Our speakers

Dr. Dinesh Batra, Director & Group CEO, Cygnus Hospitals

A well-known healthcare management expert with over 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry in India and other countries. Over last 3 decades, Dr. Batra has worked across various healthcare brands with the latest being Primus Super specialty hospital in Chanakyapuri in Delhi as the CEO. He was one of the key players in the success story of the Primus Group.

He then began the journey of Cygnus Hospitals with four more doctors and a pharma entrepreneur. Dr. Batra is aggressively involved in administration, planning and development of the eleven hospitals, currently under Cygnus Group. He has actively participated in healthcare projects for tribal areas, for patients needing free dialysis, and free education to under-privileged. Dr. Batra is associated with many leading healthcare institutes in Delhi NCR as a Medical Advisor.

In 2015, Dr. Batra, was invited by Government of Haryana in association with CII to a ‘Business Mission to US & Canada’. The prime objective of this mission was to reposition Haryana as an investment destination on the International stage with a focus on the sector like – Energy, Aerospace, Defence production including offset Manufacturing, Garments / Textiles, Food Processing, Auto/Auto Components, Healthcare, Industrial Parks, Logistics, mass rapid transport as also to seek cooperation in the field of Education/Skill development.


Dr. Dinesh Batra, Director & Group CEO, Cygnus Hospitals

A well-known healthcare management expert with over 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry in India and other countries. Over last 3 decades, Dr. Batra has worked across various healthcare brands with the latest being Primus Super specialty hospital in Chanakyapuri in Delhi as the CEO. He was one of the key players in the success story of the Primus Group.

He then began the journey of Cygnus Hospitals with four more doctors and a pharma entrepreneur. Dr. Batra is aggressively involved in administration, planning and development of the eleven hospitals, currently under Cygnus Group. He has actively participated in healthcare projects for tribal areas, for patients needing free dialysis, and free education to under-privileged. Dr. Batra is associated with many leading healthcare institutes in Delhi NCR as a Medical Advisor.

In 2015, Dr. Batra, was invited by Government of Haryana in association with CII to a ‘Business Mission to US & Canada’. The prime objective of this mission was to reposition Haryana as an investment destination on the International stage with a focus on the sector like – Energy, Aerospace, Defence production including offset Manufacturing, Garments / Textiles, Food Processing, Auto/Auto Components, Healthcare, Industrial Parks, Logistics, mass rapid transport as also to seek cooperation in the field of Education/Skill development.


Dr. Durga Prasad Dube, Global CISO and Senior Vice President, Reliance Industries Limited

I have extensive experience of almost 30 years in working for both Public, Private and Research organizations in senior positions in the area of Cyber security and Information Risk Management (IRM) and a consistent track record of success in getting initiatives off the ground and flourishing, in the quickest possible time frame. Currently I am the Senior Vice President and Head IRM of Reliance Industries Limited- the largest business conglomerates in India. My key responsibilities here mainly encompasses design and implementation of state of the art Information Security and Information Risk Management processes and technologies in various businesses viz Petroleum Supply chain, Retail,Lifescience etc . Prior to this I worked for almost three years as Executive Director of Paladion Networks- one of the biggest pure play Technology Risk Management company in Asia. I headed the BFSI vertical which constitutes almost 80% of the revenue of the company. Before that I was for a year in Wipro InfoTech as Consulting Advisor, Strategic Information security Services. My role here was to design innovative Technology Risk Management solutions for the BFSI sector. Prior to this I was in IDRBT for 6 years as Faculty and Head Consulting. This 6 Years’ time was very enriching for me in terms of experience and gaining deep insight into various aspects of technology absorption in Banking Industry. Before IDRBT I gained extensive experience in various roles in Reserve Bank of India for almost 18 years, including technology. The rich and varied experience in my formative years largely contributed to my success and achievement in later assignments till date. In my leadership role in all my previous organizations.

I believe my USP to be “Regulators perspective blended with that of a technologist, business strategist and cyber security expert”.


Dr. Edward Rogers, Faculty, ISB

Dr. Rogers, as a professor taught strategy and entrepreneurship before joining NASA in 2003. For seventeen years he served as the Chief Knowledge Officer at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Maryland until his retirement from government service in 2020. During his tenure with the government, NASA expanded its knowledge management pro-gram across the agency based in large part upon Dr. Rogers’ successful model developed at the Goddard Space Flight Center.  

