Her career reflects a unique blend of technical expertise, operational excellence, and people-centered leadership.

Early Career and Military Service

Manvi Bali Misra began her professional journey in the Indian Air Force, where she served for ten years. Her time in the armed forces laid the foundation for her leadership style, instilling values of discipline, resilience, accountability, and mission-first execution.

The experience of working in high-pressure and highly structured environments helped her develop a strong ability to make strategic decisions, manage complex situations, and lead teams with clarity and purpose. These qualities would later become defining elements of her leadership approach in the corporate world.

Corporate Career

After completing her service in the Indian Air Force, Manvi transitioned to the corporate sector and joined Cummins India. At Cummins, she developed strong capabilities in manufacturing systems, engineering processes, and industrial operations within a global manufacturing ecosystem. This phase of her career allowed her to deepen her technical expertise while learning to navigate complex operational challenges in large-scale manufacturing environments.

Her leadership abilities soon led her to take on a pioneering role as Plant Head of a hydrogen engine manufacturing facility in Jamshedpur. In this role, she successfully established and operationalized a brownfield project, balancing existing infrastructure constraints with the integration of advanced manufacturing technologies in an emerging and future-focused domain.

Later, she served as Plant Head at Gabriel India, where she led manufacturing operations in a high-performance environment. In this role, she focused on driving operational excellence, strengthening team accountability, and managing organizational complexity with strategic clarity. Her work emphasized building strong teams, improving processes, and delivering consistent results in demanding operational settings.

Leadership Philosophy

Manvi Bali Misra is widely recognized for her leadership philosophy centered on empowerment rather than control. She believes that effective leadership is not about micromanagement but about enabling people to grow into leaders themselves.

Her approach focuses on building trust, clarity, and ownership within teams. By encouraging accountability and collaboration, she has consistently fostered high-performing work environments capable of sustaining long-term success.

She is also a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, particularly in industries where women remain underrepresented in leadership roles. Through her voice and example, she continues to challenge traditional workplace norms and promote a more inclusive and equitable professional culture.

Personal Life

Outside of her professional responsibilities, Manvi Bali Misra is a devoted mother to her daughter, Aarna. She is married to a serving officer in the Indian Air Force, maintaining a deep personal connection with the armed forces community that shaped her early career.

Her personal life reflects the same principles that guide her professional journey: discipline, resilience, commitment, and courage. She believes strongly in aligning personal values with professional choices and maintaining balance between leadership responsibilities and family life.

Achievements and Recognition

Throughout her career, Manvi Bali Misra has been recognized for her leadership, operational excellence, and ability to drive transformation within complex industrial environments.

Her notable achievements include:

Ten years of service as an officer in the Indian Air Force

Leadership role in manufacturing and engineering operations at Cummins India

Plant Head of a hydrogen engine manufacturing facility in Jamshedpur

Plant Head at Gabriel India, leading high-performance manufacturing operations

Recognition for operational excellence and transformational leadership

Thought leadership in the areas of leadership development, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace

Dr. Sandya Bhat Asnotikar’s journey is a portrait of perseverance, purpose, and passion. Growing up in a traditional family in Karnataka, she found her fascination for machines and flight at an early age. What began as curiosity soon became convictiona desire to bridge technology with human impact.Pursuing Aircraft Maintenance Engineering, she laid the foundation for an extraordinary professional odyssey that would later evolve into aerospace strategy, digital leadership, and sustainability.

Career

Dr. Sandya started her career as a Commercial Line Maintenance Field Engineer at Kingfisher Airlines, working hands-on with aircraft systems. Her discipline and analytical mindset led her to roles across leading aerospace programs, where she specialized in technical data management, process excellence, and program leadership.She later transitioned into the enterprise technology sector, joining SAP, where she now serves as a Senior Product Manager and Aerospace & Defense Business Strategist. In this role, she drives cloud-enabled digital transformation for emerging markets in space and advanced air mobility.Her pioneering frameworks have positioned enterprises as strategic enablers in the global New Space Economy, influencing collaborations with agencies such as the European Space Agency (ESA) and IN-SPACe India.

Personal Life

Based in Bangalore, Dr. Sandya lives with her husband and son. She balances a demanding global career with her roles as a mother, mentor, and lifelong learner. Deeply spiritual and family-oriented, she believes success is meaningful only when it uplifts others. Guided by values of education, ethics, and empathy, she practices mindful living as an extension of her leadership ethos.

