Our Team

Ocean Exchange Team

Raman Venkatesh

Chief Operating Officer of SAE International (SAEI)

Raman Venkatesh is a strategic advisor to various organizations and VC/PE funds, and to CEOs and boards of directors.

Recently, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of SAE International (SAEI), the world’s leader in engineering standards serving the global mobility industries. He was responsible for strategy and global operations of SAEI as well as providing leadership to SAEI’s international staff of 350 professionals dedicated to advancing global mobility and design engineering. In addition, he oversaw major business development and strategic alliances, including M&A and joint ventures. He was earlier the CEO of a strategic business unit in Eureka Forbes Limited, a consumer products company with operations across Asia and Europe. Previously, he was the Director of New Business Development for the American Chemical Society, a $600 million+ organization based in Washington DC serving a broad scientific enterprise. He served on the boards of four companies, including as chairman of a technology joint venture in India.

His career spans business management and technology leadership roles in various industries and geographies. Dr. Venkatesh is the recipient of the prestigious American Hero award for an innovative technology implemented across the USA. He earned a B.E. (Hons.) in chemical engineering from BITS, Pilani (India) followed by M.S. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from University of Pittsburgh (USA), where he won the Outstanding Graduate Student award. He also earned an Executive MBA degree from the Katz School of Business at University of Pittsburgh, where he was honored with Dean’s special recognition for his achievements. He has advanced management diplomas on M&A and Strategic Alliances from Harvard Business School and the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania). Dr. Venkatesh has been named in over 10 patents and has authored more than 30 articles and citations in peer-reviewed journals, international conferences and reputed magazines. He is listed in the ‘Who’s Who in Science & Engineering’ and is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma and Sigma Xi international honor societies. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the University of Pittsburgh and has given several invited lectures and presentations around the world.

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Ocean Exchange invites you to learn more about Awards Program, our ecosystem and success of our award winners and participants. Together, we can chart a powerful course to help ensure the future of our oceans and the Blue Economy.

“Ocean Exchange has a platform to enable people with information that they need to know about the ocean and then to showcase new technologies that are on the forefront of really helping the ocean and the planet.”

“The quality of the content and the people who are involved with Ocean Exchange is all high end.”

“Besides funding, Ocean Exchange provides access to a wide area network of incredibly talented people in organizations that really do just want to help people.”

“Ocean Exchange is really about helping the little guys grow and in so doing, helping the big guys be better ocean citizens.”

“Ocean Exchange seems to be much more focused on bringing to light under-capitalized, wonderful new technology ideas. And it’s all about two-way access to this new technology and to the people who can help with the experience to grow that technology.”

“Ocean Exchange is a force multiplier to enable sustainable innovation.”

“Ocean Exchange is a global, novel innovation forum that has a greater ability to attract a broader range of impactful stakeholders than any other event that’s out there.”

“Unquestionably, one of Ocean Exchange’s primary strengths is how it brings together people from different paths. That makes its event a delegator experience as well as experience for an innovator or awards nominee.”

“Ocean Exchange is entirely different from any of the other organizations that I’m involved in. It is about sustainable innovation. I think it’s also very different in the extremely broad range of stakeholders that it involves.”

“There’s nothing better than going to an event or engaging with people so you walk away and say, ‘Wow!’”