Sunil Wadhwani is an entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist residing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He co-founded, and was Chairman and CEO of IGATE Corporation, which provides a broad range of Information Technology services. With over 34,000 employees on four continents, IGATE has been ranked among the world’s leading consulting firms. In 2015, IGATE was sold to Cap Gemini of France for $5 billion.
Sunil is the Co-Founder and Chairman of Mastech Corporation, a provider of digital transformation solutions. Mastech is a publicly-traded company with over $250 million dollars in revenues.
Sunil is an active angel investor. He has funded the start-up of over 40 early-stage technology companies and has helped guide their growth strategies and mentored their leadership teams.
Sunil established the non-profit WISH Foundation in India in 2014. WISH transforms primary health systems in low-income areas using innovation and technology. WISH manages over 1,000 health clinics which have provided free healthcare to over 30 million patients to date. WISH Foundation also provides strategic advisory services to the National Government as well as several state governments in India on how to incorporate the WISH Innovation Model into the large primary health systems run by these governments.
In 2018 Sunil and his brother Romesh launched the non-profit Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence with the goal of using AI to accelerate social development in the most vulnerable communities in India and other emerging economies. The Institute develops and deploys AI-based solutions in domains such as maternal and child health, tuberculosis, improving farmers’ incomes, and education and skills training. AI for Social Impact – Wadhwani AI
Sunil serves or has served as a Trustee or Director of Carnegie-Mellon University, George Washington University, The U.S. Federal Reserve Bank (Pittsburgh Branch), United Way Worldwide, and UPMC Health System.
Sunil is a Distinguished Alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology and has a Master’s Degree from Carnegie-Mellon University.
Pragmatism, Pace, Perfection and Partnerships have been the cornerstones of our approach in bringing primary healthcare within the reach of the underserved communities. Pragmatism is the art of practicality and resourcefulness. WISH has brought about tangible manifestations of our pragmatic mindset, from innovative solutions to streamlined processes that push us forward. Pace has embodied the urgency and energy that define our pursuit of excellence. In an era where mediocrity is the enemy of progress, we strive for Perfection. Partnerships underscore the collaborative nature of our endeavors, the stories of alliances forged and relationships nurtured. Our commitment towards meaningful impact remains steadfast.”
A senior civil servant (Indian Administrative Service, 1992) and a global health leader from India with formal training in Medicine, Ophthalmology, Global Health, Public Administration & Management, Dr. Rakesh Kumar has more than 30 years of experience in designing policies, implementing and monitoring large-scale development programs, leading state and national level policy, and heading implementation and research portfolios in Government, UN, and other prominent International organizations since 1992. Currently, he is designated as CEO, Wadhwani Initiative for Sustainable Healthcare (WISH); which is also the flagship healthcare program of the Lords Education and Health Society (LEHS).
Between 2011 and 2016, at the Ministry of Health & family Welfare, Dr. Kumar was instrumental in launching of India’s non-communicable disease control program (2011), and established the first set of six new AIIMS (Medical & Research Institutes of Eminence) in 2012. He successfully led polio eradication (2014), maternal & neonatal tetanus elimination (2015); two monumental achievements in succession. To scale up the full immunization coverage in India, he conceived and implemented the world’s largest innovative immunization program: Mission Indradhanush (Mission “Rainbow”), and simultaneously expanded the basket of vaccines by introducing six new vaccines (Pentavalent vaccine,Inactivated Polio Vaccine,Rotavirus vaccine, Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, Measles-Rubella vaccine, Adult JE vaccine) in India in a record period of two years. He ideated the concept of Electronic Vaccine IntelligenceNetwork (eVIN), and scaled it up across the country. Both Mission Indradhanush and eVIN have been adjudged as best practices in the field of global health, and have been adapted by several countries in Asia and Africa regions. Dr. Kumar’s pioneering work and policy decisions, such as the India Newborn Action Plan (INAP) development, global partnerships for child mortality reduction, and high-impact interventions in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health, contributed to a remarkable decline in maternal and child mortality in India.
With rich experience in UN organizations, including roles like Additional Country Director & Chief Advisor at UNDP India and Health & Nutrition Specialist at UNICEF India, he has implemented projects supported by WHO, UNFPA, UN-Women, World Bank, ADB, USAID, and BMGF in India. Serving as an expert member of SAGE at WHO Geneva and Regional Technical Advisor of WHO-SEARO in Thailand, he has authored research papers and Op-Eds on public/global health. Till recently, he served as Chairman of Uttarakhand Public Service Commission, and brought about reforms for transparent and efficient civil service recruitment.
His exemplary work in the field of public service and public health has been widely recognized and consequently he has been awarded with a number of prestigious awards and citations. Among these, those of utmost eminence include Excellence Award by the World Book of Records, London; SKOCH Challenger Award, the highest award by an independent organization in India; WHO’s South-East Asian Public Health Education Institutions Network (SEAPHEIN) Leadership Award; South Asia Sabre Diamond & Gold Award for superior achievement by Mission Indradhanush campaign; Distinguished Achievers Award by Asian Influenza & Geriatric Society, India, for his distinguished services in public/global health and development in India and globally
