Abundance

ARUN TIWARI is a missile scientist turned teacher and author and widely recognized as a pupil of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, 11th President of India, with whom he spent 33 years right from the Missile laboratory to the Presidential team as a co-author of five books. He wrote a copious APJ Abdul Kalam: A Life after Dr Kalam s death, which is considered as the most authentic account of India s advancement in technology.

Prof. Tiwari has played a pivotal role in developing India s first indigenous coronary stent in mid 1995 as a spinoff of defence technology and since then worked tirelessly for self-reliance in socially relevant technologies. He is a founder-member of Cardiac Research & Education (CARE) Foundation, established the first link of Pan-Africa e-Network connecting Indian hospitals and university with their African counterparts, and is a Platinum Jubilee Mentor of CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology. He teaches at the University of Hyderabad as an adjunct professor. (aruntiwari(dot)com)

Mahesh Patel is a distinguished agri-business  leader and philanthropist, widely  recognized for building one of the  largest and fastest-growing agricultural supply chain companies in  SubSaharan Africa. He has played a pivotal role in  connecting millions of smallholder African farmers to a  diverse network of global buyers.

Over the years, Mahesh Patel has established several  successful impact-driven ventures, blending his passion for  empowering farmers  with strong business expertise. His  efforts have consistently  focused on creating better  opportunities and sustainable  growth within the agricultural sector.

Today, Export Trading Group (ETG) operates in over 40  countries and employs more  than 7,000 people  worldwide, making it a global leader  in agricultural  supply chain solutions.

Dr. Charity Mutegi is a seasoned food safety expert and agricultural professional,  currently serving as a Technical Advisor at Rootooba Limited, where she oversees  the company’s programs. She is also a licensed Global G.A.P. Farm Assurer,  supporting producers in meeting international food safety standards for export  markets.

With nearly two decades of experience in food safety and post-harvest research, Dr. Mutegi has worked extensively across both  public and private sectors. Her expertise spans integrative research,  scaling research outcomes, partnership development, and  leader shipareas in which she has made significant contributions.

Her outstanding work in agriculture and food safety has earned her numerous  national and international recognitions. In 2013, she received the prestigious  Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, endowed by  the Rockefeller Foundation. She also earned the IITA Management  Award (2013) and the Borlaug Leadership Enhancement in  Agriculture Program (LEAP) Fellowship in 2006. Additionally,  she was honored with the Gender and Diversity Women Scientists  Fellowship Award (now AWARD) in 2006. In 2014, she was recognized among the Top 40 Under 40 in Kenya by Business Daily and named  one of the “15 Golden Girls” by The Standard for her contributions  to agriculture and food safety.