[email protected]   +971 50 616 2270

Padmanabha is an Audit Partner in the Abu Dhabi office of Deloitte. He has over 20 years of experience in assurance and advisory services, of which a considerable amount was gained in the Middle East region. His breadth of experience covers a broad spectrum of industries including: oil & gas, telecommunications, aerospace and defense

Padmanabha Acharya is a Fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Associate Member of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India and a Certified Public Accountant from the US

Padmanabha is the President of the Executive Committee of the Indian Business & Professional Group. Padmanabha previously served as the Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Padmanabha’s interests include Music, Movies and Cricket

[email protected]   +971 50 613 9266

Qualified from prestigious universities, and called to the bar in the Year 1991, Sheheen has nearly 20 years’ experience in the United Arab Emirates as a Legal Consultant, and 05 years in India as a full time practicing Advocate. Sheheen has been granted full rights of advocacy in the DIFC Courts – Dubai, UAE, under Part II Lawyer Registration.

Before joining Goodwins, as a Partner/Senior Corporate Lawyer in a leading Law firm in Abu Dhabi, Sheheen was heading a team of legal professionals from different jurisdictions and gained wide exposure to all practical aspects of corporate/commercial laws in the United Arab Emirates. Sheheen has advised a range of international and locally based corporate clients, banks/financial institutions, embassies, and public bodies on a variety of corporate projects and financial matters in the United Arab Emirates.

Sheheen has thorough knowledge of UAE Laws, and is specialized in Corporate Laws in areas related to Company, Commercial, Banking, Insurance, Construction, Civil and Commercial Transactions, Trademark, Copyright, Patent, Maritime, Aviation, Agency, Carriage, Documentary Credits, Immigration, Labor, Mortgages, Real Estate, Property Development and Leasing, as well as Arbitration Rules of International as well as Regional Arbitration Centers.

[email protected]   +971 50 884 6602

Rajiv Shah is a Chartered Accountant and a Certified Management Consultant. He has over 20 years of professional experience as a Management Consultant with A F Ferguson & Co (now Deloitte) and then as the Group CFO and General Manager with Emirates National Holdings LLC, Abu Dhabi

He started his own venture GIC Consultants in 2013 which focusses on Banking Solutions, Equity Solutions, Insurance Solutions, Management Solutions and Real Estate Advisory

Rajiv is currently the Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Indian Business & Professional Group.

An avid squash and cricket player, Rajiv likes to balance his life between work and play.

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Shafeena Yusuff Ali is the CEO of Tablez Food Company an F&B entity established on May 23rd 2010, the company specializes in unique home grown, international and local cuisines as well as partnering with leading franchising concepts with renowned success and exceptional food quality.

Tablez as a combination of home grown and franchises concepts, home grown concepts includes Peppermill and Bloomsbury’s.

London dairy, Galito’s Famous dave’s, Sugar factory, cold stone are the current franchisees associated with Tablez.

Shafeena is also the director of Twenty14 Holdings venture the price assets includes great Scotland Yard and Steinberger, focusing on acquisitions and management of assets throughout the globe.

Shafeena is currently the Executive Committee member of the Indian Business & Professional Group.

Shafeena’s interests include Reading, Blogging, and Cooking.

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Faiz Mayalakkara is Director of Investments at Emirates Investment Authority, the SWF for United Arab Emirates. During his tenure, Faiz has been responsible for private equity and real estate investments for EIA. Faiz also manages a number of strategic investments for EIA. 

Faiz was previously Director of Investments for the Investment arm of Dubai Government where he was involved in around 30 deals/$7 billion global transactions across real estate, hospitality, consumer, financial services and business services sectors. Faiz held lead roles in developing investment and portfolio monitoring strategies across alternative asset classes especially for large endowments. Faiz holds board advisory positions in a number of companies. 

An investor, entrepreneur, Faiz is passionate about building businesses. Faiz believes in "collaborative relationships’ and has entrepreneurial streak from years of investment experience. Faiz is active in tech / venture space and enjoys working with change makers. Faiz is an advisor / mentor to startups globally. 

