Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, India
I left a global career to chase a dream in the Himalayas — that every Indian, no matter where they are born, should have access to world-class education. I now dream to extend this to every citizen of the global south. As Founder and Vice-Chancellor of Shoolini University, ranked India’s No. 1 private university (QS 2026), I’ve spent the last decade building an innovation-driven ecosystem that blends research, entrepreneurship, and compassion. I also serve as an Honorary Enterprise Professor at the University of Melbourne, Australia’s top university — working to connect the Global South through new ideas in learning and technology. Through Daskalos, our global partnerships platform, we’re bringing top universities such as Bristol, York, Aberdeen, Liverpool, Victoria and Illinois Tech to India — creating campuses, joint research, and innovation led learning models for the future. My belief is simple: great ideas can come from small places — and change the world.
The University of Melbourne is one of the world’s leading universities and has been consistently ranked in the world’s top 20 universities by QS
Daskalos (Teacher in Greek) is my dream to bring global higher education to India. Daskalos currently has partnerships with 8 global universities and we expect 7 world class campuses in Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi to go live in 2026. Daskalos is a joint venture between me and Emeritus (the world’s leading edtech provider).
Independent director on the Board of Vardhman Textiles Limited, India’s leading textiles company
The future of the university will be way different from the university of the past. I am trying to bring disruption into university education.
Lead Innovation at Shoolini