SHRI SAMIR SOMAIYA President, Somaiya Vidyavihar and Chairman, The Somaiya Trust

Shri. Samir Somaiya graduated from Cornell University with a Masters in Chemical Engineering in 1992. He secured a MBA from Cornell University in 1993 and a Masters of Public Administration from Harvard University in 2005. He won the American Institute of Chemical Engineer’s Award for Scholastic Achievement in 1989 and the American Institute of Chemists Award in 1990.

He joined Godavari Biorefineries Ltd in 1993. He has taken the company forward through a focus on economic, social and environmental sustainability supported by research and innovation. Continuing the heritage of his father and grandfather, Shri. Samir Somaiya plays an active role in initiatives that improve the quality of life of the underprivileged sections of society.

Under his guidance the Somaiya Trust manages over 30 different educational institutions of learning extending from elementary to Ph. D. in diverse areas such as medicine, engineering, the arts and sciences, religion, vocational studies, education, languages, etc. There are over 35,000 students and 1,300 faculty. There is also a 500 bed urban teaching hospital, and a 40 bed rural hospital. The Trusts jointly run 8 schools, 6 of which are in rural Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Shri. Samir Somaiya is the President of Somaiya Vidyavihar; Chairman of K. J. Somaiya Trust, K. J. Somaiya Medical Trust, K. J. Somaiya Institute of Applied Agriculture Research and The Girivanvasi Pragati Mandal.

As visiting Instructor in the School of Chemical Engineering at Cornell University, he combines his love for education and Chemistry. He has played an active role in the Sugar and Chemical Industry in India. From 2006- 2008, he was the Chairman (Western Region) of Indian Chemical Council, and the President of the Indian Sugar Mills Association in 2009.

He is a Committee Member of the Green Chemistry Initiative, constituted by the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister; Advisory Board, School of Chemical Engineering, Cornell University, USA; Center for Indic Studies, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, USA and Council of Religious Leaders – Astana, Kazakhstan.