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.