Leadership

Dr. G. Viswanathan

Founder & Chancellor, VIT

Dr. G. Viswanathan, the founder-chancellor of VIT University, was born on December 8, 1938 in a remote village near Vellore in Tamil Nadu. Dr. GV’s life is a source of inspiration to modern-day youth.
Dr. GV − the Student

Dr. GV completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School in 2003, nearly four decades after his University education, reaffirming his urge to be an eternal student. He excelled in academics right through childhood. His early education was confined to his small village where he studied in his mother tongue, Tamil. His pre-university education at Voorhees College, Vellore, initiated him to the world outside. From there he went on to obtain his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Economics from the prestigious Loyola College, Chennai. Following this, he graduated in Law from the Madras Law College.

Dr. GV − the Leader of the people

A student leader in his twenties, entering Indian parliament was something unthinkable, especially in 1960s. He championed people’s issues in the parliament and they in turn reposed faith in the leader who fulfilled their expectations. They re-elected him by a bigger margin in the next election for another five-year term. He travelled to different parts of the world as a member of parliamentary delegations and appreciated issues in a global perspective. Dr. GV wanted to play a bigger role in provincial politics so that he can make a direct contribution in bettering the lives of the people in the region. He was elected to Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly for ten years. During this period, he served as a Minister for two years.

Dr. GV − the Educator

Dr.GV founded Vellore Engineering College in 1984 at Vellore. He envisaged that this institution would offer world-class education to students who would in turn create an indelible impact on society. The engineering college that started with an intake of 180 students in 1984 has evolved into an university with two campuses. Over 25,000 students are enrolled in 53 undergraduate and graduate programmes with nearly 16,000 residing on campus. It attracts students and professors from different parts of the world. It houses more than 1000 international students on campus. For the past two years, VIT University has been ranked #1 private engineering institution in India. ISO Certification from Holland, International accreditation from the United Kingdom and the USA, and the highest accreditation grade from the Government of India reflect the University’s penchant for excellence on all fronts.

Dr. GV − the Institution

Dr. GV’s passion for societal development and compassion for the underprivileged has resulted in the introduction of several schemes for uplifting the women and unemployed youth in the region to help them become self-reliant. Dr. GV offers scholarships to students from disadvantaged sections of the society to enable them to pursue higher studies. Dr. GV has established the Universal Higher Education Trust to create opportunities for higher education to every deserving student in the region. He has adopted several villages in an effort to improve the quality of lives of the rural people. His vision of transforming Vellore into a greener and cooler town by planting one million saplings has begun to yield fruit. Dr. GV’s farsightedness extends beyond horizons.


"Chancellor Viswanathan is an institution by himself"


Contact: Dr. G. Viswanathan, Chancellor, VIT University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu (632014) India Email: chancellor@vit.ac.in

Sankar Viswanathan

Vice President, VIT

Mr. Sankar Viswanathan, Vice President was born on 13th April 1966. He completed his Advanced Diploma in Engineering Technology, at Chisholm Institute, Melbourne, Australia.He has held honoured positions as the Chairman, and Vice-Chairman of Vellore Engineering College, Vellore before taking over charge as the Pro-Chancellor (Academic) at VIT. He has also served as the Secretary of the North Arcot Educational & Charitable Trust of Vellore. He has always been a very proactive person and has played a key role in all the activities of the University. He has always evinced a keen involvement with the VIT family. He is an active member of the Board of Management, VIT and displays a keen interest in the affairs of the college and being a student friendly person is avidly interested in the academic progress of the students and staff. He has travelled extensively and gained valuable experience from his tours to USA, Australia, Singapore, Italy, China, Greece, Malaysia, Jordan, Oman, Lebanon, Syria and Rwanda. He is an active member of the Australian engineers Association in Melbourne. His hobbies include playing tennis, cricket, cooking and surfing the net. Contact Details:

Mr. Sankar Viswanathan

Vice-President Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu (632014), India. Email: sankar@vit.ac.in Tel: ✆ 91 - 416 - 2202108 ✆ 91 - 416 - 2240955 ✆ 91 - 416 - 2249955

