Ramanan Ramanathan joins IIM Bangalore’s NSRCEL as Fellow

Ramanan Ramanathan has joined NSRCEL, the centre for entrepreneurial learning at IIMB, as Fellow. He will be mentoring both the start-ups as well as the NSRCEL team as the centre embarks on its next phase of growth.

Mr Ramanathan was the first Mission Director of the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and an Additional Secretary at NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India), between June 2017 and May 2021, a flagship national innovation and entrepreneurship initiative launched by the Government of India.

As the Mission Director of AIM, he has been instrumental in the launch and execution of several nationwide innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives resulting in the following:

• More than 10000 Atal Tinkering Labs being established in schools nationwide with over 8700 being operational currently in 650-plus districts and more than four million students having access to innovative technologies like 3D printers, Robotics, IOT, electronic Do-it-Yourself kits, etc.
• More than 75 Atal Incubation Centres selected with 68-plus being operational in universities/industry with over 2050 start-ups, 640-plus women led start-ups
• A total of 20 Atal Community Innovation Centres being established in Tier2, Tier-3 cities and rural India
• Altogether 56 Atal New India ARISE (Applied Research and Innovation for Small Enterprises) challenge winners selected creating Make in India product/service innovations with Ministries of India
• One of the largest Mentors of Change networks with over 5000 mentors nationwide to mentor school students and start-ups
• More than 40 Corporate, NGO, Public Sector and International Innovation Partnerships of AIM

R Ramanathan was previously Managing Director and CEO of CMC Ltd, a subsidiary of the globally acclaimed Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Under his leadership, CMC share price grew over 2100% between October 2001 and 2014, its operating profits were over 1338%, leading to its successful amalgamation into TCS in 2015.

He joined TCS in 1981 graduating from IIT Mumbai in Electrical Engineering and played an instrumental role in the growth of TCS. He is a Harvard Business School alumnus (HBS AMP187), accredited in Sustainability Leadership by Cambridge University, and has an Hon Doctorate awarded by the Gujarat Law Society. He was awarded the 2019 ‘National Digitalist of the Year’ by SAP-MINT, and the 2020 ‘Outstanding National Public Service’ award by the Confederation of MSME. He received the ‘Most Valuable CEO’ award from Businessworld India twice in a row, the ‘Asia Outstanding CEO’ award from CMO Asia, Singapore, as well as the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Shiromani’ and ‘Indira Gandhi Sadhbhavana’ awards.

R Ramanathan is the Lifetime Chair of HBS AMP187, Board member of the Israel India Innovation forum, eSamshiksa, Unnati GoI initiatives, the Chair of New Zealand Trade Enterprises Beachheads, Board member of the Indo US Technology Trade Forum (IUSTTF), Indo US AI Committee, and former member of the Tata Group Innovation Forum.