SSA - Key Persons
Ajay Dhagat is a highly accomplished professional in the field of electrical engineering and business management. He earned his BE (Hons) in Electrical Engineering in 1966, showcasing his strong academic foundation.Ajay's career journey is marked by impressive achievements. As advisor to the board, he guides the company's expansion both in terms of globalisation as well as enhancing its product portfolio.
He started at AEI UK, which later merged with GEC, and worked his way up from a Management Trainee to heading a Strategic Business Unit by 1995. He played a significant role during the GEC Alsthom merger and even held the position of President at the Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers' Association (IEEMA).
His international experience included being the Regional Director Asia Pacific at Alstom in France from 1999 to 2001. Back in India, he led as the Business Head for MV Switchgear and served as Managing Director of Alstom/Areva T&D until 2007.
Ajay's leadership extended to different sectors, including being CEO and Managing Director of the Delhi Distribution Company. He also took on leadership roles at Tebma Shipyard, an ICICI venture company. Currently, he serves as an Independent Director on the boards of several respected organizations, including MPM LIMITED, Deccan Enterprise, Amararaja Infra, Indotech, S&S Switchgear, and Kores India. Additionally, he is a Corporate Advisor to Voltamp Muscat .Ajay Dhagat's career reflects his expertise, innovation, and strategic thinking across various industries and leadership roles.
Mr. Ali Al-Lawati is a Senior Partner at SSA and plays a key role in driving strategic growth of the firm in GCC. He was the founder and Chairman of Vision Insurance SAOG and the founder & CEO of Vision Investment Services Co. SAOC. He is the Executive Chairman of Al Arkan Construction and Omnia Real Estate. He was also on the board of Oman Development Bank SAOC, the Muscat Securities Market and Vision Emerging GCC and Oman Funds. He holds a B. Sc. in Mathematics and Statistics and received MBA from London Business School.
Mr. Ali Al-Lawati is a Senior Partner at SSA and plays a key role in driving strategic growth of the firm in GCC. He was the founder and Chairman of Vision Insurance SAOG and the founder & CEO of Vision Investment Services Co. SAOC. He is the Executive Chairman of Al Arkan Construction and Omnia Real Estate. He was also on the board of Oman Development Bank SAOC, the Muscat Securities Market and Vision Emerging GCC and Oman Funds. He holds a B. Sc. in Mathematics and Statistics and received MBA from London Business School.
Ashish has more than 25 years international experience in Business & Management. He has proven expertise in the areas of Consulting, Strategy, Product Design, Manufacturing, Quality, Global Supply Chain Optimization, M&A, Family Business Transformation, Operational Excellence and Entrepreneurship. Ashish has served as a board member, published various articles in Management and Engineering, and is an eminent speaker on various industry platforms. Ashish has a Bachelor's degree in Production Engineering from the University of Mumbai, Master's degree in Industrial Engineering from The University of Toledo, Ohio, USA and Executive MBA from the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, India. Ashish is also a Certified ISO Lead Auditor, ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) and Six Sigma Master Black Belt (GE curriculum).
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder & MD - SSA Techknowlogies
Ganesh Iyer brings over 25 years of Experience in IT and Management Consulting across diverse sectors. He started his career as a Software Product developer and later specialized in improving profitability through deployment of Spend Management solutions during his stint with Infosys and later on with KPMG Consulting in USA. Since joining SSA in 2007, he has led a number of change management engagements around the world and delivered hundreds of breakthrough improvement projects.
Ganesh has been passionately involved in driving cultural change along with Training, Coaching and Facilitating project teams for Lean transformation, systematic problem solving, Business process re-engineering with a focus on Robotics Process Automation and IT enablement in areas of CRM, ERP, Project Management, Performance Management and Leadership dashboards. He has supported number of IT transformation & ERP selection projects to provide an unbiased and right choice for clients in Asia Pacific and Middle East regions. Since co-founding SSA Techknowlogies in 2008, Ganesh has been deeply involved in creating a Design Excellence Model to help R&D functions bring continuous improvement. He has worked with numerous organizations institutionalizing Design for Six Sigma, Design Failure Mode Effect Analysis, Design for Manufacture and Assembly, Value Analysis/Value Engineering and other improvement methodologies. Ganesh is a Chemical Engineer from Mumbai University and holds an Executive Management degree from INSEAD, France.
