Washington, D.C. & New Delhi — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) announced the addition of Dipali Goenka (Welspun), Akash Shah (BNY Mellon), Octávio Simões (Tellurian Inc.), and Dr. Prabu Raja (Applied Materials, Inc.) to its Global Board of Directors.
Ambassador Atul Keshap, President of USIBC stated, “I am thrilled to announce the addition of four distinguished and accomplished leaders to our diverse Global Board of Directors. Bringing on leaders of this calibre is instrumental to our Council’s ability to deliver on an ambitious and wide-ranging advocacy agenda, particularly as India assumes this year’s G20 Presidency.”
Welcoming the new members, Ambassador Keshap added, “Dipali Goenka brings extraordinary experience in modeling a gender-inclusive and technologically innovative approach to business development that adds great strength to our Board. Octávio Simões’ addition adds tremendous value to our energy vertical, especially as India seeks to upgrade its energy blend to meet its energy transition and energy security ambitions. Akash Shah has extensive cross-sectoral experience and a deep knowledge of capital markets, which will be invaluable to the Council as we support India’s growth story. And Dr. Prabu Raja brings nearly 30 years of expertise in the semiconductor industry that will prove critically helpful as the U.S. and Indian governments expand their partnership in critical and emerging technologies.”
Dipali Goenka is the CEO & Jt. Managing Director of Welspun India Limited (WIL), one of country’s largest home textile exporters. At Welspun India, Dipali transformed the textile business, traditionally a male dominated industry, into one of women’s empowerment. Under her leadership, Welspun India is focused on creating employment and growth opportunities for Indian women, with commitment to the belief that empowering, skilling, and educating women translates into the uplifting of the whole community. Her tenure has seen Welspun’s female workforce grow to 30%—up from just 7% a decade ago, and Welspun’s textile business grow to a $1 billion enterprise globally.
In addition to her leadership on female workforce development, Dipali has been central in revolutionizing conventional textile manufacturing practices through digitization and innovative processes. She has been credited with introducing Blockchain technology for textile supply chain monitoring, and for overseeing a threefold increase in the number of patents received by Welspun.
As CEO and Jt. Managing Director, Dipali has managed to set up a new Welspun work culture that’s gender inclusive, technologically innovative, and focused on improving how consumers discover and purchase products from the Welspun’s portfolio of 16 brands across three continents.
Octávio Simões was named President and CEO of Tellurian Inc. in 2020. Previously he was an EVP of LNG Marketing and Business Development and a member of the Executive Committee at Tellurian engaged in all aspects of the LNG industry.
Before joining Tellurian, he was President and CEO of Sempra LNG & Midstream where he was responsible for all LNG and natural gas midstream activities, including the company's efforts at Cameron LNG, Energia Costa Azul LNG, and Port Arthur LNG. Prior responsibilities include business development, acquisitions, engineering and construction, operations and asset management in power generation, as well as financial and strategic planning.
Simões has degrees in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and from the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth, and is a registered professional engineer in the state of Massachusetts. Simões is a native of Lisbon, Portugal.
Akash Shah is the Chief Growth Officer of BNY Mellon and a member of the company’s Executive Committee.
As Chief Growth Officer, Akash oversees firm-wide Strategy and Global Client Management. He is responsible for delivering BNY Mellon’s strategic growth platform across its businesses and regions and expanding its network of strategic partnerships and investments.
Akash joined BNY Mellon as Head of Strategy in July 2018. He was previously a partner at McKinsey & Company, advising leading financial institutions in the U.S., Europe and Asia, as well as co-leading McKinsey’s Capital Markets & Investment Banking practice. Akash is on the board of literary journal The Paris Review. He is a graduate of Yale University.
Dr. Prabu Raja heads the Semiconductor Products Group where he leads multiple business units, global customer accounts, strategy, marketing, and operations. Dr. Raja is recognized in the industry for his leadership in business, technology, customer relationships, and industry partnerships.
In technology, Dr. Raja focuses on innovation and commercialization in product development. He has brought a wide range of successful products to the market and in 2010 was recognized as Applied Fellow for outstanding technological achievements. He has been awarded over 140 patents and 35 technical publications in industry journals and conferences.
Dr. Raja leads global customer accounts for Applied and is heavily invested in customer partnerships and their long-term success. He is a proponent of building strong relationships with R&D, high-volume manufacturing, and executive-level customers.
Dr. Raja holds a Ph.D. in plasma physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and continued his post-doctoral research in Ehime University, Japan, and University of Iowa.
About U.S.-India Business Council
Established in 1975 at the behest of the U.S. and Indian Governments, the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) represents hundreds of top global companies operating across the United States, India, and the Indo-Pacific. Amid dynamic growth within the U.S.-India commercial partnership, we serve as the premier voice of industry and create connections between businesses and governments across both countries. Through our flagship Washington, D.C. and New Delhi offices and presences across both countries, we work with members to identify and advance key policy priorities. Recognizing that U.S.-India trade is increasingly driven by new business hubs, USIBC is also focused on strengthening connections between cities and states. USIBC’s policy expertise and impact is enhanced by being a part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, whose thousands of member companies represent the power of free enterprise to enhance the peace, freedom, and security of people in America and around the world.
