Good leadership is all about
empowering your people.

Group Chairman and Co-Founder

Ashok Vithlani

Ashok Vithlani is a part of the Sales and Marketing industry for more than four decades. From being a selling agent for a variety of products to climbing all the way to the top as Director for the Polad Group of Companies, his journey is embedded with hard work, determination, and self-belief. He was also the CEO of Rasna, India’s largest-selling soft drink concentrate, carrying it from local market to national and international markets, and converting it into an esteemed brand. Since then, he is successfully contributing to launching marketing communication plans for numerous products and brands. Today, he is a proficient business speaker, and an expert who is a part of the BOD panel of several companies. He was also a Board member of Mudra Communications, one of India’s leading advertising agencies, for 20 years. Right from providing consultation to various national and international organisations, he assists businesses and students acquire knowledge of marketing communications and branding.

Group CEO and Co-Founder

Ashok Vithlani

In his journey of 25 years, Amit Somaiya has consistently showcased his ability and potential to understand, and bring value to an extensive variety of business interests across diverse fields. With 18 years of offshoring expertise, he’s an industry luminary who built an organisation from scratch, now thriving with a 3,000-strong team. His business spans 40 countries, serving over 250+ diverse clients and specialties worldwide. His interest, experience, and expertise in an array of business specialisms have enabled him to make a significant impact throughout his career path. His skills have helped in driving foreign direct investments into multiple modern-day organisations and start-ups. Known for his exceptional people skills and strategic acumen, his ability to connect with and inspire teams, coupled with his tactical thinking, has been instrumental in the organisation’s remarkable journey of growth and success.

He asserts in his own words, “Innovation in our culture; Passion in our hearts! We strive to bring cutting-edge solutions that help our clients deliver business excellence.”

Director - IMS Group | CEO - Empresaria Group

Rhona Driggs

Rhona Driggs is Director of IMS Group, and CEO of Empresaria Group, a publicly listed global staffing specialist based in the UK, operating across 6 sectors in more than 19 countries. She has over 30 years of experience working in international companies within the staffing sector, and has a proven record of delivering growth and driving innovation. She is recognised since the past six consecutive years as one of Staffing Industry Analysts’ ‘Global Power 150 – Women in staffing’. She was also named in 2020 and 2021 as one of Europe’s Top 100 most influential leaders in staffing. She is recognised as a thought leader in the sector, with an in-depth knowledge of contract/permanent staffing, MSP, RPO, and offshore recruitment. Passionate about supporting the advancement of women in business, she has recently published her first book called ‘Together We Rise’ with several industry colleagues. A member of the Women Business Collaborative (WBC) Advisory Council, an organisation that strives to achieve equal position, pay, and power for all businesswomen, she is also an active member of several industry groups advocating for women in staffing and supporting DE&I.

Director - IMS Group | CFO - Empresaria Group

Tim Anderson

Tim Anderson has over 20 years of post-qualified experience working for listed and private equity-backed businesses across a number of sectors. He joined Empresaria in 2018 from a leading cellular immunotherapy company, where he was Group Finance Director. Prior to this, he held a number of finance positions in three FTSE 100 businesses, covering all aspects of finance. He has a proven track record in developing the finance teams and structures of organisations with a focus on driving efficiencies, developing strong control frameworks, and supporting strategic objectives. He has significant experience in mergers and acquisitions having worked for a number of acquisitive organisations. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, after qualifying with KPMG.

CEO - IT and IT Services

Jagdeep Kochar

Jagdeep Kochar is a veteran of the IT industry, with 40 plus years of invaluable experience, and unparalleled credentials in implementing and managing large-scale and successful IT, IT services, and e-Governance projects. Two decades of his journey were as the CEO of IT and IT services businesses, both in the Government and private sectors. In early career he has implemented manufacturing projects for electronics and consumer durables, and later helped organisations with digitisation and automation. While the IT industry was picking up in India, he led his teams to set up large Integrated IT systems with complex networks and software applications, including ERP. He has led implementation of many local and national level state projects, including the e-procurement initiative for the state of Gujarat, and the Government of India; and managed turnkey projects for more than 30 Data Centres in India, including for Gujarat state, ONGC, Mazagon Docks Limited, and GUVNL. Among many others, his teams implemented PKI project for Bharat Electronics Limited for securing Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Mineral Administration solution meant to curb illegal mining for the states of Gujarat, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, and ‘Cashless Health Insurance Card’ project for millions of poor families of Gujarat (now, a national project), also led implementation of state-wide surveillance and Intelligent Traffic Monitoring for Gujarat. He has provided IT advisory services to the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY-GoI), IIM-Ahmedabad, GIFT City project, IFSCA at GIFT city, and several private organisations. He has received about 15 national and international awards for various e-Governance projects, and a distinguished alumnus award from the prestigious Institute of Chemical Technology, University of Mumbai. In the past, he has served as the President of Gujarat Electronics and Software Industries Association and IIM – Ahmedabad Alumni Association, Vice Chairman of Asia PKI Forum, and Chairman Gujarat for ESC India.

