Leadership
Latha Mani
Founder and Managing Director
Latha brings over four decades of varied experience working in social and developmental sectors across India to realize the vision and goals of Pratibodh Foundation.
As a co-founder of Samanvai Society, Hyderabad, she helped set up a centre with training facilities for people with multiple disabilities. She has worked with Dr. Reddy’s Foundation for Social Development (DRF), Hyderabad, designing and monitoring livelihood training programs for school dropouts and with Movement for Alternatives and Youth Awareness (MAYA), Bangalore, designing curriculums and monitoring vocational training programs for children who drop out of school.
Latha has conducted over fifty training programs in the areas of Transactional Analysis, Communication and Creativity as in-house workshops for senior and middle management in large public and private sector enterprises. As part of the “Newspaper in Education” initiative of the Times of India, Latha has conducted over 2,000 sessions in various schools of Delhi and Bangalore on Personality Development, Public Speaking, and Value-based Education and conducted workshops for teachers on Child Centered teaching skills. Using theatre as a method of teaching, Latha has conducted programs on personality development, public speaking, and other confidence and social skills building activities for middle and high school children, and special needs children (Autistic).
Latha has worked with women self-help groups, mahila mandals and women entrepreneurs on education and empowerment.
Latha learnt Bharatanatyam from an early age from renowned gurus and has given several public performances and charity programs in India and abroad. She has volunteered with SPIC-MACAY, promoting Indian classical music, art, and culture among youth in several schools and colleges.
Education
MA - Social Work
Delhi School of Social Work, Delhi University, Delhi, India
BA (Hons.) Psychology
Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University, Delhi, India
Certified Transactional Analyst
Transactional Analysis Society of India, New Delhi, India
Certificate Course in Social Initiatives Management
Center for Social Initiative and Management, Hyderabad, India
Swaminathan Mani
Founder and Director
Mani brings his vast breadth and depth of industry and technology experience to Pratibodh Foundation to realize the objective of empowering disadvantaged and deserving students by providing a range of resources and finding opportunities to pursue a good college education and build a happy and successful future.
Mani is also the co-founder and Director of Seneca Global IT Services Private Limited, Hyderabad, India (www.senecaglobal.com).
He has close to five decades of global experience in Engineering, Information Technology and Software Development as a serial entrepreneur, business owner and consultant. He has built product delivery teams in India to serve clients in both the US and Europe. Mani has served as Head of Technology and Development for several US based IT Companies.
Mani was among the first to bring software development to India, taking part in various "First in India" initiatives. He co-founded a software technology company in 1991 and introduced the concept offshore software development in collaboration with a leading German company (HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH), to develop and deploy mission critical software safety systems for large chemical and power plants in the country.
Prior to becoming a first-generation IT entrepreneur in 1991, Mani had a long and successful career in IFFCO, India’s leading fertilizer manufacturing and marketing cooperative, spanning a wide range of functions – projects, process, production, systems, and MIS.
After completing graduate education in the US, Mani started his career with the State Government of Missouri, St. Louis, USA in the field of computers and programming in 1973.
Education
MBA, Eli Broad College of Business
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
MS in Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
B Tech. in Chemical Engineering, Institute of Technology
Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
Advanced Management Programs on Computer Based Management Information Systems and Database Management
Indian Institute of Management, Ahmadabad, India