Leadership Team

Amar, along with Sonu Ratra, founded Akraya in 2001. He possesses over 15 years of management, international business development, technology consulting, product management, and software engineering experience.

As a Co-Founder of a high-growth services company, Amar leads by example. Clients consistently appreciate his dedication to delivering outside-the-box custom solutions to meet any challenge. Amar’s eye for talent and his deep-seated faith in empowerment and accountability has helped Akraya grow into an employee-driven organization where each team member values autonomy and respects the responsibility that comes with it.

As a fervent advocate of fighting climate change in the corporate office, Amar invests time and resources to ensure that Akraya’s carbon footprint is minimal. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Pacific Service Credit Union (PSCU), one of the largest credit unions in the U.S. with over $1 billion in assets. Amar holds an MBA in Information Systems from Symbiosis International Education as well as a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Pune, India.

As Co-founder and President of Akraya and Founder of Women Back to Work, Sonu is a strong believer that with success comes responsibility. 

Sonu has been recognized as a highly motivated and focused thought leader in the talent and staffing industry. Besides leading Akraya’s aggressive growth strategies, Sonu serves on the Board of Directors at the Institute of Economic Empowerment for Women to support their Peace through Business program. She also serves on the Foundation Board at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.  

A past winner of the Enterprising Woman of the Year Award, Sonu has received several accolades including the SIA Power 150 – Women in Staffing, Woman of Influence Award, the Stevie Award, Northwood’s Outstanding business leader award and has been featured on the Women Worth Watching List by Diversity Journal. 

An entrepreneur with a charitable heart, Sonu is passionate about giving back to the community. Over the years, she has been an avid supporter for women’s empowerment and is currently spearheading an initiative called “Women Back to Work,” a workforce re-entry program for women.

Nehal joined Akraya in 2010 and has served in a range of recruiting positions with increasing responsibilities before being named Vice President, Delivery in 2021. She has extensive staffing industry experience with an expertise in incorporating best practices and effectively bridging the gaps between sales, recruiting, and HR.

She started her career as a Microsoft Developer and later moved into a Business System Analyst role managing MRP systems for a Global Manufacturing Company. In 2005, she joined the staffing industry as a Technical Resource Manager, Mastech.

Currently, Nehal is responsible for leading a diverse recruiting team in providing IT contractors through direct end clients, integrators, and MSP accounts across the U.S. and Canada. She is also relied upon to hire, train, and mentor recruiters along with client-facing, presales activities. 

In her free time, Nehal enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, cooking, gardening, designing, and painting. She was a gold medalist while earning her bachelor’s degree in engineering (computer application to structural engineering) from L.D. College of Engineering.

Mary is an accomplished contingent workforce executive with over 20 years of staffing/MSP/RPO experience. She is a professional “people connector” with an extensive history of innovation that elevates operational effectiveness and workforce planning that accelerates customer growth.

Mary is a decisive and intuitive leader with a stellar record of success in alliance creation and business transformation. She is skilled in implementing cutting-edge solutions that steer business growth that helps her clients outpace the competition. By leveraging her relationships, she excels in engaging stakeholders and cultivating relationships to build rapport and maintain trust among peers and leaders.  

Mary is known for creating meaningful client relationships grounded in a deep understanding of her clients’ needs and awareness of the marketplace and economic trends. 

Nime is an accomplished Financial Executive with track record of managing multi-dimensional, business critical financial functions. She champions organizational growth through collaboration, strategic insights, operational improvements, leadership, and accountability.

Nime started her career in the staffing industry and worked as Head of Finance and board member for 10 years. Later she served as CFO and Executive Board member in a high growth PEO Company. In 2017, she joined as portfolio Director of Finance for a leading global software group of companies in the Equipment Rental ERP domain.

Nime earned her undergraduate degree in Business Administration and Chartered Accountant Certification in India with the highest credentials. She has also completed her CPA.

Outside of the finance world, she enjoys reading, yoga and is highly active in community service projects. She resides in Tustin Ranch, CA with her husband.

 “Organizational Growth Pleasure and Pain” excites Nime.

