The Core Team
Dr Sudhir Kartha
Founder | Chairman
Dr Sudhir Kartha founded the Knowledgucate Group of Institutions with one idea: quality education should be affordable. Over more than 25 years, he has grown that idea into an international education group that works at every stage of learning, on campus and online, across five countries. He holds a Master’s degree in Applied Statistics. In recognition of his contribution to education worldwide, he received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Bolton, now the University of Greater Manchester. Dr Kartha is based in Toronto and leads the Group’s vision and growth.
Maya Menon
Head
Pre-Schools and Schools
Maya was one of Knowledgucate’s first employees. She has more than 28 years of experience in education administration and human resources management. She has worked at the Group’s head office and now leads from India, so she brings a multicultural view to her role. She oversees the management and administration of the Group’s institutions, so that the schools and teams run smoothly from one day to the next.
John Neelankavil
Head
University Administration and Management
John Neelankavil is a seasoned education administrator with over 26 years of dedicated leadership within the Kartha group. For more than a decade, he successfully headed the group’s flagship institution, ‘The International College’ in Mumbai. A core architect of the group’s higher education expansion, he played a pivotal role in establishing the ‘Indus International University’ in Himachal Pradesh, India. He continues to drive the strategic and operational vision of the university, actively overseeing all aspects of its ongoing functioning. He is an alumnus of the University of Mumbai, where he studied commerce and specialised in company law.
Dr Raj Nambiar
Head
International Higher Education
Dr Raj Nambiar has more than 20 years of international experience in higher education, with deep expertise in transnational education, academic operations and institutional development. He leads WINC’s Ras Al Khaimah campus, which serves as the academic centre for the University of Greater Manchester and Northwood University in the UAE. In this role, he oversees academic delivery, compliance with UAE and UK regulations, campus infrastructure, international partnerships and student recruitment. He also serves as a Non-Executive Director of ATHE. He holds an MBA in Marketing from Southeastern University, USA, and a BSc in Physics from the University of Mumbai.
Ashok Philip
Head
Communication & Branding
Ashok has three decades of experience in business strategy, marketing communications, product management and sales. That includes leadership roles at HP, Xerox and Canon (UK), and six years working in the UK. At Knowledgucate, he leads communications and brand standardisation across all Group entities. He has also helped launch two greenfield schools and an online school. He holds an MBA in Marketing from the University of the West of Scotland and a BSc in Mathematics, Statistics and Economics from St Xavier’s College, Mumbai.
Jatheesh Kumar
Head
Finance & Accounting
Jatheesh has 25 years of experience in finance, more than 20 in the UAE, and most of that time managing the finances of educational institutions. He oversees finance for the Group’s entities worldwide. He consolidates results across entities and currencies, reports to the Board every month, and has designed the internal controls that keep every entity audit-ready. He has represented the finance function in more than 20 inspections and accreditation reviews by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education. He holds an MBA in Finance.
Madhusudan Kushwaha
Head
Enterprise Resource Planning
Madhusudan has more than 15 years of experience in software development, most of it building ERP systems for universities and education groups. He has developed modules that handle the whole student journey, including enquiry, admissions, fees, academics, examinations, e-learning, libraries and payroll. He joined Knowledgucate in 2020, after earlier work at Indus International University. He now leads the Group’s ERP platform, built on ASP.NET and Blazor. He holds a Master of Computer Applications (MCA).