Alumnus of National Dairy Research Institute and IIM Ahmedabad, Shri Harkesh Mittal, Former Adviser & Head, NSTEDB, DST, Govt. of India, has been instrumental in giving a new vibrancy to promoting innovation and entrepreneurial acumen among a wide section of Indian entrepreneurs ranging from grass-roots industries to high-end deep-tech enterprises for nearly four decades. He was responsible for the conceptualisation and implementation of many innovation and entrepreneurship development programmes. In 2017, he was awarded the Best Mentor award by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, GoI.