Net Zero Fellowship 2023

The School of  Policy and Governance is excited to announce the second cohort of the Net Zero Fellowship, 2023.

Four, in-person, specially curated two-day Regional Workshops between March and December 2023.

Locations: Pan India

The Fellowship Workshops

The Net Zero fellowship is an exclusive programme for 100 emerging political and public leaders in India. The programme will facilitate a deeper understanding of India’s position and plans for tackling climate change. This invite-only fellowship will introduce participants to the issues and pathways to a low carbon or Net Zero economy. The fellowship will cover climate change basics, its impact and ways to address it. It will also move deeper into issues that affect polity and how leaders can engage on different aspects of the Net Zero transition. This would include getting familiarised with issues like climate justice, acknowledging the idea that climate change is as much about ethics and society, as it is about physical and environmental concerns. The program will then move to enabling growth for the country, but also making sure the marginalised are protected through the transitions that such growth will obviously bring. The course will end with a discussion amongst participants about issues that affect India specifically and where the biggest impact for opportunities lies for them in their careers and their work, as well as for India as a whole.

Participants will have access to:

  • International speakers and experts on climate change and Net Zero
  • Mentorship, one-on-one support, and a network of resources
  • Strategic support and aid to meet their goals in climate action and make a positive impact in their communities.
  • A community of fellows passionate about creating a more sustainable future & champions for Net Zero in India, backed by real ideas.

The Net Zero Fellowship Regional Workshops will be held between March and December 2023.Fellows attending the workshops shall be awarded a Certificate of Participation from the School of Policy and Governance.

To recommend a potential candidate for the Net Zero Fellowship 2023, please write to us at: info@policyandgovernance.in

Our Partners

Speakers

Tmt. Supriya Sahu

Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forest Department, Government of Tamil Nadu

Supriya Sahu belongs to the Indian Administrative Service. She has more than 30 years of experience in the Indian Administrative Service. She has worked extensively in areas relating to Socio-Economic Development Administration, Health, Empowerment, Environment, Climate Change, Forests and Media. She is credited with launching a highly successful grass roots environment campaign “Operation Blue Mountain” in the year 2000 to eliminate single use plastic from the Nilgiris District where she served as the District Collector. The movement also led to creation of a Guinness world record for “largest number of trees planted in a day”. She has received the prestigious “Best Collector Award” and the “Green Award” by the Government of Tamil Nadu for her work. In her current assignment, she has been instrumental in setting up India’s first Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company (TNGCC), a not-for-profit venture of the Government of Tamil Nadu to steer climate action in Tamil Nadu.

Kanchi Kohli

Senior Researcher

Kanchi Kohli is a researcher, educator and communicator of environmental law and policy. Her work areas cover the fields of environment, forest and biodiversity regulation and governance in India. Her policy research and practice explores the links and gaps between law, development, sustainability and environmental justice. Kanchi has authored several reports, research papers and popular articles as part of her work. She co-authored the coursebook Development of Environmental Laws in India (Cambridge University Press, 2021) and co-edited Business Interests and the Environmental Crisis (SAGE-India, 2016). Since 2004, she is co-editor of Forest Case Update, a public information service on forest and wildlife cases in the Supreme Court of India. She co-authored The Case for the Commons, a six part e-publication on the implementation by state governments of the 2011 Supreme Court judgment on the protection of common lands in India. Her twitter platform #lawforall publicised significant aspects of Indian environmental law for a year and was regarded as an innovative form of environmental law pedagogy. Kanchi is an Associate Editor of the quarterly magazine Current Conservation. Kanchi teaches environment law and development courses at government training institutes and universities., She was selected to the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) of the US government in 2012. She was also was awarded the Fulbright Fellowship in 2013 and was affiliated to the Boalt Law School, University of Berkeley, California.

Gavin Octavio Joseph D’Souza

Director - Lila Digital and Environmental Solutions Pvt Ltd

Gavin has held various roles in different companies in Goa since August 2012. Gavin is currently in the role of Managing Director at Agate Techno Systems Pvt Ltd, where they oversee the training of IT and soft skills, human resource management, marketing divisions, and ensure compliance with government guidelines. Under his leadership, the organisation achieved the highest benchmark training volumes of 2500 government employees and 15,000 students in 3 years. The company's clients include various government departments and institutions, such as the Pollution Control Board, Goa Police Force, and Fr. Agnel College. Gavin is also serving as Director (Finance) at Lila Digital and Environmental Solutions Pvt Ltd, where he manages financial and operational aspects of large capital projects related to rainwater harvesting, sewage and effluent treatment plants, drip irrigation systems, and solid waste management. Some of the company's environment clients include Abbott India Ltd, National Institute of Oceanography, and the Government of India. Additionally, the individual is a Partner (Financial Advisory) at Meridian Wealth, where he offer financial planning and wealth management advisory services such as investments, life and non-life insurance, real estate, and loans. He also has certifications in quality management systems auditing, chartered financial goal planning, and are currently serving as the Chair of Water Committee for CII Goa for 2022-2023.

