#5 - Ardaman Singh | Building a Global AI / ML Unicorn in India & Future of AI and Work

This episode is featuring Kellogg legend Harry Kraemer. Harry is a Kellogg School of Management Professor, former CEO of Baxter International, and author of three best-selling leadership books. He is currently an executive partner with Madison Dearborn Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm and he serves as a board member at various impactful companies, non-profit organizations and business councils. 

Harry has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from Lawrence University of Wisconsin and received his MBA from Kellogg School of Management in 1979. For more about Harry, you can visit harrykraemer.org. 

 This episode is co-hosted by Kelly Megel, a seasoned marketer and growth expert, senior executive and distinguished member of the Kellogg Executive MBA Alumni. 

This podcast was recorded in the Allen Center of Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. 

This episode is featuring Enis Hulli, a prominent VC investor. Enis is a General Partner at 500 Emerging Europe, focused on investing in Central Eastern European and Turkish entrepreneurs on pre-seed and seed. 

Enis has assisted various tech unicorns, guiding them from their seed stage to their  IPOs. He is a native of Istanbul, he holds an engineering degree from McGill University in Canada and is currently based in London.

This episode has been recorded remotely via Zoom.

This episode is  with Joe Manone, President and CEO of Rite-Hite Products Corporation. Rite-Hite is a world leader in the manufacture, sale, and service of loading dock equipment, industrial doors, safety barriers, HVLS fans, industrial curtain walls, and more. 

For over two decades, Joe has been instrumental in steering Rite-Hite's remarkable growth. He is a distinguished alum of the Kellogg School of Management's Executive MBA Program and holds a Bachelor’s in Finance from Arizona State University. Beyond his impactful career, Joe is also an accomplished guitar player and singer, known for his passion for uniting people and crafting unforgettable experiences.

This episode was recorded in Miami and co-hosted with Kinshuk Sahaya, a distinguished neurologist and a fellow Kellogg Executive MBA alum. 

This episode is featuring Devesh Sachdev, the founder, Managing Director, and CEO of Fusion Microfinance. Since its inception in 2009, Fusion Microfinance has become one of the fastest-growing microfinance institutions in history. This growth is largely attributed to Devesh's leadership, which is focused on adopting state-of-the-art digital technologies while serving millions in vulnerable communities. Currently, Fusion Microfinance is a publicly traded company and stands as one of the largest microfinance / non-bank financial  institutions in India.

Join us to explore Devesh's incredible journey and his mindset in building one of the most impactful companies in the world that not only brings financial inclusion to millions but also unlocks enormous opportunities for inclusive economic growth.

This episode is with Manvendra - Manny -  Saxena, founder and Executive Chairman of Mars Energy Group. Mars Energy Group is a private equity holding company that acquires renewable energy businesses and provides support after acquisition by utilizing technology, implementing systems, and driving process improvements. The main focus of Mars Energy is solar. 

Prior to Mars Energy, Manny grew a street sweeping holding company to be the second largest street sweeping business in the US. After this significant growth, the street sweeping company led by Manny was sold to Warburg Pincus, a large global private equity firm.  Manny's success is captured in a Northwestern Kellogg  School of Management business case entitled “Swept Up in Uncertainty at Power Sweeping”. 

Manny is an immigrant professional and he is originally from India. He  holds an engineering degree from IIT Varanasi and  received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.

This episode was recorded in San Francisco. 

This is a thought-provoking episode with Professor Mohanbir Sawhney, a globally recognized scholar, consultant, speaker, and author in technology, innovation and marketing. He's a distinguished professor at the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University, and an advisor to global Fortune 500 companies.  

We sat down with Professor Sawhney to delve into his impactful professional journey and explore his mindset, which has enabled him to stay ahead of rapidly evolving, cutting-edge technology trends. Professor Sawhney shared invaluable advice for both entrepreneurs and corporate career professionals seeking personal and professional development. Additionally, we discussed the future of business school education and the rapid growth of India's tech ecosystem.

This episode is one you won't want to miss.

This  is a unique episode that was recorded with Kostas Poulakidas in Bangalore, India, featuring two amazing Indian female tech leaders.  Joining us are Sonia Arora and Preetha Menon. Both have over 15 years of impactful tech leadership experience in the United States in diverse industries. In this episode we are delving into their inspiring stories and their reflections during a visit to India with the Kellogg of School of Management. 

Sonia and Preetha are classmates from the Kellogg School of Management’s Executive MBA Program.  Sonia Arora is a seasoned technology leader in cloud and agile transformation, software development life cycle, and process improvement. She is currently leading digital transformation projects at Blue Shield, California to provide access to safe, quality and affordable healthcare.  

Preetha Menon is an innovative business technology leader and a strategic product owner with experience in deep tech product development. She is currently at AbbVie where she is a leader in the delivery of innovative products to improve the lives of the patients.  

In this episode we are hosting Orie Browne, a distinguished physician, tech entrepreneur, and community service leader. 

As the Chief Medical Officer at Checkpoint Health, Orie plays a pivotal role in providing innovative health management solutions for people with chronic illnesses. His extensive career as a physician spans various locations in the US and internationally.Orie's remarkable educational and professional journey started at West Point, and advanced  with significant experiences in Israel, Germany and the United States. 

He holds an MD from the Medical School for International Health at Ben Gurion University in Israel, where he also earned his PhD in Neurophysiology. Orie is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Academy of Wilderness Medicine.Additionally, Orie is an alum of the Kellogg School of Management, where he completed the Executive MBA program. I was privileged to be his classmate at Kellogg. Beyond his professional life, he is a sailor with a deep passion for linking sailing to meaningful community service. 

We are recording this podcast in Tel Aviv, Israel, where Orie and I are visiting as Crown Family Israel Fellows at the Kellogg School of Management. 

In this episode, we are hosting Ashish Sinha, a distinguished non-profit  leader in the US democracy space. Ashish currently serves as the Chief of Staff at the Institute for Responsive Government, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. This organization is dedicated to assisting policymakers in finding solutions that enhance government efficiency, accessibility, and responsiveness to the needs of real people.

Ashish is a fellow alum of the Kellogg School of Management. 

In this episode,  we are hosting Ardaman Singh, a senior executive of Axtria, a global provider of cloud software and AI-driven data analytics to the life sciences industry. The company officially became an unicorn with over $1 billion valuation  after raising $150 million from Bain Capital Tech Opportunities in 2021. 

Ardaman is a seasoned business executive and entrepreneur with experience in almost all continents.  He is is an alum of Kellogg School of Management's Executive MBA program at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. 

We are recording this podcast in Delhi, India.