Dr. Noriaki Kano is well known across the world as creator of the Kano Model, a groundbreaking framework for understanding customer. He evolutionized Total Quality Management with a focus on customer delight. He is a PhD in Engineering from the University of Tokyo; Professor Emeritus at Tokyo University of Science.
He has contributed to quality improvement initiatives in around 60 countries; held leadership roles in JUSE, JSQC, ANQ, AOTS and more. For his great contribution, he is the recipient of the Deming Prize for Individuals, IAQ Quality Laureate Award, ASQ Medals and many others.
Dr. Kano has authored Guide to TQM in Service Industries (1996), widely used in service and manufacturing sectors.

Janak Mehta brings over six decades of leadership in business and Total Quality Management, including 25 years as a Chief Executive and 35 years as a global consultant. He was instrumental in developing India’s quality infrastructure and has advised other nations on similar initiatives.
Internationally, he has championed the quality movement as President and Chair of the International Academy for Quality (IAQ), Chairperson of the Asian Network for Quality (ANQ), and collaborations with ASQ, EOQ, JUSE, MEQA, and APQO. He also served as the founding President of the Indian Society for Quality

Dr. Duan Yonggang is Executive Vice President of China Association for Quality (CAQ), Companion of International Academy for Quality (IAQ), and the current Chairperson of Asian Network for Quality (ANQ).
He has long focused on quality management and brand development, contributing to progress in quality improvement and brand building in China while fostering international exchange and collaboration. Under his leadership, CAQ delivers professional services that enable enterprises to improve quality performance and build stronger brands, empowering Chinese companies to achieve breakthroughs, sharpen their competitiveness, and enhance resilience for long-term growth

Dr. Shin, an IAQ academician and professor at Sungkyunkwan University, specializes in Systems Management Engineering. He has led major organizations including ANQ, KSQM, and the Korean Society for Public Enterprises, and served on the board of Samsung Engineering. His work spans quality management, leadership, and technology commercialization, with over 200 organizations benefiting from his consulting and educational initiatives.

Dr. Ko is Vice President of the HRD Institute at K-water, Korea’s national agency for water resources. He has led major initiatives in AI-driven competency development, HR system transformation, and international education consulting—including programs in Uganda, Mozambique, Central America, and Lao PDR. His work bridges innovation, capacity building, and global collaboration in water management.

N. Ramanathan is a prominent figure in the field of Total Quality Management (TQM). He is a founder member and past President of the Indian Society for Quality (ISQ). Ramanathan is also an Academician and board member of the International Academy for Quality (IAQ). He is known for his work in promoting quality management in India and internationally, including his role in the Deming Prize challenges and his contributions to the IAQ's think tanks on quality.
Ramanathan has received several awards:
Edwards Medal from the American Society for Quality (ASQ) for outstanding leadership, Dronacharya Award from ISQ for leadership in guiding Indian organizations, Ishikawa-Kano Award - Silver Medal of ANQ for long-term contributions to quality and many more.

Yukihiro Ando is a leading expert in Total Quality Management with extensive experience in improving organizational performance. He is a Trusty and an Academician for the International Academy for Quality (IAQ), a QC Instructor for JUSE, a lead examiner of Deming Prize committee. He has been consulting for corporations, independently and as a member of a consulting team led by quality gurus like Prof. Noriaki Kano and others.
He guided many Indian Industries like Ashok Leyland, Elgi Equipment, Tata Steel etc. to get the Deming Prize. He published a book “Daily Management The TQM Way”
He is the recipient of many prestigious awards like Ishikawa Kano Silver Medal, JSQC Fellow, IAQ Masing Book Medal and many more.

