Board of Directors

Transformational dreamer who empowers others to drive with passion and vigor, Sunil Paul, Co-Founded Finesse in 2010. Recognized as thought leader and a transformation strategist, Sunil is an active contributor and expert opinion provider in industry talk shows and gets regularly featured in a wide range of prestigious IT / Business publications around the globe. Sunil has a wealth of expertise in identifying, designing and driving the strategy and growth while focusing on value creation for all our stake holders across industries. His deep understanding of the technology and the market potential led Finesse to globally foray into providing focused solutions in a mix of industry verticals, more notably in the Banking and Financial Services, Energy, Education, Healthcare, Public and Retail segments. He has been instrumental in positioning Finesse as a leading global digital transformation provider. His meticulous and focused approach in delivering value-centric solutions and services has resulted in key customer acquisitions and brought in several industry recognitions and accolades for Finesse.

In addition, Sunil is the driving force behind the functioning of Finesse Foundation, a not-for-profit CSR platform, set up in the best interest of empowerment of education and healthcare. Sunil’s philanthropic interests cut across and transcend societies. He is also the Founder secretary of ‘Asrayam’, a leading social organization for the NRIs.

With around 25 years of rich experience in Information Technology, Sunil has a unique and detailed understanding of the industry and has set up many successful business initiatives throughout his career. Prior to Finesse, Sunil co-founded Y-Axis Systems, a core-banking services company, which was later acquired by a leading European conglomerate. Sunil served as the Vice-President for Bahwan CyberTek and spearheaded their BFSI business & operations from 2008 to 2010. Sunil also helmed the BFSI practice for Imtac in 2002 and nurtured it to become one of the largest BFSI solution providers in the GCC. Sunil holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Atlanta. He is an avid technology enthusiast and a voracious blogger on emerging paradigms in the Technology services industry. He is married and blessed with two children.

Raju Ramesh, a serial entrepreneur and investor is a co-founder of Finesse. Ramesh played a major role in laying the Foundation of Finesse, and has strongly build the technical & financial pillars of the organization.

He has been an integral part of the team which is responsible for the stewardship of this company’s exponential revenue growth year on year since its inception in 2010 and is no stranger to managing growth and innovation. With his unique style of people friendly leadership, Finesse has grown to become the number one Digital System Integrator in the region and has consistently been winning several accolades and international awards year after year.

Ramesh brings over 35 years of experience in business, spanning International Markets with customers across the US, Europe, Middle East and Far East.. He is a pioneer not only in project management but people management as well. He dons the role of a guide in every business that involves him and brings superior delivery focus to each project. His stint with entrepreneurship began as a seed investor in businesses run by his peer groups. Today, Ramesh indulges in selective early stage investments in the Technology and Biotech; two domains that he has mastered and has a very good understanding of. Having qualified as one, he is a Finance person who is regularly featured in the leading industry publications. He brings to the table a rare but powerful combination of Finance and Technology to give necessary relevance to business decision making.

As our Chief Business Officer & a Director of Finesse, Eljo JP drives the overall Business numbers and oversees new strategic client acquisitions in a multitude of geographies across the region. He holds a Post Graduate Degree in Business Administration (MBA) with a specialization in Marketing and Finance, along with a Masters in Commerce and a GNIIT title from NIIT. His professional experience in the sector of Technology and Business Development spans over 18 years – 10 years in the Middle East and 8 in the Indian market.

Eljo is instrumental in bringing home a host of significant and key strategic accounts for Finesse over the years. His expertise in Business Development, Sales, Marketing, Alliance Management and Strategic Account Management, has consistently raised the bars for growing revenues to deliver on our financial targets. To his credit, he has extensive exposure and business experience across several industry verticals which include Banking & Finance, Insurance, Defense and Enterprise.

He started his career with Indian Air Force in the field of Communication & Technology. Prior to joining Finesse, he was working with a few leading regional IT System Integration companies based out of Bahrain, Oman and UAE.

Ahmad Almulla has over 30 years of experience in IT and business with international exposure and is considered one of the leading figures when it comes to innovation and creative thinking.

During his career, Ahmad has been a frequent keynote speaker at many conferences and symposiums globally; and has led many initiatives that have resulted in DUBAL/EGA receiving several prestigious awards. He has been a pivotal member of the Executive Management Team at DUBAL/EGA for over 15 years, at which level he has contributed strategic expertise in global information systems, information system architecture, supply chain strategy and automation procedures.

