Our Team

The People Behind the People Development

A small, carefully chosen team of deeply experienced facilitators, coaches, and leadership development experts — each with decades of real-world impact.

Ganesh Balasubramanian
Ganesh Balasubramanian
Founder & CEO · Chief Facilitator & Executive Coach
Marshall Goldsmith Coach Fulbright Fellow Grid Facilitator PhD Scholar — IIM-T
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Ganesh Balasubramanian is a distinguished leadership development professional and social entrepreneur with over 20 years of transformative experience in building institutions, developing leaders, and enabling successful careers for thousands of professionals globally.

"I believe that the most important work any organization can do is invest in its people. Everything else — strategy, execution, culture — flows from the quality of the people and the leaders you build."

Executive Coaching Practice

As Founder & CEO of SkillTrain since 2013, Ganesh serves as a certified Executive Coach with Marshall Goldsmith Coaching (since 2018) and Global Leadership & Team Coach with Global Coach Group (since 2020). He delivers high-impact coaching engagements to Fortune 500 companies and multinational organizations worldwide, specialising in stakeholder-centered coaching, C-suite leadership development, team effectiveness, and the creation of coaching cultures within organizations.

Social Impact Work

Ganesh pioneered technology-enabled vocational training for rural youth across India, establishing 7 training institutes across Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, and building one of India's largest online vocational training channels on YouTube with over 600,000 subscribers. His social impact work focuses on bridging the employability gap through innovative blended learning models that make skills training accessible to underserved communities.

Academic Credentials

Ganesh holds a Fulbright Fellowship in Leadership and Management from Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business (2012), where he was recognized as an "exemplary executive scholar." He earned his MBA in Finance & Marketing from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB), and is currently pursuing a PhD in Organisational Behaviour Studies at IIM Tiruchirappalli (2024–2028).

His certifications include Harvard ManageMentor Coaching Certification (2024) and Teaching with Cases from IIM Ahmedabad (2023).

Notable Partnerships

Ganesh has been a trusted Advisor to Thoughtworks' STEP Programme since 2012, guiding an 18-month paid internship initiative for diploma holders. He currently serves as an Instructor with Electives, a global enterprise learning platform.

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Leonard D'Costa
Senior Facilitator & Leadership Coach
Grid International Partner XLRI Alumnus TATA Veteran Social Entrepreneur

Leonard D'Costa is a Social Entrepreneur and co-founder of SALTLABS, engaged in education for lifelong employability and leadership excellence. With over three decades of senior corporate experience spanning two of India's most respected conglomerates, Len brings a depth of practical organizational wisdom that is rarely found in professional facilitators.

Len has been associated with the Leadership Grid for over twenty-two years — making him one of India's most experienced Grid facilitators and a deeply trusted voice in organizational leadership development.

Grid International Expertise

Len is an accredited Leadership Grid meeting manager and a partner of Grid International (India). He has introduced Grid leadership development in the organizations where he has worked and has conducted many Grid interventions across India's leading corporations.

Corporate Career

Len began his career with the TATA Management Training Centre, Pune, and then continued with the TATAs for twenty-six years in the Taj Group of Hotels. He served as Vice President, Corporate Human Resources at Indian Hotels, and was part of the team that set up IIHM Aurangabad.

His next corporate assignment was President, Corporate Development and Human Resources of Piramal Enterprises Limited — a diversified group engaged in Pharmaceuticals, Glass, Textile, Engineering, Real Estate and Malls. He also served as former Non-Executive Chairman of the board of Shree Digvijay Cement Co. Ltd, part of the Cimpor Group, the 8th largest cement company in the world.

Coaching Practice

Len is a coach for senior management in many organizations and is associated with Larsen & Toubro as a Behavioural Enabler for their Leadership Development Programme. He has published several papers in leading journals and brings this research perspective to every facilitation and coaching engagement.

Education

An XLRI alumnus with a postgraduate degree in Human Resource Management, and ex Fellow of the Hotel and Catering International Management Association, UK. He graduated from the University of Poona with a BSc (Honours) degree.

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Murali Aiyer
Senior Facilitator & Executive Coach
Grid Partner Appreciative Inquiry Belbin Facilitator 38 Years Experience

Murali Aiyer is a Social Entrepreneur and co-founder of SALTLABS, engaged in consulting, leadership coaching and training across domains of Leadership Development, Employability Education, Holistic Organisational Development, HR Strategy, and Service Excellence. Based in Chennai, Murali brings 38 years of diversified experience across multiple industries and geographies.

Murali's work with large corporations like L&T, Crompton Greaves, and Thoughtworks as coach and facilitator for their Leadership Development Interventions reflects his proven ability to deliver results in complex, high-stakes organizational environments.

Coaching & Facilitation

Murali is an executive coach for senior leaders in many organizations and is an accredited Leadership Grid trainer and Partner — Leadership and Grid (India). He is also an accredited Appreciative Inquiry and Belbin Team Roles Facilitator, providing a rich toolkit of evidence-based approaches to leadership development and team effectiveness.

Corporate Career

Murali has served as Director and Lead HR Consultant of Human Resources for CRISIL Limited — India's leading financial services organization and part of Standard & Poor's and The McGraw Hill Companies worldwide. He was General Manager, Corporate Development with the Piramal Group engaged in Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Engineering and Retail.

He also served as Training and Development Manager in a global MNC — Inchcape Plc in the Middle East — and held Operational Management roles with the Oberoi Group of Hotels.

Education

Murali's academic background spans Commerce, Hospitality Management (PG Diploma from the Oberoi Centre for Learning and Development), and Business Management from NMIMS. He has undergone advanced learning in integrating business strategy with human resources at Inchcape Plc. (Middle East) and Carlson University (Corporate University of Carlson Hospitality) in the USA.

Areas of Expertise

Leadership coaching, Human Resource Management, Mergers & Acquisitions integration, Consulting, Corporate education, Training, Development, Communications, and Customer Service excellence — accumulated over 38 years of hands-on organizational experience.

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