Advisory Board
Xerxes Unvala
Xerxes Unvala is an independent producer and arts management consultant with over fifteen years of international experience.
He was previously the General Manager of the Symphony Orchestra of India at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai, overseeing India’s only full-time professional orchestra.
Before that, he worked at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., contributing to large international arts festivals.
His first arts management experience was with the Vail Series at Denison University, working with renowned artists.
Xerxes is a Global Fellow of the International Society for the Performing Arts and is passionate about photography, technology, travel, and design.
Marianne Løkke Jacobsen
Marianne Løkke Jakobsen is the Director of International Affairs at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen.
Marianne grew up in southern Jutland in a diverse clergy family. She began playing the organ at a young age and was involved in various musical activities. She attended a musical folk school, which led her to explore different career paths. She studied Musicology and French at university, later adding Leadership and Chinese studies.
Marianne started working at RDAM after her studies and has held various roles, contributing to international cooperation and strategic development. Her journey involved hard work across different levels, leading to her current management role where she focuses on institutional development and international collaboration.
Her passion lies in fostering cooperation and community, creating change, and promoting inclusiveness within the institution. She values unity and mutual interest in the arts on a global scale.
Thomas Sehested
Thomas Sehested holds a master’s degree in history from the University of Copenhagen and is a former editor for history at Den Store Danske Encyklopædi.
He has served as an advisor and consultant for Danish and Indian companies, including Stereo Associates, and was a board member of the Danish-Indian Chamber of Commerce (IDCC). From 2018 to 2021, he was the head of the Danish Cultural Institute in India. Currently, he is a business consultant at Hobson-Jobson, based in Denmark and India.
Starting in 2024, he will lead the business program Next Step India on behalf of the Danish-Indian Chamber of Commerce.
Kunal Singla
Kunal, a Dane with Indian roots, has extensive experience in international trade and as a policy advisor. He is passionate about advising and bridging Nordic companies expanding into the Indian market, focusing on sales, sourcing, manufacturing, and commercial partnerships.
After eight years as country manager for the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) in Mumbai, Kunal founded COBO Consult in 2020 upon returning to Copenhagen. He has significant practical experience in advising projects and facilitating Danish companies’ market entry into India across various sectors. He is also a co-founder of NordIN, a platform for Danish SMEs expanding to India. Before his time in Mumbai, Kunal worked as a policy lobbyist for DI in Copenhagen and Brussels.
In 2014, Kunal was named to Berlingske’s Talent 100 list for young business leaders in Denmark, and in 2020, he was selected for the Europe-India 40 under 40 leaders. He is also a member of the Danish Society for Business Leadership (VL) group 97.
In his free time, Kunal enjoys football, basketball, and adventure sports, including a week-long trek in the Himalayas with a highlight of skydiving.