D2L Connection: New Delhi

Rajiv Tandon

CEO, BITS Pilani Digital

Rajiv Tandon is a higher education leader and institution builder with about 35 years of experience at the intersection of education, technology, and large scale learning transformation. Over the course of his career, he has witnessed and actively shaped the evolution of teaching technologies from early Linear Video Instruction to today’s advanced asynchronous, synchronous, and AI enabled digital ecosystems. His work spans diverse learner segments including K 12, college learners, and working professionals, and geographies across India, the United States, APAC, Latin America, and Africa. Rajiv’s professional journey uniquely bridges formal higher education, corporate capability building, global learning enterprises, and early stage education startups long before the term edtech became mainstream. He has worked towards building learning solutions for industries as varied as IT and ITES, manufacturing, automotive, energy, pharmaceuticals, and BFSI, helping organizations align education with real world workforce needs. This breadth of exposure shaped his core belief that technology is not merely a delivery channel for learning, but the foundational architecture that enables access, personalization, scale, and measurable outcomes.

Over the years, Rajiv has repeatedly been entrusted with institution building mandates at the highest level, serving as Chief Executive Officer across three distinct education businesses. He first led the online and distance learning division of a leading business school(IMT GZB) pioneering early models of technology enabled professional education. He later served for nearly a decade as CEO of BITS Pilani Work Integrated Learning Programmes, where he architected and scaled one of the world’s most distinctive work integrated higher education models. Built on a trilateral partnership between the university, employers, and working professionals, the model delivered employer contextualized, degree granting programmes in advanced engineering and engineering management domains directly at the workplace. Leveraging sophisticated digital platforms and blended delivery technologies, the division grew into a 45,000+ annual learner ecosystem, enabling enterprises to integrate learning into work while advancing talent acquisition, transformation, and retention at scale.

Today, as CEO of BITS Pilani Digital, Rajiv is spearheading the creation of a cloud born digital university built from first principles. He leads the design of a next generation learning environment that combines asynchronous and live learning, industry grade projects, AI and GPU powered labs, technology enabled student success systems, and automation across admissions, content, and academic operations. The model expands access while maintaining quality and outcomes, enabling learners from diverse geographies and life stages to pursue career transforming education.

Widely respected for his systems thinking, scale execution, and future ready vision, Rajiv continues to redefine how institutions can harness technology not just to digitize education, but to reimagine it.

Dr. Ankit Mundra

Deputy Director, Directorate of Quality & Compliance, Manipal University Jaipur

Dr. Ankit Mundra is a higher education quality assurance professional, academic auditor, and faculty member in the Department of Information Technology at Manipal University Jaipur. He currently serves as Deputy Director, Directorate of Quality & Compliance, where he leads initiatives related to institutional quality assurance, IQAC processes, accreditation, academic and administrative audits, regulatory compliance, and continuous quality improvement. With over 14 years of experience in higher education, he has played a pivotal role in driving accreditation and ranking initiatives including NAAC, NBA, NIRF, QS, and Times Higher Education, while supporting evidence-based governance and institutional excellence. His expertise spans quality systems, audit frameworks, KPI-based performance monitoring, strategic planning, and institutional effectiveness. In addition to his administrative leadership, Dr. Mundra is an accomplished academic with more than 48 research publications and several patents in the fields of cybersecurity and intelligent systems.

Dr. Kuldeep Chand Rojhe

Pro VC (UG Programs), Chitkara Business School

Former, Dean Academics – MBA Marketing & MBA Finance, Chitkara University, Punjab.

Founding Dean Academics, Chitkara University Centre for Distance and Online Education, Chitkara University, Punjab.

Ex Dean Faculty of Management Sciences, Shoolini University, Himachal Pradesh.

Doctoral in consumer behavior with specialization in customer complaining behavior, build and fostered thriving business schools, developed curriculums, skill development programs & played crucial roles in education management.

Led student acquisition, selections, regulatory compliance, industry- academia tie-ups, international collaboration & internship programs, and have developed key skills in higher education management & development.

Actively associated with sponsored research projects & consultancy, have publications in National & International journals of repute, edited books and delivered several invited talks at leading forums.

Contribution to IPR comprises of one patent granted, two patents filed and ten copyrights registered.

Mullai Balakrishnan

Head of Information Technology, BITS Pilani Digital

Mullai Balakrishnan is the Head of Information Technology at BITS Pilani Digital, with over two decades of experience in IT leadership and technology management. She has previously held leadership roles at Wells Fargo, IBM, and Monsanto, where she focused on technology strategy, digital transformation, and building scalable and resilient technology ecosystems aligned with organizational growth. 

Her expertise spans enterprise architecture, IT governance, compliance and controls, infrastructure, service delivery, and operational excellence. She is also AI/ML certified from IIT Kanpur, bringing a strong perspective on leveraging emerging technologies to drive business value and innovation.