Board of Advisors
Mr. Nawshir Khurody
Mr. Nawshir Khurody served as the Managing Director of Voltas Limited. Mr. Khurody joined the Tata Administrative Service, with postings in the steel, tea and engineering interests of the Tata Group. For seven years, he joined the Corporate Management of Mannai Corporation, Qatar, returning to India to take up the stewardship of the pharmaceutical interests of the Tata Group. Mr. Khurody has wide and varied experience in formulation and implementation of business plans, risk evaluation, business investment strategy and funds management. He has special expertise in turning around sick / small organizations, quickly putting them on sustainable growth paths. Mr. Khurody also undertakes Specific Advisory Assignments.
He has been the Chairman and Independent Director of Next Gen Publishing Ltd. since January 31, 2005. Mr. Khurody serves as the Chairman of Vantech Investments Ltd. He has been a Non-Executive & Independent Director of Forbes & Company Ltd. since March 17, 2004. He serves as a Director of Milestone Capital Advisors Limited. Mr. Khurody has been an Independent Director of Afcons Infrastructure Limited since December 26, 2006. He serves as a Director of Tata Ceramics Ltd. He served as a Director of Afcons Infrastructure Limited. He served as a Director of Voltas Ltd. from January 28, 2002 to August 16, 2011. Mr. Khurody holds a Masters Degree in Economics (Hons) from Trinity College, Cambridge University.
Mr. Suresh Prabhu
Mr. Suresh Prabhu has served as an Advisor of Grow-Trees for almost four years since its inception. He is the former Railway Minister of India and the former Union Cabinet Minister for Environment and Forests. He has also served as Union Cabinet Minister for Industry, Union Cabinet Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Chairman Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers and was a member of Indian Parliament from 1996-2009. Mr. Prabhu created a significant positive impact on environmental regulations in India by proposing the formulation of a national environmental policy, initiating a bio-diversity bill and passing laws on bio-medical waste and municipal solid waste management.
He is the former chairman of Saraswat Cooperative Bank and is qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Currently he is a member of the United National Commission for Biodiversity and Land Use Change and Chair of the Global Water Partnership, and also is a member of several Global and National organizations on diverse subjects.
Dr. Ajay Mahapatra
Ajay Mahapatra has 35 years’ experience in Forests, Wildlife, Biodiversity and Natural Resources Management as an Indian Forest Service Officer. He had advised Government of India on Environment, Forest and Wildlife Policies and assisted in designing and implementing several conservation-livelihood projects in collaboration with DFID (UK), JICA (Japan), IFAD (Rome), SIDA (Sweden). A recipient of National Excellence Award on Forestry, and India Endeavour Executive Award, Ajay holds a Ph.D. in Forest Economics from Aberdeen University (UK), Post Doctorate from Cambridge University and was a Visiting Fellow at ANU, Canberra. He loves playing Tennis and reading contemporary fiction.