Faiz Mayalakkara is an Executive Graduate and Alumni of Harvard Business School. Faiz received bachelor degree in Business Administration from University of Madras, India and a Chartered Accountant from Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

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Rohith is Director – Concept Cuisine at SFC Group and heads the operations and management of the award-winning India Palace Chain of Restaurants and Golden Dragon Restaurant. Through key expansion and customer centric initiatives, Rohith championed the India Palace team to win “Best Restaurant” under the Dubai Service Excellence Award from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 2014 and 2015

An accounting and finance major from Warwick Business School, his F&B background inspired a shift to focus on the hospitality industry. After acquiring an MBA in Finance from Les Roches Institute of Hotel Management in Switzerland, he joined SFC Group as Management in Training in 2010 with a specific mandate to improve business processes.

His first two years were spent in understanding the business from a grass-root level and was part of the team that launched the SFC Plus brand in India. He worked his way up the rungs and now heads the Concept Cuisine department, its primary objective being to innovate exciting dining experiences. The department is solely responsible for the marketing, operations and expansion of the Fine dining division of SFC Group. After completing a holistic rebranding exercise for India Palace Restaurants, he is currently in the process of launching a new brand in Dubai and India Palace’s biggest outlet in the UAE later this year.

Within the Indian Business and Professionals Council, he is a member of the executive committee, Business events committee in addition to the finance & member committee.

Rohith is a sports enthusiast and regularly plays Squash and Badminton. A numbers and logic person, he spends his free time solving Sudoku puzzles or tackling visual programming.

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Gaurav Varma is the Director of The Multiple Award Winning, Royal Orchid Group of Restaurants, Abu Dhabi (The group has been nominated and awarded for over 22 awards).

A second generation restaurateur, Gaurav Varma moved to Switzerland at age 17 to study Hotel Management, graduating with Honors. Gaurav Varma then went on to Las Vegas to continue his education at UNLV.

In the mid 2000’s, Gaurav Varma took the next step in his pursuit; to open and manage his own restaurant in Las Vegas

In 2008, he moved back to Abu Dhabi to take over and expand the Family business of Restaurants. Working at the pace of 24/7 when asked, Gaurav Varma responded, If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life (over 20 years hospitality experience).

Gaurav Varma is on the Executive Committee of the Indian Business & Professional Group

[email protected]    +97150 612 5464

Sarvotham Shetty was born in the tiny hamlet of PAREEKHA in Udupi distriect of Karnataka and spent his formative years. For his graduation he went to Mumbai and got his Bachelor of Commerce degree from R A Podar College with the motto of “EARN and LEARN”.

Sarvotham’s innate & latent talent came to fore during this period. His leadership skill blossomed as the College President & Mumbai University senate Member even as his interest in theatre and drama bloomed by his participation in various drama’s and cultural activities. He has also founded the institution of KALA JAGATHU, which is a formidable theatre and cultural organization in Mumbai. Pursuant to his graduation he joined the premier SYNDICATE BANK which honed his finance, banking & administrative skills.

A fortuitous meeting with a leading UAE business group brought him to Abu Dhabi about 4 decades back. Due to his astute and diligent work in the group he rose to a Senior management position and successfully served in the groups progress for 26 years. Later he started his own entrepreneurial venture.

Sarvotham’s journey of networking, pragmatism and society building skills started 40 years ago in Middle East. He founded UAE Bunts, Abu Dhabi Karnataka Sangha, UAE Tulu Koota, which today are most reputed institutions. He has been continuously associated with the prestigious India Social & Cultural Centre in various capacities including as Hon.President (twice). For the past 21 years he is in the Board of Governors of Abu Dhabi Indian School and he is the Chairman of Sports & Cultural Committee. He was also the Founder Vice-President of the first Toast Masters Club of UAE.

Owing to his continued, munificient and stellar contributions he has received several prestigious awards. They include but not restricted to KARNATAKA RAJYOTSAVA AWARD for 1998, Aryabhata International Award, Globalman Award, Mayura International Award & Life Time Achievement Award. The numerous accolades & honours he has received epitomizes the profound & perpetual contributions he is making to the Indian Diaspora.