Speaker Bio

Ken Silverman
Ken Silverman
Head, North America
U.S. Business Centers / India & Sannam S4 Consulting, Pvt. Ltd.
Pasadena, CA

Ken Silverman leads North American initiatives for the Sannam S4 Group, which provides market entry services in 21 global territories. Launched in India in 2008, and now the preeminent India market entry organization, the company has 135 employees and has successfully served more than 200 leading international corporations, universities, non-profits, trade associations, and government agencies. Sannam S4 services span market research, business validation, partner due diligence, strategic planning, compliance and regulatory matters, finance and accounting, HR, marketing and social media, delegation management, cultural awareness training, and more. The Company’s subsidiary specifically focused on serving the special needs of smaller and mid-sized American corporations and organizations, U.S. Business Centers, has offices in Delhi and Mumbai, in 2016. Sannam S4 Group is a designated Strategic Partner of the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration (ITA).


Ken is a veteran business and media strategist, executive, and entrepreneur, including almost two decades' experience in and with India. For 8 years he represented US entertainment industry initiatives for the media & entertainment arm of the $100 billion p/yr. Tata Group, India’s oldest and largest industrial conglomerate. On behalf of Tata and other Indian media clients he secured, negotiated, and/or oversaw India-based assignments for the Walt Disney Company, DreamWorks, Liberty Media/Starz, MGM, Sony, 20th Century Fox, and others. His added clients and affiliations have included Annapurna Studios (India), Columbia Pictures, DirecTV, Dow Jones, Film City (India), General Electric, the Government of Maharashtra, Harvard University, Meredith Publishing, Tribune Company, UCLA, Warner Bros., and others. He additionally wrote the start-up business plan for Black Entertainment Television (BET), which was subsequently acquired by Viacom, Inc., for $3.1 billion.


Ken is also Chairman of the Board of the South Asian Studies Association (SASA), an amalgam of university scholars from around the world, and former Chairman of the Board of the non-profit Caritas Telecommunications. He produced and moderated two of India’s earliest and largest international media and technology conferences, in 2000 and 2001, which featured industry CEOs and leaders from six continents. He is additionally a frequent speaker at universities, film festivals, and conferences globally. Some of his recent addresses have been at events hosted by Columbia University, Stanford University, the Wharton School. the Government of India, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), the World Hindu Economic Forum, and others.