Mr. Kochouseph Chittilappilly, Chairman Emeritus of Wonderla Amusement Parks & Resort, was born in 1950 in Thrissur District, Kerala, and holds a Master's Degree in Physics. At the age of 27, the industrialist in him took shape with a borrowed capital of Rs. 1,00,000 from his father to set up a small manufacturing facility for stabilisers. He set about manufacturing the V-Guard brand of stabilisers.
In the year 2000 he started an amusement park in Kochi (Veegaland, later as Wonderla ) which has become one of the most attractive destinations in Kerala. The success story made him to build another park in Bengaluru in 2005, presently the biggest amusement park in India. A third park in the chain was started in Hyderabad in 2016 and the fourth park at Chennai is getting formalized.
He then founded 'The Thomas Chittilappilly Trust' in memory of his late father, C.O. Thomas. It is an extension of the philanthropic and responsible values espoused at V-Guard. It is dedicated to extending its reach to areas of health, education and care. The trust provides health insurance cover for over 2,300 families from financially backward classes, across Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The trust has also made substantial contributions to NGO's working for various social welfare causes.
In the year 2000 he started an amusement park in Kochi (Veegaland, later as Wonderla ) which has become one of the most attractive destinations in Kerala. The success story made him to build another park in Bengaluru in 2005, presently the biggest amusement park in India. A third park in the chain was started in Hyderabad in 2016 and the fourth park at Chennai is getting formalized.
He then founded 'The Thomas Chittilappilly Trust' in memory of his late father, C.O. Thomas. It is an extension of the philanthropic and responsible values espoused at V-Guard. It is dedicated to extending its reach to areas of health, education and care. The trust provides health insurance cover for over 2,300 families from financially backward classes, across Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The trust has also made substantial contributions to NGO's working for various social welfare causes.
Mr. M. Ramachandran is the Chairman of Wonderla Amusement Parks & Resort.
He is a Fellow Member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and an Associate Member of The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI).
Throughout his career since 1974, he had worked in professional field except for initial 4 years in manufacturing industry (Tata Steel, Jamshedpur). He had retired as a partner of S.B. Billimoria & Company, Deloitte Haskins and Sells and Deloitte Haskins and Sells LLP in March 2017 after serving for nearly 29 years, of which 20 years was as Partner.
Mr. Ramachandran had the opportunity to audit some of the leading listed entities such as Federal Bank Limited, South Indian Bank Limited, NCC Limited, L.G. Balakrishnan and Brothers Limited, K.P.R. Mills Limited, etc., He had also undertaken consulting assignments for several reputed entities in private and public sectors.
Mr. Arun K. Chittilappilly, Managing Director of Wonderla Amusement Parks & Resort, is armed with Masters in Industrial Engineering from Industrial Research Institute of Swinburne University (IRIS), Melbourne, Australia. He has been a key architect of Wonderla Holidays and has been actively involved in strategizing and conceptualizing the Wonderla Parks and Resort. At Wonderla, his responsibilities include engineering and design, marketing, communication and finance.
Soon after his Masters, Mr. Arun got involved in the operations of Wonderla Cochin- [earlier known as Veega Land]. Being well versed in industrial engineering and driven by his keen interest in the functioning of the amusement park, Mr. Arun set out to start his own venture. Believing that an amusement park in the same lines as the popular Veega Land [Cochin] would see great acceptance in Bengaluru, he initiated the project in 2003 which was completed by 2005.
Soon after his Masters, Mr. Arun got involved in the operations of Wonderla Cochin- [earlier known as Veega Land]. Being well versed in industrial engineering and driven by his keen interest in the functioning of the amusement park, Mr. Arun set out to start his own venture. Believing that an amusement park in the same lines as the popular Veega Land [Cochin] would see great acceptance in Bengaluru, he initiated the project in 2003 which was completed by 2005.
The Bengaluru Wonderla Park was designed as a grander version of the Kochi Park, using the latest technology to compliment its umpteen attractions and facilities. Having been a part of the project right from its conceptual phase, Mr. Arun has witnessed and experienced the phenomenal growth of the amusement park. He holds a vision of rapid expansion across South India.
Apart from being passionate about theme parks, his other interests include music, cars, reading, traveling, adventure sports and swimming.
Mr. Lakshminarayanan is the Non-Executive Vice-Chairman of Wonderla Amusement Parks & Resort.
An alumnus of IIT (Delhi) & IIM (Bengaluru) Lakshminarayanan spent the initial years of his career in Retail Sales, New Product Development & Brand Management with Hindustan Unilever, International Best Foods & Smith Kline Pharma.
He then moved to Ogilvy & Mather Direct as the National Account Director with operations across Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai & Bengaluru. Soon he was promoted to head the Ogilvy office in Chennai. Then followed his stint at DDB Mudra Communications where he held several roles---Vice President South, Chief Operating Officer (New Initiatives) & finally CEO Mudra Marketing Services. He had been an Executive Director on the Mudra Board for over a decade by the time he moved out in 2008.
Mr. George Joseph is the Non-Executive Director of Wonderla Amusement Parks & Resort. He was the Chairman & Managing Director of Syndicate Bank.
Before joining Syndicate Bank he had worked with Canara Bank for 36 years. He joined Canara Bank as a Probationary Officer in 1969 and had worked in its different centers viz, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kerala, Srinagar, Mumbai, Delhi etc., Also while with Canara Bank, he was the Chief Executive of the Exchange Company at Bahrain under Canara Bank management.
He is a first rank commerce graduate from Kerala University. He also ranked 1st among the Indian candidates and 11th in the AIB Examination (London) of the Institute of Bankers, London. He is also a Certified Associate of Indian Institute of Banking & Finance.
