Professor (Dr) K. Rajagopal (Project Manager)

Professor Dr. K. Rajagopal is the Officiating Director of SCMHRD, he brings a truly unique and powerful blend of expertise to the Higher Education arena with his rich Corporate and Academic experiences. He is a dual Ph.D. holder in Applied Marketing and Human Resource Management, and his career spans over three decades.

For more than 20 years, he served at senior positions in Domestic and International Marketing divisions of the Healthcare and Automobile sectors. This deep corporate experience is complemented by over 15 years in academia, where he has become a recognized leader in quality education and specialized strategist in Institution Building.

Notably he has been part of the initiatives and a driving force behind SCMHRD’s journey to achieve and maintain its prestigious AACSB Accreditation and Re-Accreditation process. He has previously served as the Deputy Director, managing key institutional domains the admissions, academics, examinations, corporate relations and Alumni relations.

Beyond his institutional leadership, he is an accomplished international scholar, having published 30+ articles in Scopus, Web of Science, and ABDC indexed journals and has presented 25+ research papers in international conferences. His global exposure is extensive, including serving as an expert member of the Jean Monnet Module under the Erasmus plus Project, ECHO, with Bremen University, Germany, and having visited over 20 countries worldwide.

His focus strongly remains in bridging the academic and corporate worlds through technology-based, collaborative teaching and enhancing institutional efficiency.

Professor (Dr) Netra Neelam (Expert)

Professor (Dr.) Netra Neelam is an accomplished academic leader with over 23 years of experience in higher education, having served as the Director of the Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development (SCMHRD) for 4 years, the only AACSB-accredited institute in Pune under Symbiosis International (Deemed University). She holds a PhD in Human Resource Management from Symbiosis International University, an M.Phil from BMCC, a Post Graduate Diploma from SIBM Pune, and a Master of Commerce from Ness Wadia College. A recognized PhD research guide, she currently mentors seven doctoral scholars, with one successfully completing their PhD in December 2023. Deeply passionate about psychometrics, she is certified in globally recognized instruments including Belbin®, MBTI®, FIRO-B®, and Strong Interest Inventory®, and is also a Certified Emotional Intelligence Coach Practitioner with additional credentials in NLP, Hypnosis, and Coaching. Prof. Neelam actively contributes to Management and Faculty Development Programmes and serves on prestigious bodies such as the Asia Pacific Advisory Council (APAC) and the Indian Business School Directors Leadership Group (IBSDLG) of AACSB. Her expertise has earned her an invitation to the AACSB Peer Review Team for a Philippine institution in June 2024, as well as a guest researcher position at the DAAD-supported Centre for Modern Indian Studies at the University of Cologne, Germany. With 27 SCOPUS-indexed publications and a teaching case study with Ivey, she continues to make significant contributions to higher education, research, leadership development, and global academic engagement.

Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Schwuchow (Advisor and European Partner)

Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Schwuchow is an eminent scholar and global expert in International Management, currently serving as Professor of International Management and Program Director of “International Studies of Global Management” at Hochschule Bremen – University of Applied Sciences, a role he has held since 1999. He founded the Center for International Management Studies (CIMS) in 2007, advancing research in International HR Management and Emerging Markets. With an academic foundation in Business Administration from Bielefeld University and an MBA from the University of Georgia, he built a distinguished career spanning executive education, HR and management consulting at organizations such as USW The German Management Institute, INPUT Consulting, and CSC Index in San Francisco and Munich. He later led major academic and leadership institutions, including the Center for Financial Studies (Frankfurt/Main), GISMA Business School (Hanover), and the Center for Leadership, Innovation and Change at Jacobs University Bremen, while also serving as scientific advisor to TiasNimbas Business School. His international teaching engagements include IIT Madras (India), USP São Paulo (Brazil), Stellenbosch University (South Africa), and Renmin University of China. Appointed Distinguished Principal Research Fellow in Human Capital by The Conference Board, New York, in 2019, Prof. Schwuchow continues to influence global conversations on leadership, corporate culture, digitalization, knowledge management, and business strategy. He is also the founder of HR-TRENDS, Germany’s leading yearbook on human resource management, and has authored or contributed to more than 200 books and articles in the fields of HRM, leadership, and management development.

Dr. Vinod Sharma (Trainers/Teachers)

Dr. Sharma is a distinguished academic and industry professional with nearly 25 years of combined experience and a Ph.D. in Marketing. He serves as an Associate Professor at the Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development (SCMHRD), Symbiosis International (Deemed University), where he teaches Marketing and Sales Analytics, Business Research Methods, International Marketing, and the International Business Environment. His research focuses on Big Data Analytics, Consumer Retention, Cross-Cultural Management, and Sustainable Business Practices. Dr. Sharma has an extensive publication record in Scopus-indexed and ABDC-ranked journals and is the author of multiple books and case studies, reflecting his strong contribution to both academia and industry.

