Outlining his priorities, Mr. Kochikar said the strength Mangaluru’s port and maritime economy brings to the region is a natural advantage worth building on further.
Divakar Pai Kochikar, a third generation family entrepreneur and owner of a technology venture, was elected the President of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Monday, September 28, in Mangaluru.
Ashwin Pai Maroor was elected the vice president, Abdul Rahman Musaba the Treasurer and Jeethan Allen Sequeira and Vincent Cutinha were elected the Secretaries of the Chamber at its 86th annual general meeting. Nissar Fakeer Mohammed, Amith Ramachandra Acharya, B.A. Nazeer, Aditya Padmanabha Pai, M. Athmika Amin, Nandagopal Shenoy, Sujir Prasad Nayak, Ajay Prabhu Karkala, Nitte Dasharath Shetty, Vincent Joseph Neeliyara, Balakrishna Janardhana Jeppu and Ranjal Rajnish Nayak were elected as the directors.
Mr. Kochikar, a graduate in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology, began his career in banking software at Nucleus Software, Noida, and later worked with Infosys on Apple projects, before returning to Mangaluru to join his family business. He is the third-generation executive director of Swasti Cashew Industries Private Ltd., established in 1952. It is a company with a pioneering history in cashew processing and Cashew Nut Shell Liquid, which today operates warehousing facilities. He is also involved in rubber cultivation, arecanut and pepper farming.
Mr. Kochikar co-founded Kochikar Technologies LLP. He co-created MyPoojaBooking, a temple management platform used by lakhs of devotees for online sevas, donations and room bookings, including self-service kiosks. The firm also develops Sahay Mitra, a scholarship platform that has helped thousands of students access financial support from trusts across the country.
Outlining his priorities, Mr. Kochikar said the strength Mangaluru’s port and maritime economy brings to the region is a natural advantage worth building on further. He also highlighted considerable headroom for growth in finance, education, healthcare, IT and tourism, stressing that equipping the region’s youth with the right skills will be key to converting this potential into real opportunity. He added that KCCI’s trading community, its founding base, remains just as central to this vision.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)