Management Team

One of the founders of Mistral, Rajeev is the Vice Chairman of Mistral Solutions. Mistral’s quest for technology excellence is fuelled by his undeterred passion for engineering. With over 20 years of management and technology experience, Rajeev set up and fostered the Engineering division at Mistral.

A BE in Computer Science Engineering from Bangalore University, Rajeev started his career at Wipro R & D, and thereafter moved on to Cranes Software, as Technical Director. There, he is credited with the setting up the company‘s Research & Development unit and guiding its growth into a full-fledged design services outfit. His technical expertise has played a pivotal role in catapulting Mistral to the elite league of the most respected technology companies.

Rajeev currently works closely with the Talent Management Group, at Mistral, in employee mentoring, developing HR strategies and people engagement initiatives.

Sanjay is the CEO of Mistral and is also part of Mistral’s Board of Directors. Sanjay brings in over 22 years of experience in Sales and Marketing to the Board having essayed key roles in organizations like PCL, NIIT, Acer and Tulip. In his last assignment as the President of Sales at Tulip Telecom Limited, Sanjay lead a large team of sales professionals bringing in value to the end customers. Prior to that, he spent over 8 and half years in Acer India in various positions, having built up vast experience in handling verticals like Government and PSUs.

With his background and knowledge of business in all the geographies, Sanjay’s well-rounded experience and expertise will serve as catalysts in taking the organization to its next level of excellence.

Mujahid Alam is a Director on the Mistral Board. He heads the operations of the Defense Solutions Business Unit at Mistral Solutions. Having been with Mistral since its inception in 1997, Mujahid has been instrumental in building an technically knowledgeable and extensive sales force that addresses the challenging requirements of some of the leading Defense Labs in India.

Mujahid’s technology-driven sales and marketing experience have played a decisive role in harnessing Mistral’s technical expertise, towards delivering products and projects to meet customer expectations, thereby. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from BIT, Bangalore, India.

Sandeep Singhal, a renowned entrepreneur has been one of the pioneers of Venture Capital in India. He is the Co-Founder and Partner at Nexus Venture Partners, one of India's leading Venture Capital fund, investing in early and early growth stage companies across sectors .Prior to this he co-founded leading companies like Medusind Solutions and eVentures India. He has had several successful investments, including CustomerAsset, Mentorix Solutions, Intigma, and MakeMyTrip. Sandeep was the Senior Consultant at McKinsey and Company's New York office and also held key roles at Digital Equipment and EDA Systems.

Sandeep is an MBA (with Distinction) from The Wharton School with a dual Major in Finance and Marketing, and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. He is on the Board of TiE Mumbai, and is actively involved with the Entrepreneurs Organization and the Wharton and Stanford India Alumni Associations.

His presence in the Mistral Board of Directors adds impetus to Mistral’s ambitious growth plans for the coming decade.

Murli Ravi is currently the Head of South Asia Investments at JAFCO Investment (Asia Pacific) Ltd. He joined JAFCO Asia in 2008. Murli is based in the Singapore office and is responsible for investments in South Asia.

Prior to joining JAFCO Asia, Murli worked in investments, consulting and research at Temasek Holdings, RedPill Solutions and INSEAD Business School, during the course of which he acquired knowledge of industries such as mining, telecom/media, consumer goods, agriculture and alternative fuels. Transactions he has worked on have spanned a wide range of sizes, ranging from early-stage venture deals to significant minority stakes in large-cap public companies. Murli has served on the Board of 12 portfolio companies. Among others, his current Board appointments include CustomerXPs Software Private Limited; Consilium, Microland, Microqual, Mistral, Mozat and Vriti.

Murli was awarded the SIA-NOL undergraduate scholarship to study engineering at the National University of Singapore. He is a C.F.A. charterholder in 2006. Murliholds a M.Sc. in Financial Engineering from Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) and received a Certificate in Computational Finance from Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, United States).

Murli’s in-depth understanding of a wide array of industries has helped Mistral streamline its growth and expansion plans for the coming years.

Arun Sinha is a visionary with over 30 years of experience, having served in senior management positions in leading companies in the IT sector in countries like India, Singapore among others. He is best known in the industry for the transformational roles he has essayed as the Managing Director of Acer India Pvt. Ltd. and AgreeYa Solutions, a U.S based software organization.

Known for his social concern, for the past seven years he gave up his successful corporate career and has been working towards providing quality care in health and education to the under-privileged sections of society. He has been associated with Scale, an NGO providing easy access to primary health care, quality education and checking environmental degradation. Arun Sinha obtained his Master's Degree from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University. He has also attended the III TP course from IIM, Ahmedabad.

Arun Sinha vast experience and insight have been critical elements in achieving the ambitious growth plan envisaged by Mistral’s Management Team.

Sanjay Virnave joined as the CEO of Mistral Solutions in November 2010. Sanjay has over 25 years of experience in Sales and Marketing; having essayed key roles in organizations like IDM, PCL, NIIT, Acer and Tulip, driving revenues with his leadership skills.

