Zafar Fatehally

People familiar with the world on birdwatching need no introduction to Mr. Zafar Futehally, whose main interest in life is Ornithology and Conservation. His contribution to the world of birdwatching and conservation in India is immense, and the list of his achievements and responsibilities held in these areas is long: he was the Editor of “Newsletter for Birdwatchers” since its inception in 1959, until 2004. Currently, he is Editor Emeritus, “Indian Birds”. Mr. Futehally was Honorary Secretary, Bombay Natural History Society, from 1963 to 1973, and was the Founder Trustee of the World Wildlife Fund in India. He was Vice President, IUCN from 1959 till 1966. He is a member of the National Committee on Environmental Planning (Government of India), and a Steering Committee Member of Project Tiger.

Mr. Futehally has been honoured with the Padma Shree award, the Rajyotsova award, the Member of Honour (WWF) award, and the Order of the Golden Ark by the Prince of The Netherlands.

Mr. Futehally is a Founder Trustee, Bangalore Environment Trust.
 

Captain Subburao Prabhala

Capt, Prabhala is a Founder Trustee of BET. He is a leader in professional and military electronics, with more than 25 years of experience in the electronics industry – he was the Chief Executive Officer of Spectrum Infotech, a leading avionics development company addressing the Indian defence industry, which he started after retiring as Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL).

Capt. Prabhala is a member of the Board of Directors of several companies, as well as Senior Member, IEEE.

(Interest & Involvement in Environment/Conservation to be added)
 

G Govardhan

Mr. Govardhan is a Diploma in Electrical Engineering, as well as a Diploma in Radio Engineering. He retired from Bharat Electronics in 1988, as Additional General Manager.

Mr. Govardhan is the Trustee and Administrator of Bangalore Environment Trust (BET), a post he has held since 1988. He is also the Chairperson, Swabhimana, which was initiated by BDA and BCC. He is also the Founder member and past Trustee of Citizens Voluntary Initiative for the City (CIVIC).

Mr. Govardhan is a member of various initiatives of the Government of Karnataka, and has been instrumental in filing writ petitions against various issues like Balbavan, Sports Complex, Jayanagar Temple, Stray Dogs menace, Diamond District, etc. Mr. Govardhan also finds the time to provide personal assistance every evening, at the Little Sister’s Home for Aged.

Mr. Govardhan received the State Award “Parisara Prashasthi” in 1996 for his contributions towards society.
 

Vijay Thiruvady

Mr. Vijay Thiruvady spent his early years in Delhi. His academic interests were pursued in St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and School of Architecture in Ahmedabad. In Delhi he had exposure to the world of nature and environment through association with a number of people and institutions. In college, Mr. Thiruvady participated and got his blues in tennis and hockey, in addition to taking part in a number of treks from Kashmir to Sikkim.

Professionally, Mr. Thiruvady has been in the Oil & Gas and Petrochemical Industry for the last 30 years, having worked for and represented in India, Tata Consulting Engineers, John Brown Engineers & Constructors Ltd, UK, AMEC UK and John Zink Company. Thiruvady was also involved in the setting up of John Brown Engineering India of which he was a Promoter/Director. The main thrust in his professional life was to bring in and market technologies and the engineering capabilities of the various companies he was associated with. These activities continue today, though in a smaller way.

Mr. Thiruvady has always been interested in various aspects of nature and more specifically horticulture. He has a farm in the outskirts of Bangalore, conducts Green Heritage Walks in Lalbagh and, of course, participates in the various activities of Bangalore Environment Trust as a Trustee – currently, these include the preparation of a Heritage Tree Register/book and studies of Devarakadus/Gundutopus and large wooded institutional areas in Bangalore.
 

A. N. Yellappa Reddy

Mr. Yellappa Reddy is a Graduate in Agricultural Science and a Post Graduate in Soil Science. He is a member of the Indian Forestry Services, and has 4 decades of service in the IFS in Karnataka.

Mr. Reddy has served as Administrator of Forests for 20 years. He was also in the Research Wing of the Forestry Services for 10 years, and has also held the post of Chief Conservator, Forests. He retired as the Secretary, Department of Ecology and Environment, in Karnataka.

Mr. Reddy has written a book titled ‘Sacred Plants’ – this book is about the plants used in various rituals, and gives the logic and the aromatherapy science behind this usage.

Today, Mr. Reddy is the Governing Council Member, Foundation for Ecological Security of India. He is also Member, Karnataka High Court Lok Adalat, as well as the Chief Advisor, Bangalore University Bio-diversity Park.

Mr. Reddy is a very active membet of BET, and he brings with him immense years of experience, knowledge and contacts that BET leverages very often in its endeavors.
 

Hiroo Advani

Mr. Hiroo Advani was Executive Vice President, Blue Star Ltd., after which he was a franchisee of a US based executive search firm in Bangalore. Mr. Advani was very active in the Corporate world, from which he retired in 2004.

Mr. Advani is a B.Com from the University of Bombay, and has undergone the Management Development Program for Senior Managers from the Administrative Staff College of India, as well as several programs on various management subjects ranging from Organizational Development, Performance Appraisal, Customer Satisfaction to Total Quality Management and Train the Trainers.

Mr. Advani’s hobbies and interests range from Indian history to a wide range of music, and international travel. One of his passions is reading and learning about the environment, and contributing to the conservation of the environment through BET and the Koramangala Initiative. Mr. Advani is a member of the Willingdon Sports Club in Mumbai, and the Coonoor Club in Coonoor.
 

