BOSTON–The D’Amore-McKim School of Business’ Center for Emerging Markets (CEM) at the Northeastern University announced the launch of the Vivek and Vandana Sharma India Initiative, a groundbreaking package of programs that will expand and deepen the school’s engagement with economic and business issues in India.
The Vivek and Vandana Sharma India Initiative will support programming, such as the center’s India Lecture series, enable scholars, students, and practitioners from India to complete visiting terms at the CEM, encourage D’Amore-McKim and CEM faculty to conduct use-inspired research in India, and create a community of business leaders in the U.S. and India with a special interest in American-Indian economic ties.
The initiative is a critical first step as the center builds out its expertise in key emerging markets.
“I cannot thank Vivek and Vandana Sharma enough for their generous and farsighted gift,” said CEM Director and University Distinguished Professor Ravi Ramamurti. “It will allow CEM to significantly deepen its engagement with India, a key emerging market. I have no doubt that this gift will be a game-changer.”
Vivek Sharma joined the CEM’s Advisory Board in 2019 after participating in the center’s annual symposium and India Lecture in 2018 and serving as a guest speaker in multiple Northeastern University classes. His expertise in the use of AI and data analytics for decision making and successful growth at companies in North America, Europe, and Asia aligns with Dunton Family Dean Raj Echambadi’s vision for D’Amore-McKim’s future defined by the intersection of human, data, and technology literacies.
“I am deeply grateful for Vivek and Vandana’s generosity. This gift will enable CEM to explore various aspects of the U.S. – India relationship and ensure greater collaboration between the two democracies,” said Echambadi.
Venkat Srinivasan, a member of the D’Amore-McKim Dean’s Executive Council, and a long-time CEM Advisory Board member, agrees. “This gift comes at an opportune time for CEM, which has become a pre-eminent forum for examining the many facets of the growing US-India relations, to play a strategic role in shaping what is widely believed to be the defining relationship of the next decade and beyond.”
Vivek Sharma is an executive in residence on the growth buyout team at Frazier Healthcare Partners, a capital management firm focused on companies that improve the quality, accessibility, and affordability of healthcare. He is also the executive chairman of Adare Pharma Solutions, a global contract development and manufacturing organization for oral medicines. He previously held CEO roles at Decision Resources Group, Piramal Pharma Solutions, and Piramal Critical Care, as well as a role as an operating partner at the private equity firm Thomas H Lee Partners.
