Our Board

Our leadership shares a love of music, football and creativity!

As a culture-first organization, we strive to embody the values and behaviors we work tirelessly to teach our students every day. We pride ourselves on performance and productivity, whilst also ensuring our team champions wellbeing. We’re a dynamic team of individuals with backgrounds and experience in the non-profit, education, corporate and advocacy sectors.

Global Governing Council

Ramkey Ananthakrishnan

Chairperson

Ramkey is a Partner in Banconus, a wealth management company and a Partner in Alchemy, a Leadership Coaching and Consulting firm. He is a Managing Partner in Rasikapriya Fine Arts and a Board Member of Enabling Leadership.

Ravi Sonnad

CEO

Ravi has worked in the manufacturing industry for over 25 years, living and working in India, the United States, The Netherlands, China, and Singapore. 

Priya Machado

Priya Machado is a British/Dutch National of Indian origin based in Amsterdam. She has extensive experience having worked for British NGOs in India and the UK overseeing and monitoring projects related to education, women and community programs, and a Dutch NGO in Holland connected with stress management training for humanitarian workers in developing countries. She now works with the Anne Frank House, as part of the India/Sri Lanka/Bangladesh Task Force Team involved in educational projects for students and teachers related to human rights. 

Nick Bryan-Brown

Nick is an investor in smaller and growth businesses in SE Asia, where he provides mentoring and advice. He is a former lawyer, investment banker and entrepreneur, with more than 30 years experience of Asian markets.

Uma Natarajan ​

Dr. Uma Natarajan is an educator and researcher in the field of K-12 education. Her research interests are integration of technology in classrooms, blended learning, teacher professional development and education policy. 

Board of Advisors

Latha Emmatty Gupta

Latha is the founder of OD Mantra, a boutique Mindful Leadership company that offers coaching, consulting and development. She has held several global executive roles in a career spanning nearly three decades in General Management and Human Resources. 

She trains yoga and meditation teachers around the world and helps people explore spiritual dimension in scientific and secular formats. She cares about educating children for life and livelihood.

Manoj Kumar Vijai

Manoj is presently the Office Managing Partner, Mumbai & Head – Risk Advisory of KPMG in India. He has been associated with KPMG in India for over 26 years and has assumed various leadership roles during his tenure.

Manoj is a Commerce graduate from Sydenham College in Mumbai University. He is also professionally qualified as a Chartered Accountant, Cost Accountant and Certified Public Accountant (USA).

Manoj is passionate about developing and mentoring individuals to help them reach their full potential.

Outside of work, Manoj nurtures his creative side through sketching. He also enjoys playing badminton and practices yoga.

Shekar Ranganathan

Shekar Ranganathan is the CFO and Managing Director for Asia Pacific since
August 2009. He works closely with the Asia Pacific Executive team, business and
business partner to support the regional growth strategies, build out the financial
infrastructure and oversee regulatory reporting.

He joined BNY Mellon in December 2004 as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer for BNY Mellon’s operations in Pune where he was a key contributor for the growth and success of the Company’s rapidly expanding business there.

Shekar is already involved with the Enabling Leadership foundation for the past two years in mentoring some of their key employees. He has also been associated with NGO’s like Teach for India where he has mentored several underprivileged children to achieve their dreams.

Krishna Thothadri

TK is a seasoned brand blueprinter and adman, with 30+ years’ experience in India and across the world. In 2000, he conceived and piloted Lifebuoy’s rural handwash initiative – currently the world’s largest and longest-running hygiene program. 

“EL has great purpose, great
product and great ambition. It must pivot to become a globally loved brand whose storytelling attracts avid fans, subscribers and supporters.
Imagine a world in which a million children become leaders!”

Tomas Centeno

Tomás is a senior advisor to Private Equity companies, as well as the co-founder and CEO of a tech start-up. He has close to 20 year’s experience as a senior executive in companies like Dyson, Philips and Procter & Gamble based out of many Asian and European countries.

