Akkad, Amit
As a Director at ICC, Amit primarily focuses on strategy, planning and education. He was attracted to ICC for its mission of making the Indian community stronger through unwavering and selfless service to the community.
Professional background
Amit is currently associated with a local robotics start-up in the Boston area. He is a seasoned senior executive who managed a multimillion-dollar global enterprise service business as Vice President and General Manager. He has worked at iRobot, Polycom, PictureTel, Computervision and Prime Computer in various roles, including. His expertise spans executive leadership, strategic planning, business development, product management, marketing, sales, strategic partnerships, and operations.
Amit has been a visiting faculty and guest lecturer in business at Boston area universities, teaching international business and corporate entrepreneurship.
Community service
Amit has been passionate about helping those that cannot help themselves. Over the last decade, he has been working with several Indian NGOs to inspire and help children of Ashram Shalas (boarding schools) reach their potential in the tribal village communities of rural Gujarat in India.
Amit is on the leadership team at Yuva Pragati, Inc., an NGO based in New Jersey, dedicated to educating the impoverished rural Youth of Gujarat, India through its flagship Youth Wellness Camps.
Personal, Hobbies and other interests
Amit and his wife Medha live in the Boston area. Medha is a Sr. Finance Director at a medical company that provides kidney dialysis services, managing finances of their multi-billion-dollar dialysis products business. Their son Apurva and daughter Neha are both doctors.
Amit has a deep interest in Indian classical music and is associated with “Baithak”. He practices his own musical meditation through singing, accompanied by harmonium.
He is also a student of history of India and Gujarat, cosmology and genetics, nature, and travels. Along with friends, Amit and his wife Medha will be found hiking and exploring New England and surrounding states from spring through fall. Amit is also a student of spirituality and Vedanta.
He draws his inspiration from great leaders like Gandhiji, as well as from local and rural leaders with whom he works on the ground. Often, they are ordinary folks who have dedicated their lives to improving the lives of impoverished people.
Education
Amit has a M.B.A. degree from Columbia University, New York, where he received Wall Street Journal Award for academic excellence, bestowed to a top-ranked graduate. At Columbia Business School, his focus was on entrepreneurship, marketing, and finance. Amit has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a Gold Medal from M.S. University in Vadodara, India.