our Founders & Leaders
guiding bgq’s mission to support U.S. Badminton
Our Team
Badminton Gold Quest was established by three visionary leaders whose combined expertise and passion are shaping the future of U.S. badminton.
At the helm is Abhishek Ahlawat, President and Founding Director, a former top-ranked U.S. doubles player and internationally respected coach with over 26 years of experience who has guided Team USA to historic milestones, including its first Paralympic silver medal in Paris 2024. Alongside him, Karri Reddy, Vice President and Founding Director, brings more than two decades of corporate and entrepreneurial leadership together with a lifelong dedication to badminton, having founded successful academies in Texas before co-founding BGQ to expand opportunities and recognition for the sport nationwide. Completing the leadership team is Richard Omobogie, Director, a seasoned financial services executive with over 40 years of professional experience and a lifelong badminton player, organizer, and advocate who has supported athletes and coaches for more than three decades. Together, they form the foundation of BGQ, uniting world-class coaching, entrepreneurial innovation, and strategic vision to provide resources, opportunities, and inspiration that empower U.S. athletes and elevate badminton on the global stage.
Abhishek AHlawat
president / founding director
Abhishek Ahlawat’s journey in badminton began at the age of nine, when he stepped onto the court for his very first tournament in 1999. What started as a childhood passion quickly became a lifelong calling, shaping him into both a decorated athlete and a transformative coach. By 2000, he had already made history as the first player from his city to win a State Championship in Haryana, India, a moment that cemented his belief in perseverance, discipline, and the power of sport to open doors.
Over the years, Abhishek grew into a trailblazer. In 2014, he became the first male player from Haryana to compete at the prestigious All England Championships, before moving to the United States later that year to pursue badminton full time. His playing career, highlighted by top U.S. doubles rankings and medals, gave him invaluable insight into what it takes to succeed at the highest levels.
When he transitioned into coaching, Abhishek’s impact was immediate and profound. In 2017, as Head of Program at Frisco Badminton Academy, he was entrusted with building a grassroots training system that could produce champions on the national and international stage. His vision, to create a structured pathway where young athletes could dream without limits, bore fruit. Under his leadership, the academy nurtured players who went on to secure medals at every level of competition, culminating in Team USA’s first-ever Paralympic silver medal in Paris 2024 through athletes Miles Krajewski and Jayci Simon. In 2025, the academy also achieved another milestone by capturing the highest number of medals at the U.S. Junior National Championships.
As a coach, Abhishek has represented the U.S. on some of the sport’s most respected stages, including serving as Team USA Paralympic Coach in Paris, Assistant Coach of the Women’s Team at the 2024 Thomas & Uber Cup, and Head Coach of the Men’s Team and the 2024 Pan Am M&F Cup. Each role reflects not just his technical expertise, but his ability to inspire athletes to believe in themselves and push beyond perceived limits.
Today, as President and Founding Director of Badminton Gold Quest, Abhishek channels a lifetime of experience and devotion into building opportunities for American athletes. His mission is deeply personal: to ensure that no aspiring player is held back by lack of access, resources, or support. For Abhishek, badminton is more than a sport — it is a vehicle for resilience, character, and possibility. Through BGQ, he is working to give every athlete the chance to “Feel, Believe, and Achieve” their dreams, just as he once did.
karri reddy
Founding Director / Advisor
Karri Reddy’s story blends his lifelong passion for badminton with an entrepreneurial spirit. Both a dedicated athlete and a driven professional, Karri earned his master’s degree in telecommunications. He spent twenty years building a career in that industry, taking up leadership roles and guiding teams on several NBA, MLB & NFL Stadium projects. In 2023, however, he chose to leave a thriving career in the corporate sphere and focus full-time on sharing his passion for the sport of badminton.
Karri’s love for the game started early, when he entered a boarding school at eight years old. Sports played a significant role in his daily life, and badminton quickly became one of his favorite pastimes. It became a constant companion throughout his education. While pursuing his master’s degree at Southern Methodist University, he founded the university’s badminton club, securing its funding through the SMU Senate. That initiative proved to be the first step in what would become a larger vision focused squarely on building a more robust badminton community.
In 2015, shortly after participating in the Emerging Leaders program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, his vision began to take shape as he evolved into a multi-faceted entrepreneur across several business segments. In 2017, he founded Frisco Badminton Academy, and in 2021, co-founded Austin Badminton Academy. His goal was simple: to create a place where players of all ages could learn, grow, and feel part of a community. He sought to create a system for athletes who could represent the nation worldwide and pass on the love of Badminton to future generations. Today, goal-driven management and phenomenal coaches are aligned on their mission and have built an extraordinary team. Frisco Badminton Academy has become a home for beginners and aspiring athletes, and for families who have adopted Badminton as their sport. In 2024, Karri co-founded Badminton Gold Quest, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting players and working to build wider recognition for the sport of badminton in the United States.
With a life focused on building community, family plays a central role in Karri’s journey. He and his wife, Madhu Chinta, are proud parents to two boys, Varin and Varish. Both kids are active badminton players and are competing in domestic and international tournaments. Off the court, the Reddy family enjoys culinary adventures and taking beach vacations where they relax, recharge, and reconnect.