For over ten years he has been a visiting faculty member at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, India where he teaches a popular MBA course on Managing Complexity.  Through various ISB Executive Education programs he has also taught numerous executives in India and the US practical ways to improve their decision-making ability in complex situa-tions. He has advised corporate and government leaders on how to shape their organizations for learning and uncover thinking patterns that can inhibit innovation and collaboration.

At NASA he built a set of knowledge management practices that strategically support the Agency’s missions including the simple yet effective Pause and Learn (PaL) process, which allows project teams to reflect on their experience and improve organizational learning.  He developed an internal case study methodology and used it to create over 50 NASA-specific case studies for use in training sessions and workshops. He designed an internal leadership course at Goddard called the Road to Mission Success which helps employees across organi-zational boundaries better understand how the Agency works, promotes knowledge sharing and ultimately strengthens collaboration across technical disciplines.

Dr. Rogers received a B.S. in Agronomy from the Ohio State University, a Master’s in Inter-national Business from the University of South Carolina and a Ph.D. from Cornell University focusing on game theory applications to collaboration in high tech firms. In his spare time, he enjoys singing, playing the saxophone and ballroom dancing. Dr. Rogers lives near Char-lottesville, Virginia where he continues to speak and consult on how to foster organizational learning and improve executive decision-making ability and is a frequent speaker for MBA classes, business conferences and Federal Agencies in the Washington, DC area.


Dr. Edward W. Rogers, Faculty, ISB

Dr. Rogers, as a professor taught strategy and entrepreneurship before joining NASA in 2003. For seventeen years he served as the Chief Knowledge Officer at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Maryland until his retirement from government service in 2020. During his tenure with the government, NASA expanded its knowledge management pro-gram across the agency based in large part upon Dr. Rogers’ successful model developed at the Goddard Space Flight Center.  

For over ten years he has been a visiting faculty member at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, India where he teaches a popular MBA course on Managing Complexity.  Through various ISB Executive Education programs he has also taught numerous executives in India and the US practical ways to improve their decision-making ability in complex situa-tions. He has advised corporate and government leaders on how to shape their organizations for learning and uncover thinking patterns that can inhibit innovation and collaboration.

At NASA he built a set of knowledge management practices that strategically support the Agency’s missions including the simple yet effective Pause and Learn (PaL) process, which allows project teams to reflect on their experience and improve organizational learning.  He developed an internal case study methodology and used it to create over 50 NASA-specific case studies for use in training sessions and workshops. He designed an internal leadership course at Goddard called the Road to Mission Success which helps employees across organi-zational boundaries better understand how the Agency works, promotes knowledge sharing and ultimately strengthens collaboration across technical disciplines.

Dr. Rogers received a B.S. in Agronomy from the Ohio State University, a Master’s in Inter-national Business from the University of South Carolina and a Ph.D. from Cornell University focusing on game theory applications to collaboration in high tech firms. In his spare time, he enjoys singing, playing the saxophone and ballroom dancing. Dr. Rogers lives near Char-lottesville, Virginia where he continues to speak and consult on how to foster organizational learning and improve executive decision-making ability and is a frequent speaker for MBA classes, business conferences and Federal Agencies in the Washington, DC area.


Dr. Fareed Ahmed, Former Executive Director, Punjab & Sind Bank

Dr. Fareed Ahmed, Former Executive Director from Punjab & Sind Bank and superannuated in July 2020 after rendering a service of more than 37 years of service in two Public Sector Banks. Prior to joining Punjab & Sind Bank, he was with Corporation Bank and his last position was  Circle General Manager, Ahmedabad.

He has to his credit a versatile experience of working in the entire gamut of banking, both at operational and administrative levels. He held various senior leadership positions and established a track record of success in all the roles and won Corporate Awards many a time.

He was awarded PhD for his thesis “Analysis and Modeling of Management of Asset quality of Public and Private Banks in India”. He suggested ‘bad bank’ concept and need for establishment of Development financial institution in his thesis in the year 2017. He has multiple publications related to NPA and other banking aspects. He is post Graduate in Agricultural Economics and CAIIB. Other academic and professional qualifications include PG diploma in Cooperation & Rural Studies, Diploma in Company Law and certifications in Trade finance, SME finance, Corporate Banking and Cyber Security.