Nandha Kumar has led several corporate-wide Lean Transformation programs and is adept at application of business transformation methods in diverse sectors in Oman and the GCC region. He has successfully implemented Digital Transformation, ERP enablement, Lean Value Stream Mapping, and Supply Chain Systems for several clients. His recent projects in Oman include end-to-end program management for Lean Transformation at Oman Post/Asyad Express, Central Bank of Oman (CBO), OMIFCO, Nama Group to name a few. He has a strong grasps of negotiating subtle aspects of change management and is very adept at managing tricky stakeholder situation. Nandha is also a certified assessor for Business Excellence conforming to EFQM model and a certified trainer on Process Simulation & Rapid DOE techniques using iGrafx Process Simulation suite and has trained several Six Sigma belts on these techniques.
He is a graduate in Commerce with an MBA in Finance from Bombay University. His professional experience includes over a decade and a half in Management Consulting. He possesses extensive business process excellence consulting expertise across diverse sectors ranging from Chemical Process Industries to Logistics and Real Estate.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Group Managing Director
- Management Consultant
Naveen Narayanan is a highly accomplished management consultant specializing in Strategy Execution, Lean Transformation, Supply Chain Excellence, and Change Management. With a career spanning nearly two decades, Naveen has established himself as a trusted advisor to numerous organizations across the globe. Over the years, he has gained invaluable experience working across the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa regions. His expertise and insights have proven instrumental in driving positive change and achieving operational excellence for his clients. Throughout his career, Naveen has led several corporate-wide transformation programs, mentored change agents, and produced sustainable business results for clients such as DHL Worldwide, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Nortel Networks and Godrej Industries, to name a few, throughout Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. His ability to identify strategic opportunities, optimize business processes, and implement effective change management practices has consistently delivered outstanding results for his clients, leading to improved performance, profitability, and customer satisfaction.
He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in International Business from the renowned Thunderbird School of Global Management, USA. His academic excellence at Thunderbird earned him induction into the esteemed Beta Gamma Sigma Honors Society. Additionally, Naveen has a Master's degree in Lean Enterprise from The University of Buckingham, UK, where he graduated with distinction. Naveen is currently pursuing his doctoral research in Lean & Operational Excellence. He has been invited to speak at leading international forums such as IQPC, ASQ, Lean Institute of Africa, SAPICS, CPHI and Cll, and is a passionate advocate of sustainable change Initiatives worldwide.
NC Narayanan (1950-2023), fondly known as ‘NC', is the founder of SSA Group. His personal mission when he founded SSA back in 1999 was to help industries achieve "Prosperity through Quality" - a goal that he pursued with passion throughout his career spanning almost five decades. After three decades of corporate leadership career in the automobile and auto ancillary industries, NC founded SSA in 1999 with a missionary zeal to transform Indian industries to become globally competitive by transforming the way in which they think & act. In the last two decades, NC's passion for excellence spread across many global companies with the same intensity as India.
As a CEO coach and mentor for leadership teams across geographies, NC made significant contributions to hundreds of organizations and thousands of people across multiple countries spanning South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, where he earned the reputation of a ‘Transformation catalyst'. He specialized in Envisioning, Strategy Formulation, and Change Management with an emphasis on leadership and people development. NC partnered with CEOs and business leaders to identify business concerns and formulate transformation strategies and deployment programs. With his extensive experience in change management over 50 years, NC led major transformation programs, negotiating the resistance to change at the leadership levels. Over and above business enterprise transformations, NC influenced people through various social media, blogs, and books where he shared his unique perspectives about self-development.
NC authored many books on organizational transformation. Some of his popular books were "Enigma of Lean", "Lean Six sigma in a Nutshell", "Statistical Guide for six sigma", "Pragmatic Leadership", and most recently, "Profit Leadership", co-authored with his son and Group MD of SSA, Naveen Narayanan.
He was conferred with several awards in recognition of his contributions to the field of Quality & Business Excellence. NC was a revered speaker and regularly chaired international conferences on Lean Management, Six Sigma, and Operational Excellence. NC was a Gold Medallist in Mechanical Engineering from Anna University and held an MS (Research) in Computer-Aided Design from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
Job Titles:
- AVP Finance & Corporate Affairs
Shekhar is an experienced finance professional with a 16-year career at SSA Business Solutions (P)Ltd. Currently, he serves as the Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Finance and Corporate Affairs, bringing valuable expertise in financial management to his role. With a major in Finance, Shekhar's extensive experience and deep understanding of financial principles have been key to his successful career.
