KURTH ANDERSON
Co-President
Kurth Anderson – Biography
Kurth is a Strategy and Transformation leader with over 25 years experience as both a consultant (Alvarez & Marsal, Marakon Associates) and as an operator (Xerox and Pitney Bowes) helping drive margin improvement and sustained profitable growth. Kurth’s experiences span a range of industries, including Print/Document Hardware and Services, Energy, Petrochemicals, Manufacturing, Restaurants, and Transportation
Kurth holds a dual MBA from the Wharton School and an MA in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania as part of the Joseph H. Lauder program and a BA in Economics from Princeton University. He is a dual citizen on the US and France and is fluent in French. He lives in the Clear Lake area and loves sailing on Galveston Bay with his wife and family (when he can drag them along!)
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SONALI DAMLE (MBA 2006)
Co-President
Sonali Damle -- Biography
Sonali Damle is a global business leader, entrepreneur, and transformation executive with more than two decades of experience building and scaling organizations across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. She currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of SkillNet Solutions, a global commerce technology and consulting firm focused on helping leading brands accelerate growth through digital commerce, AI-enabled solutions, and customer-centered transformation.
Prior to SkillNet, Sonali spent more than a decade at Bain & Company, where she helped launch and scale several strategic initiatives, including the Bain Capability Network and Bain Innovation Exchange. Throughout her career, she has been passionate about building new ventures, developing talent, and helping organizations turn bold ideas into lasting impact.
A self-described entrepreneur and intrapreneur, Sonali founded her first startup in New York focused on geospatial mapping and infrastructure analytics and has since advised founders and growth-stage companies on leadership, innovation, and organizational scaling.
As Co-President of the Wharton Houston Alumni Club, Sonali is committed to strengthening the Houston Wharton community through meaningful connections, lifelong learning, mentorship, and engagement. She encourages alumni to share their experiences, support fellow graduates and students, and help build a vibrant network that creates lasting impact across Houston and beyond.
Beyond her professional leadership, Sonali is deeply committed to expanding educational opportunity and social mobility. She serves on the board of Pratham Houston and advises Virtually Verbal, organizations focused on improving access to learning and communication skills. She is particularly passionate about learning access and equity, including expanding access to English language proficiency, which can open doors to education, employment, and economic opportunity for individuals and communities.
Sonali earned her MBA from The Wharton School. She and her husband are proud empty nesters in Houston, where they share their home with their dog, Ecko. Outside of work, they enjoy exploring new places and cultures through history, art, music, and food, and pursuing adventures ranging from scuba diving to skydiving. Sonali is endlessly curious about people, ideas, and the diverse perspectives that help shape a more connected and compassionate world.
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PASCALE NICOLET SMITH
Director and Immediate Past President
Pascale Nicolet Smith - Biography
Pascale is an international business leader and President of Agora Management LP, a privately held holding company with operations in Management Consulting, Real Estate, and Technology.
Her management consulting firm Agora Partners, LP spans over 20 years of advisory work in strategic growth and operational improvement around the globe with companies ranging from $50 Billion in revenue to start-ups and individuals. She is currently building a real estate brokerage firm, and a fluids processing company, Flow Technology Systems, LLC.
Prior to her independent career, Pascale was a consultant with McKinsey & Company in Switzerland, France, and the U.S.; then headed the Strategy group for the largest division of Compaq Computers with global responsibilities focusing on growth in Asia. Before her MBA, Pascale was an executive producer for documentaries at Ekis Reportages an independent production firm in Switzerland, for which she presented at the Cannes Festival.
Pascale holds an MBA from the Wharton School, and B.A.’s in Economics and Art from Drew University. She is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Switzerland with a South African heritage, and is fluent in French, Spanish, English, and Portuguese. She loves the outdoors, cooking, and spending time with her family.
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RENJU JOSE KURUVILA (MBA 2016)
Renju Jose Kuruvila, CFA - - Biography
Renju Jose Kuruvila is President of M/D Totco, a division of NOV (NYSE: NOV), a leading independent provider of technology to the energy industry with operations in more than 60 countries. Prior to his current role, Renju spent a decade undertaking mergers and acquisitions for NOV and was involved in 100+ transactions around the world. He was most recently Vice President, NOV Ventures where he held global responsibility over joint ventures, alliances and investments in early stage technologies. Renju joined NOV in 2002 in Houston, Texas as a Strategic Analyst and has been in various roles in the Middle East, Europe, and South America during his career.
He has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, a Master of Science in Manufacturing Systems from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a CFA Charterholder. Prior to moving to the United States for his education, Renju managed his family’s natural rubber plantation business in India.
Renju currently sits on the Boards of NOV’s joint venture with Schlumberger called IntelliServ and with Saudi Aramco, called ARM. Since 2017 he has been a member of the Board of the Houston Area Parkinson Society.
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Andrew Clark
Andrew Clark is a founder and principal with The Castell Group, LLC an investment and advisory firm assisting companies in the technology business. He has a 35 year career spanning many facets of technology and energy businesses. On a daily basis he interacts with some of Houston’s top entrepreneurs assisting them with their businesses while identifying the best of breed in which to invest.
Andrew is a prior president and chairman of the Houston Angel Network (named top angel group by Angel Capital Association five years running). He is the founding managing director of the Texas Halo Fund and was founding managing director of the SURGE accelerator. He has invested in numerous companies spanning industries from consumer products, software, Internet-based, and energy tech to life sciences.
His corporate career covers stints at Reliant Energy (now NRG), Compaq Computer (now Hewlett Packard), and Coopers & Lybrand (now IBM and Pricewaterhouse Coopers). He began his private equity investment experience at Compaq where he served as board observer on a deal co-funded with the premier Sevin Rosen Funds.
He has served as a guest lecturer on numerous occasions at the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University, The Bauer School at the University of Houston, and the Tulane Graduate School of Business. A primary topic at recent Rice lectures has been board governance and post-investment monitoring. Andrew has also spoken at industry conferences and investment forums. He has served on panels at various family office forums.
He is a graduate of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he received his Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. He was both a Benjamin Franklin Scholar and a University Scholar at Penn.
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