Abbey Road Institute Mumbai, in partnership with Bay Owl Studios, has announced the appointment of Anushka Lewis as Academic Facilitator and Puneet Samtani as Head Lecturer.
Both Anushka and Puneet bring a unique blend of industry expertise and academic leadership to their roles, setting the stage for a new chapter in Abbey Road Institute Mumbai’s mission to nurture the next generation of music creators and sound engineers.
Anushka Lewis, also known by her artist moniker Nush, is a highly regarded singer-songwriter, composer, and one of India’s rare contemporary harpists. An alumna of KM Music Conservatory and Berklee College of Music’s summer program, Anushka has carved a niche both as a performer and as an educator. She previously held a senior academic role at the True School of Music, founded the Offset Education initiative, and co-created Out of the Box (OOTB) — a national network dedicated to supporting music educators across India.
Puneet Samtani joins the institute as a seasoned sound engineer and academic leader with over two decades of experience in film, television, and commercial audio. With academic credentials from Trinity College of London and SAE, Puneet’s impressive résumé includes stints with Yash Raj Films, Netflix, Nirvana Studios, and Clearlight Productions. Prior to joining Abbey Road Institute, he led academic operations for sound engineering at Seamedu School of Pro Expressionism, managing curriculum development, e-learning systems, and a nationwide team of educators.
Together, Anushka and Puneet will oversee the institute’s academic delivery — from managing day-to-day schedules to mentoring students, curating guest sessions with industry experts, and guiding final placements.
Varun Parikh, Director of Abbey Road Institute Mumbai, said, “We’re thrilled to welcome Anushka and Puneet to our senior academic team at Abbey Road Institute Mumbai. Their combined experience spanning performance, engineering, education leadership and curriculum design will be invaluable in building a learning environment that’s both creatively inspiring and professionally rigorous. As we prepare to welcome our first cohort this year, their leadership will play a key role in delivering an academic experience that’s grounded in real-world industry practice.”
Anushka Lewis said, “As an artist and educator, I’ve always been driven by the idea that creativity and learning aren’t separate paths – they inform and deepen each other. In this new role, I’m excited to bring both those worlds together. To be contributing to Abbey Road Institute, which is a space rooted in the legacy of one of the world’s most iconic studios is a privilege for me. I’m looking forward to this profile where I get to work with lecturers, industry mentors and students alike and get to create opportunities that are rooted in meaningful artistic exploration.”
Puneet Samtani said, “From growing up listening to music born at Abbey Road Studios, to being inspired to live and study sound in the UK, and now, nearly two decades later, joining Abbey Road Institute to help train the next generation of audio professionals, I’m stepping into this chapter with deep gratitude, enthusiasm, and humility.”
