and environmental sustainability, and has actively supported food redistribution initiatives, ensuring surplus from major UK retailers reaches community centers and shelters for the vulnerable.

Joseph holds a Bachelor of Science from Leeds University and an MBA from Bradford University School of Management.

Manish Srivastava

Senior Vice President – Decision Intelligence Advisory & Supply Chain

Manish Srivastava leads the Decision Intelligence Advisory and Supply Chain solutions at C5i, where he helps clients across industries unlock business value through data, analytics, and applied AI. A results-driven leader, Manish focuses on helping transform enterprises through digital and AI-led innovation.

With over two decades of experience, Manish has consistently delivered business impact, topline growth, and operational efficiencies for Fortune 500 clients. His career spans leadership roles at Accenture, where he shaped analytics strategies for Fortune 500 companies; Mu Sigma, where he headed a business unit; and Tata Consultancy Services in the Retail/CPG sectors.

At C5i, Manish champions human-AI collaboration in driving value-added consulting services and supply chain initiatives through programmatic AI solutions—driving measurable outcomes from data, analytics, and AI investments.

Initiatives driven by Manish have won numerous awards, including ‘Best Data Science Project in Reducing Finished Goods Waste for a CPG Player’ (2022) and ‘Best Business Impact Initiative for an Automotive OEM’ (2023) by Analytics India Magazine and ‘Best Use of Technology in Supply Chain for Visibility of Direct Store Delivery Network’ (2024) by UBS Forums.

Manish holds a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics (Honors) from Delhi University and an M.B.A. from the Institute of Management Technology in India. He is a CSCP and CPIM from the Association of Supply Chain Management and is certified in tackling the Challenges of Big Data from MIT.

Manish Kotwani

Senior Vice President & Head – Human Resources (HR) & Administration

Manish Kotwani leads C5i’s Human Resources & Administration function globally. He is passionate about aligning HR Strategy with organizational vision while driving impactful people initiatives across markets.

Prior to joining C5i, Manish was Vice President of Human Resources with Sterling Talent Solutions. With over 25 years of experience, he has led HR transformation across industries including consulting, KPO, technology, analytics, and professional services. He has spearheaded HR strategy, talent acquisition, total rewards, employee engagement, and M&A integrations across geographies, fostering high-performing cultures and strong employer brands. Acting as a partner to business leadership and stakeholders, he has successfully led organizations through their e-Sat certification journeys with quantifiable business outcomes.

Manish has been recognized by World HRD Congress among the “Most Influential HR Leaders in India” in 2017 and “Top 100 HR Leaders that Make a Difference” in 2018.

Manish is a keen philanthropist who is passionate about child welfare & development and making the world a better and more sustainable place to live for everyone. Professionally, he is deeply focused on building a great place to work through meaningful learning interventions that offer value to the business and its customers.

Academically, Manish has a Master’s degree in Human Resources from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies and is a Certified HR Mergers & Acquisitions and Total Rewards professional through Aon.

Megha Chaudhry

Vice President & Head – Marketing & Alliances

Megha Chaudhry is Vice President and Head of Marketing & Alliances at C5i. She leads integrated marketing, go-to-market strategy, public relations, business development, sales enablement, and data and technology partner and alliance management at C5i, with a focus on leveraging the latest technology with human expertise to drive brand growth, sales, and business impact for the company.

Prior to her role at C5i, Megha was the India Marketing Head at eClerx Services Ltd. and Director of International Business Development at Aloha Technology Pvt. Ltd. before that. She has over twenty years of experience in strategic marketing leadership, driving large-scale initiatives impacting strategic brand positioning and top-line revenue using marketing technology, consumer & market insight, analytics, artificial intelligence, and proven experience in alliance and partner growth strategies. She has worked with global clients across the US, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific regions in Technology, Retail, CPG, BFSI, Telecom, and other domains, delivering successful business outcomes through technology-driven innovation and cross-functional, cross-regional collaboration.

Megha has received numerous awards and recognitions including ‘Most Admired Marketing Leader by World Marketing Congress, 2023,’ ‘Most Innovative Martech Leaders, 2022,’ ‘Superwomen 2021 Social Samosa award,’ ‘COVID-19 Super Hero Award at Global CMO Leadership Summit & Awards, 2020,’ ‘100 Best Marketing Minds of India by Enterprise IT World, 2018,’ and ‘100 Most Innovative Martech Leaders by Enterprise IT World, 2018.’

Megha holds a Bachelor of Law degree from Symbiosis Society’s Law College, Pune University.

Ashwin Mittal

Executive Chairman

Ashwin Mittal is the Executive Chairman 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 long-term strategy, mergers and acquisitions, innovation in AI, corporate social responsibility, and brand initiatives at C5i.

Prior to his current role, Ashwin was CEO of C5i from 2016 to 2024. During his tenure as CEO and as founder of the company since 2003, he has maintained a sharp focus on client centricity, analytics and AI adoption, and continuous innovation, and has been the key driving force in architecting C5i’s growth into one of the world’s leading AI & analytics 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 awarded for “Excellence in AI and Data Analytics” at the Economic Times (ET) Business Awards 2025 and 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.

Ashwin Mittal is a member of Nasscom Executive Council 2025‒27 and holds board and advisory positions in several companies. He is a founder member of India’s first organized Angel investing group, Mumbai Angels, and is also engaged in various social impact activities related to education and child health.

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.

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.

Liat Ben-Zur

Liat Ben-Zur is a member of the Strategic Advisory Board of C5i.  She is a transformative technology executive and AI strategist who helps organizations navigate disruption and unlock growth. As CEO of LBZ Advisory, she brings boardroom-tested expertise in AI deployment, product strategy, and operational transformation.

At Microsoft, Liat led the world’s first commercial GPT-4 launch with Bing and, as Corporate Vice President, doubled M365 consumer subscriptions while growing the consumer business multifold in four years. At Philips, she redefined digital health strategy as SVP of Digital Transformation, launching 30+ connected products. At Qualcomm, she built the IoT ecosystem from the ground up, scaling the developer network to over 1,000 partners.

Liat currently serves on the boards of Talkspace, Compass Group PLC, and Splashtop, with advisory roles spanning healthcare, SaaS, finance, and automotive sectors. Her insights appear in The Wall Street Journal and Forbes.

She holds six patents, a BSEE from UC Davis (Magna Cum Laude), and an MBA from UCLA Anderson (High Distinction). Named one of Inspiring Fifty’s “Most Inspirational Women in Tech”, Liat combines deep technical fluency with proven C-suite execution.

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 Niagara Bottling as Vice President and Head of Data Sciences & Business Intelligence.

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 is currently employed with The Estée Lauder Companies Inc as Global Vice President, Consumer Foresight, Strategy & Predictive Analytics.

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.