Chirag Sapra

Chirag is an investment professional in New York City. He has a B.E. in mechanical engineering and MSc. in mathematics from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) – Pilani, India and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, New York.
He has a keen interest in health and fitness, bodybuilding, and music. Underprivileged kids and gender discrimination are the two causes that are very close to his heart.

Anirudh Patri

Anirudh is a Strategy Consultant specializing in the technology industry with a focus on SaaS, Cloud and as-a-service offerings. Over the years he has had the opportunity to work with the top management of some of the largest and most ubiquitous companies in the word.

 Anirudh briefly ran a social enterprise which strived to digitally enable the social sector to amplify impact. He holds an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and a B.Tech from IIT Madras. 

He is also an avid diver and has dived in 3 countries at over 20 dive-sites.

Singapore Board

Sam Bedi

Sam has over 25 years of corporate experience including regional and executive leadership across organisations including Mondelez, General Electric, GlaxoSmithKline, as well as Glanbia PLC. In addition, he is a qualified piano performer, having performed regularly across Asia Pacific for Not-Profit-Purposes.

Ashish Wadhwani

Ashish has 25 years of experience in VC/PE, direct investment, M&A and Strategy consulting including with Tata Industries, Roland Berger, Deloitte and Monitor and in Entrepreneur and Investment roles across Asia. Advised nearly 50 companies at the CxO level on Business Strategy, M&A, Performance Improvement and Growth.

Uma Natarajan ​

Dr. Uma Natarajan is an educator and researcher in the field of K-12 education. Her research interests are integration of technology in classrooms, blended learning, teacher professional development and education policy. 

US Board

Jay Bala

Jay works in the technology industry in Silicon Valley California and builds enterprise technology products. Graduated from IIT Madras and IIM Calcutta and believes it’s the duty of every person to make the world a better place for many generations to come in as many ways possible, big and small. Sound education at the school level in a safe and fun learning environment is fundamental and foundational to build human character and individuals with self confidence, creativity and empathy for the 21st century and beyond! He is working with the Enabling Leadership team to put those beliefs into practice.

Balaji Ramakrishnan

Balaji is a seasoned supply chain professional with 25+ years’ experience working in industry and as a management consultant.  He has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from University of Chicago.  He is passionate about the idea of making a difference by giving the next generation the opportunity to grow and flourish. 

UK Board

Nick Bryan-Brown

Nick is an investor in smaller and growth businesses in SE Asia, where he provides mentoring and advice. He is a former lawyer, investment banker and entrepreneur, with more than 30 years experience of Asian markets.

Dean Anderson

Dean Anderson, Interim Director of Fundraising and Communications

Dean is currently Director of Fundraising and Communications at War Child, joining in September 2021. He has worked for a number of international development and human rights organisations since 1996, leading fundraising teams at ChildHope UK, Amnesty International and ActionAid amongst others. His background is in high level philanthropy and partnerships and he is passionate about growing income to fund transformative community-led work in social justice and human rights.

Netherlands Board

Addy Stoel

Addy has always been involved in social activities. She is a lifelong teacher and she teaches Dutch to illiterate people, refugees, disadvantaged people and expats. For many years she also provided information to schools and universities about the work of Unesco.

Priya Machado

Priya Machado is a British/Dutch National of Indian origin based in Amsterdam. She has extensive experience having worked for British NGOs in India and the UK overseeing and monitoring projects related to education, women and community programs, and a Dutch NGO in Holland connected with stress management training for humanitarian workers in developing countries. She now works with the Anne Frank House, as part of the India/Sri Lanka/Bangladesh Task Force Team involved in educational projects for students and teachers related to human rights. 

Matt Sibbing

Mattijs (‘Matt’) Sibbing has been born and raised in the Netherlands. Matt and his wife settled in Hong Kong in 2008 and moved to Singapore in 2009, where they lived for 10 years. They are now back in Europe and currently residing in Zurich, Switzerland where he is CEO of ACE, the administration services company he founded in Singapore in 2013. 

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