Ahmad also has led the vision for a transformation program through the implementation of SAP in DUBAL/EGA and later the integration of multiple SAP system. The latter system not only revolutionized the way DUBAL/EGA business departments’ function by using world class best practices, but also positioned them for future growth. In addition, Ahmad has helped many organizations in their digital transformation journey.

As part of community support, Ahmad has played a crucial role in establishing CIOMajlis (A platform for CIOs to network and discuss IT related topics) and was the founding chairman. He also served as the vice chairman of Dubai Quality Group (DQG), In addition, He is a board member of the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACME) Middle East Chapter.

He holds an MBA from the University of New England and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Arizona. He has completed the PED (Programme for Executive Development) at IMD Business School in Switzerland. He recently completed the Directors Development Programme at Mudara Institute of Directors. He has also been a frequent nominee for international training sessions at prestigious institutes such as the IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Ahmad has recently released his first book “Digital Governance”. Currently, he works as the Digital Advisor to the CEO of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation. He also advises board of Directors, CEOs, and CIOs on IT strategy, cyber security, and IT governance, IT led innovation. He is also the founding chairman of CIOMajlis, a board member of Paramount computers, Strategic advisor at HCL Middle East, and a member of IDC advisory council.

Mr. Gopal Gopalakrishnan, (a.k.a AVG), with a wide range of experience in the IT industry in India and the United States, is currently engaged in leading several US Federal Government IT initiatives in the Washington DC area. As the Operations Head at a Virginia based small business, he has led several IT projects for client agencies, both US Federal Govt. and State Govt. agencies.

Gopal brings a blend of global experience having led consulting projects associated with the design and implementation of feasibility studies for IT projects including the development of software applications with a particular focus on ‘Change Management’ initiatives. His consulting activities with corporate clients encompassed ‘Process, People and Technology’ initiatives. Working with corporate clients to help them launch Business Process Transformation initiatives, provided Gopal with the opportunity to work closely with client organizations to evaluate their internal and external processes, assist them in their pursuit of ‘ISO certification’, and Total Quality Management programs. Gopal has helped numerous clients align their business processes with their corporate goals and strategic direction. Utilizing such tools as ‘Gap Analysis’ and the calculation of Cost-Benefit analyses, Gopal has been instrumental in helping organizations streamline their processes and service delivery. As a natural extension, he has been involved in the implementation of packaged ERP applications including SAP, during which he worked closely with corporate boards and senior management teams on steering committees and task forces to set goals, identify criteria for project success, and establish metrics and milestones for the projects.

During the early part of his career in India, he was heading Operations at leading IT Consulting and Training organizations. At Aptech, a leader in IT retail education, corporate training, and consulting, he led Product and Operations teams at national levels. As Executive Director and Board member on an Aptech group company, he was responsible for setting up a pan India retail channel offering career oriented programs in Management including Sales & Marketing, besides a wide range of soft skills programs, in association with TACK Training, U.K. Trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant, he began his training with A.F. Ferguson & Co., one of the leading Chartered Accountant firms during the period.

Gopal brings a unique mix of IT leadership skills along with innate Financial acumen and has been involved with Board level management interaction as part of his career roles that include Business Development and Operations management. Currently, he is also engaged in mentoring a few select entrepreneurs by way of participation as an angel investor.

Meeta R, a Business Management professional from Cambridge, UK. A banker who is also an entrepreneur in the domain of technology, consulting & advisory services. Based in the US, Meeta is one of the Board of Directors of Finesse.

Arun Tewary, an acclaimed IT veteran is a Strategic advisor & Director at Finesse. Arun Tewary’s association with Middle East has been for over 25 years and known in the IT industry as one of the leading CIOs. Arun has 4 decades of international professional experience in Information Technology and business transformation through automation and process reorganization across numerous industry verticals in various capacities.

He has successfully transformed organizations through digital acceleration and agile processes. He has worked across Manufacturing sector, Retail, Trading, Real Estate, Food & Beverages, Aviation (aviation catering), and Information Technology. He worked mostly on Tier-1 ERPs – SAP, Oracle and JD Edwards in large organizations, including the largest SAP implementation in Gulf region. Arun has ddemonstrated success in strategy planning and execution and advisory/consulting service with stellar record of serving as Board Member for multiple groups as well as councils.