Keshava joined Akraya in 2014 as Director, Human Resources. He brings 18 years of progressive experience in the tech industry running HR functions. Keshava is recognized as a proactive, strategic business partner who can transition strategies into workable plans and actions. He possesses international experience with a firm understanding of operational issues facing today's business leaders.

At Akraya, Keshava oversees both strategic and operational human resource functions including payroll, compliance and immigration processes. He is highly skilled in employee relations, change management, mergers and acquisitions, compensation planning and benefits administration.

Prior to joining Akraya, Keshava served as Vice President of HR at Idea Solutions, where he established a rich and diversified global HR expertise in leadership roles through his work with many cultures.

He enjoys riding his motorcycle and spending time with his family. Keshava received a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Bangalore University.

Jeff is Akraya’s Director of Marketing and a 20+ year veteran of the staffing industry. He has seen marketing evolve from billboards, radio ads, and direct mail to marketing automation software, SEO, and analytics-driven decision making. Under Jeff’s leadership, the marketing team manages Akraya’s brand, supports and enables the sales team, and extends Akraya’s reach through content, social media, and other marketing efforts.

Prior to Akraya, Jeff spent many years building the brand of another leading staffing firm. There, he championed the company’s transformation to digital and introduced inbound marketing efforts.

In his free time, Jeff enjoys coaching whatever sport his twins are playing, trying to find the best hamburger in town, and playing ice hockey. He has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from California State University, Fullerton.

Sagar joined Akraya in 2018 as Director of Recruiting Operations and was promoted to VP, Recruiting Operations in 2021. He has over 12 years of progressive experience in recruiting, operations management, and sales with an expertise in setting up and managing offshore staffing businesses.

Sagar started his career in sales and later moved into staffing as a recruiter. He swiftly moved up the ranks while managing and training several recruiting teams and ultimately set up and ran the operations for a new staffing business. Prior to Akraya, Sagar worked as the Director of Operations at ApTask, and was key to the rapid growth of the company.

Currently, Sagar heads Akraya’s recruiting headquarters in India and manages all recruiting and operations. He oversees the recruitment teams and is responsible for hiring, resource management, budgeting, infrastructure, and planning. He has a strong understanding of the staffing business model and is highly effective in managing large recruiting teams and day-to-day business operations.

Sagar emphasizes learning new things every day because it is his belief that it is essential to growth. He is a fitness enthusiast. For him, fitness is about so much more than exercise. He believes it is a catalyst for positive change and helps in every aspect of life.

When Sagar is not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife, riding his motorcycle, and playing with his Labrador retriever, Royce.

Bruce Schumikowski joins the Akraya team bringing over two decades of experience as a trusted advisor to Fortune 1000 companies providing them with strategies, analysis and solutions to pressing human capital challenges.

Bruce’s experience includes public speaking engagements as a subject matter expert panellist and moderator at conferences including Staffing Industry Analysts and ProcureCon-Contingent Staffing. 

Bruce has been instrumental in delivering a suite of staffing solutions including managed services programs (MSP), vendor management system (VMS) platforms, global employer of record, agent of record, and independent contractor compliance services to support the global needs for companies in 100+ countries.

His expertise in implementing these staffing solutions makes him a key addition to Akraya’s leadership team.

Bruce received a BA Degree in History for Loyola Marymount University and an MBA from San Jose State University. 

Nandita Verma is Akraya's Vice President, Marketing. 

In her nearly two decades of marketing experience, Nandita has helped hi-growth companies develop into meaningful brands, led two of them to successful acquisitions, and built teams that love to do some amazing things in marketing.

Nandita began her career in 2001 and spent more than 20 years honing her craft in global go-to-market strategy, and leading various organizations. She is honored as one of the 100 Most Influential Global Marketing Leaders, issued by World Marketing Congress · Nov 2018.

Under her leadership, the marketing team manages Akraya’s brand, supports and enables the sales team, and extends Akraya’s reach through content, social media, and other marketing efforts.

She believes that there is nothing more interesting than a good story. No matter where a company is in its life cycle – a fledgling start-up or a fortune brand – there is always a story to tell. As a marketing leader she thrives on helping companies find that voice and tell their stories in ways that matter.

In her free time, Nandita is a dreamer who’s mantra in life is never say never. You may sometimes find her engrossed in la la land happily dreaming away! Her favorite thing is to travel.