Board Members

Known as Architect of modern India-Japan Partnership and the newly established Alternative Development Model (ADM) Vibhav Kant Upadhyay is a development leader known for his statesmanship, macro-vision and pragmatism. A prolific out-of-the-box thinker, Vibhav strongly believes that the current development model needs a foundational change and has dedicated his life towards manifesting this thought process into visible and tangible results through the Alternative Development Model (ADM).

He is an eminent Indophile and is an authority on Indian culture. He spent 6 months touring India on his bicycle as part of his world tour. His wide knowledge on India has been of tremendous use to IC at different platforms.

Hajime Odani is the Representative Director of DD Supply and DD Machine Holding in addition to being the Representative of CPM Holdings. Mr. Odani hails from the traditional city of Kyoto and is a graduate of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Tokyo and also serves as an external advisor to many organizations. On a social font, Mr. Odani is the Director of the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan while also serving as the Vice President of the International Economic Science and Cultural Cooperation Organization.

Delhi University graduate, Entrepreneur,Believes in world peace and harmony. Contributing in Japan-India relations since 1998.

He is a young Norwegian Member of Parliament known for his innate leadership qualities. He has served as a Deputy Minister of Law and Justice of Norway at the age of 25, and served as a Deputy Minister/State Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office. He is a member of the standing committee on Justice as well. Backed by his immense expertise and knowledge of the country Norway, he is nurturing and taking the relationship between India and Norway to new heights.

Electrical Engineer and Masters in Financial Management with over 4 decades (23 years with eGateway) of work experience in Project Development, EPC Contractor Selection, Partnerships Developments/ Strategic Alliances / JVs, Project Management, Project Financing and Project Implementation with International Companies Developed several projects (Coal & Gas) of size up to 1000 MW as Group Head Advised on projects cumulating to over 7000 MW in India , USA ,South Africa, Senegal, Middle East and South East Asia Wide exposure to the development process including site identification, land acquisition, obtaining permits & approvals, interaction with regulatory authorities and other agencies Maintains a strong network with Government authorities at Federal and Provincial levels Rich experience of structuring EPC/Non-EPC contracts and power sale/evacuation/interconnection agreements Relationships with various Financial Institutions for assisting financial closure of large projects Other areas of expertise: strategic advice on project identification, restructuring, takeover strategy of partially completed/running project Member of India Energy Forum, a platform for exchanging policy views in the power sector

She is a Communications Strategist with a passion for New Media. She holds a Master’s degree in Multimedia Journalism from the reputed Media School of Bournemouth University. Ms Dewan has worked as a journalist during the tumultuous “People’s War” of Nepal reporting on various political and socio-economic issues such as the Maoist conflict, food security, conservation, environment and development. She has worked as a News Anchor and Producer. She is the founding Chairperson of Media Accountability Foundation (MAF), which aims to promote media literacy and ethics in journalism. She is the Secretary General of India Center Foundation.

Jai Verma is the Chairman and CEO of Protecti Global Holdings Ltd an investment holding company that invests in biotechnology, blockchain, real estate, Seismic Survey, Mining, and Agriculture businesses around the globe. He also serves as the Chairman of Agrizz Global DMCC, Protecti Technology Ltd, and Protecti Biotech Pvt. Ltd, Chairman of Government Solutions at Gochain blockchain company based in the United States and Chairman of Esperer Nutrition Pvt. Ltd a multinational clinical nutraceutical company focusing on cancer nutrition. Before this, he served as the Global CEO of Government Solutions at Cigna Corporation a Fortune 12 US healthcare corporation.

He is a business strategist and thinker with years of experience in global marketing and technology development. He has been a technology pioneer in fields of high-speed data/telecom networking and mobile Internet. He holds several patents in field of multi-service networking and mobile applications.

Priyanka is serving as the Director- Initiatives at India Center. She is a young professional working in the field of sustainability. She has been advocating and working towards the Alternative Development Model for almost half a decade and hopes to be able to establish more sustainable initiatives in the future. She has a graduate degree in Mass Communication and Journalism.