Sanjay Virnave is responsible for driving the overall growth of all the lines of business of the organization. As the CEO, Sanjay leads the team and provides directions and inputs to meet the visions laid down by the Board.

Since joining Mistral, Sanjay has played a critical role in consolidating Mistral’s presence in its three domains – Product Engineering Services, Defense Solutions and Homeland Security. His pragmatic understanding of business across geographies has helped Mistral expand its reach to new territories. His experience in handling complex situations and his process orientation have been pivotal in addressing the challenges of a growing organization like Mistral.

Apart from a remarkable industry career, Sanjay also serves as a guest lecturer at several premier management institutes. Sanjay holds a Post Graduate Degree in Economics and has a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration. He has also attended Resident Management Development Programs at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Narayanan ‘s experience of over 20 years in Embedded Software Design & Networking has been instrumental in maneuvering a process driven product development process, in the company, keeping with the myriad requirements of Mistral’s customers.

Having been with Mistral since 1999, he has been part of the Company’s remarkable journey to become one of the most respected technology companies. As Senior VP-Emerging Business he works on building Mistral’s foothold in new emerging technology areas that boosts the Company’s existing expertise .He oversees the design and development of high technology products across varied domains like semiconductor, wireless, automotive, lifestyle electronics, and industrial applications.

Narayanan began his career as a Design Engineer at Processor Systems India Pvt. ltd., and then went on to become Group Leader working on networking protocols, SNMP management, routers and switches. Thereafter, as Project Manager, he focused on the areas of embedded system design and networking.

Narayanan holds a Bachelor's Degree in Electronics & Communication Engineering from Govt. Engineering College, Thrissur, India and an Executive General Management Degree from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

Mujahid heads the operations of the Defense Solutions Business Unit at Mistral Solutions. Having been with Mistral since its inception in 1997, Mujahid has been instrumental in building an technically knowledgeable and extensive sales force that addresses the challenging requirements of some of the leading Defense Labs in India.

Mujahid has played a critical role in transforming Mistral’s role from providing just board-level services to providing complete end-to-end system level solutions that include complex hardware design, software development, integration of multi-vendor COTS products and turnkey solutions. Mujahid’s technology-driven sales and marketing experience has played a decisive role in harnessing Mistral’s technical expertise towards delivering products and projects to meet customer expectations, thereby building goodwill and respect amongst its Defense customers.

Mujahid holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from BIT, Bangalore, India.

As Vice President – Product Engineering Services (USA), Samyeer Metrani spearheads Mistral’s product engineering and business development activities in the US. Based in Santa Clara, he works closely with the US Sales Team in managing customer relationships and enhancing Mistral’s presence in the US. Samyeer works actively with Mistral partners in the semiconductor and embedded domains, building a complete eco-system that enhances Mistral’s offerings to its customers.

Prior to joining Mistral, Samyeer served as General Manager at Encore Software Ltd. There, he was credited with the design and development of the SATHI Battle Computer. He was also the driving force behind the Encore Simputer, and other embedded platforms built at Encore.

With over 17 years of experience in the field of Product Design & Development, Samyeer has done extensive work in the field of embedded systems, having worked on real-time control systems, robotic systems, Voice-over-IP, and other embedded products. Samyeer has a Bachelors Degree in Economics from Bangalore University and an MBA in Software Enterprise Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

Krishnakumar M (KK) joined Mistral in 2011 as Vice President – PES Delivery. His mission is to optimize workflows and processes to ensure delivery of the highest quality products and services designed to meet the unique needs of Mistral’s varied customer base.

KK has over 21 years of experience in the Product Engineering space, having taken on various roles in Product Development, Sustenance, Customer and Program Management and Business Management with leading companies like Sasken, TCS and EMC.

A B.Tech (E&C) from Calicut University, KK has a Post Graduate Diploma in Software Enterprise Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

Indrajit Sen serves as an Advsior to Mistral’s Talent Management Group (TMG). He plays a decisive role in developing employee-centric strategies and training programs for building employee morale and moulding the work force to address the needs of a fast growing organization.

With an illustrious career spanning over three decades, Mr.Sen has handled domestic and international assignments, thereby adding value to the business of several leading organizations. Having started his career in Sales and Marketing in organizations such as HCL and Pertech Computers Ltd, he also handled the training requirements of Institutional and Channel Sales at different levels. He later joined NIIT as General Manager – Resource Management Group. Prior to joining Mistral he worked with Aricent for over a decade heading various divisions like Talent Acquisition, Human Resources - BPO Services and Global Compensation & Benefits. He has also been invited to speak at several prestigious HR forums across the globe.

Mr. Sen is a Graduate in Mathematics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, and has a P G Diploma in Sales & Marketing and in Business Management.

At Mistral, Mr. Sen works closely with the Talent Management Group and the Leadership Team and shares his expertise in the field of Talent Engagement and Leadership Building.