Dr. Sekar Viswanathan

Vice President, VIT

Dr. Sekar Viswanathan epitomises the vision, vibrant spirit and energy that has helped in establishing VIT as a premiere institute in the country. Dr. Sekar has over 30 years of experience in the industry and academics. He was a rank holder in Electronics and Communication Engineering from University of Madras. He received his Master’s degree in Computer Science from Rochester Institute of Technology, USA. He has a Ph.D., in the area of faculty motivation from University of Madras. During the 90s, he served as the Vice-Chairman of his alma mater, Vellore Engineering College (which was later renamed as VIT). During this period, he had launched a number of new programmes and initiatives which paved way for the university status of VIT. Later, Dr. Sekar went to USA and worked with IBM, NetClerk and Walmart.com to gain international industrial experience. Walmart.com conferred the “Best Engineering Manager” and “Best Achiever” awards on him. As VP at VIT, Dr. Sekar focuses on the university growth strategy, academic policies, international relations and placements. He has brought in numerous improvements to benefit the students including STARS (Support the Advancement of Rural Students) scheme, Fully Flexible Credit System (FFCS), Semester Abroad Programme (SAP) and Curriculum for Applied Learning (CAL). Dr. Sekar was bestowed with the prestigious Young EDGE National Award in 2012 in recognition of his innovative and useful contributions to the field of education. He currently serves as Vice President of EPSI (Education Promotion Society for India), New Delhi and member of national-level Higher Education Committee of FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry), New Delhi.
Contact Details:
Dr. Sekar Viswanathan Vice-President Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu (632014), India. Email:sekar.office@vit.ac.in Tel: 91 416 2202255

Dr. G. V. Selvam

Vice President, VIT

A man of few words, Dr.Selvam believes in and lives by the precept, ‘Actions speak louder than words.’ Dr. G V Selvam has been associated with the institution since 1999, when he first assumed office as Vice-Chairman of Vellore Engineering College. Since then, he has been working relentlessly towards the progress of the institution. He spearheaded the elevation of Vellore Engineering College to VIT University in 2001, and became its first Pro-Chancellor. Dr. Selvam enjoys the distinction of being the youngest Pro-Chancellor of a University in the world, which has been recognized by the Limca Book of Records, 2005. He holds a postgraduate degree in Business Administration from University of Madras. Dr. Selvam became the first Vice-President of VIT Chennai in 2010, where he sculptured the campus from the scratch. The high rise structures, the lush green ambience and the ultra-modern infrastructure that adorn VIT Chennai were created within a short span of time under his able leadership. He has developed VIT Chennai campus in conformity with the standards of the Green LEED certification. He returned to VIT Vellore in 2015 as the Vice President, and continues to contribute diligently to its growth. His painstaking efforts in implementing several innovative measures have enabled VIT to emerge as an institution of international eminence. A self-motivated and industrious person, and a farsighted educationalist, Dr. G.V. Selvam possesses an innate ability to spot and nurture talent–be it with the faculty, staff or students. He offers flexible and pragmatic academic solutions not only for toppers but also for slow learners. Dr. Selvam was instrumental in introducing new and need-based programmes of study such as Law, Architecture, Hotel Management and Agriculture. He introduced the inter-university sports & cultural extravaganza, “Riviera”, which has blossomed into an acclaimed international event. He played a significant role in establishing the VIT Technology Business Incubator (VITTBI), which has received national acclaim for its service to budding entrepreneurs. The Centre for Sustainable Rural Development and Research Studies [CSRD&RS] is the brainchild of Dr. Selvam. The centre is working towards providing urban facilities in rural areas to enhance the living conditions in villages, which would develop the rural folk on par with the urban people in terms of education and employability. A man with a deep passion for nature, Dr. G V Selvam takes immense interest in green initiatives. The lush green, self-sustaining, VIT campuses in Vellore and Chennai are examples of his efforts to adorn the spaces with natural beauty. He is the brain behind the Green Vellore Project, which has added green cover to the rocky and barren landscape of Vellore, and the Clean Palar Project, which is taking measures to restore the Palar river bed to its original texture. He is passionate about transforming Vellore into a clean, green and nature-rich city. Dr. Selvam is inspired and guided by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s principle: “A leader must have vision and passion, and not be afraid of any problem. Instead, he should know how to defeat it. Most importantly, he must work with integrity.”

