Scholars

Ananya Banerjee is from India and has over seven years of entrepreneurial and advisory experience. She completed a double Bachelor’s degree in Law and in Arts from the University of Calcutta and a MicroMaster’s degree in Business Management from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. She has completed various certification courses related to entrepreneurship, design thinking, and strategy to help her navigate through the entrepreneurial world smoothly. She has recently exited her latest venture, Earnyt, a marketplace for the gig economy where she was the chief visionary, designer, and idea developer. She is simultaneously working with start-ups, incubator managers, and the Wadhwani Venture Fastrack team as a Start-up Fellow. Ananya has published her first book on how to achieve operational excellence for early-stage start-ups, based on a 6S framework she devised from her knowledge of lean six sigma and agile methodologies. Ananya ran Unico Legale and was the Founder (and later, Founding Partner) for more than 3 years. Her philanthropic venture “Know Your Business Better” helped many start-ups and traditional businesses become more data-driven. Her areas of interest include entrepreneurship and economic and leadership development. She has actively been a part of the entrepreneurial development sector and wishes to contribute continuously towards helping founders working with sustainable development goals.

Ankita Saha is a Development Professional with over four years of experience in the non-profit sector, specifically in the field of Education. She earned a Master’s degree in English Literature from Visva Bharati University in India. She is a passionate advocate of every child’s fundamental Right to Education. To help the primary grade students continue their learning process during the Covid-19 pandemic, Ankita developed a digital learning curriculum of Environmental Science while working as a Curriculum Developer in an EdTech organization. Previously, Ankita worked with Kaivalya Education Foundation as a Program Leader in Delhi for two years. There, as an Instructional Design Specialist, she developed numerous pedagogy-based learning modules for students; and facilitated multiple andragogy-based Capacity Building workshops for teachers to improve students’ foundational literacy and numeracy skills with the integration of 21st-century skills. She was closely associated with NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog’s ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ program. There, she was responsible to lead the ‘Accelerated Learning Program’ in the underdeveloped districts of Uttar Pradesh, India by developing and implementing activity-based learning modules to enhance students’ foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Ankita additionally pursued the Gandhi Fellowship program and spent two intensive years in rural Rajasthan to spread awareness on different social issues. She immersed herself with the village community to understand and empathize with the rural problems and identify solutions through a participatory approach. She worked closely with the education system of Rajasthan to bring a sustainable impact on the school learning environment and the learning outcomes of students. Through these experiences, she developed meaningful communication, design thinking, technology, documentation, data analysis, and facilitation skills. She aims to continue her work as a Catalyst for Social Change for underprivileged children, by developing and implementing impactful Learning Experiences.

Benny Katta is a Scholar of “Rural Economy and Digital Tools” with a study on Digital Agriculture, Rural Economy and Social Development. He has 17 years of professional experience in program management and project implementation on rural & social-economic development, corporate social responsibility projects, sustainable livelihood, women empowerment, digital agriculture, capacity building, and commercializing the FPOs. He is a good strategic planner, conflict manager, and social impact player. He has displayed skills in decision making, critical thinking, and demonstrated persuasive communications, team management, and leadership skills. He was recognized with the “Sitara Award” for setting up a benchmark for clean finance handling by Tata Group for DFID Project.

Bikash has 20 years of experience in the humanitarian and development sector with significant achievements in leading large scale multi-country humanitarian response programs, developing/institutionalizing humanitarian policies and strategies, leading organizational and community-centered Emergency Preparedness Plans, mainstreaming DRR, climate resilience, Comprehensive Safe School programs, and linking relief, rehabilitation and development (LRRD). He has led and supported more than 70 emergencies in several countries across the globe with Action Aid, LWS, CARE, ADRA, Tdh, and HelpAge International, as a humanitarian focal person and commendable technical experience in cash-based programs, nutrition, protection, education, WASH in emergencies, and food security & livelihoods in emergencies. Bikash has facilitated more than 100 training on various areas. He is a seasoned professional with expertise in PCM such as needs assessment, proposal development, log frame & budget preparation, monitoring and evaluation. Bikash currently working with HelpAge International as Emergency Response Manager. The key responsibilities are coordinating and managing the Global Emergency Fund (GEF) and supporting country offices, partners, and network members for humanitarian crisis response. Bikash received a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Utkal University in Odisha, a Master’s degree in History, and a Master’s degree in Social Work from the Utkal University of Culture in Odisha.

Rachit Sharma has 10 years of diverse experiences in live events and campaigns for the nonprofit sector. Rachit is a Hotel Management graduate and holds a Master’s degree in Business Management with a specialty in Marketing. He is currently a Campaign Manager with Save the Children and has delivered successful campaigns with a focus on gender and children’s rights that have mobilized over four million people online and offline. He has led, overseen, and delivered the prestigious Centenary campaign for Save the Children with a focus on early childhood care and development. In 2015, as the National Consultant for Action/2015, a global platform of 4,000 organizations from 170 countries, Rachit delivered on the organizational ambition of spreading grassroots level awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals within India and globally. His introduction to the nonprofit sector was as a consultant with the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization Doctors Without Borders, where he guided their strategy and delivered their communication and fundraising-focused campaign activities in India. His professional experience started while working on delivering international sports events like the Commonwealth Games, Arab Games, and Hockey India League. Through his diverse experience in managing projects ranging from large-scale sporting festivals to cause-based marketing campaigns, he has developed a keen ability to analyze a situation from all angles, foresee challenges, and build appropriate solutions. Rachit is a storyteller who enjoys strategizing on communication and mobilization initiatives and loves to cook in his free time.

Sana Salah is a water and sanitation expert with five years of experience in the implementation of sanitation projects and programs. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Calcutta in India and a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from Nalanda International University. While working with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs with the Government of India as a WASH and Knowledge Management Specialist for Swachh Bharat Mission, Clean India Mission, she helped in the drafting of national-level policies, guidelines, capacity building of government officials, and the improvement of the solid waste management, and sanitation practices in over 4,200 urban local bodies of India.

Sandeep Thullimalli is a public health professional with an interest in the development sector. After receiving his medical degree, Sandeep decided to pursue a path apart from clinical medicine in order to develop a broader understanding of the concept of “Health.” This motivated him to pursue a Master’s degree in Global Health from University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom, where he finally got a glimpse of health from an economic, sociological, and cultural perspective. He volunteered at a nonprofit organization focused on human rights and advocacy for refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom. After earning his Master’s degree, Sandeep joined the organization Swasthya Swaraj based in India, where he worked for tribal communities located in some of the most remote districts in India for two years. Here, he provided primary medical services, training and facilitation about Malaria and nutrition, and regular assessment of the status of nutrition, malaria, and anemia in the community. He worked on a cross sectional descriptive study of intensive screening of children with presumptive TB across 70 villages in Kalahandi. Sandeep also worked with the organization Dakshas in Hyderabad for 8 months, where he helped with design and improved the efficiency of operational processes of various programs. Sandeep has experience of working in diverse settings and is eager to learn more about the development sector.

Sankar Ananthan is an ophthalmologist working in one of the world’s largest not-for-profit organizations – Aravind Eye Hospitals, which provides close to 1 million ophthalmic surgeries a year. The institution has given him ample opportunity to demonstrate his strengths. He would like to continue developing his skill set to become a good leader.