Leadership Team
Leading the way with
Innovative Learning Solutions

Amit Garg

Founder and CEO

Amit got his first taste of the workplace learning at the shop floor of an up-and-coming chemical plant. He realized that on the shop floor, the workers learned only through doing their jobs and observing others doing theirs. After a few humbling experiences during his stint in automobile sales, he landed – almost by chance – into the workplace learning industry, working in a dotcom start-up in 2000. Here, he noticed the similarities between Instructional Design and advertising. This fascination drove him to get himself certified in Instructional Design.

A few years working in leadership roles and contributing to the growth of that start-up propelled him to establish Upside Learning in 2004, with the tagline - ‘Better Learning, Improved Performance’. From that point on, there was no looking back. He has been fortunate to collaborate with clients all over the world, assisting them in achieving tactical and strategic goals on this remarkable journey. Over the last two decades, it has become his passion to aid organizations in deriving real business impact from their learning and training initiatives.

He continues to learn every day in the field and feels obliged to share his experiences through speaking sessions, blogs, webinars, and eBooks. He is humbled to have been included in the eLearning Industry’s movers and shakers list for a few years. On the personal front, he is very excited to see his 11-year-old daughter choose Tennis as a sport and commit herself to learning it, putting in the effort on the court.

Sonal Sheth

Chief Operating Officer

With over 18 years of experience in the eLearning industry, Sonal heads the content services team of 100+ eLearning specialists at Upside and is responsible for successful execution of all projects and solutions delivered by the team.Sonal builds on her earlier experience of working in different domains including Graphic Design, Instructional Design and Project Management to innovate and create better learning. She has been instrumental in augmenting Upside's portfolio by introducing innovative solutions and services.Sonal holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from Symbiosis (her most recent achievement), a Post Graduate diploma in Journalism & Mass Communication from Symbiosis, a Dual Diploma in Web Engineering from Arena Multimedia, and a Bachelor's degree in Physics specialising in Photography & Mass Communication from Fergusson College in Pune, India.

Clark Quinn

Chief Learning Strategist

Clark Quinn, Ph.D. is an internationally renowned learning consultant, speaker, and author. He has been involved in the design, development, and evaluation of a wide variety of educational technology for over 40 years. He integrates creativity, cognitive science, and technology to develop award-winning learning and performance support systems. Clark has authored multiple books on learning and also holds the honor of being awarded as eLearning Guild's first Guild Master in 2012. He currently also shoulders the responsibility of being the Executive Director of Quinnovation and a Co-Director at the Learning Development Accelerator (known colloquially as the LDA).

John Gravanis

VP Sales - Americas

John brings to this position over 25 years of experience in business development, partner, and sales enablement in companies like Hewlett Packard Enterprise and AVAYA. For the last ten years, John has focused on the corporate learning and workforce transformation industries co-founding elearningindustry.com, and before joining Upside Learning, he led InfoproLearning's Workforce Transformation SaaS go-to-market and business development efforts.

John has studied, lived, and worked in the US, Italy, Greece, and the UK, helping numerous startups take their first steps. He is actively mentoring small business owners and currently holds Advisor roles to a few select CEOs seeking to enter the L&D space. Additionally, he volunteers his time to Junior Achievement, educating children on business and entrepreneurship principles, and is currently working on his second book on the topic of K12 kid's entrepreneurship.

Isha Sood

AVP
Marketing

Isha is a seasoned marketeer with experience spanning content marketing, advertising, and communications. With experience in leading marketing for retail, technology, and learning content services in the past, Isha is driven by the dynamism that marketing brings along every day. A lifelong learner, Isha believes in hands-on learning and constant upskilling to be on top of her game.Her formal educational experience includes an MBA in Marketing and Information Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Applications. She has a number of accomplishments to her credit including multiple academic and professional awards and recognitions.

Kiran Aradhye

AVP
Finance

Since 2009, Kiran Aradhye has been in charge of overseeing the day-to-day financial operations and regulatory adherence at Upside Learning. With over two decades of expertise in finance and accounting, Kiran commenced his career in 1998 at a Public Accounting firm focused on local government auditing and consulting. Over seven years, he garnered valuable experience before moving on to contribute his financial acumen to several multinational corporations. Kiran's responsibilities encompass budget formulation, long-term financial strategy, and statutory compliance management. Holding a bachelor’s degree in accounting and taxation, Kiran finds leisure in traveling and reading during his free time.

Mahesh Shinde

Senior Manager
Visual Design

With over 9 years of graphic design experience, Mahesh Shinde currently leads Upside Learning's Graphic Design team.Mahesh is responsible for the graphic design function. He is responsible for delivering and maintaining the high standard of graphic and visual design across all projects executed by Upside Learning. He is also responsible for training his team and keeping them abreast of the latest technologies and trends.Bachelor's degree holder in Applied Art, Mahesh enjoys travelling and watching movies in his free time.

Neeti Sudumbrekar

Senior Manager
Instructional Design

Neeti Sudumbrekar is a passionate learner whose journey began in her school days under the guidance of her parents, instilling in her a love for learning and critical thinking. Through her postgraduate years, she navigated the realm of mind mapping, uncovering a deep affinity for Instructional Design, a field she ventured into following her Life Sciences degree. Over the past 8 years, Neeti has honed her appreciation for the profound synergy between research, analytical prowess, and Instructional Design, from dissecting business requirements to shaping impactful learning interactions. This process has equipped her to craft well-informed design choices amidst the ever-evolving modern workplace.

