Who we are
Competitiveness Mindset Institute (CMI) is a US 501c(3), and India 80(G) certified, non-profit organization founded in 2017 in Princeton, NJ, USA. It is committed to providing world-class training aimed at making Indian professionals a globally competitive and ethical workforce.
CMI produces original, research-backed training content in the areas of competitiveness and ethical leadership.
CMI provides this training through its FLY Training programs, using the latest Active Learning methodologies.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
We are a group of educationalists, entrepreneurs, social scientists and industry leaders dedicated to improving the effectiveness of Indian professionals and helping the nation as a whole compete more effectively on the global stage.
Harsh Bhargava
Co-Founder and President, CMI
President, Bankworld Inc.
Harsh Bhargava is an entrepreneur and global development leader with management consulting experience in more than 75 countries. President of Bankworld Inc in Washington, DC, he founded I Create Inc in 1998, building entrepreneurship programs for women, unemployed youth, and army veterans across India. A Harvard Business School MBA and former Tata Administrative Service officer, he is an author and has spoken at Wharton, the IITs, and global conferences. He co-founded CMI because he believes India's education system must nurture initiative, independent thinking, and problem solving in young people. He is also a guitarist and singer.
Uday Nadkarni
Co-Founder and Exec. Vice President, CMI
President, Infinix Corporation
Uday Nadkarni founded and ran a software and IT services company for 32 years, building deep expertise in operational excellence, scalability, and institution building. An IIT Bombay graduate, he is committed to education quality, efficiency, and competitiveness in emerging markets, and has built institutional systems that connect entrepreneurial success with educational transformation. At CMI, he is driven by seeing a problem he identified prove real and the solution prove effective. Uday believes Indian youth are as gifted as anyone else and need foundational training in how to think, engage, and contribute to society. In his view, that gap is fixable.
Dr. Aparna Rajagopal
Director, Course Development, CMI
Dr. Aparna Rajagopal is the lead designer of CMI's FLY program, where she designs, coordinates, and oversees how the program teaches and what it develops. She holds a PhD in Physics, has carried out research at Princeton University and the Fritz Haber Institute in Germany, and has taught STEM in New Jersey. Her knowledge of how people learn shapes a framework in which participants practise taking initiative, innovating, persevering, and solving problems while staying conscientious. She believes young Indians have tremendous potential and are hungry to succeed, and that their education should prepare them to lead.
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Havovi Trivedi
President-India, CMI
Dean, Ahmedabad University (Retd.)
Prof. Havovi Trivedi has spent over 50 years in higher education as faculty member, head of department, director, dean and president. She taught business management at H.L. College of Commerce, Gujarat University, for more than three decades, then founded the B.K. Majumdar Institute of Business Administration and built its Bachelor's, Master's and 5-year Integrated MBA programs from the ground up. She later served as Dean of Students at Ahmedabad University. She has been part of CMI since 2018. Havovi believes Indian youth are as competitive as any in the world and deserve full access to the tools that help their innate intelligence excel.
Dr. Aruna Bhargava
Advisor, CMI
Dr. Aruna Bhargava is a PhD in Sociology from Rutgers University in the US, and has two Masters Degrees, one in Psychology and the other in Sociology. She is a former psychologist and a former professor of sociology and currently coaches trainers in entrepreneurship. As a social scientist, she is involved in the design of various studies and curricula for CMI.
Dr. Amrish Garg
Advisor, CMI
Research and Education
Dr. Amrish Garg holds an MS and PhD from Cornell University and is a graduate of IIT Delhi. His research and work experience spans Bell Labs in New Jersey and Larsen & Toubro in India, and he has taught in the US. He is affiliated with Asha for Education, coordinating projects in Varanasi and Jhansi, and is actively involved in designing and developing CMI's FLY (Finding the Leader in You) programs. At his first CMI meeting, he was struck by the study placing conscientiousness at the top of competitive attributes. He believes young Indians will work hard when given proper guidance.
Uma Oza
Director, Quality, CMI
Uma Oza is an educationist and human development practitioner with over four decades of experience reimagining how individuals and institutions learn, lead, and evolve. She believes meaningful transformation begins within, and she integrates Nonviolent Communication into leadership and learning spaces to build cultures of trust, empathy, and conscious responsibility. Her workshops across India and the Middle East are known for shifting perspectives and deepening human connection. Uma has studied Teaching for Understanding and Coaching for Understanding at Harvard, holds TCI certification from the Ruth Cohn Institute in Berlin, and is a visiting faculty member at the Institute of Design, Nirma University.
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FLY facilitation team
Our facilitators belong to diverse backgrounds and are chosen after an intensive selection process. Apart from being proficient trainers, they are experts at creating a positive and judgment-free learning environment. Each trainer has their own unique style which allows them to build rapport and facilitate learning.
Anju Sharma
Development management professional with 30+ years of experience.
Field work across 23 states, with a focus on youth and women's leadership
Anurima Chatterjee
Educator with 18+ years in curriculum design and project management.
A focus on social-emotional growth and inclusive learning, across governments and NGOs
Colleen Rathore
41+ years in education, as a teacher and as management.
Helping people discover their potential and step into leadership with confidence
Deepa Sanghvi
HR and soft skills educator with 20+ years at management institutes.
An HR professional's and counsellor's eye for how people grow
Drs. Gauri Wagenaar
30+ years across cultures, creativity & communication.
Passion for the arts, curiosity, creative thinking & empowering people
Mili Sharma
certified soft skills trainer and image consultant
A practical eye for personal presence and how people come across
Nikhil Raval
Leadership and OD expert with 25+ years across the US and Asia
Deep insight into the Gen Z mindset and how it learns and leads
Dr. Parul Bhatia
Educator, Certified life coach, and Dentist
A clinician's patience in mentoring students toward confident careers
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Pavani Bakeri Agarwal
12 years teaching communication and soft skills
Industry and civil society leadership, including chairing FICCI's women's wing (FLO)
Shalvi Agarwal
Communication strategist and author of 20+ books
A deep love of language, culture, and mindful awareness
Shekhar Hardikar
Educator and curriculum designer, a decade across India and the UAE
A gifted-education lens on building critical thinking and creativity
Sourabh Banerjee
22+ years at IBM and Dell, across corporate training and global program management
Process discipline from Agile, Lean, and Six Sigma, applied to institutions and employers
Vahishta Patel
Certified NABET soft skills trainer and business communication facilitator
An interactive, practical style focused on confidence and interpersonal skills
Veena Parameshwaran
Counsellor and coach with 20+ years of experience
Key focus on learners' confidence, resilience, and mental well-being
Strategy & Operations Team
Our strategy & operations team comes with global experience, shaping how CMI’s work translates across markets and sectors.
Dr. Prerna Singh
Strategic Partnerships Officer
9+ years of experience in systems resilience, leading multi-country programs and global learning initiatives
Passionate about bringing systemic leadership and mindset change across sectors
Vidhi Patil
Administrative Officer
7+ years of experience supporting programmes and bringing people, processes and details together
Passionate about meaningful work, learning and developing ethical leadership