Member

Swadesh Chatterjee, of Cary, NC, is the chief executive officer of Swadesh Chatterjee & Associates, Inc. He is a businessman, entrepreneur, and community leader with a commitment to public service and higher education. He holds an undergraduate degree in physics from Calcutta University and one in instrumentation and electronic engineering from Jadavpur University. He received his master's in business administration from NC State University.

During his time on the Board, Chatterjee plans to focus on affordability, recruitment and retention of excellent faculty, student international engagement, and openness to all viewpoints at the University.

Chatterjee formerly operated an industrial instrumentation company in North Carolina and is one of the co-founders and past presidents of TiE Carolinas, a business group focused on developing and assisting fledgling entrepreneurs. Passionate about bipartisan collaboration and international affairs, Chatterjee has played critical roles on the federal level, acting as a bridge between the United States and India and developing relationships that have influenced diplomatic relations at the highest levels. He began his foray into national politics in 1995, serving as president of the Indian American Forum for Political Education. He later became the chairman and co-founder of the US India Friendship Council, a coalition of prominent Indian American individuals and associations that lobbied Congress to ensure the passage of the U.S.-India Nuclear Deal in 2008.

He is currently a vice chair on the Chancellor's Global Leadership Council at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Chatterjee has served on the boards of various pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and other life science companies in the United States, Europe, and India, and has been the recipient of several prestigious awards for public service. In January 2009, Chatterjee was inducted as a member of the Indian Prime Minister's Global Advisory Council of People of Indian Origin. In 2007, he was the first recipient of the "Community Leader of the Year 2006" award by India Abroad. In 2001, Chatterjee was conferred the Padma Bhushan - one of India's highest civilian awards given by the president of India - for building bridges between the U.S. and India. In 2014, Chatterjee released his memoir, "Building Bridges: How Indian Americans Brought the United States and India Closer Together."

In 2022, Chatterjee was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest North Carolina award for state service granted by the Office of the Governor.

His advice to students:

"All students want to become alumni. They should never forget the road they traveled to get there. Giving back to society, your alma mater, your community - this is an important part of the educational experience."