CTO

Manish Naik

Manish Naik is a seasoned IT professional with over three decades of experience spanning various domains such as networking, application development, information security, service support, data centre, and infrastructure projects. His core strengths lie in a comprehensive understanding of all IT areas, including technology implementation, project management, system design, information security, and infrastructure projects. Throughout his career, he has been instrumental in several significant projects, including the design and management of one of the country’s most secure data centres, the First Tier IV State Data Centre for the Government of Gujarat, data centres of ONGC, Election Commission, SSNNL, Punjab Electricity Board, etc. He has also managed large-scale network projects, such as the one for GUVNL, which spanned the entire state of Gujarat with 1,200 locations and 25,000 endpoints. He has also been involved in surveillance projects like the Gujarat State-City Surveillance and Intelligent Traffic Monitoring Project. His international projects span countries like Vietnam, and multiple countries across Africa and the US. He has consulted for prominent organisations in the fields of pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, NBFC, PKI, universities, and the state and central government of India. His achievements include pioneering efforts in the early days of Information Technology, like designing the barcoding system for the Gujarat State Education Board in 1996, and publishing the 10th and 12th examination results online for the first time in India in 1998.

VP - PMO

Prajit Kansara

Prajit Kansara brings over 37 years of versatile experience in the software development field. His dynamic career showcases strong leadership, problem-solving, planning, team-building, and project management skills, with a track record of success in managing complex portfolios of IT investments across organisational and geographical boundaries. He has lent his expertise to various industries, including public service, high-tech manufacturing, financial services, publishing, and healthcare, providing invaluable advice to top management on technology. Throughout his career, he has been a driving force in software and ERP projects, utilising his ability to conceptualise complex technology solutions, provide consultations for large-volume software development, and deliver strategic leadership for enterprise-wide technology initiatives. His extensive professional journey includes serving as a Senior IT Consultant at Gujarat Real Estate Regulatory Authority, where he ensured the availability of IT services and micro-managed service providers. During his tenure at GNFC, he managed software application and ERP projects, provided techno-commercial support, and supervised project delivery. His achievements include implementing significant projects like e-auction portals, and contributing to the success of Easy of Doing Business (EODB) modules. His career has spanned various domains, from education to cashless sales systems, and ERP projects for organisations such as GSFC and TCGL. He has led teams, evaluated new technology, and contributed to the development of software solutions. Additionally, he has held leadership positions at organisations like The Ahmedabad Stock Exchange, ICICI Infotech Limited, Chase Infotech Limited, Maize Products, Gujarat Ambuja Cement, Intech System Pvt. Limited, and The Saraspur Mills Limited, playing key roles in IT management and project development.

AVP - Operations

Kunal Roy

Having completed his Bachelors in IT, Kunal Roy embarked on his career journey as a support engineer at IBM. Subsequently, he transitioned to HCL, where he contributed as part of the Infrastructure team. He then advanced to a pivotal role at ECS Data Centre, overseeing a team of 10+ members, and spearheading responsibilities related to servers, storage, and virtualisation. Primarily engaged in IT infrastructure implementation, upgradation, and migration projects, his proficiency spans diverse areas such as servers, storage, firewalls, VPN products, virtualisation, cloud consulting, and data protection compliance. With over 17 years of extensive experience, he possesses a robust background in IT strategic planning, collaborative growth, and team mentoring. He firmly believes in the transformative potential of pervasive connectivity, enhancing businesses with heightened efficiency, agility, and scalability. His professional development is underscored by his achievement of various certifications, including Microsoft Server, Cloud Certification (MCSE), Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), ITIL, ISO 27001, 27701, CompTIA Security+ 601 and Azure Cloud Certification. Beyond his technical prowess, he finds solace in fitness, often spending time in the gym for relaxation and rejuvenation.

Sr. VP – IMS Nucleii

Jitendra Jani

A veteran IT professional with strong business acumen, Jitendra Jani brings more than 35 years of experience in the IT industry to shape IMS Nucleii's future through innovative solutions and strategic leadership. His journey began in a state government enterprise and has taken him through notable roles, including leadership positions in major organisations such as the Tata Group and a US-based firm, where he headed global sales from India. This breadth of experience has allowed him to cater to a diverse clientele, including nearly all public sector banks and insurance companies in India and many of the country’s top 1,000 firms across various sectors. He has touched almost all IT industry tangents, from setting up data centres of varying scales to delivering software with different levels of complexity and being involved in intricate turnkey projects. His collaborations with leading OEMs like Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, and HP, as well as Indian brands focused on HRMS and business analytics, underscore his commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions that enhance operational efficiency and drive growth.