Participated in various Seminars/Conclaves as a panelist and also conducted sessions on Banking, Leadership and Team Performance and related aspects at Banks’ Staff Training colleges and other Management Institutes.

He attended various trainings/workshops/seminars on Banking, Leadership and Human Resources Development conducted by organizations of repute in India and abroad.
Conferred with several awards and distinctions¬ –¬¬¬¬¬¬--“Best HR Leader in PSUs” by Asia Pacific Congress, 2017; “Transformative Leader Award” in National APY Conference 2017 by PFRDA; “Pride of Delhi Award for Excellence in HR” by World HRD Congress, 2017 and “100 Top Most influential BFSI Leaders” in World BFSI Congress & Awards, 2018 by World CSR Day and World Sustainability Congress.


Dr. G.N.S. Reddy, Managing Director, Akshayakalpa Farms and Foods Pvt. Ltd

Dr. G.N.S.Reddy is Managing Director for Akshayakalpa Farms and Foods Pvt Ltd, an automated dairy farm specializing in organic milk production. Besides, he is currently incharge of BAIF Programmes in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka where he is additionally holding responsibility of an Executive Vice Chairman of BAIF Institute for Rural Development - Karnataka and BAIF Institute for Rural Development -Andhra Pradesh. He has completed his B.V.SC from Bangalore Veterinary College with Advanced Training in Large Herd Management and Oestrus Synchronization from INRA, France.

He was honoured with best Veterinarian award instituted by the Karnataka Veterinary association in 1998, DesaSnehi Award from India development Foundation in 2008 and has also received Indira Gandhi paryavaran Puraskar from Govt of India on behalf of BAIF Institute for Rural Development-Karnataka.


Dr. G.S.K Velu, MD, Trivitron Healthcare Pvt. Ltd

Man who dreams of making India a self-sufficient nation in terms of medical technology, expertise and quality healthcare is Dr. GSK Velu. He has been awarded several recognition and has been named as "parallel entrepreneur" by Forbes and "first generation serial entrepreneur" by many but one thing he will always be - a proud waiver of the Indian flag in the face of tough international competition.

Dr. Velu’ s vision, determination and futuristic approach to make healthcare affordable to one and all made it possible for the tens of thousands of Indians who accessed medical technology, diagnostic services, eye care, dental care and dialysis services which otherwise used to be a very costly affair and hence unaffordable for the common man.

Making Healthcare Accessible and Affordable not only to Indian Population but to the underprivileged population across the world is the vision for which he is working for over 27 years from 1988 in the Corporate World. All his corporate ventures work with one goal of improving access and affordability for Healthcare across the Globe with specific relevance to Under Developed/ Developing market.

Under the current portfolio, Dr. Velu is Founder and Managing Director, Trivitron Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., Largest Indian Medical Technology Company in the world, Co-Founder and Vice-Chairman, Metropolis Healthcare Ltd., second largest chain of medical laboratories in the country, Founder and Chairman of Maxivision Eye Care Hospitals- a Medfort Hospitals Initiative. Pioneers in Laser Surgery in India and Founder and Director, Alliance Medicorp Ltd. and Alliance Dental Ltd., largest chain of Dental hospitals & largest chain of Dialysis Clinics in India.

Entrepreneurship Profile:

  •  Founder and Managing Director, Trivitron Group of Companies (the largest medical technology company of Indian origin)
  •  Co-Founder and Vice Chairman, Metropolis Healthcare (one of the largest Diagnostic laboratory chains in Asia)
  •  Founder and Chairman, Medfort Hospitals (a network of Eye care Hospitals)
  •  Founder and Director, Alliance Medicorp (Chain of Dialysis and Dental Care)


Dr. Gabriele Sabato, Co-Founder and CEO, Wiserfunding, Ltd.

Gabriele is an experienced risk manager, currently leading a London-based fintech, Wiserfunding, specialized in assessing the credit risk of SMEs.

