PeaceTech Lab appoints Sanjiv Ahuja as new member to the Board of Directors
April 23, 2020 (Washington, D.C.) – PeaceTech Lab, a leading international peacebuilding organization, announced today the appointment of Tillman Global Holdings Founder and Chairman, Sanjiv Ahuja, as its newest member to the Board of Directors. His appointment follows the transitioning of founding PeaceTech Lab Board Member and former Corporate Executive Board CEO, Tom Monahan.
“We are thrilled to welcome Sanjiv to the board. His extensive and international experience in telecommunications, as well as his keen understanding of the need for mobile innovation, will undoubtedly contribute to the PeaceTech Lab’s growth,” said Nicholas Donofrio, Chairman of the Board.
Sanjiv Ahuja is Chairman of Tillman Global Holdings (TGH) and a respected telecom veteran. TGH is a US-based holding company focused on building businesses with long-term value. The firm invests in and manages telecommunications towers, small cells and smart-city businesses in both developed and emerging markets. TGH and its associated companies have one of the most extensive global-telecom infrastructure ownership footprints and unparalleled operational and management experience. The TGH leadership team has built and managed an unmatched portfolio of telecom infrastructure assets in Asia, Africa, Europe and the US.
Tillman Infrastructure (“TI”), in the TGH portfolio, is a rapidly growing cellular tower and telecom-infrastructure company, which owns and builds assets across the United States. As evidenced by its recent breakthrough joint-tower development agreement with AT&T and Verizon, Tillman provides both the financial capability and operational expertise to rapidly build and manage many thousands of sites nationwide.
Ahuja’s corporate successes have included leading the turnaround and growth of Orange S.A. from 2003 to 2007. During Sanjiv’s tenure as the CEO, Orange grew from 48 million subscribers to well over 100 million subscribers. Orange also added several countries to its footprint both in Europe and Africa. During this period, Orange experienced a dramatic financial turnaround and success on all metrics, including revenue and profitability.
Prior to Orange, Sanjiv led the turnaround of Telcordia Technologies (formerly Bellcore). During his tenure there (1994-2000), the company doubled revenue and more than quadrupled its profitability. He has served on several public boards including Telenor S.A., Cadbury’s, Williams-Sonoma and Network Appliance. Sanjiv has a degree in electrical engineering from Delhi University, India, and a master’s degree from Columbia University in New York.
“Sanjiv has worked in many of the conflict countries where PTL operates; he knows the issues and is going to be an extraordinary resource for us in terms of peacebuilding and creating long-term impact. We’re also excited about the prospect of working with other members of the Ahuja family, whose experience in telecommunications and working around the globe is extensive. This is exactly the breadth of knowledge the Lab needs as we adapt our work – and especially our virtual training efforts – in this pandemic environment,” said Sheldon Himelfarb, President and CEO of PeaceTech Lab.
Ahuja will join the following members on PeaceTech Lab’s Board:
Chairman Nicholas Donofrio,__ a 44-year IBM veteran who served as the EVP of Innovation and Technology.
Vice Chairman Dr. Bernard Amadei, the founding President of Engineers Without Borders and Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Nancy Lindborg, President of the United States Institute of Peace and member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
John Momoh, Chairman of the Channels Media Group and Founder and CEO of the award-winning Channels Television in Nigeria.
Colin Rule, Vice President of Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) at Tyler Technologies and the co-founder of Modria, Inc, one of the first global ODR companies.
Nancy Zirkin, Senior advisor and former Executive Vice President for the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the nation's oldest and largest civil and human rights coalition.
As the board welcomes Ahuja, they also bid farewell to Tom Monahan, a founding board member and champion of Peacetech. Monahan spent more than two decades as a leader, CEO and Chairman of The Corporate Executive Board Company, culminating in its acquisition by Gartner. With expertise in innovation/data strategy, corporate performance, governance and ethics, and social impact, Monahan’s service on the board has been invaluable. During his tenure, the Lab created the nation’s first Master’s Degree in Peace Engineering with Drexel University, launched the world’s first PeaceTech Accelerator dedicated to scaling Peacetech innovations, trained leaders from more than 1300 civil society organizations whose work has benefited over 25 countries.
“I know I speak for the entire Board, when I say that we could not have been more fortunate to have Tom with us for these five critical startup years. His leadership, wisdom and relentless support of the PeaceTech Lab vision make for a lasting legacy. We extend our gratitude and wish Tom nothing but the best in his transition and future endeavors,” said Chairman Donofrio.
In response to the current pandemic, the Lab is currently engaged in real-time tracking of COVID-19 related violence, the creation of a Virtual Training Platform for its PeaceTech Exchange program to assist the most vulnerable communities with violence prevention strategies, and the continued development of its vital hate speech lexicons. In addition, the Lab recently partnered with legendary singer-songwriter Ricardo Montaner to use social media in support of the World Health Organization’s efforts to control the spread of the virus.
PeaceTech Lab is an international nonprofit established by the United States Institute of Peace, dedicated to using media, data, and technology to prevent conflict and build peaceful, thriving communities around the world. Visit: www.peacetechlab.org