In his capacity as AVP Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shekhar plays a vital role in shaping the organization's financial landscape and managing international relationships. His relentless commitment to excellence has significantly contributed to the organization's growth and global presence. Shekhar is a trusted and valued asset in the finance industry, known for his dedication and ability to navigate complex financial challenges.
Job Titles:
- in 2015 As a Business Development Manager
- VP Solution Engineering
Sunny joined SSA in 2015 as a Business Development Manager to create visibility & develop business in GCC Region. He has been a part of business expansion team in GCC & today Sunny leads Business Development for Oman & Qatar. He has wealth of experience across different industries & culture.
Passion and Persistence are peculiar key attributes that reflect Sunny & are fundamentals in any successful endeavour. Sunny likes to enjoy embracing lessons learned from failure, stand up and continue to progress. The ability to work calmly under pressure & execute responsibilities make him stand out.
Sunny is a Chemistry Graduate from Mumbai University & a Post-Graduate in Business Administration from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management. Over years Sunny has successfully driven customer sales and service through business analytics and understanding of customer behaviour, targeting customer experience improvements.
Mr. Seetharaman has held senior leadership positions in various freight forwarding and logistics companies, including DHL Global Forwarding, Phoenix International Services, Damco India, Toll Global Forwarding, Hind Freight Services, and Transworld Group. His expertise lies in Ocean, Air, SCM, and Project Forwarding. As a member of the leadership team, he focused on operational excellence in multiple areas such as Ocean, Air, SCM, Trucking, Warehousing, and CHB. He also oversaw business management functions including sales, operations, finance, HR, and IT. Mr. Seetharaman holds a B. Com degree from Madurai Kamraj University and has undergone training in customs regulations and multi-modal transportation. He has also obtained Lean Six Sigma Bronze Certification from DHL.
Vijay is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience across various industries and management consulting. Throughout his career, he has successfully led numerous corporate-wide transformation programs, delivering sustainable customer and business results for a diverse range of clients. His proficiency in Lean manufacturing techniques has allowed him to demonstrate hands-on expertise while working with clients in various sectors. Vijay's passion for excellence is contagious, and he is highly regarded for his innate people skills and ability to inspire others. He has coached and mentored hundreds of professionals in Operational Excellence worldwide across countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, Singapore, and Indonesia, among others. Throughout his career, Vijay has worked with an impressive roster of clients. Some notable organizations he has consulted for include Voltamp Transformers Oman, Baker Hughes Saudi Arabia, Vodafone, Tata Communications, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Bharat Petroleum, Blue Star, DHL, Positive Packaging Group, Coromandel Fertilizers, Crompton Greaves, Renaissance, Essar, Capsugel, Sun Pharma, and Piramal.
Vijay's commitment to professional development is evident through his certifications. He is a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt; additionally, he holds the certification of CII-EXIM Bank Business Excellence Assessor, enabling him to assess and enhance organizational excellence. With his extensive experience, expertise, and passion for excellence, Vijay Dhonde remains a sought-after consultant and trainer in operational excellence. He is a Mechanical Engineer from Mumbai University and holds an Executive MBA from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder & MD - Global Alliance
Sashi Rekha is a dynamic and accomplished professional with a diverse background in business leadership. Armed with an advanced management degree from the prestigious INSEAD in France, she possesses a formidable skill set that sets her apart in the business world. As the Managing Director for Global Alliances at SSA, Sashi has demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic acumen, steering the company towards unprecedented growth and success. Her expertise in forging and managing global alliances has solidified SSA's position as a prominent player in the international market. Sashi's extensive travels have exposed her to diverse cultures and perspectives, honing her ability to connect with people from all walks of life. Widely regarded as an ace networker, she effortlessly establishes and nurtures professional relationships that yield fruitful partnerships for SSA. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Sashi is fueled by a fervent passion for transforming SSA into a globally reputed management consultancy. Her vision and drive have propelled the company to expand its footprint across continents and industries, leaving an indelible mark on the corporate landscape.
With an unwavering commitment to excellence and a strong sense of purpose, Sashi Rekha continues to inspire her team and clients alike, epitomizing the values of leadership, innovation, and integrity. As she navigates the ever-changing business landscape, her dedication to building the SSA brand remains unyielding, ensuring a prosperous and promising future for the company she ardently serves.