Since August 2024, Dr. Pedro Saraiva has served as Director of PLANAPP, Portugal’s Centre for Planning and Evaluation of Public Policies, reporting to the Minister of the Presidency. A globally recognized leader in quality management, he has received prestigious honors including the Feigenbaum Award (ASQ), Yoshio Kondo Award (IAQ), Grant Medal (ASQ), and Georges Boreal Award (EOQ).
Dr. Saraiva is a Fellow of ASQ and the Portuguese Charter of Engineers, Honorary Associate of APQ, and Member of the Portuguese Academy of Engineering. He has held leadership roles in IAQ, APQ, EOQ, and ASQ, including President of APQ and First Vice-President of EOQ.
He has led quality and excellence initiatives across sectors and regions, including collaborations with OECD, the European Commission, and accreditation agencies in Oman and Mauritius.

Dr. Ayed Alamri is a seasoned expert in quality and business excellence with over 30 years of experience across industry, academia, and national initiatives. He is an Academician Member of the International Academy for Quality (IAQ), a Senior Member of ASQ, and former Chairman of Middle East Quality Associates (MEQA).
He led the development of Saudi Arabia’s National Quality Strategy under SASO and has played a key role in shaping and judging regional excellence awards, including serving as Jury Chairman for two cycles of the King Abdulaziz Quality Award (KAQA).
He spent 27 years in the aviation sector, culminating as General Manager of Bilateral & Commercial Agreements at Saudi Airlines. He holds a Ph.D. in Business Process Re-engineering from the University of Huddersfield and is trained as an industrial engineer.

Kiran Deshmukh is a visionary in automotive technology and quality management with nearly 50 years of leadership in R&D, manufacturing excellence, and strategic transformation. Former CTO of Sona Comstar, driving global EV innovation and operational excellence. He is a B.Tech, Metallurgical Engineering from IIT Bombay (1975)
He is an expert in Machine Learning & Causal Inference, TPS, TQM, TPM & Deming Prize (2003), EV Strategy & Product Innovation, Board Governance & ESG, Capability Development (VLFM, Sona Skill Centre)
He was in several leadership positions as CTO, Sona Comstar, Executive Vice Chairman, Sona Koyo, Governing Council, FITT IIT Delhi, Faculty, VLFM Program.
He was honored with Ashoka Award (2006), Ishikawa-Kano Silver Medal (2022), Dr. Krishan Kumar Award (2022–23)

His publications include - Conceptual Thinking in Daily Life (JICA–CII, 2017)

Prof. Shu Yamada is a distinguished expert in industrial and systems engineering, currently serving as Professor at Keio University. With over three decades of academic leadership across institutions including the University of Tsukuba and Tokyo University of Science, he has advanced research in quality management, data science, and social infrastructure. He holds a doctorate in engineering and has authored influential books and numerous papers on statistical design and analysis. Prof. Yamada is a two-time recipient of the Nikkei QC Literature Prize and has earned national honors for his contributions to industrial standardization. His work continues to shape the future of engineering education and applied statistics in Japan.

Dr. Miroslav Drljača is a leading authority in quality management and civil aviation, with 40 years of professional experience and over 30 years dedicated to quality systems. He has lectured at nine universities across Croatia and the U.S., published 230 papers, and participated in 127 international conferences.
He served on the Scientific Council for Transport at the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (2013–2019) and holds distinguished memberships in EOQ, ASQ, and IAQ (Academician, Board Member). He founded and led the Middle and South-East European Countries Quality Initiative and currently presides over the Croatian Quality Managers Society. He has contributed to numerous scientific boards and led the national project for implementing quality management in Croatian public administration. His work has earned multiple honors, including two lifetime achievement awards.

Ms. Wang Lin, Vice President of China Association for Quality (CAQ), leads CAQ’s branding efforts. With longstanding expertise in branding and quality management, she has authored “Mirror: Decoding the Success of World-Class Brands,” “Leading the Era of Intelligent Manufacturing,” and “Total Brand Management,” and has published hundreds of papers in Chinese journals.
She has led multiple research projects on brand theory and practice for Chinese enterprises, advancing high-quality development in manufacturing and the building of world-class brands..