RUSSELL SMITH – PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN

A Columbia Law School graduate and former partner of Frankfurt Kurnit, Klein & Selz in Manhattan, one of the top media and entertainment law firms in the United States, Mr. Smith has over 21 years of experience as an attorney and litigator, and a decade of experience in running a successful law firm. He is the founder and managing attorney of SmithDehn LLP, the media and intellectual property law firm, which is respected on both coasts of the United States, as well as in the United Kingdom.  He now resides mainly in Mysore and is working full-time to manage and develop SDD Global.
  
Mr. Smith’s clients have included HBO, Sacha Baron Cohen, Sony Pictures Television, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, the motion pictures “Borat” and “Death of a President,” Coquette Productions (the production company of Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette), Da Ali G Show, Philip Glass, Donald Trump, Miramax Films, Michael Moore, MTV Networks, Errol Morris, Universal Records, Simon & Schuster, Channel Four Television (UK), American Broadcasting Companies, Def Jam Records, Spike Lee, Penguin Books, King World Productions, Boy George, Warner Books, Dean Koontz, Richard Gere, Graham Norton, Sean “P Diddy” Combs, Spin Magazine, and the Estates of Elvis Presley, Andy Warhol, and John Cheever.

Mr. Smith has handled trials and/or appeals in dozens of federal and state courts across the United States, including cases in New York, California, Illinois, Texas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi and Ohio.   He has been quoted countless times in such publications as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek.

SANJAY BHATIA – HEAD OF OPERATIONS

A clear vision, realistic growth prospects and sound management are what prompted Sanjay Bhatia to join SDD Global as Head of Operations.  Prior to joining our company, Sanjay served as the country's Head of Operations for India's first high-end legal services KPO, which he helped establish, incorporate and manage in Banglalore since 2003.  A graduate of India's top-ranked National Law School, and fully trained in U.S.legal matters, Sanjay is probably the best and most experienced lawyer in India in the field of U.S. legal research and drafting. For over five years, he has trained and managed a team of highly qualified lawyers, handpicked from India's best law schools. Many of his trainees also have joined SDD Global. Sanjay is an expert in handling a wide variety of U.S. legal matters including, among other things, trademark and copyright litigation, contracts, torts, and healthcare.

Alex Hannell manages our London office, and The Business and Legal Affairs Group at SDD Global.  In that capacity, he manages a wide array of business affairs & legal services for media companies.  Before joining SDD Global, Alex distinguished himself in the international media and entertainment business, where he was Head of Commercial Affairs for Granada International, the worldwide arm of one of the U.K.’s largest companies, Granada Media Group (now ITV).  Alex is also a veteran of one of the most preeminent London-based law firms, Herbert Smith LLP, and Australian niche intellectual property/technology firm Bonnins, where he was Solicitor in the Media & Intellectual Property Groups.  From 2002 until joining us in 2008, Alex developed his own prestigious roster of film and television distribution clients, handling business affairs and related legal matters for such companies as Warner Brothers, So Television,  Talkback Thames, Filmon and countless others.  Alex’s professional memberships have includedthe British Television Distributors Association and the Royal Television Society.  He holds an honours degree in law and a degree in commerce with a finance major and was admitted to practice in the High Court of Australia in 1995.  He has lectured at university on subjects such as Artists and the Law and Technology and the Law.  His fields of expertise include negotiating and drafting all manner of transactions for the U.S., U.K. and international television and motion picture industry, handling all aspects of film and television distribution and financing, and managing international content acquisitions and licensing.

VIJAY NATH BHAT – DIRECTOR FOR BUSINESS AFFAIRS

Mr. Bhat, a corporate lawyer and highly active participant in SDD Global, is the former nationwide general manager of Corporation Bank, one of the best-rated public-sector banks in India, where he was responsible for over 11,000 employees.  For over five years, Mr. Bhat has been the Chief Advisor for an innovative, history-making project involving micro financing for the poor, supported by the Government of Canada.  He is Director of Vivisha Associates, a Legal / HR / Finance / General Management advisory group, and he sits on several commercial and non-profit boards.  He is the acclaimed author of several books, and countless articles on management and other subjects.

FRANK DEHN – EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

A Harvard Law School graduate, Mr. Dehn is a seasoned litigator and counselor, specializing in media law, libel defense, and intellectual property law.  At SmithDehn LLP, he advises and represents clients around the world in matters of First Amendment law, rights of privacy and publicity, copyrights and trademarks, pre-publication and pre-broadcast review, and entertainment law.  He is currently planning a one-year trip to Mysore with his wife and four children, so that he can help manage the growth of SDD Global on a first-hand basis.

