Talk Title : Helping India Sleepwell – Life Story of an IIT Kanpur Chemical Engineer
Abstract of the talk
Two-thirds of India sleeps on some sort of Cotton Mattress/Durry/Chatai. Even the balance one-third has very little idea of what “A Good Night’s Sleep is all about” and the impact that it has on the individual’s performance and the contribution to Nation Building. Flexible Polyurethane Foam, the main product of Sheela Foam, with all its versatility is an ideal product for creating a good mattress. This lecture will dwell on the Innovations in Process and Products to improve the Affordability, Availability & Sustainability of such a mattress.
About the Speaker
Rahul Gautam, with over 50 years of experience in the Home Comfort Space and the PU Foam Industry, is the Chairman-Managing Director of Sheela Foam Ltd., India, and its subsidiaries Joyce Foam Pty Ltd., Australia & Interplasp S.L., Spain, EU.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering (1975) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of New York, USA. He has been awarded a Professional Doctorate in Global Leadership & Management from The European International University, Paris, France. He has established a Chair at IIT, Kanpur in 2008 and also has been conferred with the Distinguished Alumnus Award of IIT, Kanpur in 2019. He is the Founder & the Chairman Emeritus of the Indian Polyurethane Association (IPUA) and has been recognized for his contribution to the PU industry with a Life Time Achievement Award. He is also a Founder Member of the Global PU Group. Under his aegis, the CSR activities are done through The Sleepwell Foundation, wherein an All Women’s ITI in Delhi has been adopted and a Skill Development Center & an Armed Forces Training Center are being run at Khurja, U.P.