Our Bureau
Atlanta, GA
Eight Indian Americans feature on Atlanta Magazine’s list of the 500 most powerful leaders for 2024. The magazine described this issue “of Atlanta 500 as a resource and not just an accounting of who’s who. It’s an anthology of the power that resides in Atlanta.” Indian Americans on the list include Aparna Bhattacharyya, Rohit Malhotra, Shaneel Lalani, Ambrish Baisiwala, Sanjay Gupta, Sanjay Sehgal, Kabir Bardey, and Romil Bahl.
“There are some who are naturally deemed powerful. Politicians. Executives. Celebrities. And the like. But power is not only ascribed to those who are typically powerful,” it said. “There is power in simply improving the lives of the people around you, often without the resources of the aforementioned.”
Aparna Bhattacharyya serves as Raksha, Inc’s executive director. Bhattacharyya is a passionate advocate for immigrant survivors of family and sexual violence and ensuring they have access to safety, justice and healing. As the Executive Director of Raksha, Inc. in Atlanta Georgia, Aparna has worked to ensure that attorneys, law enforcement, and service providers are culturally competent to serve immigrant survivors. She is currently a Board Member for the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, VIDA Legal Assistance and the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project.
Rohit Malhotra is the founder and head of the Center for Civic Innovation. Most recently, he served as an Ash Innovation Fellow in the White House Office of Management and Budget, focused on the administration’s efforts around social impact bonds and pay for performance. In 2015, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, where he served as the youngest member in recent history, and in 2019, he was named the youngest member of Leadership Atlanta. Rohit was named as one of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 30 Under 30 and in June 2015, he was awarded the prestigious Echoing Green Global Fellowship.
Shaneel Lalani, CEO of Lalani Ventures, planted roots in Atlanta over 20 years ago. Shaneel has worked in retail his whole life, starting out as a store clerk. He bought his first real estate property in 2012. A true immigrant success story, Shaneel has since grown Lalani Ventures into one of the leading investment firms in the Southeast.
Ambrish brings over 27 years of global real estate experience to his role at Portman where he is responsible for the overall management and performance of the firm. Ambrish has worked in the USA, China, India, the Middle East, South East Asia and Australia, across a broad spectrum of property types and responsibilities.
Ambrish has a Bachelor of Commerce (Honors) degree from the University of Rajasthan, India, and an MBA from the Melbourne Business School, Australia. He is active in the community and participates on the boards of Central Atlanta Progress, Midtown Alliance, Atlanta Police Foundation, Leadership Atlanta, Atlanta Beltline Partnership, Piedmont Park Conservancy, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber.
American neurosurgeon and chief medical correspondent for CNN (Cable News Network). Gupta is best known for his captivating reports on health and medical topics, as well as his appearances on multiple CNN television shows, including American Morning and House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, which he hosted. He works as a surgeon at Grady and Emory universities.
Kabir Barday is the Founder, CEO, and Chairman of the Board of OneTrust. He holds a Fellow of Information Privacy with the IAPP, the highest designation of a privacy professional. In 2019, Kabir was named National Entrepreneur of the Year by EY. He received his B.S. in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology and currently serves on the Georgia Tech Advisory Board (GTAB). He was also named to the inaugural Georgia Tech 40 under 40 class.
Romil Bahl, who has nearly thirty years of experience driving significant growth for SaaS and IoT firms, is the president and CEO of KORE. He previously served as the president and CEO of Lochbridge, a market-leading provider of digital enablement and loT technology consultancy and solutions.
Describing the collection as “a portrait of the power in Atlanta in 2024,” the magazine said, “much of what Atlanta is today wouldn’t exist without those who challenged and continue to challenge power in every sector that comprises Atlanta 500 and the city at large.”
