Team Members

Sandhya Naik
Founder & Managing Director
She has completed her Masters in Business Administration from NIT Rourkela and has pursued social development studies as a guest student at Europa Universitat Flensburg, Germany. She is an aspiring women entrepreneur with the ability to drive social impact projects.
Kaveri Kantisudha Sarangi
Co-Founder

She has done her Masters in Remote Sensing and GIS and Graduation in Chemistry. She is a hard-working professional with a mindset for developing and uplifting society. Her core focus is on the use of renewable energy sources.

Sonali Singh
Co-Founder

A businesswoman and a leader with a clear vision to lead a team, bring out the best in any individual and expand the organization to new heights.

Asutosh Nayak
Chief Executive Officer
Koel Fresh team heartily welcomes Mr. Asutosh Nayak, as the full-time CEO from 1st April 2021. He has more than 9 years of Experience in the Energy sector and has worked with public sector utilities, international development cooperation and consulting firms at the National and International levels. He has done B.Tech from NIT Rourkela and Masters in Energy and Environmental Management from Europa-Universität Flensburg, Germany. He has provided valuable input to the organization and helped in planning and development during his role as an advisor. We look forward to his great association with us as heading the institutional operations.
Deepak Kumar Tudu
Chief Operating Officer

As a seasoned professional with extensive experience in both corporate and startup environments, he has consistently demonstrated his ability to drive successful outcomes and contribute to the growth of organizations. With his current role at Koel Fresh and his tenure at Infosys, he has gained invaluable insights into the dynamics of emerging startups as well as established corporations.

At Koel Fresh, he has embraced the challenges and opportunities of working in a startup environment, playing a pivotal role in shaping the direction of the organization and driving its growth. He is responsible for overseeing the development of key services, managing cross-functional teams, and building relationships with key stakeholders. Through his leadership, the organization has achieved significant milestones and is poised for continued success.

During his time at Infosys, he honed his technical expertise in software testing, contributing to the development of several key projects for top clients in the financial services industry. As a highly motivated and detail-oriented individual, he has always maintained a focus on delivering high-quality work that exceeds expectations.

With his extensive experience, strong work ethic, and passion for driving results, he is confident in his ability to make a valuable contribution to any organization.

Sumanta Nayak
Finance and Accounting

Over 6 years of working experience.

Preetirekha Jena
Assistant Manager (HR & Marketing)
Linkedin page
Akshaya Kumar Pallai
Manager (Biogas and Supply Chain)
Mahesweta Alice Tigga
Deputy Manager
Linkedin page
Minati Mallick
Assistant Manager (SHG Engagement)
Swati Rani Achary
Field Officer
Mugdha Roy
Chairman Secretary
Linkedin page
[wpspeedo-team id=2]

Advisory Board

Prabodh Ranjan Padhee
Lead Advisor

Mr. Prabodh Ranjan Padhee is a distinguished member of our advisory board, bringing in more than 38 years of experience in the steel industry. He is a mechanical engineering graduate from Regional Engineering College (REC) Rourkela, now known as the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela. In 1980, he started his career as a Management Trainee (Technical) at Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and spent the next three decades contributing to different divisions within the organization.

Mr. Prabodh Ranjan Padhee has had a long and illustrious career, working in Rolling Mill Maintenance for 8 years, Integrated Project Management for 10 years and Steel Making & Continuous Casting for 18 years. He also spent 2 years in the Refractory Engineering of an entire steel plant. In May 2018, he superannuated as Chief General Manager of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP). Mr. Padhee's extensive international experience includes being trained twice in Germany, Netherlands, and Poland on Steelmaking and Continuous Casting, as well as travelling to over 25 countries across the globe. He has filed four patents, both as an inventor and co-inventor, and co-authored the widely acclaimed technical book "Process Modeling for Steel Industry". Additionally, Mr. Padhee has authored another non-fiction book, "The vision of a middle class man", published in both Kindle and Paperback versions by Amazon in the USA and Canada. He has also published six technical articles in international (SCI) journals in the areas of Steelmaking, Continuous Casting, and Refractory Engineering. He has presented several papers at national and international conferences.

Mr. Prabodh Ranjan Padhee's expertise has been instrumental in his role as Lead Advisor to Koel Fresh Pvt. Ltd. for over a year. He has been actively involved in the Bio-Methanization project, which is currently underway in Rourkela. His keen interest lies in the area of waste to energy, and he is also a guest faculty to NIT Rourkela, NIT Raipur, and Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT), Rourkela. Additionally, he is a corporate trainer at the India Institute of Production Management (IIPM), Kansbahal, Odisha, having completed 18 modules on Management Topics conducted by Harvard, USA.

