About Us | Cheshiredisability.org

“Cheshire Disability Trust is a part of the Leonard Cheshire Disability Global Alliance. An NGO for the disabled in Bangalore, India committed to improving the lives of disabled individuals like me.”

History

Group Captain Leonard Cheshire was a bomber pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II. He was awarded the United Kingdom's highest gallantry award - the Victoria Cross - for his gallantry during the war. After the war, he founded the organisation that we know today as Leonard Cheshire Disability after realising the need to give back to society and aid the sheer number of people disabled by the War. Leonard Cheshire Disability is a global NGO (of which CDT is a part) with presence in 54 countries worldwide. For his humanitarian work, Group Captain Cheshire was elevated to the Peerage by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth and was awarded the United Kingdom's highest civilian award, the Order of Merit.

Group Captain Leonard Cheshire came to India in 1956 and established the first Cheshire Home in India, at Mumbai to provide lifelong residential care for PWDs. Today there are 19 active homes in India. CDT was established in 2011 to enable PWDs to become economically independent. This was done through employability training, occupational placement, and post-placement support. Today CDT has impacted the lives of over 3,807 PWDs at Bangalore and other locations in the country.

“CDT's Trustees are an inspiration and the lynchpin that hold the organization and its values together.”

Mr. Anup Kuruvilla

(Chairman)

Mr. Anup is the Chairman of Cheshire Disability Trust and the Vice Chairman of the Cheshire Homes India National Council. He brings several decades of experience in investment banking and venture capital across India and other Asian markets. A member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), Mr. Anup holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) with a specialization in Finance from XLRI.

Air Marshal Philip Rajkumar

Air Marshal Philip Rajkumar, PVSM AVSM VM IAF (Retd)

(Vice-chairman)

Since commissioning in 1962, he has rendered four decades of distinguished service to the nation as an operational fighter pilot, test pilot and administrator. After retiring in 2003 he spent 10 years as an aerospace consultant in the private sector. He has been active with Cheshire Homes India since 2013, first as Chairman Cheshire Homes Bangalore and Chairman of the National Council Cheshire Homes India. He is currently a trustee of the Cheshire Disability Trust and is a member of the managing committee of Cheshire Homes Bangalore.

Mr. Chandy Koshy

(Secretary)

A Post Graduate Diploma in Management holder from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, Mr. Koshy has worked for the better part of 29 years with large multinationals such as Deutsche Bank, Citibank, Bank of America and Tata Motors. Post-retirement in 2013, he has been closely associated with Cheshire Homes India, The National Council and Cheshire Disability Trust as its Honorary Treasurer, among other roles.

Mr. Zachariah Mathai

Hon. Treasurer

A Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary, Mr. Zachariah is a retired finance professional with 43 years of experience. He has held leadership roles as CFO and Vice President – Finance & IT at Caprihans India Ltd., Mumbai; Aujan Industries Co. Ltd., Saudi Arabia; and Al Rajhi Holding Co., Bahrain. His long tenures at each of these organizations stand as a testament to his reliability, competence, professionalism, and consistent ability to deliver results.

Mr. VS Radhakrishnan

(Trustee)

An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and a Chartered Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers, Mr. Radhakrishnan started his banking career with HSBC. After HSBC and ING Vysya Bank, he spent time as MD and CEO of Janalakshmi, a micro-finance institution. He was also the Chairman of AKMI, a state-level industry body and Vice-President of MFIN, a national level industry body.

Mr. John Mathew

(Trustee)

Mr. John is a Chartered Accountant with over 35 years' experience in FMCG, including 2 at Colgate Palmolive, 22 at Unilever and 11 at Coca-Cola. Led Commercial Management & Governance at Unilever and oversaw global governance at Coca-Cola. Served on the Boards of the Institute of Internal Auditors & the Cathedral & John Connon School, Mumbai. Post retirement, providing Board-level support to 2 NGOs in Bengaluru.

Mr. Anup Kuruvilla

(Chairman)

Air Marshal Philip Rajkumar

Air Marshal Philip Rajkumar, PVSM AVSM VM IAF (Retd)

(Vice-chairman)

Mr. Chandy Koshy

(Secretary)

Mr. Zachariah Mathai

Hon. Treasurer

Mr. VS Radhakrishnan

(Trustee)

Mr. John Mathew

(Trustee)

Mr. Robinder Singh Sodhi

(Trustee)

Mr. Robinder is a seasoned financial services leader with over 30 years of experience, including senior roles at HSBC and ABN AMRO/RBS. He has been advising and mentoring high-growth startups on capital raising and strategy since 2017. Robinder holds a Business Management degree from XLRI Jamshedpur and a BA (Hons) in Economics from SRCC, Delhi University.

Mr. Sudipto Das

(Trustee)

Connected to Bangalore Cheshire Home through his parents, Gp Captain Suranjan Das and Mrs. Veronica Das, studied at La Martiniere, Calcutta, and graduated from IIT Kharagpur in Mechanical Engineering. He worked with multinational companies, including a pioneering cellular company in Chennai. After 18 years with Verizon Wireless in the US, he returned to India to engage in select projects.

Ms. Jamuna R Verghese

(Trustee)

Jamuna has held leadership roles across financial services, management consulting, and the impact and climate sectors, working with global financial institutions such as Citibank, ANZ Grindlays Bank, the George Soros Investment Fund, and PwC. Driven by a belief that the future lies in new paradigms for business, she implemented the ‘Inclusive Markets and Impact Investment’ practice at PwC India—well before it became mainstream.

Ms. Rachna Aggarwal

(Trustee)

Rachna is a Founding Partner at 92 Angels and a mentor and advisor to many young entrepreneurs. She is the former CEO of Indus League (the brand division of Future Lifestyle Fashion) and brings over 25 years of rich experience in brand building within the fashion industry.Rachna is currently a founder partner with 92Angels, where a group of classmates from IIM -Ahmedabad.

Mr. P. M. John

(Chairman Emeritus)

Mr. John, a Chartered Accountant, has been a Senior Partner at P.M. John & Company for over 35 years. He has long-standing ties with the YMCA and currently serves as Senior Trustee at St. Peter’s School, Mumbai, and Trustee at the Children of the World (India) Trust.

Anuradhabai Patil

CEO

Anuradhabai Patil is a visionary changemaker in the disability sector, with over 30 years of dedicated service in empowering persons with disabilities (PwDs) across India. Combining empathetic leadership with technical and strategic acumen, she has pioneered inclusive educational frameworks and spearheaded over 200 livelihood projects.

S Anuradha Valluri

Manager

Anuradha Valluri is an accomplished social impact and HR strategist with a distinguished 25-year career spanning CSR, HR, and NGO sectors. Holding a Master’s in Social Work (MSW),she introduces innovative strategies that focus on structural empowerment, accessibility, and equal opportunity for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). Her professional forte lies in establishing cutting-edge by blending deep HR acumen with social work principles.