Vikas is something of a renaissance man. He is a serial entrepreneur (with global business interests) alongside being a professor of entrepreneurship with MIT Sloan in Europe, an award-winning writer, and advisor to government, CEOs, and charities worldwide. He is considered a thought leader in entrepreneurship, business, technology, and global issues.

Vikas has been recognised globally for the quality of his analysis and insight. His book, Thought economics, was named as an official Honoree at the Webby Awards (run by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences) in 2012, 2013, and 2015 for Best Writing (Editorial). His writings have also appeared in The New York Times, The Paris Review, Vanity Fair, Financial Times, National Geographic and for the BBC. He has personally interviewed many of the world’s most prominent leaders and thinkers including: Sir Richard Branson (Founder, Virgin Group), Sir James Dyson (Founder, Dyson) Buzz Aldrin (Lunar Astronaut), Noam Chomsky (intellectual), Ed Catmull (Founder, Pixar), Gilles Ste-Croix (Founder, Cirque du Soleil), David Bailey CBE (Photographer), Dr Jane Goodall Primatologist), Vint Cerf (Co-Founder of the Internet), Admiral James Stavridis (Former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO), Moises Naim (Intellectual), Celso Amorim (Minister of Defence, Brazil), Maya Angelou (Author and Freedom Fighter), Sir Ratan Tata (Chairman, TATA Group), Jimmy Wales (Founder, Wikipedia), and several Nobel Laureates (President F. W. de Klerk, President Maarti Ahtisaari, Professor Muhammad Yunus, Professor Jody Williams, Dr Shirin Ebadi, Professor Michael Spence, Professor Edmund Phelps, and Professor Daniel Kahneman).

He is also an in-demand speaker, event host, and conference chair. Vikas has delivered keynotes at Global Entrepreneurship Week 2015, MIT Global Startup Workshop, UnLTD Big Social Conference, Silicon Valley Comes to Lisbon (SVC2Lx), and many more corporate and private events. He is regularly called upon to provide commentary and opinion and has appeared on the pages of Director, The Economist, The Guardian, and on CNBC.

Vikas is also chair of FutureEverything (one of the world’s most prestigious technology and art festivals) and is on the council of Manchester Digital (the industry body representing digital industries in the North of England). He is a trustee of Mustard Tree (a charity helping tens of thousands impacted by homelessness, marginalisation, and poverty) and is the executive patron of Manchester Cancer Research Centre. He is also the founding patron of Life Fit (a major mental health campaign) and advisor to over a dozen charities in the north of England and internationally.

Vikas has attended Manchester University (UMIST), Manchester Business School (MBS), Cambridge Judge Business School, and The International Capital Market Association Centre (ICMA, Henley Business School). He is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

In May 2013, Vikas was awarded the Freedom of the City of London. He was recently awarded an MBE for services to business and the economy in her majesty the Queens 2018 New Years Honours list.