Mentors

Guidance

The people shaping the 4Cs of my life: Clock, Compass, Course, and Calling.

Dr. Bala Lalida Viswanathan

Born the daughter of a School Head Master in the Union Territory of Pondicherry, brilliant in studies from childhood, she served as Lecturer then Professor of French in different colleges of Pondicherry. She also served as Chairman of the Board of Examiners in French in Madras University, as well as the member of the Board of Studies in Calicut University. With the French Government fellowship, she visited France two times and attended courses in 'Teaching of French as Foreign Language'. Dr. Bala Lalida also served in New Delhi, on deputation, as Foreign Language Adviser (FLA) in the Ministry of Home Affairs for three years. Her Ph.D in French is based on a study of time in the novels of a famous French writer 'Marguerite Yourcenar'. She served as the Principal of Karaikal women's College, and the Director of Kanchi Mamunivar Centre for Post-Graduate Studies, Pondicherry.

Prof. G Sundar

A well respected, beloved faculty member at BITS-Pilani and BITS-Pilani Hyderabad Institutes, he teaches courses in Thermodynamics, Quantum Chemistry, and Chemical Instrumentation. He joined the Chemistry Department at BITS Pilani in 1987, was designated Professor in 2000, and is now Senior Professor. As Director (Off Campus Programmes and Industry Engagement) since 2014, a responsibility he continues to hold, and earlier as Deputy Director, Prof. Sundar has been leading a comprehensive transformation of the Work Integrated Learning Programmes. He was also associated closely with helping direct and manage the expansion of the Practice School programme over the years. Earlier, for several years, he was associated with the Student Welfare Division in the Pilani campus, as Chief Warden, and then as Dean. He took charge as Director of the Hyderabad campus from July, 2016 and was in the role till December 2025. He continues to serve as the Director of Off-Campus Programmes and Industry Engagement at BITS Pilani.

(Late) Sundar Balasubramanian

A global technology leader with more than three decades of experience in building and scaling software, services, and product engineering organizations across India and the United States, his career spans senior leadership roles at Unisys, Symphony Services, Hewlett Packard, Renaissance Consulting, TCS, and Sundaram Clayton, with deep expertise in product engineering, global delivery, digital transformation, implementation, and support. What stands out in Sundar’s journey is not only his ability to turn operating complexity into institutional capability, whether through building offshore organizations, shaping go-to-market services, modernizing legacy environments, or leading large cross-border teams with consistency and discipline, but also the deeply humane quality of his leadership. He is known for helping people develop a strong sense of belonging and purpose at work, and for enabling many younger professionals to find their groove, build confidence, and make their own mark. He brings the rare combination of strategic clarity, execution depth, and global operating perspective that leaves a lasting imprint on the people and institutions he helps shape.

Suresh Kuppuswamy

A seasoned technology and transformation leader with more than three decades of experience spanning IT consulting, digital transformation, product engineering, and deep-tech innovation. A Harvard Business School AMP alumnus, Suresh combines strategic vision with operating depth, having led large-scale business and technology transformations across global enterprises, financial platforms, and industrial groups. His journey now sits at the frontier of semiconductor design and advanced R&D, where he is building at the convergence of AI, semiconductors, nanotechnology, and quantum computing. What distinguishes Suresh is not only the breadth of his leadership across companies such as TCS, IBM, CAMS, Sakthi Group, and Adrenalin, but the way he connects long-range technological shifts to practical institution-building, capability creation, and real-world impact.

Dr. Sanjay Sarma

A distinguished leader in academia and business, he is a professor of mechanical engineering at MIT. Until May 2025, he was the CEO, President, and Dean of the Asia School of Business. He co-founded the Auto-ID Center at MIT, pioneering the technical concepts and standards of modern RFID. Today, the suite of standards developed by the Auto-ID Center, called EPC, has become a global standard utilized by over a thousand companies. Prof. Sarma also previously chaired the Auto-ID Research Council, establishing six labs worldwide. He co-founded OATSystems, later acquired by Checkpoint Systems, and serves on the boards of several companies including Aclara Resources (TSX:ARA) and Rekor Systems (NASDAQ:REKR). His expertise includes RFID, sensors, manufacturing, autonomy, AI, sustainability and innovation. He has authored over 150 publications and played a key role in India’s Aadhaar unique ID system. His contributions have been recognized with multiple awards, including the MIT MacVicar Fellowship and National Science Foundation CAREER Award. He has been honored by Business Week, Fast Company, and RFID Journal for his innovations. In addition to his academic achievements, Dr. Sarma has been highly influential in the field of education, helping establish Singapore University of Technology and Design, serving as the first Director of Digital Learning at MIT and as the Vice President for Open learning at MIT. His initiatives include MIT Open Learning, MicroMasters, the Jameel World Education Lab, the MIT Integrated Learning Initiative and MIT xPro. Dr. Sarma’s multifaceted career is a testament to his commitment to innovation, education, and technological advancement.