Our team
A passionate collective of innovators, entrepreneurs and industry veterans united by a singular mission: transforming agricultural waste into revolutionary biopolymers. Together, we're building a sustainable future backed by decades of expertise and visionary leadership.
Innovators United for a Sustainable Future.
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Executive Leadership
Vishal Vivek
CEO & Co-Founder
Ex-Founder, Hemp Foundation — worked with 1000+ farmers, led 100+ SHG workshops. Awarded by Central & Uttarakhand Govt, HDFC Parivartan winner.
Previously built and ran an IT firm for 10 years, worked with Silicon Valley clients.
Alumni: MIT Bootcamp, Stanford SparkSeed.
Sundeep Kumar Tyagi
Co-Founder & COO
Ex-GM, Polyproducts Nigeria — scaled revenue from $100M to $260M in 2 years.
Led packaging ops at two billion-dollar firms.
30+ years in polymer science (HBTU Kanpur) with expertise in extrusion, compounding & biomaterials.
Priyanka Chauhan
Co-Founder & CGM
A management graduate from Graphic Era University, overseeing core operations, financial strategy, and HR policies at Ukhi. Known for streamlining processes and building strong internal systems to support scale.
Senior Leadership
Rahul Kumar
Chief Business Officer
 A seasoned professional with a proven track record in Advertising and IT/ITES. As a Ramjas alumnus with two successful exits, he has creatively nurtured India’s leading FMCG brands through innovative, disruptive branding and ROI-focussed media planning strategies.
Gulshan Grover
CFO
 Chartered Accountant with 22+ years at Ernst & Young India and Middle East. Led Japanese Business Service Desk and specialized in international financial compliance. Founding partner of Continuum Excellence with expertise in management reporting systems and strategic financial governance for manufacturing enterprises.
John Scott
Executive Director
Dorchester, England-based operational strategist with extensive experience in renewable energy, and engineering sectors. His expertise spans supply chain optimization & project management for multimillion-pound programs. John brings a global perspective and sustainable business growth expertise to Ukhi’s expansion initiatives.
Department Leads
Anupama
Director – Impact Communication
 Former Executive Director of Transparency International India, with 27+ years experience in development, ethics and governance. Also worked with IBM Canada’s rural poverty alleviation project, supported by the Government. Recipient of the 2012 Global Development Network Award. Her expertise strengthens Ukhi’s impact and compliance strategy.
Pradip Pal
Design Lead
 Digital Content maverick & strategist who scaled Trak.in to 5 million monthly viewers as co-founder. His stories featured in Forbes, TechCrunch & other leading platforms. Managed digital strategies for Cinépolis, PVR, Whirlpool. His experience establishes Ukhi as a thought leader in sustainable innovation.
Shashi Roy
 Head – Communication
 Serial entrepreneur and educationist with exceptional persuasive communication skills. His innovative sales methodologies have consistently delivered double-digit conversion improvements. Expertly translates complex sustainability concepts into compelling market narratives that resonate with both B2B partners and conscious consumers.
Cynthia Ann Paul
Content Strategist
Strategic content architect with a proven track record of crafting compelling narratives for global brands including Cadbury, GlaxoSmithKline, and Axis Bank. Cynthia specializes in translating complex sustainability innovations into accessible, conversion-focused content that resonates with diverse audiences. Her work amplifies UKHI’s mission of transforming agricultural waste into revolutionary biopolymers, helping establish the company as a thought leader in sustainable materials.
Manish Kant Dobhal
Head- Digital Marketing
18+ years of experience in Digital Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media Optimization (SMO), and Web Analytics. Holding an MSc in Mathematics and an MCA, he blends analytical precision with creative strategy. His expertise is pivotal in driving UKHI’s digital growth and global sustainability outreach.
Board of Advisors
Dr Apoorva Ranjan Sharma
Co-Founder of Venture Catalysts
Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma is a leading figure in early-stage investment and startup incubation, serving as Co-Founder & Managing Director of 9Unicorn. With academic credentials from UC Berkeley, HBTI Kanpur, and a Ph.D. in Management, he combines deep expertise with hands-on mentorship. He is among the few certified professionals in incubation and early-stage funding actively shaping India’s startup ecosystem.
Prof. Vimal Katiyar
Dean of R&D at IIT Guwahati
Prof. Vimal Katiyar is a leading polymer scientist and Dean of R&D at IIT Guwahati, specializing in sustainable materials and bio-based polymers. He coordinates multiple Centers of Excellence, including CoE-SusPol and CoE-SusMat, and collaborates internationally as a visiting professor and senior fellow in Japan. His pioneering research bridges academia and industry in green polymer innovation.
Dr. Tanweer Alam
Additional Director, IIP
Additional Director & Regional Officer of Indian Institute of Packaging (Ministry of Commerce & Industry). Board Member of World Packaging Organisation and Asia Packaging Federation. His expertise spans sustainable packaging, UN certification, and international regulatory standards. His distinguished contributions encompass 100+ research publications and pivotal roles in global packaging governance.
Vipin Saxena
 IAS (Retd)
 Distinguished IAS officer and alumnus of Annamalai University and Indian Institute of Foreign Trade who reached Apex Scale before retirement. Former Principal Secretary Home, Member Board of Revenue, and Advisor to Governor of Maharashtra. His career spans critical policy formulation, regulatory oversight, and administrative leadership.
Avtar Monga
Advisor & Investor. Ex-COO IDFC Bank
 Financial powerhouse with 30+ years in banking & financial leadership. Former COO of IDFC Bank, Managing Director at Bank of America (GDCE), and CEO of GE Capital Business Process Management. His strategic acumen and capital market expertise accelerates Ukhi’s growth trajectory and institutional partnerships.
Narendra Mehta
Chartered Accountant & AdvisorÂ
CA Narendra Mehta is known name in start-up world, having more than 50 years of experience in professional and financial market specially in MSME and startup sectors. Also Instrumental in mentoring and raising and arranging funds for MSME companies as well as for start-up companies. He is also academician having contributed in formulating syllabus for startup sector in ICAI New Delhi.