RUSSELL SMITH – PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN

A Columbia Law School graduate, Russell Smith is Chairman and President of SDD Global and also the founder of SmithDehn LLP , the New York media and intellectual property law firm, and a former partner of New York-based Frankfurt Kurnit, Klein & Selz. He now resides most of the year in India , where he helps manage and develop SDD Global. Russell has 23 years of experience as a media lawyer and litigator. Dubbed “the Maharaja of Media” by The American Lawyer, his clients have included Sony Pictures, HBO, 20th Century Fox, Sacha Baron Cohen, Mohamed Al Fayed, Channel Four Television, ITV, Philip Glass, Michael Moore, MTV Networks, Universal Records, Simon & Schuster, Def Jam Records, Spike Lee, Penguin Books, Warner Books, Graham Norton, Sean “P Diddy” Combs, Spin and Vibe magazines, and the Estates of Elvis Presley, Andy Warhol, and John Cheever. Russell 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, Newsweek, and The Times of India.

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.

Bruce Campbell, Special Advisor at SDD Global, is a specialist in corporate finance and intellectual property transactions. Bruce started his practice as an attorney at Hogan & Hartson, one of the world’s largest international law firms, where he worked for six years. Inspired by his entrepreneurial clients, Bruce opened his own firm in February 2003 (www.campbelllawgroup.com). After experiencing the work of SDD Global first hand as a client, and after spending time with us at our headquarters in Mysore, India, Bruce decided to work with as an advisor to help further develop our capabilities. In addition to offering training for our lawyers and strategic advice, we have worked out an arrangement by which Bruce can work cooperatively with SDD Global on client projects within his areas of expertise. In his ten years of legal practice, Bruce has helped to form and finance numerous companies. He has guided many early stage companies through mergers, acquisitions and initial public offerings. His intellectual property experience includes representing clients in transactions with some of the most well known names in technology. He has provided advice on intellectual property transactions with companies located in Asia and Europe. He graduated with honors from the George Washington University Law School and summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh. He was a member of the George Washington Journal of International Law and Economics. While pursuing his undergraduate degree, Bruce studied at the University of Paris, La Sorbonne and the Institute for European and Asian studies in Paris, France.

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 Senior Vice President and the General Counsel of SDD Global, brings extensive and well-known U.S. legal experience to the company. She is a graduate of Princeton University and Howard Law School. 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.

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.