Deep knowledge of current Regulatory context (Basel III, G-Sifi, IFRS, SREP, SSM and EBA stress testing and PRA requirements) with extensive past experience in consumer and SME lending.
Combines significant knowledge of quantitative risk models and portfolio management techniques with proven track record in managing large cross-cultural teams across different geographies for a successful delivery of multiple large and highly complex projects in challenging cross-border regulatory environment and under ambitious deadlines.

Outstanding academic records and highly sophisticated research activity published in the most important academic journals have helped to build a strong profile and credibility with investors and regulators.
He received his M.S.c. and Ph.D. in Finance from University of Rome “La Sapienza” – Faculty of Economics.

Some of his publications include:

  • “Effects of the New Basel Capital Accord on the Bank Capital Requirement for SMEs”, co-authored with Edward I. Altman – Journal of Financial Services Research, October 2005.
  • “Modeling credit risk for SMEs. Evidence from the US market”, co-authored with Edward I. Altman – ABACUS, Vol.43, Issue 3, September 2007.
  • “Downturn Loss Given Default: how and when to add the required conservatism”, Credit Technology, SERASA, April 2008.
  • “Managing Credit Risk for Retail Low Default Portfolios”, Wagner N. (ed.), Credit Risk: Models, Derivatives and Management, Chapman & Hall / CRC, Financial Mathematics Series Vol. 6, May 2008.
  • “Credit Scoring Models”, Rama Cont (ed.), Encyclopedia of Quantitative Finance, Wiley and Sons, July 2010.
  • “The Value of Non-Financial Information in SME Risk Management”, co-authored with Edward I. Altman and Nicholas Wilson, Journal of Credit Risk, Vol. 6, Number 2, Summer 2010.
  • “Financial Crisis: Where Did Risk Management Fail?” International Review of Applied Financial Issues and Economics, 2009.
  • “Solving Sample Selection Bias in Credit Scoring”, Credit Technology, SERASA, Number 71, March 2010.
  • "Setting Acquisition Strategy for Retail Customers", Credit Technology, SERASA, Number 73, August 2010.
  • "Risk Management, Corporate Governance and Bank Performance in the Financial Crisis", Co-authored with Aaebi V. and Schmid M., Journal of Banking and Finance, Vol. 36, Number 12, December 2012.
  • "Measuring and Managing Credit and Other Risks" in Portfolio Theory and Management, Baker K. and Filbeck G. Editors, Oxford University Press, June 2013.
  • “Risk Management and Financial Disasters” in Investment Risk Management, Baker K. and Filbeck G. Editors, Oxford University Press, January 2015
  • “Assessing the credit worthiness of Italian SME and mini-bond issuers”, Co-authored with E. Altman and M. Esentato, Global Finance Journal, forthcoming.

Dr. Gareth Jones, Chairman & Director, Health care at home

Gareth Jones was educated at Manchester Grammar School and then at Edinburgh University where he studied Medicine. At Edinburgh he excelled in both sport and flying – as a member of the University Air Squadron. Graduating in 1977, Gareth completed his pre-registration ‘house jobs’ to register as a doctor before opting to join the Royal Air Force, not as a doctor, but as a pilot.

Following 3 years of successful training, Gareth joined his first operational Squadron in 1981 - No. IV (AC) Sqn flying Harriers in Germany. An illustrious career in the RAF followed, principally flying Harriers or undertaking staff posts in support of the Harrier Force. He was awarded a Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air in 1990, then an OBE in 1998, and retired from the RAF as a Wing Commander.

In his final RAF years, Gareth completed a self-sponsored Warwick University MBA and graduated in 1998. Wishing to join a small entrepreneurial enterprise, Gareth joined Charles Walsh and a very small Healthcare at Home (HAH) in January 1998 as Business Development Manager. Since then, he has helped Healthcare at Home achieve significant growth and great success. He was appointed commercial director in 1999, led the company’s strategic development team for a time, and then headed up the PharmaServices Division; finally, he was International Director, developing business in Germany, Switzerland, Ireland and Australia. Gareth qualified as a Chartered Director with the Institute of Directors in 2006.

Gareth left HAH UK in early 2012 in order to set up, with Charles Walsh and the Burman family (owners of the Dabur Group), a new joint venture in India “Health Care at Home India Pvt Ltd”. He is currently Chairman of the company and spends much of his time in India helping to develop the business.

He is married to a full-time General Practitioner, has 2 adult sons, and lives in Rutland UK.