Ashwini Kakkar

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Indian entrepreneur and philanthropist

Ashwini Kakkar

Nationality| Indian
Education| PGDM
MBA
BEng
Alma mater|

* Indian Institute of Management Kolkata
* INSEAD
* National Institute of Technology

Occupation| Entrepreneur & philanthropist
Board member of| Action Against Hunger

Ashwini Kakkar is an Indian entrepreneur and philanthropist, currently serving as the Chairman of Action Against Hunger, a global humanitarian organization established in 1979 by a group of French doctors, scientists, and writers and is committed to ending world hunger. He is a former chairman of Mercury Travels and co-founder and chairman of Via.com.[1]

In 2006, he was honoured with the highest civilian award Chevalier de Ordre national du Mérite by the President of France Jacques Chirac.[2][3] He is also the president of the Travel Agents Association Of India, chairman of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), and a global director of the Universal Federation of Travel Agent Associations (UFTAA).[4]

## Early life[edit]

Ashwini attended St. Xavier's in Delhi, St. Stanislaus, and Elphinstone College in Mumbai.[5] He earned a bachelor's degree from the National Institute of Technology at Kurukshetra, where he received a Distinguished Alumni Award.[6]

He then got an MBA from INSEAD, France, and a PGDM from the Indian Institute of Management Kolkata in 1980.[7][8] He also completed the IRDA regulatory Insurance exams.[9]

## Career[edit]

Ashwini has launched several travel ventures in India, including Thomas Cook India, Mercury Travel and Via.com.[10][11][12] He was an executive director on the global board of Thomas Cook Group, a travel group founded by Thomas Cook in 1841 and sold to C&N Touristic in 2000,[2] and the president of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 2004 to 2005.[13]

He was elected as a global board member of Recipharm, one of the five largest pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMO) in the world,[14] listed on Nasdaq Stockholm since 2014,[15] and sits on the board of The Travel Partnership Corporation, a Washington D.C. non-profit corporation.[16]

Ashwini has also served as a director on many boards, including Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (Reserve Bank of India), Alliance Capital, Pramerica, Europ Assistance India, Himalayan Exploration, Jai Medica, and Himalayan Exploration.[8][7]

In 2006, he co-founded an online travel company, Via.com alongside Vinay Gupta, Amit Aggarwal, Harsh Azad and Rohit Gaddi, which was later sold to an American technology company Ebix in a $74.9 million deal.[17][18]

In 2006, President of France Jacques Chirac honored him with the highest civilian awards 'Chevalier de l'Ordre de Merite'. Ashwini is a 'Distinguished Fellow' of the Institute of Directors London.[7]

Ashwini was also awarded the ''Ordre national du Merite'' by French Ambassador to India Dominique Girad for his contribution in promoting Indo-French relations.[19]

He is a collector of modern and contemporary Indian art.[5]

In 2021, Ashwin took over as International President of Action Against Hunger, succeeding Raymond Debbane. He was previously the president of the network in India before being nominated for the global position.[1][20]

## Awards and honours[edit]

* Distinguished Alumni Award[6]
* Chevalier de l'Ordre de Merite[citation needed]
* Ordre national du Merite[citation needed]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "Action Against Hunger Network elects Ashwini Kakkar as International President". Businessworld. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
2. ^ a b "Ashwini Kakkar becomes global president of Action Against Hunger Network". The Economic Times. 14 October 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
3. ^ "La France décore l'entrepreneur high-tech indien Ashwini Kakkar". LExpansion.com (in French). 12 June 2007. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
4. ^ "Mumbai Tourism – Hardselling Mumbai's tourist potential". newglobalindian.com. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
5. ^ a b Rao, Pallavi. "French connection". The Economic Times. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
6. ^ a b "Distinguished Alumni Awardees". NIT Kurukshetra Alumni Association. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
7. ^ a b c "Ashwini Kakkar, PhD, Vice Chairman, Mercury Travels, Chairman of Via.com, Ambit Corporation and the Fight Hunger Foundation". Questrom World. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
8. ^ a b "Ashwini Kakkar, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Thomas Cook India Ltd". India Infoline. 13 July 2004. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
9. ^ "Thomas Cook Set To Hawk Risk Lines From April". Business Standard India. 15 January 2002. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
10. ^ "Ex-Thomas Cook India CEO Ashwini Kakkar Joins FlightRaja Board". Gigaom. 14 September 2006. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
11. ^ Roy, Mithun. "Ashwini Kakkar picks up 76% in Mercury Travels". Daily News & Analysis. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
12. ^ Dey, Sudipto. "Ashwini Kakkar trains sights on travel start-ups". The Economic Times. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
13. ^ "Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry" (PDF). bombaychamber.com.
14. ^ Melissa, Fassbender (22 October 2018). "Less is more: Significant CDMO consolidation expected as pharma looks to work with fewer suppliers". outsourcing-pharma.com. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
15. ^ "Recipharm - Nasdaq". www.nasdaqomxnordic.com. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
16. ^ "The Travel Partnership Corporation (TTPC) | International Climate & Tourism Partners". Retrieved 18 April 2022.
17. ^ Tiwari, Ashish (3 August 2018). "Ebix' Indian unit buys East India Hotels arm Mercury Travels from PRS Oberoi, Ashwini Kakkar". Zee Business. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
18. ^ Dhanjal, Swaraj Singh (31 October 2017). "Ebix to acquire online travel portal Via.com". mint. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
19. ^ "France honours Indian businessman Ashwini Kakkar". Oneindia. 12 June 2007. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
20. ^ "Industry welcomes Tourism Minister, lists recommendations". BW Hotelier. Retrieved 18 April 2022.

## External links[edit]

* Ashwin Kakkar