Kailesh has served as the Managing Partner for EY’s San Jose office, overseeing 1,000 professionals serving a multitude of companies in Silicon Valley, where he has worked with innovative companies for over 25 years. Kailesh also led EY’s Growth Market Strategy focusing on entrepreneurs, startups, VCs, Family Business, PEs and our Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) programs.
Kailesh started his EY career in the UK as a Chartered Accountant 33 years ago, before moving to Silicon Valley during the 1990s dot-com era. He left Africa as a refugee, lived in India, the UK and has traveled extensively all over the world.
Kailesh holds a Bachelor of Electronic Engineering Degree and a Master’s Degree in Electronic Engineering from Bangor University in the UK, specializing in Artificial Intelligence. In 2017 Kailesh was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from Bangor University for his services to Business and community. Kailesh is a Chartered Accountant in the UK. Kailesh has attended Executive Management Leadership Learning at Stanford, Harvard, London Business School and the Kellogg School of Management.
Kailesh recently joined the College Futures Foundation Board. He was the 2022 Chair of the Board of the California Chamber of Commerce focusing on job growth and economic prosperity in the state. He also serves on the EY Social Justice Fund Board that oversees the support and donations to today’s significant societal challenges. Kailesh has been on the Bangor University Council/Board focusing on education transformation. He has served as a board chair and member of organizations such as United Way Silicon Valley, Silicon Valley Directors Exchange (SVDX), Joint Venture Silicon Valley, America’s National Kidney Foundation Board and the NKF Innovation Fund.
Kailesh is an Angel Investor with several startup companies. He is also part-owner of a professional Soccer Club in the UK (Luton Town Football Club). His support for the under-served communities include climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds to build water wells that support girls staying in schools in Africa to teaching youth soccer in the slums of Mumbai. His favorite quote is, “People don’t care what you know, until they know you care.”