Achievements & Recognition

• President, Karnataka Aerospace Council – WICCI
• Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in Digital Leadership, Golden Gate University, San Francisco
• Speaker at global forums including the European Space Agency (ESA), World Economic Forum (WEF), and Aviation Week
• Founder, AeroMinds Newsletter – inspiring young minds in space and technology
• Recognized for frameworks advancing sustainability, policy innovation, and gender inclusion in aerospace

External Links

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandyabhat-vp/
• AeroMinds Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/aerominds-7151600369746243585/
• Feature Articles: Business Standard, Forbes, Future of Commerce, Aviation Week, WEF AAM Consortium

Srishti Jha was born and raised in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. From an early age, she displayed a strong inclination toward innovation, systems thinking, and sustainable technology. Her academic journey began at Loreto Convent Girls School, where she served as the Sports Captain during 2009 and 2010, demonstrating leadership both on and off the field. She later pursued her higher secondary education in the science stream at G D Birla Centre for Education.

She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from SRM University in Chennai. During her undergraduate years, she was actively involved in BAJA SAE Off Road Racing between 2013 and 2015, gaining hands on experience in automotive design and engineering teamwork. Her analytical skills, leadership abilities, and early research exposure led her to publish research papers and aspire toward advanced studies.

Srishti completed her Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with specialization in Thermofluids from Northeastern University in Boston. During her graduate studies, she received the prestigious College of Engineering Award in recognition of academic excellence and leadership. She also served as a Co Facilitator for the SHEleads Leadership Forum, supporting leadership development initiatives during her master’s program.

Career

Srishti Jha began her professional career in the United States, working with leading automotive and mobility organizations such as Hanon Systems and Marelli North America. In these roles, she contributed to product development and research driven engineering initiatives.

During her co operative education experience at Terrafugia, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology affiliated startup, she developed thermal models for electric vertical takeoff and landing flying car technology, contributing to emerging aviation innovation.

She later returned to Asia to join Euler Motors in India, where she led Battery Thermal Research and Development and Operations. In this role, she implemented scalable onboarding frameworks and operational process playbooks that strengthened organizational efficiency.

Her career then transitioned to Europe when she joined Northvolt AB in Sweden as a Technical Project Manager. At Northvolt, she led end to end delivery operations for a global manufacturing program valued at approximately one hundred twenty million dollars. Her expertise spans capacity planning, performance systems, automation, operational excellence, and cross functional leadership.

Having worked across India, the United States, South Korea, and Sweden, she brings a multicultural perspective combined with operational rigor. She is currently recognized as a thought leader in operations excellence, automation strategy, and inclusive leadership.

Personal Life

Srishti Jha is deeply committed to mentorship, inclusion, and leadership development, with a particular focus on empowering women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. She is the founder of Thrive With Srishtea, a digital platform that promotes mindful leadership, personal growth, and authentic career narratives.

She has volunteered in Ghana, contributing to sustainability and education initiatives within local communities. A former state level swimmer from Kolkata, she strongly advocates wellness and work life balance.

Her personal interests include writing, travel, oil painting, and exploring the cultural intersections between technology, design, and human behavior.

Achievements & Recognition

• Named among the 50 Most Influential Indian for her impact in automotive & battery manufacturing industries
• keynote speaker on Blueprint of Belongingness, leadership transformation in the age of AI. Advocates for DEIB initiatives at workplace.
• Featured in multiple professional panels and mentoring circles for young engineers and emerging leaders.
• Known for bridging engineering precision with human-centered systems design, driving measurable impact across industries.

External Links

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/srishti-jha
• Instagram: @thrivewithsrishtea
• Public Speaking & Thought Leadership: https://speaker.srishtijha.eu/
• Research papers published in International Journals:
  [1] CVT Control Strategies
• International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT), Vol. 4, 2015, pp 1030-1034 ISSN: 2278-0181 [2] Study of Nanoparticles for enhanced heat transfer characteristics of base fluids for cool thermal energy system
  • Int. Journal of Engineering Research and Applications, Vol. 4, Issue 4( Version 6), April 2014, pp.97-101, ISSN : 2248-9622