The Director and CEO, Mr. Nirmal Agarwal, has graduated from Stanford University, USA, is a member of the Omicron Delta Epsilon (International Honour Society in Economics), and holds various qualifications in Finance, Marketing and Human Resource Management. Nirmal Agarwal is very active with various associations like Calcutta Management Association, Indian Chamber of Commerce, and Round Table India. Mr Agarwal was recently profiled as one of the most progressive entrepreneurs of West Bengal in the Times of India Publication, Nifty Spirits.

In July 2000, Nirmal Agarwal founded an educational institution called Academy for Professional Excellence (APEX). Various affiliations and partnerships were formalised with international and national Universities & Institutions. APEX is now one of the most reputed institutions of its kind in Eastern India and is the preferred destination for many students for both undergraduate and postgraduate education. The group is now knows as APEX KNOWLEDGE GROUP and includes various educational initiatives like

Academy for Professional Excellence, a college providing undergraduate &postgraduate degree education,

STARKIDS, a chain of Children's Enrichment Centres & Pre-Schools,

CHRYSALIS, the proposed International school coming up at Santiniketan,

CHALKBOARD, a teacher training and recruitment organisation, and

SCHOOLWORX, a consultancy organisation working with schools. Mr Agarwal is also a Quality and Compliance Inspector for Cambridge, and nominated on the Advisory Boards of various schools.