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People

People

UWC Mahindra (MUWCI) is run by people who have made a deliberate choice to be here.

The board, the leadership team, the faculty, and the staff come from different countries, disciplines, and professional backgrounds. What they share is a commitment to the idea that education across difference is worth doing seriously.

Joel Cohen

A note from the Head of College

Nestled in the breathtaking Mulshi Valley, we are a vibrant and diverse residential community for students who want to have a positive impact on the world and believe they can make a difference. Here, young people from across the globe come together not simply to earn a diploma, but to embark on a truly transformative expedition, one that is academic, experiential, cultural, and deeply personal. An expedition guided by the UWC mission to make education a force to unite people, cultures, and nations for peace and a sustainable future.

“There is more in you than you think” is probably the most popular quote attributed to Kurt Hahn, the German educator who founded the UWC movement in the 1960s, and it is at the heart of everything we do at MUWCI. Empowering students to find the more that’s in them and unleash their true potential to serve something bigger than themselves is probably the most important aspect of the MUWCI experience. Over two years on the Hill, students are challenged and inspired through the powerful integration of our three pillars; rigorous IB academics, experiential learning rooted in our extraordinary natural and cultural surroundings, and a residential life where we learn how to live together in a community designed to be as diverse as possible, with respect, compassion and empathy.

Throughout my three-decade-long career in international education - from the classrooms of Paris, to the hills of San Francisco and the Pune Ghats - I have always seen the UWC movement as the pinnacle of international education. Over the last year and a half, I had the privilege of serving as a permanent invitee to the MUWCI Board of Trustees. This gave me a rare view of this community from the inside, and I can tell you with great conviction, there is something truly special happening on this hill.

I am deeply honoured to lead this community alongside an outstanding faculty, dedicated staff, and above all, the most engaged and engaging student body in the world. My family and I are settling onto campus with great excitement and open hearts, looking forward to an inspiring new adventure on the hill.

Come, be part of this extraordinary journey. The world needs you and MUWCI is where it begins.

– Joel Cohen

Board of Trustees

Governing the vision

The Board of Trustees provides governance and strategic oversight for UWC Mahindra College. Its members bring expertise from business, finance, academia, medicine, and public policy, and are united by a commitment to the UWC mission.

Anand Mahindra Board of Directors UWC Mahindra
Anand MahindraChairman, Mahindra Group
Anuradha Mahindra Board of Directors UWC Mahindra
Anuradha MahindraFounder-Editor, Verve Magazine
Board of Directors UWC Mahindra
Bharat DoshiFormer Executive Director & Group CFO, Mahindra Group
Board of Directors UWC Mahindra
K.N. VaidyanathanExecutive Vice President & Group Chief Internal Auditor, Mahindra Group
Board of Directors UWC Mahindra
Maria Ines KawamuraGenetic Researcher & Dermatologist; Former Director, UWC International; Alumna of UWC Waterford Kamhlaba
Board of Directors UWC Mahindra
Rakesh MohanPresident Emeritus and Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Social and Economic Progress (formerly Brookings India), New Delhi
Ruzbeh Irani
Ruzbeh IraniPresident of Group HR, Member of the Group Executive Board, Mahindra Group
Snehal Anish Shah
Snehal Anish ShahProfessor of Organisation & Leadership Studies at SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai
Uday Kotak
Uday KotakFounder & Director, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd.
Ulhas Yargop
Ulhas YargopFormer Group President (IT Sector) and Group CTO, Mahindra Group
Zhooben Bhiwandiwala
Zhooben BhiwandiwalaExecutive Director & CEO, Mahindra Holdings Ltd.
Leadership team

Leading the college

The MUWCI leadership team oversees academic life, campus operations, admissions, and student wellbeing. Most have been part of the college for several years; many are former international school educators who chose MUWCI for what it stands for.

Joel CohenHead of College
Manish Thapar
Manish ThaparDeputy Head of College
Sachin Dicholkar
Sachin DicholkarHead of Campus Infrastructure & Services
Ashish Kumar Pande
Ashish Kumar PandeChief Financial Officer
Pranjal Vankudre
Pranjal VankudreHead of Admissions & Advancement
Steven de Souza
Steven de SouzaHead of Academics · IBDP Coordinator · Faculty of English
Sonia Khudanpur
Sonia KhudanpurHead of Communications
Jini Varghese
Jini VargheseHead of University Guidance
The MUWCI family

Shaping minds. Fostering growth.

MUWCI is small on purpose. 240 students, roughly fifty faculty and staff who live on campus, and a Board that has kept faith with the college for close to three decades. Everyone knows everyone.

The people below are why the education works. They teach, they steward, they open doors. Some hold classrooms; some hold the college itself. All of them signed up because the mission mattered.

Our dedicated faculty

The people in the classroom.

MUWCI's faculty come from across the world and bring a breadth of academic backgrounds, languages, and experience to the classroom. Many hold postgraduate qualifications in their subjects and have taught in multiple countries. A number serve as Wada Parents, living in student residences as part of the community.

Abhir Kulkarni
Individuals & SocietiesAbhir KulkarniEconomics
Alejandro Báez Rubio
SciencesAlejandro Báez RubioPhysics
Aleksandr Tankhilevich
Individuals & SocietiesAleksandr TankhilevichHistory · TOK · TOK Coordinator
Amit Rastogi
Sciences & MathAmit RastogiComputer Science
Arun Kumar Khandagle
Sciences & MathArun Kumar KhandagleMathematics
Chaya Seewoonarain
Language & LiteratureChaya SeewoonarainEnglish Language & Literature

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