Chief Guest
Dr. Anand Deshpande
Founder, Chairman, and Managing Director Persistent Systems Ltd.
Distinguished Guests
Dignitaries
Eminent personalities who will preside over and grace the 13th Convocation.
Guest of Honour
Prof. Devendra Jalihal
Director, IIT Guwahati
Chairperson, Board of Governors
Shri Sunil Alagh
Chairperson, Board of Governors, NIT Meghalaya
Managing Director of SKA Advisors Pvt. Ltd.Former Managing Director & CEO of Britannia Industries Ltd.Graduate in Economics (Hons.), St. Xavier's College, Calcutta Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIMC):MBA
- Sunil Kumar Alagh is the Managing Director of SKA Advisors Pvt. Ltd. - a business advisory and consultancy service with an emphasis on Marketing and Brand management strategies. He is a recognised thought provocateur who enables teams to realise their full potential and partners them to build a sustainable profitable business model
- He is a former member of the Prasar Bharati Board of the Govt of India (equivalent to BBC in UK), Governing Board of IIM Bangalore and IIM Indore, Nat.Inst.of Design, Ahmedabad and Ind. Inst. of Foreign Trade, Delhi. He has been Senior Advisor to AXA France, the Indian Advisory Board of Schindler, Member of the Board of Gati Ltd (a JV with KWE, Japan), Member of the Board of United Breweries (Heineken) and Indofil Industires Ltd. Mumbai.
- Sunil was honoured with the Gold medal Kashalkar Memorial Award 2000 for outstanding contribution to the Food Processing Industry in India. He was a finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, 2002. He was honoured with the Distinguished Alumnus Award by IIMC in 2021.
Chairman, Senate
Prof. Pinakeswar Mahanta
Director, NIT Meghalaya & Chairman, Senate
Prof. Pinakeswar Mahanta is a distinguished academic leader, researcher, and institution builder with over 30 years of experience in higher education. Presently serving as the Director of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Meghalaya, he has played key leadership roles across multiple premier Indian institutes, successfully driving growth, innovation, and reform.
- Recognized among the Top 2% Scientists in the World by Stanford University (2023 & 2025), his contributions span advanced research in Energy Systems, Thermal Engineering, and academic governance that aligns with NEP 2020 and global benchmarks.
- Director of NIT Arunachal Pradesh and IIIT Bhagalpur, and earlier Dean (Faculty Welfare), Head of the Centre for Energy and Head of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Guwahati, with a focus on institution building, permanent-campus transitions and energy research.
- Prof. Mahanta has led institution-building at IIIT Bhagalpur, NIT Arunachal Pradesh and NIT Meghalaya. His work there included setting up academic and governance frameworks and launching new UG, PG and PhD programs. He also led the transition to permanent campuses, including NIT Meghalaya's move to Sohra, and implemented NEP 2020 and Outcome-Based Education. He strengthened research, sponsored projects and industry and international partnerships. Earlier, at IIT Guwahati, he strengthened faculty welfare and developed the Centre for Energy.