From 2002 to 2004, Mr. Dehn was a Visiting Professor at the prestigious Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, where he taught graduate classes in Media Law. He also is a former on-air correspondent for Court TV, and holds a Masters Degree from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.

Mr. Dehn has won a number of media law litigations, and has provided content review and other legal advice to facilitate television programming for major television networks and magazine clients.  He has also negotiated numerous employment contracts on behalf of professionals in the broadcast journalism industry. 

KWARMA VANDERPUYE – SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL

Kwarma Vanderpuye, a graduate of Princeton University and Howard Law School, brings extensive and well-known U.S. legal experience to the company. Prior to joining SDD Global, Ms Vanderpuye, a stellar trial lawyer, had been a partner for several years at prominent law firms, heading the litigation department at two of them. Ms. Vanderpuye was the first African-American partner at the New York defense firm of Jones Hirsch, where she won sixteen consecutive defense verdicts in high exposure complex litigation cases, which was a record number for the firm. In addition to her role as trial partner, Ms. Vanderpuye served as the firm’s EEO compliance officer for several years. Following her tenure at Jones Hirsch, she joined the Cochran firm, New York, as a litigation partner at the invitation of the late Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. Ms. Vanderpuye’s career path into the world of legal services offshoring stemmed from her first-hand experience with the efficiency, global reach, and cost-cutting benefits of having a competent offshore team assist in trial preparation for a case pending in New York. Ms. Vanderpuye is admitted to practice in the State and Federal Courts of New York and Michigan, including the Sixth and Second Circuit Courts of Appeals. She is an active member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the International and American Bar Associations.

PRIYA KUMAR – Senior Vice President

Priya Kumar, a Senior Vice President of SDD Global, is an outstanding attorney admitted to the State Bars of New York and Michigan.  She has practiced law in the United States for nearly a decade, focusing on U.S. immigration services and commercial litigation.  An excellent student and recipient of a tuition scholarship, Priya earned her Master of Laws degree from the University of Georgia, with concentrations in immigration law and international legal and business transactions.  She earned her Bachelor of Laws degree, magna cum laude, from Bharathiyar University in Coimbatore, India.   In addition to training and assisting in litigation matters, Priya is helping SDD Global become a global immigration services powerhouse that will revolutionize the handling of visa and other immigration applications, worldwide.

STACEY FELICE WINOGRAD – Senior Vice President

Stacey Felice Winograd, also Senior Vice President of SDD Global, is admitted to the bar in New York and works full-time at our India offices.  She was a litigation associate for several years in the New York office of Chadbourne & Parke LLP.  At Chadbourne, Felice worked on all stages of large litigation matters and was actively involved in Chadbourne's Pro Bono program.  Felice graduated cum laude (in the top 10% of her class) at Brooklyn Law School, where she was an editor of The International Law Journal and won numerous prizes for her scholarship, including the Samuel Witte Prize in Literature and The Law, the Stephen Jay Penzick Award for Highest Grade in Administrative Law, and the Regina Crea Memorial Prize.  As a law student, Felice clerked for the highly respected United States District Judge Jack B. Weinstein (author of leading treatises on evidence and civil procedure), as well as at the King's County District Attorney's office and New York's Partnership for the Homeless.  Prior to attending law school, she served as a Press Secretary for U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy in Washington D.C.  She is also a Phi Beta Kappa political science graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  Felice fell in love with India during several months of travel in the subcontinent studying yoga and working as a human rights editor for the Tibetan Government in Exile at Dharamsala, India.  She is a dynamic, enthusiastic professional who is excited about working in Mysore for our company and its clients..

AMANDA HOULE – Chief Financial Officer

Amanda Houle, our Chief Financial Officer, is a U.S. citizen who works full-time in our India office.  She has managed the finances of several business, and also has held managerial roles at such companies as Federal Express.  In addition to her CFO role, Amanda oversees and administers an array of projects for SDD Global, ranging from advanced English writing courses, to public relations, management training, internship programs, and marketing and recruitment efforts.  She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Evergreen State College in Washington, with a concentration in Pre-law and Theatre.  At Evergreen, Amanda was the creator and coordinator of the Pre-Law Circle, and she completed extensive graduate study in Management, Mediation and Conflict Resolution.  She also studied Education at Western Michigan University.  She spent four years in Japan, teaching English and American culture to Japanese students for the Board of Education, and helping to manage and design the curriculum for two prestigious educational institutions there.    She worked in Sri Lanka as a volunteer with Project Galle 2005, helping to provide food and housing for tsunami survivors.  Amanda also is a veteran participant and assistant with the Landmark Forum, a highly acclaimed training program that has helped nearly one million managers and others bring about a fundamental shift or transformation in what is possible in their careers and lives.  Amanda is also an Ashtanga Yoga teacher who has studied with Sri K Pattabhi Jois in Mysore and has taught Ashtanga around the world and managed an Ashtanga Yoga shala in Japan.

