Interview Feature | Future Forward: Know More about Our Three New Members of Senior Leadership at NLS
May 14, 2025
As we come to the close of another Academic Year, we take a moment to highlight reflections from three members of the Senior Leadership at NLSIU who joined us this year.
During AY 2024-25, we welcomed our new Chief Operating Officer Captain K S Cariappa; our Director-Communications and External Relations, Deepti Soni; and our new Director for Professional and Continuing Education (PACE), Vikas Chaturvedi.
Vikas Chaturvedi
On his role at NLSIU: My role is to lead the PACE team to deliver on a multitude of institutional goals and develop an even larger portfolio of successful programme offerings that benefit the on-campus or off-campus students alike. This would involve an all-hands effort from many NLSIU stakeholders over time with whom I will be working on a day-to-day basis. I feel this role is critical to making NLSIU learning even more relevant to the practitioners and the industry.
On Leadership: The qualities I value the most are humility, kindness, and fairness. A good mix of these goes a long way to engage the team foremost, followed by creating a conducive environment for everyone to work collaboratively.
Read his full interview here.
Deepti Soni
On her role at NLSIU: In my capacity as the Director Communications & External Relations, I manage six large and key portfolios at the NLSIU – Admissions, Alumni Relations, Careers & Placements, Communications, and Development/Fundraising, and External Relations. In every aspect of my role, I am deeply engaged with a diverse range of stakeholders – both within and outside the University. I also have the privilege of shaping and safeguarding the NLSIU brand, which includes establishing clear and consistent guidelines for how brand NLSIU is represented across platforms. It is a demanding role, but one that is incredibly fulfilling. With the unwavering support of visionary leadership and a driven, talented team, I am committed to taking NLSIU to the next level.
On Leadership: Joy and empathy top my list of essential leadership qualities. We spend more than half of our waking hours at work, and ideally, the workplace should be a source of joy. If my team members are not able to find those little moments of happiness during the day, they know they have someone empathetic to turn to, someone who will listen and understand. Across all the organisations I’ve been a part of, it has been my constant endeavour to build an enabling environment where team members feel safe, heard, and valued, where they are encouraged to share their thoughts openly. I firmly believe that happy teams are motivated teams, and that is what transforms a workplace into a space we genuinely look forward to being at each day.
Read the full interview here.
Captain K S Cariappa
On his role at NLSIU: The role of Chief Operating Officer ensures that the University runs efficiently in a manner that aligns with its strategic goals. I oversee non-academic operations, including infrastructure projects, facilities and estate management, campus safety, and auxiliary services such as dining, housing, transportation. My work at NLSIU is therefore satisfying as we have numerous ongoing and upcoming large projects to work on. My strong financial and project management skills developed over the years in the Navy have helped me meet a certain satisfaction level on all fronts of Operations.
On Leadership: My leadership style involves empowering all my subordinates to work independently as I have been taught that without trust, credibility erodes fast. I have always tried to understand and address other’s perspectives as it develops loyalty and collaboration. Most importantly, I have always encouraged my subordinates to express themselves frankly, and work without the fear of making mistakes, by giving them the confidence that they would not take the fall if they erred. Having said this, discipline, integrity, and adherence to rules and regulations has been the cornerstone of my leadership.
Read the full interview here.