Harish S. Mehta

Mr. Harish Mehta is Founder & Executive Chairman of Onward Technologies Ltd (OTL), Onward Technologies Limited is an independent engineering design solutions and services company offering mechanical engineering solutions to various industries across multiple domains, including automotive, off-highway, industrial, heavy engineering, rail, aerospace, consumer, and healthcare.
Onward provides services to global OEM’s and leading Tier-1 customers in the US, Europe, and India. Onward has grown to 2000+ employees globally, serving Fortune 1000 companies through its operations in India, Mumbai ,Pune ,Chennai & Globally through North America, Germany, and the UK. Onward is an ISO certified organization (TUV-NORD for ISO 9001:2015 and
ISO 27001:2013) He formed 50:50 JV with world’s second largest PC software networking company Novell and Onward Novell was formed in 1992. He helped set up India’s first major software R and D canter Novell India at Bangalore in 1996. He was the Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of Onward Novell Software (I) Ltd. (1993-2005). He led the pioneering efforts of Hinditron to be one of the first companies to offer Data Centre Services in the country in 1978. He started software exports business in 1981. In the mid-80s Hinditron convinced the IT giant Digital to form joint venture in India 1988. Harish is one of the chief architects to form this joint venture.
He has been recently appointed as an Expert Advisor to the Executive
Committee of the Board of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) for its Fund of funds Operations. NASSCOM, a leading IT organisation of Industry started from his office in 1986. He is the founder member and the first elected Chairman of NASSCOM, and now He is Convenor of Chairman’s Council. He was honoured by the Prime Minister of India – Mr.Narendra Modi, for 25 years of exemplary contribution to NASSCOM.
He is a Director of Indian Angel Network (IAN) & Member of Investment
committee of IAN Fund (350Cr), the world's largest and most active angel investors group.
Mr. Mehta is a former Director of Gujarat Venture Funds Limited and a
founding member of Infinity Venture Fund - 2002, India’s first corporate VC fund. Mr. Mehta Introduced the Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), a Silicon Valley based Organisation, to Mumbai, and he was the First President of TiE – Mumbai (1999).
He also served on the TiE Global Board from 2001-2002. He is convenor of TIE Mumbai, President Council.
He was director at The College of Engineering, Pune. (2010-2015)
He was honoured with a Life Time Achievement Award for HR Excellence by Deccan Herald in 2004. He was awarded ‘CEO of the Year’ in 1994, during an international seminar organized by NMIMS, Tata HRD Network and World HRD Congress. He was honoured with a Life Time Achievement Award by IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry June 1, 2018.
He is also an active volunteer of Onward Foundation, Dewang Mehta
Foundation Trust, and the Trust to Promote Advanced Technologies in India (TPATI).
Mr Mehta started in the industry as an Electrical Engineer from College of Engineering, Pune (COEP) and holds a Masters in Computer Science (EE) from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, NY USA (1970).

Facilitator: Dr. Ganesh Natarajan

Dr. Ganesh Natarajan is Executive Chairman and Founder of 5F World, a platform for Digital Start-ups, Skills and Social Ventures in the country. He is also Founder of Global Talent Track and Skills Alpha and co-founder of two Indo-US Joint Ventures – Kalzoom Advisors and the Center for AI and Advanced Analytics.

Ganesh is Global Board Director and Chairman of the India Board of Social
Venture Partners and Chairman of Pune City Connect, a unique collaborative
platform that enables corporations to work with the Government on social and city innovation.
Ganesh has received the Distinguished Alumnus Award of IIT Bombay and NITIE and has been recognized by EY and the Asia Pacific HR Forum for excellence in entrepreneurship and people-centric leadership. He has two successful CEO
tenures over twenty-five years at APTECH and Zensar Technologies. Harvard
Business School has written and teaches two case studies on Dr. Ganesh
Natarajan and his success through Vision Communities.