Advisory Council Chairman (Global)

Bio: Nikos Mourkogiannis is a world-renowned business philosopher, the international ‘Father of Purpose’ and author of the influential book "Purpose: The Starting Point of Great Companies" (2006). More than a decade ago, Nikos emboldened the development of the LivingMachine Institute on a global basis, by laying its foundations in Purpose. He has provided the highest council at key milestones in our journey, and stood by every stage in its development with candour and conviction. He is a senior advisor to chairmen and CEOs globally and was a senior executive advisor on leadership to Booz Allen Hamilton. Nikos helped create the Harvard Law School Center on Negotiations with Roger Fisher. His work has influenced some of the most complex business deals of the last thirty years. He argues that companies must satisfy the need for purpose—values that define organizations and inspire employees—demonstrating that strong purpose is essential for lasting success.

Advisory Council Chairman (India)

Bio: R Gopalakrishnan is a distinguished Indian business leader with over 50 years of corporate experience across two iconic conglomerates. He spent 31 years with Unilever, rising to Vice Chairman of Hindustan Unilever and Chairman of Unilever Arabia, followed by 18 years as Executive Director of TataSons. He was aware of the development of the LivingMachine model in its infancy, whilst he was at Tata Sons. Through his articles, columns and speeches, he has been instrumental in carrying the message of Long-Living Organisations and their benefits to nation building. He represented the LivingMachine Institute’s philosophy, ideas and models at the 16th Global Peter Drucker Forum in 2024. An IIT Kharagpur engineering graduate and Harvard Advanced Management Program alumnus, Gopal has authored 19 books on management and leadership. Currently serving as Non-Executive Chairman of Castrol India, he is recognized as one of India's foremost management thinkers, combining deep operational expertise with philosophical insights on leadership and organizational culture.

Bio: Richard Straub is founder and president of the Global Peter Drucker Forum and Peter Drucker Society Europe, the world's premier management conference held annually in Vienna. After a distinguished 32-year career at IBM holding key international executive positions including Global Chief Learning Officer and Deputy General Manager PC Europe, Straub established the Forum in 2009 to honor Peter Drucker's centenary. The conference has become Europe's leading management platform, attracting luminaries like Clayton Christensen and Gary Hamel. Born in Austria in 1946, Straub is also Associate Director of the European Foundation for Management Development, keeping Drucker's humanistic management philosophy alive for future generations.

Bio: Frank Partnoy is the Adrian A. Kragen Professor of Law at UC Berkeley and founding director of the Center for Corporate and Securities Law at the University of San Diego, where he taught for 21 years. A world-leading expert on financial market regulation, he previously worked as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley and CS First Boston, experiences he chronicled in his bestselling book "F.I.A.S.C.O." A Yale Law School graduate, Partnoy has authored four acclaimed books including "The Match King" and "WAIT: The Art and Science of Delay." He frequently contributes to major publications and has appeared on 60 Minutes and testified before Congress on financial regulation matters.

Bio: John Montgomery is a Silicon Valley corporate attorney and consciousness-based leadership advocate who co-chaired the legal working group behind California's groundbreaking benefit corporation law (AB 361) passed in 2011. Founder of Montgomery & Hansen LLP, he has nearly 30 years of experience in corporate law, venture capital financing, and mergers and acquisitions. Montgomery co-founded technology incubator Startworks and health company Chrysallis, and authored "Great from the Start: How Conscious Companies Attract Success." A creative writing and studio art undergraduate, he brings a unique artistic perspective to corporate law, helping entrepreneurs manifest purpose-driven businesses that optimize both profit and social impact.

Bio: Sanjay Behl is Chairman of CII's HR & Leadership National Council and a seasoned business leader with over 30 years of experience across FMCG, telecom, textiles, and electric mobility sectors. An IIT BHU engineering graduate and MBA from Sydenham Institute, he began his career at Hindustan Unilever in 1993, later holding leadership roles at Nokia and Reliance. As CEO of Raymond (2013-2020), he transformed the legacy textile company into a profitable fashion retail leader, more than doubling revenue and tripling profits. He co-founded Nextqore Inc., a real-time data science platform, and recently served as CEO of Greaves Electric Mobility before joining Adani Cement in 2025.

Bio: Mark Goyder is a champion of better capitalism and founder of Tomorrow's Company, the influential London-based business think tank he led until 2017. A Trinity College Cambridge economics graduate and former Cambridge Union President, he spent 15 years in manufacturing before pioneering corporate governance reform. Tomorrow's Company laid the foundations for enlightened shareholder value in the UK Companies Act 2006 and created the world's first Stewardship Code. An award-winning speaker and author of three books including "Entrusted: Stewardship for Responsible Wealth Creation," Goyder advocates for business as a force for good through purpose, values, relationships, and long-term thinking over short-term financial metrics.