Proven background in establishing new business lines, facing digital transformation challenges, implementing new IT operating models, and deploying technology plans. Adept at developing global digital business platforms, ensuring organizational transformation, executing intelligent hybrid models, and deploying JD Edwards E1, SAP, as well as other ERP systems. Empowering business leader with demonstrated success. Managing teams of professionals internationally while ensuring professional growth. Instrumental in maintaining cordial relationships with key stakeholders to ensure continuous growth and success.

Articulate communicator with excellent interpersonal and analytical skills. He has worked with Tata Steel, India, Essar Steel India, Al Futtaim Group, UAE, Emaar Properties, UAE and Emirates Flight Catering, UAE. Arun is an active member of CIO Majlis, UAE. He is a challenger and at the same time a leader in collaborative working.

Ciby Joseph FCA (ICAI, India) FRM (GARP, USA), is a veteran finance professional with 22 years of post-qualification experience. Ciby is a versatile finance professional with wide ranging experience from banking to consulting, corporate finance management to risk analysis & management, part time lecturer to a quantum spiritual enthusiast. Ciby had previously held senior management positions at two London based banks and as senior partner in an Australia based Audit and Consulting firm.

He is a regular speaker in various forums. A zealous finance professional with global experience, his financial management expertise is topnotch. He is the author of a book “Advanced Credit Risk Analysis & Management” (M/s. John Wiley & Sons, London), which is taken as reference book by world’s leading universities. Ciby is currently spearheading the initiative of dynamic finance management required for the vision of Finesse becoming a listed company in the next few years.

Samer Dlikan is our Chief Technology Officer. Having gained over 15 years of IT experience in Project Planning, Architecture design, development and implementation, Samer spearheads the design, architecture and implementation of most of our projects including the key Business intelligence / Analytics projects. His active involvement in several critical IT projects with large public sector organizations, Banking & Financial Services, Education, Government, Healthcare, Hospitality and Oil & Gas Industries has helped Finesse to become the most trusted software system integrators in the region.

Samer has also showcased his immense domain experience in payment solutions and has performed implementation and integration of delivery channels such as Cashier, Online, Credit cards and ERP / Back office systems. He also possesses strong Techno-Functional experience with most of the Oracle Applications including R11/R12 ERP, SCM & CRM.

Samer holds a Bachelor of Computer Engineering Degree from Aleppo University and a Higher Diploma in Business Management from Damascus University, Syria.

Lama Sheikh, a Finesse veteran since its inception in 2010 is our Chief Administration Officer. She heads our administration including PRO office and also oversee the HR department. She joined us after around 9 years of experience with the Ministry of Finance in Syria and over 5 years of combined experience with IMTAC and Bahwan CyberTek as a Business Support coordinator.

At Finesse, Lama also supports the WPS & Payroll management, audits and compliances, ISO & Quality policies, healthcare & insurance aspects and ensures regulatory compliance with all statutory bodies. With a total of 20 years of industry experience under her belt and in-depth experience in handling the Administration & Finance departments of enterprises, Lama is recognized as the “glue of Finesse” as she holds together the core administrative, operational & payroll processing departments and remains the foremost and constant point of contact for all our staff.

Lama and her team handholds new recruits on their onboarding process and ensures their smooth joining while adhering to all statutory requirements.

Lama earned a graduate degree in Administration and Finance from the College of Commerce in Syria. Besides her corporate life, she is a quite family person, and an avid traveler, and is quite adept at maintaining a perfect life-work balance.

George Thomas has joined in the board of directors of Finesse ITLabs India, the Indian subsidiary of Finesse Global. George Thomas has over 3 decades of rich experience in providing software and technology solutions for several industry domains including Healthcare, Education, Hospitality, government, banking, manufacturing and more.

He has been in several senior leaderships roles and has been instrumental in setting-up multiple offshore development centers and Centre of Excellence (CoE) with CMMi L3 and L5 assessments. He has led and mentored product teams and created enterprise IPR product suites consisting of modern software architecture, frameworks, IoT, Tools etc, which has contributed to strategic customer acquisitions and achieving high degree of digital transformations for its customers in various geographies globally. Having an MBA in IT and systems, also with PMP certification from Project Management Institute (PMI), George Thomas has not only delivered many strategic projects, but also set up PM practices for internal PMOs.

George Thomas is highly passionate about creating new ideas and enthusiastic to build commercially sustainable, disruptive concepts that can create great opportunities for all stakeholders by harnessing people power and emerging technologies and he is quite clear how to build clear roadmap for such solutions. With his involvement in advisory and mentorship roles, Finesse ITLabs India is poised to take a further leap into the league of high growth providers of unique solutions.