Our Founders

"Great men are born to lead" and so the birth of Padmashree Dr. D. Y. Patil in an affluent agriculturist family of Kolhapur was the beginning of great things to come. Padmashree Dr. D. Y. Patil did not rest on his laurels as a social worker but dreamt of contributing better values to the society. Thus began a vision "To endow the people with quality education in all fields". Padmashree Dr. D. Y. Patil attributes this to the blessing of a great saint of Maharashtra, Shri Gajanan Maharaj of Shegaon. His dreams have been realised under the umbrella of a prestigious education foundation called Dr. D. Y. Patil Unitech, which runs various institutions in Kolhapur, Navi Mumbai and Pune.

Padmashree Dr. D. Y. Patil is a pioneer in ushering an era of privatisation of technical education in Maharashtra. He is a philanthropist, educationist and social worker. Under his able guidance, the Unitech has more than 75 academic institutions of international repute from kindergarren to post graduation in various disciplines in Pune. For this contribution to the cause of education, Dr. D. Y. Patil was honoured by the President of India with the Padmashree in 1991. He was also conferred with two doctorate degrees in Philosophy, the first by The World University Round Table (USA) in 1985, and the second by a University in Britain in 1996.

Dr. P. D. Patil is a distinguished academician, visionary leader, and philanthropist known for his significant contribution to the field of education. Over the last several decades, Dr. Patil has played a significant role in shaping the landscape of higher education in India. A visionary leader with a deep commitment to excellence, Dr. Patil has been instrumental in establishing and nurturing a diverse range of educational institutions across the country. He has led initiatives to promote academic innovation, research, and holistic development among students. He has been instrumental in establishing several top-quality academic institutions across the country, which are comparable with the best in the world. He serves as a member on several important bodies, including the Consultative Group on Higher Education of the Planning Commission of the Government of India, the Planning and Monitoring Group of the National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), Manesar (Haryana) as a nominee of the University Grants Commission (UGC), Management Council of the University of Pune as a nominee of the Chancellor (Maharashtra Governor), and the Board of Governors of Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU). Dr. Patil is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including Pradnya Vant Award 2017, Jivan Sadhana Gaurav Award 2017, Jivan Gaurav Award 2016, Yeshwant-Venu Award 2015, Samaj Shri Award 2005, Rashtriya Ekta Award 2005, Man of the Year 2003, and Pimpri Chinchwad Bhushan Award 2002.

An educationist, business leader, visionary technocrat, environmentalist and edupreneur, Dr. Somnath Patil belongs to that rare breed of entrepreneurs who are accessible to mentor their staff members and encourage new creative ideas in spite of the vast scale of their operations. He leads by example, helping members of his team reach their full potential. Dr. Somnath Patil is the Secretary of Dr. D. Y Patil Unitech Society, Pune. He is a Member of the Senate and the Management Council of Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune. He has a rich academic background – after completing his bachelor’s in Information Technology from Savitribai Phule Pune University, he obtained a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and a Ph.D. in Management from Regis University, United States. His belief is that inventive and creative work cultures should be fostered both within his organizations and in his immediate environment. Dr. Somnath Patil is one of the few leaders who has recognized the trend of technology, namely in the areas of analytics and digitalization.
By introducing complete digitization through in-house ERP and Health Information Systems, he brought about a revolutionary technological transformation the institutes that he leads. This resulted in increased operational efficiency in the provision of services, closer connections with students and patients, the creation of an environment and avenues for research and innovation, and the collection of crucial data for strategic decisions in the healthcare industry. Dr. Somnath Patil has been a pioneer in the field of skill development and entrepreneurship. He realized early on that intellectual property and startups represent a new era in education, and that an ecosystem is necessary to turn ideas into reality. In this particular setting, his broad vision allowed him to create the DPU Foundation for Innovation and Incubation. Through the provision of start-up facilities and intellectual services, it has established an entrepreneurial culture and ecosystem on DPU campuses.