Board Members

Adv. Sangeetha Viswanathan has assumed charge as the Chairperson of the Spices Board on 2nd April 2025. She has been actively involved in various leadership roles, including serving as the Central Secretary of the SNDP Yogam Women's Wing, the State Vice President of BDJS, and the State General Secretary of BDMS.

A native of Koorkenchery, Thrissur, Sangeetha Viswanathan holds an LLB from Calicut University and an LLM from MG University. She is an accomplished advocate with expertise in family, labor, civil, and criminal law, practicing at the courts in Thrissur and the Kerala High Court.

Shri. Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi is the current Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha representing Bijapur Parliament Constituency, Karnataka. Earlier, he served as Union Minister of State for Drinking Water & Sanitation during 2016 to 2019 Currently, he is the Member of parliamentary committee on Social Justice & Empowerment. He has also served as the Member in various Parliamentary Committees such as Consultative Committee of Ministry of Defence, Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers, Perliamentary Committee on Commerce, Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs and its Sub Committee on Personnel Policy of Central Para-Military Forces, etc.

Ms. S. Jothimani is the current Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha representing Karur Parliament Constituency, Tamil Nadu. Currently, she is the Member of parliamentary committee on Defence. Earlier, se has served as the Member in various Parliamentary Committees such as Consultative Committee, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Standing Committee on Industry, Committee on welfare of Other Backward Classes. She was Councillor of K. Paramathi panchayat Union for two terms. She was Member of Tamil Nadu Censor Board from 2006 to 2009.

Shri. C. Sadanandan Master is an Indian educator and politician from Kerala, known for his resilience and long public-service career. In 2025, he was nominated by the President of India as a Member of the Rajya Sabha, India’s upper house of Parliament, acknowledging his dedication and contributions.

Ms. P. Hemalatha IAS is a 2000 batch IAS officer of Karnataka Cadre. She is currently serving as Development Commissioner, Cochin Special Economic Zone and holding additional charge as the Secretary of the Spices Board in Kochi, since October 2024.

Shri V Ashokan is a progressive farmer from Vilpatti village of Kodaikanal, Dindigul District,Tamil Nadu. He is currently performing extensive integrated farming cultivating Pepper, Cardamom, Cloves, Kandari Chilli, Hill Garlic, Coffee, Avocado, Hill Banana, Orange. Own indigenous cows. He is the founder and Managing Trustee of Nature Care Trust.

Shri. Kothuri Venkata Subba Rao is a distinguished agriculturalist, businessman, and public representative from Andhra Pradesh. He owns and cultivates 19 acres of agricultural land, where he has been actively engaged in farming for the past 8 years. His major crops include, Rice, Red Gram, Chilli . With strong hands-on experience in agriculture and farmer welfare activities, he has been contributing significantly to the farming community. Currently, he is a Boad member of Andhra Pradesh Builders Welfare Board. In addition to his public service, he is also a successful businessman and holds a Raymond Cloth Store in Guntur.

Shri Shaji Raghavan Nair is progressive spices grower and the founding member of the Cardamom Planters Federation. He is a recepient of the prestigious National Award (Ministry of MSME, Govt. of India), from the President of India for exemplary and meritorious service. A native of Elanthoor in Pathanamthitta district, he served as an official in the Central Khadi and Village Industries Commission. He Possesses over 40 years of extensive, hands-on, and invaluable experience in traditional, sustainable, and eco-friendly farming of high-quality cardamom and pepper, with specialized expertise in innovative, cutting-edge, and internationally recognized organic farming techniques.

Shri Prasanna Kumar K. R. is a progressive pepper grower from Kerekai village in Karnataka, known for his active involvement in agriculture and rural development. With hands-on experience in modern and sustainable pepper cultivation, he represents the farming community at a broader policy level. He served as a Director of the Karnataka Planning Board from 2020 to 2024, where he contributed to state-level planning initiatives, particularly in areas related to agriculture and rural growth, bringing practical grassroots insights into policy formulation. He also served as Secretary of the Karnataka State Kisan Morcha from 2019 to 2023, playing an active role in advocating farmers’ interests and strengthening agricultural outreach across the state.

Shri. Basker Chockalingam, popularly known as “VNC Basker,” is a distinguished industrialist, planter and philanthropist from Karur, Tamil Nadu. He is the Managing Paner of the VNC Group, established in 1983, which has grown under his visionary leadership into one of South India’s leading diversied business groups. He holds degrees in Commerce and Law from the University of Madras and was the recipient of the prestigious Rt. Hon’ble Madhavan Nair Award for outstanding academic peormance in Law. Basker Chockalingam has held several senior leadership roles in prominent industrial, social, and spos bodies. He served on the Board of Rotary International (2017–2019) representing South Asia, contributing to global service initiatives and leadership development. His work has earned him numerous recognitions from universities, government institutions, and non-governmental organisations for his contributions to industry and society.

Shri Nileshkumar Rasiklal Patel is the Chief Executive Officer of M/s. AB Spices and the Associate Partner of M/s. Victoria Spices. He is also actively involved in his family business operating under the name M/s. Patel Amritlal Bhikhabhai, established since 1958. He has been a Board Member of the Unjha Chamber of Commerce since 2009 and Served as a President of Unjha Chamber of Commerce. He serves as the Founder President of Jan Chetana Foundation-Unjha, a youth organization dedicated to promoting social equality. He is currently serving as the President of the Unjha Spices Cleaning Factory Association since 2023. He also serves as a President of M N Patel Mahila Vikas Trust, associating in Khadi weaving from cotton yarn, by providing employment to more than 100 women in surrounding villages.

Mr. Ashvinkumar Nayak, a native of Unjha, is a senior figure in India’s agri-export sector with over three decades of experience in spices and natural products. He is the founder of Kanaiya Exports Pvt. Ltd., a Government-recognized Star Export House, with exports spanning over 100 countries. He has served as Chairman of SHEFEXIL (Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India) and as Founder Chairman of the Federation of Indian Spice Stakeholders (FISS). He has also served as a Member of the Task Force Committee of the Spices Board of India, and has held roles with the GCCI, IOPEPC, and FIEO.

Smt. Bhagwati Mahesh Baldwa has been instrumental in establishing India's leadership in the global botanical and nutraceutical sector. As Chairperson of Ixoreal and Kartikeya Group and Director of Ixoreal Biomed (USA), she built Ayurveda's first Unicorn, positioning Indian Ashwagandha to command over 65% of the global market. Her work in elevating Indian botanicals earned recognition from Prime Minister Modi in "Mann Ki Baat." The highest taxpayer in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh since 2019, she brings governance experience from serving as Independent Director at NMDC Limited. Rooted in Indian values, she champions inclusive growth with 70% women in her workforce. A dedicated philanthropist, she has made significant contributions to rural development, education, healthcare, and welfare of the underprivileged and persons with disabilities across India.

Shri Shankharavh Sarkar is an income tax lawyer and tax consultant in Berhampore Income Tax Jurisdiction. He also supervises the marketing and production activities of M/s Babin Agro spice and food products. He has done his bachelor’s degree in commerce and LLB from Kalyani University.

Rajesh Kumar Mishra is a 1995 batch IRS-C&IT Officer and holds the post of Additional Director, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in the rank of Joint Secretary since 2022.

He has served in the Ministries of Commerce & Industries, Urban Development, Information & Broadcasting, Food Processing Industries, and Labour & Employment in various capacities.