Neeti's insatiable curiosity and adaptability have led her to embrace the shifting landscape of Learning and Development, fueled by a desire for innovative, human-centered learning interventions. In her role at Upside Learning, she seizes opportunities to explore and contribute to solutions resonating with this vision. Her portfolio at Upside showcases diverse ID solutions encompassing scenario-based learning, microlearning, gamified approaches, and campaigns. Though varied in nature, these projects all revolve around her core belief in the 'People-Content-Environment' triad—an essential thread weaving through all impactful learning interventions.

With a Master's in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Bremen, Germany, Neeti also holds certifications in Advanced ID and Project Management (IT) from Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL, Pune). Presently, her eagerness for knowledge has driven her to delve into new learning programs. Beyond work and learning, Neeti's passions extend to Mandala art, where she channels her creativity, and strumming her guitar to the tunes of her favorite melodies.

Sushant Gore

Senior Manager
Business Development

Sushant Gore's journey into the eLearning domain began serendipitously, sparked by a chance encounter during a flight. This fateful meeting opened his eyes to the possibilities within the field, igniting a deep interest. Embarking on his first foray into the industry five years ago, he has since navigated an exhilarating path of continuous learning.

With over two years spent in Europe pursuing a master’s degree in management, Sushant absorbed the region's culture and market dynamics, fostering a profound understanding. This connection to Europe persists, as he actively seeks business prospects in the L&D market. At Upside Learning, he strives to spearhead expansion across the UK and Europe, leveraging his extensive expertise in Business Development, Client Engagement, and Account Management. His global experience equips him to devise innovative solutions, fueled by his passion for problem-solving and emerging technologies.

Beyond the professional realm, Sushant is an ardent football enthusiast and a devotee of Science Fiction literature and films. Thriving in the outdoors, he indulges in activities like trekking, Safaris, and road trips astride his motorbike or car.

Swapnil Bhate

Senior Manager
Business Development

Swapnil is a seasoned professional with over 19 years of illustrious experience in Sales and Business Development within the education sector. His journey commenced with a focus on selling ILTS, predominantly in soft skills, to corporate entities. As of 2010, he embraced a new chapter by collaborating with MNCs, delving into the eLearning Domain. This path proved to be both exhilarating and demanding, requiring him to engage with diverse clients on a daily basis, akin to delivering performances before varied audiences. Within the framework of Upside Learning, Swapnil assumes responsibility for the APAC region, representing an expansion into uncharted territory. His pursuit of excellence finds its culmination through collaboration with a dynamic leadership team and highly experienced colleagues at Upside. Beyond the professional realm, Swapnil nurtures a passion as a proficient Percussionist, specializing in Tabla, and holds an abiding love for Indian Classical Music. This pursuit not only bestows upon him serenity and composure but also serves as a crucial counterbalance in his life. Evidently, rhythm isn't solely confined to his musical endeavors; it harmoniously echoes through every facet of his existence.

Vidya Rajagopal

Senior Manager
Instructional Design

Vidya Rajagopal has spent 15 years in the Instructional Design domain, a journey she began unexpectedly but has since become a passion. With a background spanning Operations, Learning and Development, and Human Resources, Vidya naturally gravitated toward projects involving actionable and measurable concept models. Her focus on humanizing adult learning experiences through simple design led her to the realm of Instructional Design. Over the past 6 years, she has applied this philosophy to diverse sectors including technology, banking, finance, aviation, and NGOs. Beyond her professional pursuits, Vidya finds solace in exploring history and philosophy through reading and online content. Balancing life is an art she masters with her inquisitive 13-year-old, whose fresh perspectives offer both challenge and relaxation as she sees the world anew through his eyes.

Hricha Chellani

Manager
Human Resources

A seasoned HR manager with a unique blend of skills, including 15 years of hands-on experience in Human Resources complemented by a master's degree in the same field. Known for a results-oriented mindset, adept at developing and implementing effective strategies to drive organizational success. Demonstrates logical thinking in approaching complex HR challenges and excels in creating a supportive and inclusive work environment. She has extensive experience in the e-learning domain for talent management.

She firmly believes that an organization's success is intrinsically tied to the well-being and development of its employees. With this philosophy at the core, she aims to create an environment where employees feel valued, inspired, and empowered to reach their full potential.

Her mother is an inspiration to her.

Besides work, her interests lie in coin collection, the outdoors, and a big movie buff.

Sandip Tawar

Manager
Quality

Sandip has over 10 years of experience in eLearning and software testing domain. He has worked on more than 70 projects with different technologies and tools, such as HTML, Flash, Articulate Storyline, Captivate, Lectora, etc. for multi-device platforms. His work experience includes web & mobile app testing, eLearning courseware compliance, and accessibility testing (SCORM, AICC, and xAPI) on different Learning Management Systems.Sandip is well-versed with all phases of software development & testing life cycle, and has hands-on experience in various testing methodologies like Functional Testing, GUI Testing, Database Testing, and Regression Testing.Sandip heads the team of Quality Executives at Upside Learning and is responsible for maintaining quality on all projects, and reviews all quality and audit reports to ensure that quality standards and consistency are maintained. He plays a key role in setting and improving internal standards and processes.Sandip holds a Master's degree in Computer Science from University of Nanded, India.

Suyog Shaha

Manager
Technical

Suyog Shaha is the Technical Manager at Upside Learning, where he adeptly leads a team of passionate engineers. With a decade of proficiency in eLearning development and a year's expertise in Web development, Suyog deftly navigates technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JQuery, TypeScript, Angular-JS, Flash, Flex, and Adobe AIR. He champions the belief that technology's prowess is harnessed by its users, driving him to curate the company's knowledge base and enhance processes consistently. Suyog's multifaceted role encompasses project risk assessment, coding adherence, feedback provision, and project delivery punctuality. In his leisure moments, he finds solace in trekking, photography, and music.