We are proud to have Mr. Prabodh Ranjan Padhee as part of our advisory board and are confident that his wealth of experience and knowledge will help us drive Koel Fresh towards a sustainable future.

Dipl.-Ing .Wulf Boie
Europa-Universität Flensburg (EUF), Germany

Dipl.-Ing .Wulf Boie studied mechanical engineering, vocational education, and social science in Cologne and Kassel. He worked in a Frankfurt-based consulting company for six years, among others as a project leader of technical cooperation projects in the fields of energy, agricultural machinery, and small-scale industries, mainly in West Africa. In the EEM Programme (Developing Countries) at the University of Flensburg, Germany, he teaches renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy planning and is in charge of the "International Class“, an annual students' field research on rural energy in Scotland. He has always been very instrumental in providing practical in-hand experience to the students in sustainable energy systems. 

Mr. Boie has been very kind to share his two decades of experience in climate-friendly technologies and how they can be implemented at the city level.

Prof August Schläpfer
Former Director of EEM, Europa University of Flensburg Corgémont, Berne, Switzerland

Prof August Schläpfer held the position of director in the Master Programme “Energy and Environmental Management in Developing Countries”. His areas of teaching were Development Strategies and Organizations in International Development Cooperation, Sustainable Energy Planning in Rural Areas, Sustainable Energy Innovation and Implementation in Developing Countries, Preparatory Course in Energy Economics, and International Classroom. From 2008-2011, he was involved in the “IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation” as a lead author in the chapter “Renewable Energy in the Context of Sustainable Development.” Currently, he is involved in an organization in Switzerland that is actively influencing the government to adopt a more sustainable energy policy and change in the legal framework for energy provision in Switzerland.  

Prof Schlapfer, through his vast experience in various developing and developed countries including Australia, Switzerland, and Germany will share his thoughts with the advisory team on various implementation strategies for sustainable development towards climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Mr. David Macleod
Head of Municipal Services at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, United Kingdom

Mr. David Macleod has been heading the Municipal Services (CnES) since 2014. He has vast experience in handling waste management services and bringing in new ideas and models for improvement in the entire system. He has been a key stakeholder in the innovative OHLEH (Outer Hebrides Local Energy Hub), which was designed to encourage collaborative solutions to waste management and energy challenges.  

His experience in innovative projects would assist the team in developing new ideas, concepts, and relevant implementation strategies on the ground.

Prof Sunil Kumar Sarangi
Ex-Director, NIT Rourkela

Prof Sarangi did his B.Tech with honours from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India, in 1970. Master of Science, State University of New York, Stony Brook, 1971 and Doctor of Philosophy, State University of New York, 1974.

Professor Sunil Kumar Sarangi took over as the first Director of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela in 2003, soon after the institute was transformed from being a Regional Engineering College in June 2002. He has served NIT for a long term of 14 years and has transformed the institute into a world-class institute with all necessary avenues. He has been a man of vision and a leader with a strong thought process toward benefiting society as a whole.

Prof Sarangi’s experience in dealing with various situations on the ground would help the team to design a robust roadmap toward climate change mitigation initiatives.

Mrs. Vaishali Nandan
Project Director, GIZ India

Mrs. Nandan completed her master's at the Delhi School of Economics. She joined GIZ India in the year 2008 and currently heads two crucial projects– Climate-Smart Cities (CSC) and Cities Combating Plastic entering Marine Environment (CCPME). She is responsible for projects related to municipal, solid waste management, and urban climate change. 

Her vast experience in climate-smart city, and waste management strategies, would support the team in designing innovative solutions for waste management and climate-smart city activities relevant to the city of Rourkela.

Asutosh Nayak
CEO, Koel Fresh Private Limited

Mr. Nayak completed his B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering at the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, and post-graduation studies in Energy and Environmental Management at Europa Universitat Flensburg, Germany. 

Mr. Nayak has more than 9 years of experience working in the energy, and climate change sectors in various capacities at public sector organizations, private advisory firms, and early-stage startups. Currently, he has been supporting various early-stage enterprises under the UK Research Innovation program to commercialize clean energy technologies in various geographies including Asia, Africa, Europe, and N America. At Koel Fresh, he leads organizational activities including finance, stakeholder engagement, and others.

Rourkela Municipal Corporation
Udit Nagar, Rourkela, Odisha, India

Rourkela Municipal Corporation has been driving several initiatives toward clean and green for the city of Rourkela. Recently, it has developed Micro composting centres at various places in Rourkela to convert organic waste to biofertilizers. Furthermore, it has mobilized more than 50 electric vehicles to collect waste from households and other institutions in a more sustainable manner.

To implement several climate change mitigation activities; Rourkela Municipal Corporation is dedicated to making Rourkela –one of the clean and green cities in the world.