Cherian George

Cherian George is a Professor of Media Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University, where he also serves as associate dean for research. His books include Hate Spin: The Manufacture of Religious Offense and its Threat to Democracy (MIT Press, 2016), which Publishers’ Weekly named one of the best 100 books of the year; and Red Lines: Political Cartoons and the Struggle against Censorship (MIT Press, 2021), honoured by the Association of American Publishers as one of the year’s three top scholarly books in both the Media & Cultural Studies and Graphic Nonfiction categories. His best-selling books of essays on Singapore include Air-Conditioned Nation Revisited (2020). He received his Ph.D. in Communication from Stanford University.

Rasheed Kidwai

Rasheed Kidwai is a visiting Fellow at Observer Research Foundation [ORF] that tracks governance and politics in India. He was formerly an associate editor at The Telegraph, Calcutta. He has earlier worked with The Asian Age, Asian News International (ANI) and National Herald. He has been a political analyst with some leading Indian TV news channels News 18, ABP News, Aaj Tak, Times Now, ET Now, India TV, etc. He is an advisor for Kalinga Literary Festival [KLF] and a columnist with Network 18, The Tribune, Amar Ujala, Dainik Jagran, Mumbai Mirror, and The Wire.

Krishna Sarma

Krishna Sarma is the Founder and Managing Partner of Corporate Law Group (CLG), a New Delhi-based Law Firm that she setup in1998. She was the Additional Advocate General for the State of Assam in the Supreme Court of India from 2011 till 2016 and was Standing Counsel for the State of Assam during 2001-2016. As a corporate lawyer, she specialises in the life sciences sector.

In 2019, she co-authored an Illustrated History Book “Assam: A journey through its textiles”. In 2016, she had incorporated a public company Meera Women Weavers Association to provide an additional source of livelihood to women weavers and at the same time preserve and promote Assamese weaving traditions and designs. In 2007, she had helped Assam Science Technology and Environment Council (ASTEC) obtain Geographical Indication protection for Muga silk. Krishna sits on the Board of Biogen Idec India and DIA in India.

Arnav Shah

Arnav Shah is a passionate brand enthusiast who works with data to innovate and strategize. His experience ranges from different marketing functions, including research, strategy, digital, CRM, and branding for various multinational corporations across several industries, ranging from a top-20 accounting firm to a pro-sports franchise.

He is passionate about travel and has so far visited over 29 countries. He is currently studying business and political science at Northeastern University, United States.

Janvi Sonaiya

Janvi Sonaiya, is an Editor at Vibes of India. She has seven years of experience in the media industry. She has worked in DeshGujarat, DNA, Ahmedabad Mirror and Divya Bhaskar.

Dibendyu Ganguly

Dibendyu Ganguly, is a business journalist veteran who spent 25 years at The Economic Times, in Ahmedabad and in Mumbai. A chemical engineering graduate from BITS Pilani and a student of the Fellow Programme in Management, IIM Ahmedabad, he has also worked in the corporate world.

Sharad Gupta

Sharad Gupta has put in over 35 years in journalism. He is bilingual - having equal command on English and Hindi. Starting with The Times of India, Lucknow as a reporter, he has worked with almost all leading newspapers and magazines of the country including The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, India Today Dainik Bhaskar and Amar Ujala. He has worked in UP, MP, and New Delhi.

He has travelled across the length and breadth of the country.

He is recipient of an Chevening Scholarship from the British Govt. Currently, he is working as Senior Editor with the LOKMAT group of Newspapers in New Delhi.

Deepal Trivedi

Deepal Trivedi has over three decades of experience in the media industry. She has been the resident editor for prestigious publications such as Ahmedabad Mirror (The Times of India Group), The Asian Age, Indian Express, Sambhaav Media Ltd, Abhiyaan, and others.

She was the first recipient from Gujarat of Chevening Scholarship, UK (1997). This was followed by the Jefferson Fellowship in the US (2004) and Asia Journalism Fellowship in Singapore (2009).

A believer in the idea of learning, unlearning, and exploring uncharted territories, Deepal is in top gear for the second innings as a mediapreneur. She has also been published in The Strait Times(Singapore), San Jose Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, and the New York Times (USA) besides The Mail on Sunday and Daily Mirror (UK). In 2022, Deepal became the only Indian startup founder to get Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Fellowship at the Tow Knight Center for Entrepreneurship Journalism Creators Program at City University of New York (CUNY).

Rupa Mehta

Rupa Mehta is an adjunct professor in Gujarat Vidyapeeth. She worked in Doordarshan from 1989 and retired as Head of Programme Doordarshan Ahmedabad in 2020.

She has been a fellow of Radio Nederland Training Centre for International Educational Programme Production Course on Peace Building and after Effects of conflicts, 2003. Also, a fellow at Commonwealth Foundation Fellowship Scheme to promote Commonwealth understanding 1999.

Radhika Ramaseshan

Radhika Ramaseshan is a Consulting Editor for Business Standard and a columnist for the Tribune, TOI Plus and New Indian Express. She has four decades of experience in journalism and has travelled to nearly every part of India, from Mumbai to Guwahati and the North East, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and finally Delhi. Among the significant events she covered were the Bhopal gas catastrophe, the rise of AASU and ULFA in Assam, Mandal and the Babri mosque demolition and several communal and caste riots. She has covered every Lok Sabha election since 1989. She is a Fellow of Salzburg Seminar and is associated with The Centre for Media Freedom and Responsibility, Philippines.

Raj

Raj is an award-winning entrepreneur currently based out of London. Raj’s experience includes Arcadia Group/BHS in the UK and Walmart.com and Williams Sonoma in the USA. A passionate entrepreneur and a traveller, Raj has over nine years of international experience in the retail industry covering E-Commerce, Catalogue channels, Demand Planning, Merchandise Planning, Inventory Management, and Distribution strategy for some of the largest and most well-known brands in the world such as Walmart.com, Williams-Sonoma Inc and Arcadia. Raj has worked in New York, San Francisco, Zurich, and London, with communication, entrepreneurship, and negotiation skills as forte.

Ritam

Ritam was 21, when he started IFP Festival from his dorm room. What started with 600 filmmakers in 2011 has grown to be a community of 8.5 lac creative people from over 42 countries across the world. Every year, 65,000 creative minds and 200 celebs participate in IFP globally and it has been endorsed several times by Oscars itself. IFP has also diversified to become an IP Company, working with leading brands like Spotify, Coca Cola, Pepsico, OnePlus, Vivo, Myntra, Intel, and over 120 others, most recently winning at Cannes Lions for their work for Pepsico.

Ritam is also India's biggest Lego creator, and turned his hobby into a side hustle where he works professionally with brands such as Red Bull, Hamleys, Hyundai and many others in creating Lego installations for them.

Featured by Forbes recently, Ritam has been a 3 times TEDx speaker and a guest speaker at various forums about content, events, startup and IPs as well as visiting faculty at MBA colleges nationally. He is also a sales consultant to over 45 companies & also runs his own Sales bootcamp, a monthly virtual workshop that sees more than 100 participants from across the country. He has been a columnist in DNA & World Economic Forum's chosen Global Shaper in the past.

RJ Megha

Top voted Radio Presenter (2500 shows on Radio Mirchi), Celebrated Emcee for Premium Events in India and abroad (over 3000 shows in India & 7 other countries) , 150 TV Shows - Anchor/VJ (experience of working with 7 National Tv Channels), Chatshow Host with over million plus views on YouTube, Digital Marketer on Instagram & Facebook.