Dr. Dipasha Sharma (Trainers/Teachers)

Dr. Dipasha Sharma is a dedicated academic and researcher specializing in ESG and sustainable finance, banking, corporate valuation, and financial statement analysis. Recognized among the Top 2% Researchers Worldwide in the Elsevier–Stanford global rankings, Dr. Dipasha has published extensively in ABDC A-ranked and SCOPUS Q1 journals. Their scholarly work spans ESG, SRI, green bonds, climate finance, and digital financial inclusion. Dr. Dipasha has also played a pivotal role in AACSB accreditation processes and leads key Assurance of Learning (AoL) initiatives. Passionate about integrating data-driven insights with innovative pedagogical approaches, they are committed to advancing financial education and fostering sustainable investment strategies.

Dr. Saikat Deb (Trainers/Teachers)

Dr. Saikat Deb is a dedicated academic professional with over seven years of experience in teaching, research, and academic administration, specializing in Transportation and Traffic Engineering. His expertise spans ESG practices, Sustainability, Transportation Planning, Public Transport Service Quality, and Urban Traffic Flow Analysis, supported by strong skills in qualitative and quantitative data analysis, questionnaire design, factor analysis, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). He has contributed to the development and coordination of academic programs, managed accreditation processes, and supervised both postgraduate and doctoral research. With an active interdisciplinary research portfolio and publications in reputed journals on sustainable transportation and infrastructure, Dr. Deb is committed to advancing academic excellence, promoting innovative pedagogy, and contributing meaningfully to global sustainability initiatives.

Prof. Dr. Christiane Trüe

Prof. Dr. Christiane Trüe Prof. Dr. Christiane Trüe LL.M. (East Anglia) is Professor for Public Law, in particular constitutional and administrative law, including European Union law, at the University of Applied Sciences in Bremen since 2015. She is also the Course Director of the Master in European Studies programme as well as of the Dual Bachelor Program in Public Administration. She has published monographs and articles, and taught,  in the areas of her denomination, as well as in international, EU, German and Chinese environmental and energy law and, more recently, in the law of digitalisation.
Her professional experience includes the civil service of one of the federal states in Germany as well as practising as an advocate in international law firms, her academic experience scholarly work at the Universities of Marburg and Göttingen in Germany and work as a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) lecturer at an English University (East Anglia).’

LAUNCH OF THE JEAN MONNET MODULE TITLED ECHO

On the first day of the 11th edition of InfraBlaze, we had the privilege of witnessing the official launch of the Jean Monnet Module titled ECHO – Europe-India Collaborative Horizon for Opportunities at SCMHRD. The launch was digitally inaugurated by our keynote speaker Dr Ajeet Kumar Pandey, Managing Director, Nippon Koei Mobility India who introduced the program as a significant milestone in strengthening international academic exposure and collaborative learning for our students.

The module has been conceptualised to serve as a gateway to global business thinking, enabling learners to explore the evolving synergies between Europe and India in the context of trade, policy, sustainability, governance and strategic cooperation. The keynote speaker highlighted that ECHO is designed not merely as an academic course, but as a platform for developing global competence, cross-cultural perspective and future-ready leadership — critical for professionals operating in an interconnected world.

The audience was briefed on the core elements of the module by Dr. Vinod Sharma and Dr. Dipasha Sharma, including specialised sessions delivered by international and Indian experts, industry-linked learning, and exposure to contemporary European business and policy frameworks. Students were also informed about the key benefits of the program, which include deeper understanding of global markets, international networking opportunities, and the ability to analyse emerging global challenges through a structured academic lens.

The faculty team involved in the module was also formally introduced, featuring:

• K. Rajagopal – Module Coordinator
• Netra Neelam – Senior Expert
• (Dr.) Karlheinz Schwuchow – Bremen University, European Partner
• Vinod Sharma – Teaching Faculty
• Dipasha Sharma – Teaching Faculty
• Saikat Deb – Teaching Faculty

The Support Staff team involved in the module was also formally introduced, featuring:

• Arati Vaidya – Administrative Officer
• Anjali Bahutule – Network Engineer
• Sachin Khedkar– Supervisor Accounts
• Sharayu Wadhavekar -Sr. Coordinator – Information Officer
• Archana Gokhale – Sr. Coordinator – Academics scheduling in charge
  

The launch concluded with an invitation to students to be part of this transformational learning journey, reinforcing that ECHO offers a unique opportunity to gain global academic exposure while contributing to India’s expanding role in international business ecosystems.