The Team

Practitioners, not lecturers.

A team of specialists with deep, lived expertise — across corporate L&D, law, communication, behavioural science, and well-being.

100+years of combined L&D experience across the team

Founder & Managing Director

File · 001Founder & MD

Wing Commander (Dr.)

R.D. Deshpande (Retd.)

Three decades of turning potential into performance — first for the Air Force, then the boardroom.

Leadership Trainer · Executive Presence Coach · Productivity · Efficiency · Organisation Design & Development

Wing Commander (Dr.) R.D. Deshpande (Retd.) is an NDA and IIM-Ahmedabad alumnus and a Chief of Air Staff Commendation recipient. Across nearly 22 years in the Indian Air Force — including a posting as Leadership Trainer & Mentor at the National Defence Academy — he led large-scale operations, HR, and people-development mandates. He went on to senior roles at Reliance Retail, BYJU'S (Head of L&D, Digital Finance), and Confianza Consulting before founding Skill Up Nation — to bring the same officer-grade rigour to corporate India.

Credentials

NDAXLRI JamshedpurJack Welch Management InstituteDella Leader's Club

Prior

Indian Air Force · Reliance Retail · BYJU'S · Confianza Consulting

“We don't run workshops. We run transformations.”

Associate Faculty

Jyotsna Jaswal

Communication & Confidence Coach · Executive Presence · Emotional Intelligence · Visual Facilitation

Jyotsna Jaswal is a Communication & Confidence Coach and L&D Facilitator with over 19 years across corporate training and education. She blends neurobehavioural insight with practical workplace communication strategy to build clarity, credibility, and executive presence. She is Faculty at the Image Consulting Business Institute (ICBI), Country Mobilizer for the International Visual Facilitation Hub (IVFH), and a Consultant Trainer with Prepsil.

Capt. Mohit Tomar

Leadership · Team Building · Conflict Resolution · Negotiation

An ex-Army officer and IIM alumnus with a Master's in Education, Capt. Mohit Tomar has spent 13+ years unlocking human potential through experiential leadership programmes — impacting thousands of students and executives across 40+ nationalities. He led troops in the Kashmir and Ladakh sectors, founded Gestalt Adventures (now partnered with 60+ international schools), and has led student expeditions to peaks including Mt Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, and Fuji. His leadership book, “When Journey Becomes the Goal,” is an Amazon bestseller, and he is a TEDx speaker.

Radhika Bali

Image Consultant · Public Speaking · Presentation Skills · Grooming · Business Etiquette

Radhika Bali is an Image Consultant, author, and speaker with over 27 years in corporate training, coaching, and education. Through Aks by Radhika, she helps individuals build confidence, executive presence, and a powerful personal brand. She is Past President of the Delhi Chapter and currently Secretary of the Professional Speakers Association of India (PSAI), a visiting faculty member at Pearl Academy, and a trainer with the Image Consulting Business Institute (ICBI).

Monika Dubey

Soft Skills Trainer · Image Consultant · Communication · Personal Branding

Monika Dubey is a Soft Skills Trainer, Image Consultant, and President of the Gurgaon Chapter of the Image Management Professionals Association (IMPA), with 15+ years in communication, personal branding, and professional development. She has worked with 500+ clients across IT, education, healthcare, fashion, e-commerce, and non-profits — delivering programmes for institutions including Disney, Narayana Group of Schools, Maple Bear, and Adore. Her focus spans confidence, emotional intelligence, grooming, body language, and executive presence. She holds a Master's in Marketing Management & Communication from Manipal University.

Advocate Apoorva Thakur

POSH Trainer · Compliance · EI & NLP Practitioner · Soft Skills

A Delhi-based lawyer, Advocate Apoorva Thakur is Partner at MKA Legal and Director at LAWGYSTIX Foundation, with 13+ years across advocacy, corporate compliance, soft-skill mentoring, and image management. A Springer & Taylor Francis published chapter author, she is a NET-qualified Assistant Professor (ex-faculty at DU, Jamia Hamdard, and IPU), an IPR & DPDP consultant to startups, and a certified Advanced EI & NLP practitioner.

Deepashree

Campus to Corporate · Emotional Intelligence · Growth Mindset · Diversity & Inclusion

Deepashree is a power-skills trainer and L&D professional with nearly three decades across the corporate, hospitality, education, and skills ecosystem — including The Oberoi, Taj, and Sheraton, and a stint as AGM – Learning & Development at a leading creative-arts institution. Known for building instant rapport with diverse audiences, she specialises in Campus-to-Corporate readiness, emotional intelligence, growth mindset, diversity & inclusion, and behavioural skills.

Monika Bhardwaj

Emotional Well-being Life Coach · Trauma Coaching · Conscious Parenting · Neuroscience & Psychology-driven

With over 20 years working with children in mental health and well-being, Monika Bhardwaj is an emotional-spiritual well-being life coach. Her practice blends emotional intelligence, psychology, neuroscience, and trauma-informed, integrative healing to support teens, parents, and educators — through in-school SEL workshops, educator training, and family programmes — helping people reconnect with their core and navigate life with confidence.