Dr. Raman Venkatesh is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Medtronic PLC (NYSE: MDT) responsible for the $31 billion, 95,000+ employee company’s global sustainability portfolio and initiatives across various corporate functions and global businesses.  Dr. Venkatesh’s global experience includes various functional and business leadership roles in sustainability-oriented domains (particularly, water, air, clean energy and allied materials).   His experience includes serving as a strategic advisor to VC/PE funds, and to CEOs and boards of directors.  Previously, he was the Chief Operating Officer of SAE International (SAEI), a world leader in engineering standards serving the global mobility industries. He was responsible for strategy and global operations of SAEI as well as providing leadership to SAEI’s international staff of 350 professionals.  Prior to that, he was the CEO of a strategic business unit in Eureka Forbes Limited, a leading Asian consumer products company.  He served on the boards of four companies, including as chairman of a technology joint venture.  His career spans business management and technology leadership roles in various industries and geographies.

Dr. Venkatesh is the recipient of the prestigious American Hero award from American Chemical Society for an innovative technology implemented across the USA. He earned a B.E. (Hons.) in chemical engineering from BITS, Pilani (India) followed by M.S. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from University of Pittsburgh (USA), where he won the Outstanding Graduate Student award. He also earned an Executive MBA degree from the Katz School of Business at University of Pittsburgh. He has advanced management diplomas on M&A and Strategic Alliances from Harvard Business School and the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania).  Dr. Venkatesh is a key inventor in over 10 patents and has authored more than 30 research articles with citations in peer-reviewed journals, international conferences, and reputed magazines. He was appointed by the Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh to the Swanson School of Engineering’s Advisory Board.