Aadhimalai has a diverse team with a mix of young and experienced blood and people from different backgrounds.
Advisors
Snehlata Nath
Sneh or Sneha Madam is a founder director of Keystone Foundation and works with Livelihoods, Indigenous Peoples Programme and the Hunter-Gatherer Initiative. She supports NGO networks in India around forests and indigenous people. She has also initiated the People and Nature Fund which will be coordinated by Keystone. She advises Aadhimalai on various capacities.
Robert Leo
Leo or Leo Sir, as he is fondly called by the team, joined the Keystone team during beekeepers and honey hunters survey in 1993-94 and has been an integral part since then. He is a native of Kodaikanal and he completed his Bachelors in Rural Developmental Science and Masters in Arts, both from Madurai Kamaraj University. During the early days of his professional life, he was associated with farming in plantations. Beginning with beekeeping initiatives among indigenous communities, Leo Sir then moved on to traditional farming practices, looking at issues with forest honey quality, sustainability, value addition of honey, beeswax, and initiatives in community enterprise in Keystone’s project areas. He is the Deputy Director of Keystone and advises Aadhimalai on a variety of areas.
Mallikarjuna Moorthy
Moorthy Sir as he is fondly called by everyone, has led from the front right from the time the processing centres were set up by Keystone. He led the value addition projects of Keystone and later became the CEO of Aadhimalai. Now, Moorthy Sir is a Senior Advisor to Aadhimalai, and is helping Aadhimalai come up with new products and maintain producer relationships.
He hails from Sirumugai in Mettupalayam and comes from a weaving family. He has an eye for experimentation and as a result has come up with several new products for Aadhimalai.
Team
Jestin
Jestin joined Aadhimalai in 2017 and he is from Kotagiri. He is an Alumni of Bharathiyar University and has a Masters in Business Administration. He has recently taken over as the Chief Executive Officer of Aadhimalai.
Sivakumar
Sivakumar comes from Yedapalli in Coonoor. He has been with Keystone for over 8 years and has seen the growth of Keystone and Aadhimalai from close quarters. Siva looks after the finances for Aadhimalai and is a guiding light for the team in all matters.
Santhosh Kumar
Santhosh is from Kotagiri and is also a part of the finance team as the Accounts Manager. He has been a part of Aadhimalai since 2018 and a silent worker.
Sasirekha
Sasirekha hails from Kozhikarai village. She is in charge for the packing section of Aadhimalai always with a sweet smile.
Kaliappan
Kaliappan has been with Aadhimalai and Keystone for over 8 years and comes from Kozhithurai village, often braving threats from elephants.
Joseph Stanly
Stanly as he is called by everyone is the person in charge for the transportation. He drives the Truck for Aadhimalai through the villages.
Banagudi Team
A new production center was set up at Banagudi in 2019. Perched up in the hills the center is managed by Saraswathi. The team has almost 12 women from the same village.
Pudukad Team
Sumitra acts as the Production Supervisor for the Pudukad Centre and stays in the same village. She is assisted by Maheswari, Sellamma, Santhi, Radha and Radhika.
Bangalapadigai Team
The Bangalapadigai team consist of Vanaja, Chithra, Kamala, Veeraiyamma and Kalamma who all stay in the village close to the centre.