V-Excel's Board of Trustees consists of professional leaders in the field of education, business, and management. The team has been responsible for making V-Excel a pioneer in providing services for special children in India.
Chairman
Padmashri Sri V. R. Gowrishankar took the challenging responsibility as Administrator and General Power of Attorney Holder of Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri, in 1986 as per the directions of His Holiness the Jagadguru of Sringeri, as on Honarary Post. Sri V. R. Gowrishankar abandoned a promising career as a pioneer entrepreneur of the service industry to dedicate himself totally to this spiritual cause and service to humanity.
He has been administering, Sri Sringeri Math with its vast estate and properties, having more than 150 Branch Maths, spread far and wide and still growing in number through hard work, planning, organising, directing, scouting for new helpers humoring the old and venerating great vedic pandits and so on.
He has also been spearheading many glorious events and momentous occasions evoking awe and admiration of everyone.
He is the recipient of several professional awards, including the G. K. Reddy Memorial Award and BREAD Role Model Award, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. Among his other interests, he was President of the Federation of Amateur Radio Societies of India, and of the Tamilnadu State Aquatic Association.
He is currently a member of the National Integration Council, and between 2006 and 2008 was a member of the National Security Advisory Board of the Government of India. He is a member of the governing board of the International Press Institute (IPI), Vienna, and is the Chairperson of the India Chapter of IPI. He was the Chairman of the Press Trust of India (PTI), India’s premier news agency, and is currently a director of PTI. He is President of the Editors Guild of India.
Founder - Trustee
Dr. Vasudha Prakash is a social entrepreneur and professional academician who holds a doctorate in Special Education from Rutgers University. Dr. Vasudha brings with her a proven track record of success in the field of special education and learning disabilities. She has been instrumental in raising and increasing awareness of the need for resources for children with special needs. Under her guidance, the V-Excel Educational Trust now services around 450 children in Chennai and 4,400 in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu. Dr. Vasudha is also a professional counselor who devotes a lot of her time to counseling parents of children with special needs.
Her counseling services also extend to issues concerning adolescents and young professionals. She has conducted several professional workshops and seminars in companies such as InfoSys, Cognizant Technologies, and the Lifeline Group of Hospitals.
She writes extensively and has maintained weekly columns in the Indian Express. She also makes regular appearances on TV and radio where she provides advice and guidance on special education and life skills, while advocating and championing the rights of equality of people with disabilities.
Managing Trustee
Prakash Natarajan is an IT professional with several years of experience in project management, data architecture and warehousing, database design and administration, systems architecture, and technology solutions with specific expertise in the finance, insurance, and reinsurance industries.
He works as an independent IT contractor lending his expertise in the database world. Within V-Excel, he is responsible for content editing, developing and maintaining our website, intranet applications, data management and overseeing the overall administration and operations of the Trust. He is based out of our center in Mylapore.
Trustee
Kandaswamy Bharathan, MBA , is an entertainment and media professional who is the Executive Director at Kavithalayaa Productions Pvt. Ltd. in Chennai, India. Mr. Bharathan’s skills are in creating and sustaining brand equity in entertainment and media, IP valuation and monetisation, mergers and acquisitions, and in new media initiatives. He is currently a Visiting Faculty at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) where he teaches and develops case studies for IIMA in the field of film and television. Mr. Bharathan’s professional experience has been in the automotive and textile industries. He has also been the Executive Producer of several big-budget films and is extremely proficient in budgeting and costing systems for film and television. He has represented Indian film industry in several international festivals and conferences. He has been awarded the title of Business Ambassador for “innovative marketing of a film in a cross-cultural context”.
Trustee
G. Rajagopal, is a qualified Chartered Accountant, possessing years of experience at the higher echelons of corporate management. He is presently the Executive Director of Thiru Arooran Sugars Limited. He is simultaneously pursuing with passion, a desire to serve the community.
Being a member of the Board of Trustees of ESVI Sarada Foundation (ESF) since inception, he is actively involved in the various charitable activities undertaken by the ESF which include providing educational assistance and medical relief to the poor and the deserving. He was also instrumental in forging an alliance between the V-Excel Educational Trust and the ESF, which led to the setting up the V-Excel Research & Rehabilitation Centre at Shastri Nagar. His key strengths are his sensitive and compassionate nature. His penchant for details and focus in pursuing things till the end lend support to any activity, which he is part of.
Trustee
Radhakrishnan Iyer, is a businessman and social service enthusiast. He is the Managing Director of Premium Lifestyle Properties Pvt.Ltd and Director of Shakthi Udyog Ltd.
His Honorary Service includes being a Member of Management of Bala Vidya Mandir CBSE School , Adyar, Chennai and a Trustee of V-Excel Educational Trust.
His Community Service activities include him being the Secretary and Treasurer of Catalyst Trust, Trustee and Board Member of Consumer Association of India.