RAJESH B.P.– Head of Immigration Services

Tough challenges and shorter deadlines are what drive Rajesh BP, our Head of Immigration Services.  Rajesh has vast experience in global immigration law, with emphasis on U.S. immigration.  He is a Law graduate from Bangalore University, India and has worked for major IT companies such as Wipro, Caritor, and Accenture, as in-house immigration counsel, before joining SDD Global.  This experience helps Rajesh understand the exact needs and expectations of the IT/ITeS industry in particular, while also providing the background for immigration legal management in any field.  In his career of accomplishment, Rajesh has prepared and reviewed thousands of immigration petitions, more than many immigration lawyers in the U.S.   Rajesh also has successful experience in building and leading the development of various software and other IT applications for multiple immigration departments, automating their processes and bringing in new levels of quality. At one large multinational corporation where he served as a manager, for example, his contribution resulted in savings of millions of dollars, as he improved the overall process in record time.  For all of these reasons and more, SDD Global is pleased to have Rajesh on its team, where he can help us provide top-tier results for our corporate and other clients.

PADMAVATHI SHANTHAMURTHY – LEGAL RESEARCH MANAGER

Ms. Padmavathi joined us as a Legal Research Manager in August, 2006, and in less than a year from her association, she already has distinguished herself as a key member of our organization. Given her sheer dedication and enthusiasm, it is no surprise that Padmavathi has an impeccable academic record, having secured the second rank in law from the University of Mysore. Ms. Padmavathi was a “superstar” lecturer in law at the University of Mysore and its affiliate colleges for six years, before undergoing intensive training in U.S. legal research at SDD Global. Her other notable academic achievements include obtaining a postgraduate diploma in Intellectual Property Rights from top-ranked National Law School in Bangalore, an LL.M in International Law and Business & Trade Law from the University of Mysore, and undergoing a course in cyber laws from the Asian School of Cyber Laws, Pune. She has written and published research articles in such areas as trademark law and globalization. To her broad knowledge and excellent legal research skills, she also brings a passion for teaching, which has proved invaluable in the training and supervision of top-notch legal researchers at SDD Global. An avid nature lover and photographer, Padmavathi enjoys traveling, and of course spending quality time with her family, including her four year old daughter.

SREEKANTH V.R – TRAINING AND QUALITY CONTROL MANAGER

Mr. Sreekanth has worked as a Supervising Trainer and Quality Control/Production Manager for Comat (India’s largest legal services outsourcing company).  His work experience also includes positions at Keonics, Excel Soft, BluChip Solutions and BizSource India.

He is certified in System Programming from Raman Institute of Computer Education, a leading computer education center in Mysore. He also has completed an Advanced Certified Course in programming languages.

He is proficient in Unix, Debian Linux and Red Hat Linux. MS-DOS, and MS-Windows, along with programming languages such as Pascal, Cobol, C, C++.  He has a  Bachelor degree in Computer Science, Physics and Mathematics from Mysore University.

SARITHA GOPALKRISHNA – FINANCE MANAGER

Saritha Gopalkrishna has over eleven years of financial experience, including eight years of handling all of the financial books and accounts for Sankalp, one of the largest and most famous businesses in Mysore.  She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from Mysore University, and she has been trained in banking at Canara Bank, and in computer sciences at CMS Computer Institute.

HB ARPANA – HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER

Currently in charge of our HR Department, Ms. Arpana has experience as HR Manager for two of the top companies in Mysore and Mumbai.  She received her Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management at Karnataka State Open University, Mysore and her Bachelor's Degree in Business Management at the University of Mysore. 

SREEJITH MOHANDAS – FACILITIES MANAGER

Sreejith Mohandas has worked for some of the largest companies in India and Mysore.  As our first Facilities Manager, Sreejith was one of the pioneers of our company, devoting countless consecutive days and nights to our start-up phase.  He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.  He also earned an Advanced Diploma in Hardware and Networking from the Indian Institute of Hardware Technology, in Mysore.  In addition, he received an Advanced Diploma in Business Management, and is pursuing his M.B.A at Adam Smith University of America.  Sreejith does an expert job in managing our infrastructure, as well as coordinating with architects, engineers, designers and vendors in connection with the final interior work on our new three-story office building in Kuvempunagar, which will accommodate over 300 employees.