OUR SPECTACULAR TEAM
FOUNDERS
MALINI KOCHUPILLAI
Malini Kochupillai is an architect, photographer and published author whose practice explores cities as sites for public art. She co-founded Tenacious Bee Collective to fuse creative community work with regenerative beekeeping and biodiverse agriculture in Himachal Pradesh.
KUNAL SINGH
Kunal Singh, JoyCorps fellow and co‑founder of Tenacious Bee Collective, is a certified Himachali beekeeper blending agrarian roots, corporate consulting experience, and award‑winning creamed honey to build scalable, women-led rural bee enterprises and regenerative apitourism hubs.
ADVISORS
ANUP PAI
Anup Pai, founder‑CEO of eSamudaay.com and former Fintellix co‑founder, is a fintech entrepreneur with two decades’ experience centralising banking data, now backing decentralised, artisan‑led ventures as an angel investor and mentor to over a dozen startups.
VAIDYA NAVEEN SHARMA
Vaidya Naveen Sharma has been practicing Ayurveda for 14 years in Dharamsala and has laid the foundation of Atharva Ayurdhama Ayurveda hospital to help patients with cancer, autoimmune disorders, Liver disorders, PCOD, and lifestyle disorders.
Dr. HARISH SHARMA
Dr. Harish Sharma, retired Principal Scientist (Apiculture) at YSPUHF, is an internationally recognised authority on traditional beekeeping, native Indian bee species and managed pollination. He's guiding Tenacious Bee’s scientific practices and training programmes for over 7 years.
Banali M Luthra
Banali an award‑winning marketer and the former group CMO of RAKBANK, IWBD board advisor and Dubai Winmark CMO chair. She is a data‑driven brand leader who has built billion‑dollar brands, juried Effies and global media awards. Banali guides Tenacious Bee’s ambitious marketing strategy.
Rukn Luthra
Rukn Luthra is a veteran wine-and-spirits leader: ex–Remy Cointreau MD (India & Gulf), creator of Janus brandy with Sula, architect of Pernod Ricard’s Nine Hills winery and multiple iconic imports. He's been advising Tenacious Bee on premium strategy and growth since 2023.
Iskander Lalljee
Industrialist and wildlife champion Iskander Lalljee, is the Joint Managing Director of Süd-Chemie India and founder of Bagh Villas, a luxury ecotourism resort in Kanha National park. Isky chairs Tiger Watch and serves on multiple conservation-focused NGO boards. He's guiding Tenacious Bee’s expansion of regenerative products, ethical beekeeping services and low-impact tourism.
OUR FOUNDATION
Aditya Singh
Trained chef and mixologist with Oberoi and Taj, Aditya now designs and leads Tenacious Bee’s immersive food, beverage and apitourism workshops, translating local Himalayan ingredients, culture and honey into memorable, intimate guest experiences.
GEETANJALI KALTA
Geetanjali Kalta is a Himachali sound artist, musician and “artivist” whose folk-rooted practice spans theatre, film scores and digital platforms. She leads social media for Tenacious Bee and crafts narrative-led AV content that amplifies rural voices and bridges culture, ecology and community resilience.
MEENA DIDI
Most cheerful, Meena didi always greets you with a warm smile. Ever ready to try her hands on something new, you'll always find her stepping up to experiment, be it on the farm or in the workshop.
NIRMALA DIDI
Highly organized, ITI graduate, Nirmala didi has solutions to all the problems in our workshop.
RADHA DIDI
Always laughing, always pulling legs, Radha didi keeps everyone on their toes. Be it on the farm, in the workshop, or an important meeting with the local District Administration, one can find Radha didi, pulling jokes on everyone, without any discrimination.
SHEENA DIDI
A meticulous planner and a born leader, Sheena didi has been elemental in running all the workshops and interventions in the village smoothly and is now all set to become a master trainer and travel all across Himachal, training interested community members, the craft of Bee Apothecary..
SUNITA DIDI
Previously a homemaker, a farmer, and now one of our beeswax experts, Sunita didi wants more happiness and independence for all the women in her village.
INDIRA DIDI
Previously a home-based tailor, and a farmer, Indira didi takes pride in becoming an expert at making candles, creams, soaps, and lip balms from beeswax at Tenacious Bee.