D.T. (Subhash) Devare

Mr. Devare holds Post Graduate qualifications in Sociology, Business Administration and Law from Pune University, and has an overall Corporate experience of 25 years in the field of Human Resource Management.

Since August 1999, Mr. Devare has been an independent HR Consultant and Trainer based in Bangalore. He handles a variety of HR Interventions for his clients, and conducts training programs in management and soft skills.

During the period 1993 to 1995, Mr. Devare was the President of National HRD Network, Bangalore. He was also an active member of the CII-HR panel during this period.

Through his hobbies (gardening and traveling) he has developed a deep interest in issues concerning the environment, particularly the protection of greenery. Since 2007, Mr. Devare has been actively involved in BET activities such as the Tree Transplantation project, amendments to the Tree Act, etc.

 

Mohan Bopaiah

Mr. Mohan Bopiah is the Principal Architect/ Planner of Bopiah & Associates, a firm of Architects & Planners set up in Bangalore, having executed many projects in various parts of the country and in the U.S.

Mr. Bopiah has a Bachelors degree in Architecture with Honours from the Indian Institute of Technology, at Kharagpur and a Master’s degree in Architecture from the College of Environmental Design of the University of California at Berkeley, following which he worked with the firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in Washington. D. C as an Urban Designer on the City of Baltimore. This was followed by a long stint as a Professional Officer working on environmental policies for the Comprehensive Development plan for Greater London with the Department of Planning & Transportation of the Greater London Council in London, England.

Prior to returning to India to set up a firm in Bangalore, he had a short stint in Iran for two years working in Teheran on Master Transportation plans for various cities there. Recent work has included a number of software research and Development facilities for a well know IT company in various cities in India and Interior projects in the U.S.

Mr. Bopiah has been a Trustee since inception of BET and has an interest in the Environmental aspects of city growth. His interests include photography, music and travel.

 

Ashwini Kumar

Ashwini Kumar has over 25 years of work experience in the software industry, including setting up and expanding software business. He has had over 12 years of International Marketing, Business Development, and General Management experience, in the multi-cultural environments of South East Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Since 2007, Ashwini has been formally involved with the charitable and NGO sector. He was a Founder / Director of the United Way International’s Bangalore Chapter. He is the Director – Development of Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, one of India’s leading NGOs in the area of Conservation Science.

Ashwini is an Honors graduate in Electronic Engineering and Physics from Loughborough University of Technology, England. He did his first degree in Science from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, and schooling from Mayo College, Ajmer. Fond of reading and theatre, his sporting interest is horse riding.

 

Ms. Urmila Devi Kotda-Sangani

Ms. Urmila Devi worked for 8 years in the garment export industry in the 1980s as Manager of Lark International Ltd.Bangalore, a company headquartered out of the US.

Ms. Devi is currently running the International Music and Arts Society Bangalore, a registered not-for-profit organization founded in 1974 to promote the Arts.

Ms. Devi’s hobbies include reading and travelling, and she has a great interest in the conservation of the environment. She has been a Trustee of BET since its inception.

Ms. Devi is also Member of the International Music and Arts Society Bangalore, Bangalore International Centre and the Bangalore Club. She has a BA from Bangalore University.

 

Andrew Lobo
 

Ravi Thumboochetty
 

Aroon Raman

From 1996 to 2007 Mr. Aroon Raman was Managing Director of Raman Boards Limited, a company manufacturing high voltage electrical insulation materials for power transformers. He divested this company in 2007 to ABB to focus on his core interest areas of research and innovation into wet-laid composites for which he has set up a new company in Mysore.

Mr. Raman has been active in CII as a past Chairman of the Mysore Zonal Council and has been a member of CII Karnataka State and Southern Regional Councils. He was formerly a member of the Mysore Agenda Task Force and is also involved in several citizen’s initiatives in Mysore City and with NGOs in the greater Mysore Region.

Mr. Raman is interested in reading widely especially in history, popular science and biography. Of late he has taken up writing on issues with respect to socio-economic development in particular as also trying his hand at fiction writing. He is fond of travel, trekking, tennis and golf. On the environment side, he is currently focusing on a project in Mysore city that seeks to complete a record of Mysore heritage – structures, precincts, and living traditions.

Mr. Raman has a Master’s Degree in Economics from the Centre for Economics Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
 

Bejoy George

Mr. Bejoy George joined QuEST in mid 2005, and is currently Chief Marketing Officer, responsible for the world wide strategic marketing function in QuEST, for engineering services, manufacturing services and the QuEST SEZ. He is responsible for identifying potential strategic customers for QuEST, and drives all functions required for this.

Prior to joining QuEST, Bejoy was General Manager (Strategic Initiatives) in HCL Technologies, where he was heading the aerospace initiatives and the engineering services practice, both of which he setup from scratch and built for HCL. He has 15 years of work experience in different units of HCL, in various roles ranging from sales functions to sales management responsibilities to staff functions and strategic roles.

Bejoy has a Bachelor of Tech (B.Tech (Hons)) in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science (M.SC. (Hons)) in Physics, both from BITS, Pilani, along with an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

Bejoy’s interest in Environment and Conservation was kindled by his association with some of the founder trustees of BET, principally Capt. Prabhala.