Before joining Syndicate Bank he had worked with Canara Bank for 36 years. He joined Canara Bank as a Probationary Officer in 1969 and had worked in its different centers viz, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kerala, Srinagar, Mumbai, Delhi etc., Also while with Canara Bank, he was the Chief Executive of the Exchange Company at Bahrain under Canara Bank management.
He is a first rank commerce graduate from Kerala University. He also ranked 1st among the Indian candidates and 11th in the AIB Examination (London) of the Institute of Bankers, London. He is also a Certified Associate of Indian Institute of Banking & Finance.
Priya Sarah Cheeran Joseph is the Non-Executive Director of Wonderla Amusement Parks & Resort. She holds a Post Graduate degree in public health from University of Melbourne, Australia. She is involved in the operations pertaining to food and beverages and human resource departments of the Company since 2005. She is also actively involved with the Corporate Social Responsibility related initiatives of the Company. She has over 11 years of experience in the amusement park industry.
Mr. Gopal Srinivasan is a third generation family member of the TVS Group, a $4 billion (revenue) family-owned set up of automotive businesses. Mr. Srinivasan is the founder of TVS Capital Funds Limited, which supports and nurtures India's mid-cap businesses into world-class companies and manages assets of over Rs 1,100 crore of domestic capital, making it among the largest rupee funds in India.
Over a career spanning 25 years, he has founded several companies operating in diverse sectors including TVS Capital Funds Limited and TVS Electronics Limited, whose boards he chairs. He is also a Director in TVS & Sons Ltd, the holding Company, and on the Board of several Group Companies.
Mrs. Anjali Nair is the Independent Director of Wonderla Amusement Parks & Resort. She is an Engineering Graduate with specialization in Electricals and Electronics. She has over two decades of executive experience in the development and commercialization of hi-tech products that are software-driven, incorporating Design Thinking, Data Sciences, advanced algorithms and applied artificial intelligence in the B2B space, globally. She has unique expertise in scaling technology, harnessing complex architectures and creating commercial models for the launch and roll-out of products for Global 1000 clients. She has demonstrated experience in spotting and hiring top talent to build teams to serve Global Clientele.
Mrs. Anjali has recently started a series of initiatives to fundamentally disrupt healthcare in Kerala, in the belief that no one should struggle to get access to care when in need. Anjali has now dedicated her career for the well-being of the elderly, having already figured out how to manage 1,500 lives. She and her team are now on the path to create the infrastructure and ecosystem to support 10,000 lives in the next 3 to 5 years. She brings in the unique combination of technology, strategy, operational excellence and adaptability. Sensing the shortage of capital as a major reason for the state of Kerala not being in the mainstream despite being blessed with superior talent, she works with global funds to unlock this potential.
Mrs. Anjali is currently the Chief Operating Officer of the SP Life Group of Companies and Director on the boards of Healing Lives Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Altaire Insights, Season Two Management Services Pvt. Ltd. And Reflections Infosystems Pvt. Ltd.
Mrs. Anjali has recently started a series of initiatives to fundamentally disrupt healthcare in Kerala, in the belief that no one should struggle to get access to care when in need. Anjali has now dedicated her career for the well-being of the elderly, having already figured out how to manage 1,500 lives. She and her team are now on the path to create the infrastructure and ecosystem to support 10,000 lives in the next 3 to 5 years. She brings in the unique combination of technology, strategy, operational excellence and adaptability. Sensing the shortage of capital as a major reason for the state of Kerala not being in the mainstream despite being blessed with superior talent, she works with global funds to unlock this potential.
Mrs. Anjali is currently the Chief Operating Officer of the SP Life Group of Companies and Director on the boards of Healing Lives Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Altaire Insights, Season Two Management Services Pvt. Ltd. And Reflections Infosystems Pvt. Ltd.
Mr. Kasaragod Ullas Kamath was the Joint Managing Director of Jyothy Labs Limited (JLL). While at JLL for 31 years, he was responsible for business development, new projects, M&A, and financial management. He has been the driving force in transforming JLL from a single brand family-owned enterprise to a multi-brand FMCG corporate.
For his work and leadership, he has won several awards over the years including the coveted "All India CA Business Achiever Award - SME Category" instituted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He is also the recipient of the CNBC Awaaz Best CEO AWARD in the FMCG category.
Mr. Ullas Kamath is a Master of Commerce, Bachelor of Law, Fellow Chartered Account, Associate Company Secretary, M.Sc (LSE) and did his Global Masters in Management from London School of Economics.
Mr. Kamath is an Independent Director of V-Guard Industries Ltd., Kochi, Snapdeal Ltd, New Delhi and Veranda Learning Solutions Ltd, Chennai. He is also a board member of Invest Karnataka Forum a Govt. of Karnataka enterprise.
He also serves as the Chairman of FICCI Karnataka State Council and is a member of FICCI Start Up Committee, New Delhi. He is a governing council member of Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT, New Delhi.
For his work and leadership, he has won several awards over the years including the coveted "All India CA Business Achiever Award - SME Category" instituted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He is also the recipient of the CNBC Awaaz Best CEO AWARD in the FMCG category.
Mr. Ullas Kamath is a Master of Commerce, Bachelor of Law, Fellow Chartered Account, Associate Company Secretary, M.Sc (LSE) and did his Global Masters in Management from London School of Economics.
Mr. Kamath is an Independent Director of V-Guard Industries Ltd., Kochi, Snapdeal Ltd, New Delhi and Veranda Learning Solutions Ltd, Chennai. He is also a board member of Invest Karnataka Forum a Govt. of Karnataka enterprise.
He also serves as the Chairman of FICCI Karnataka State Council and is a member of FICCI Start Up Committee, New Delhi. He is a governing council member of Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT, New Delhi.