Dr. Sandhya Pentareddy

Executive Director

Dr. Sandhya has given more than 26 years to product development, engineering management and higher education administration at USA and India.

Having started her career as a Software Engineer, she directed large scale product development. She was instrumental in nurturing certain start-ups and subsidiaries of multi-national companies in the USA and in India. She is best known for building high performance teams and effective products. She has worked for organizations well known for their excellence including Intuit, WalMart, Yodlee Inc., IBM and VIT.

She had also headed the Department of Computer Applications at VIT, when it was known as Vellore Engineering College, and has introduced the first entrance examinations in that institution. She now contributes to building the new VIT campuses. She has contributed to research in Business Management through her work on complexity of leadership and various publications. She firmly believes in taking pride in one’s work, making learning a joy, compassion and continuous improvement.

Dr. S. V. Kota Reddy

Vice Chancellor

Dr. S. V. Kota Reddy is a veteran academician & administrator with more than 32 years of teaching, research & administrative experience. He joined VIT – AP family on 16th November 2020. Previously he worked as Academic President at Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) Dubai Campus. Under his able leadership MAHE Dubai secured 5 Star Rating in the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) rating framework with height points among the participating Universities in Dubai, U.A.E.

It is his sheer determination and meticulous nature that has driven him to being the Vice – Chancellor of this prestigious institution.

Dr. S. V. Kota Reddy holds a Doctorate degree in Mechanical Engineering from I.I.T Bombay. He firmly believes in commitment, teamwork and efficient completion of any task undertaken. He leads several disciplines on to the path of excellence to ensure consistent delivery of quality education. He has been responsible for identifying and establishing student exchange programs through collaborations with various universities across the globe. He also focuses on technology in teaching, R&D initiatives, Innovation & Incubation activities, Professional Societies activities, Industry collaborations for internships & placements and international accreditation's. He has established several Centers of Excellence and laboratories in collaboration with industries.

Dr. S. V. Kota Reddy filed seven patents, one US, two international and four Indian, in association with I.I.T Bombay. He also published several research papers in Scopus/Web of Science Indexed Journals and Conference. One of his research papers was published in the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Journal in Spanish.

His research project on Plastic Solar Water Heater won the Meritorious Award at KAIF 2007, a state level project exhibition organized by TATA Power, Mumbai, India. His R&D projects on Heat Pump Assisted Dryer and Hybrid Air Conditioning System have won the “National Award for Excellence in HVAC&R”, which was instituted by the Bry-Air Asia Pvt Ltd in the year 2008 and 2009 respectively. He was the recipient of “Award for Outstanding Contribution to Education” for two consecutive years at the Middle East Education Leadership Awards by Asian Confederation of Businesses with CMO Asia, Dubai, U.A.E in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Dr. Kota also recipient of Indywood Educational Excellence Award for the best “Engineering & Architecture Education” in the U.A.E in the year 2016 and 2017. He was presented the MaGEX – 2016 Award for the “Best Academic Administration” for 2015-16 by Manipal Global Education Services, Bangalore, India.

A life member of Indian Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE), he has served the ISHRAE Mumbai Chapter at various positions such as a Chapter Working Committee Member, Treasurer and Secretary. He was ISHRAE’s Student Chair for the Western India comprising of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa in the year 2008-09 and was also ISHRAE Students’ Activities Chair, Hyderabad in the year 2009. He is a member of ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers) and elected by ASHRAE Falcon Chapter as the Chair for Students’ Activities from 2017 – 2020 in the U.A.E. Dr. Kota guided several research projects funded by ASHRAE. He is Ph. D examiner for I.I.T Bombay and many other prestigious Universities in India.