The 2024 Passage to India Event took place on Friday, August 2nd at Embassy Suites in East Peoria. In its 18th year, the event has raised over $5 million for the children and families of Easterseals Central Illinois. Held annually, Passage to India promotes greater awareness and appreciation of cultural diversity in our community and celebrates the rich traditions of India and America cultures. This year’s theme was AI.
Another highlight of the evening is the presentation of the Banyan Tree Award Winner. This prestigious award named after the National Tree of India is presented annually to one or more persons in recognition of lifetime accomplishments, significant achievements, and exemplary contributions toward global economic prosperity, cross-cultural collaboration, and international goodwill. The award acknowledges strategic innovation in global markets, visionary leadership, and fostering the time honored spirit of philanthropy. Presented annually by the Passage to India Board of Directors and Easterseals Central Illinois, award criteria include:
· Promoting greater understanding and appreciation of Asian-Indian Culture
· Fostering International Goodwill
· Creating innovative solutions to complex problems
· Modeling the time-honored spirit of philanthropy; and
· Exhibiting Visionary Leadership
“The Passage to India Board of Directors is honored to pressent two Banyan Tree Awards to a remarkable global CEO and an incredible husband and wife team focused on leaving a lasting impact,” said Seshadri Guha, CEO and founder of TADA Cognitive Solutions. “All three honorees are innovative thinkers and respected experts in their particular fields. They have all played a pivotal role in revolutionizing and driving innovation.”
“As Chair of Easterseals Central Illinois Board of Directors, I am proud and honored to be part of presenting this year’s Banyan Tree award to not just one, but two women, for the first time ever,” said Dr. Meenakshy Aiyer, Regional Dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria.
The 2024 Banyan Tree Winners
About Upen and Dr. Mythily Varavasi
Mythily and Upen, partners in life and business, have a remarkable entrepreneurial journey. Upen co-founded Riversand in 2001, leading it to become a global leader in master data management (MDM) and product information Management (PIM) solutions, culminating in its acquisition in 2021. In 2022, they launched GrowthAXL, a venture studio focused on industries like healthcare, energy, and AI. Mythily, a medical doctor, and Upen aim to revolutionize the home healthcare Industries, leveraging their expertise in healthcare and technology.
Mythily is passionate about women’s entrepreneurship, community support for critically ill patients, and children’s education. She co-founded MPower, a platform for nurturing women entrepreneurs, and is involved in a startup providing second opinions and care support for patients. The couple also generously support children’s education and well-being globally, including projects like the Maternal and Child Health building in Kakinada, India.
Upen holds degrees in mechanical engineering from IIT Madras and Missouri Institute of Science and Technology.
About Jayshree Ullal
This year’s honoree, Jayshree Ullal, embodies the spirit of this prestigious award through her exceptional career and philanthropic endeavors.
Jayshree Ullal is a trailblazer in the fields of AI and cloud networking, serving as the President and CEO of Arista Networks. Under her visionary leadership, Arista Networks achieved a historic IPO in June 2014, growing from a nascent startup to a multibillion-dollar enterprise. Prior to Arista, Ullal held the position of Senior Vice President at Cisco, where she managed a $10 billion business segment focused on datacenter, switching, and services.
With over 40 years of experience in the networking industry, Ullal’s accolades are numerous. She was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young in 2015, recognized as one of the “World’s Best CEOs” by Barron’s in 2018, and listed among Fortune’s “Top 20 Businesspersons” in 2019. Ullal’s academic accomplishments include a B.S. in Engineering (Electrical) and an M.S. in Engineering Management, and she has received Distinguished Alumni Awards from San Francisco State University and Santa Clara University
Past Banyan Tree Winners
- Sanjay Poonen- CEO and President, Cohesity
- Dr. Rajesh Soin – Chairman and CEO, Soin LLC
- Raj Subramaniam – President, FedEx
- Dr. Mehmood Khan – Vice Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer, PepsiCo
- Rajiv Gupta – Founder/CEO, Stealth Startup
- Dr. Norman Borlaug, American Agronomist
- Jai Shekhawat – Founder, Fieldglass
- Romi Kadri – Managing Partner, Capella Partners
- Desh Deshpande – President and Chairman, Sparta Group
- Dr. Vijay Govindarajan – Coxe Distinguished Professor of Management, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth
- Sanjay Khosla – CEO, Bunnik
- Vish Mishra – Venture Director, Clearstone Venture Partners and President and Trustee Emeritus, TiE
- Arun Nayar – Entrepreneur
- Sam Pitroda – Telecom Engineer, Entrepreneur
- Ashok Trivedi – Co-Founder/Co-Chairman, Mastech Inc. and IGATE
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