Yogesh A T Pednekar

Associate Member, Institute of Indian Interior Designers

Yogesh A T Pednekar has 21 years of experience in architecture and design. He is a Bachelor of Architecture from Goa University and an associate member of the Institute of Indian Interior Designers. He has worked on various projects, including residential, commercial, institutional, hospitality, heritage, master planning, interior design, and landscaping. He founded Architect Yogesh Designs (AYD) and started with a focus on residential projects, which expanded into larger-scale planning after working on the first international school project in Goa. AYD took on a larger role in master planning with the development of the 75-acre agro-ecotourism resort project in Goa, which became Goa's first approved agro-ecotourism project, and worked on mine rehabilitation and reclamation projects in Goa and Jharkhand. Yogesh's experience has given him the opportunity to work on multidisciplinary projects, including working with Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai on a mixed-use development centered around artist residencies in Goa and developing the initial ideas shared by ODA Architects New York into practical and tangible designs using bamboo as a sustainable medium for construction on a coastal hospitality (gastronomique center) project. His training at Goa College of Architecture under the innovative leadership of Mr. Cho Padamsee, member of FIIA and ARI BA: Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects, helped him to channelize his creative inclination into the world of architecture and design. He has ongoing project management training at the National Institute of Construction Management and Research (NICMAR) and was the Editor-in-Chief for the Goa Build Arena Publication (2002-2004) and a visiting faculty for the Goa State Fire Force & Dhempe College Degree course in BSc Fire Technology.

Anirudh Agrawal

VP Agrawal & Co, Goa

Anirudh Agrawal is a scion of the illustrious Agrawal family of South Goa. He holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from the Government Engineering College, Farmagudi, Goa and then completed his MBA from the U.S.A. On his return from the U.S., he joined his family business and aspired to start a new venture. Agrawal started the Agrawal Renewable Energy Pvt. Ltd. to be the first manufacturer of Solar panels in Goa. He further diversified into the manufacture of EVA sheets and has expanded his solar panels 4 times in a short period of 10 years. Agrawal is currently the Managing Director of Agrawal Renewable Energy Pvt. Ltd. Besides his passion for work, he has a passion for social work. Agrawal is a founder member of Entrepreneurs Organization in Goa and Margao Youth Round Table. He also led the CII Goa Panel on Energy as a Convenor in the year 2021-22.

A. Nambi Appadurai

Director & Strategy Head ( Climate Resilience Practice) at World Resources Institute (WRI), India

Experienced professional in environment, climate change and international development domains. Dr. Nambi has a long history of working in international agencies like the World Bank, UNEP, CGIAR and reputed international research organisations. His areas of interest include Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Policy, Community Based Resilience, Sustainable Development, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Governance, and Institution Building. He is a member of several expert groups constituted by national and sub-national governments and international research initiatives on climate change. He also has to his credit publications on topics related to environment, climate change and development on various peer reviewed journals. He is also a recipient of several scholarships and awards for academic and professional accomplishments. Academic credentials from Syracuse University, USA, Harvard University, University of Cambridge, UK and Madras University, India.

Venkatesh Charloo

Founder / Trustee - Costal Impact

A banker by profession, Venkat worked in Hong Kong for 11 years between 1984 and 1995 before deciding to quit the rat race and start recreational scuba diving in Goa, India, in Nov 1995. He joined Barracuda Diving India as a freelance instructor, becoming a partner in 1996 and then taking over the company as a Sole Proprietor in 1997. He is passionate about marine conservation, and founded Coastal Impact with the intention of building awareness about marine ecosystems and motivating people to become divers and ‘ocean ambassadors’, as well as join in to save Goa’s precious marine life. He is an SSI Master Instructor and PADI IDC Staff Instructor. He is one of the most highly qualified dive instructors in India and has been diving since the last 30 years.

Vaibhav Chaturvedi

Fellow, The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)

Vaibhav is an economist who leads The Council's work on Low-Carbon Pathways. His research focuses on energy and climate change mitigation policy issues, especially those impacting India, within the integrated assessment modelling framework of the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM). Vaibhav’s recent work includes studies on pathways and policies for achieving India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Mid-Century Strategies within the context of sustainable development and national priorities, the climate policy–energy–water nexus, transportation energy and emission scenarios, HFC emission scenarios and mitigation policy, and nuclear energy scenarios for India. Prior to joining the Council, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Joint Global Change Research Institute/ Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA. He has been actively involved in global model comparison exercises like the Asian Modelling Exercise (AME) and the Energy Modelling Forum (EMF). Vaibhav has been a part of Government of India committees on energy and climate policy. He actively publishes in, and reviews articles for, leading international energy and climate policy journals. He holds a Doctorate in Economics from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and a Master’s degree in Forest Management from the Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal.

Antara Phookan

Director of Business Development and Design at Assam Bengal Navigation Co. and JTI Group

Antara Phookan is the Director of Business Development and Design at Assam Bengal Navigation Co. and Jungle Travels India known as JTI Group. Jungle Travels India ( JTI Group )was established in 1989, to draw discerning travellers and nature enthusiasts to the unexplored North-east Indian jungles, wildlife, dense forests and water bodies. JTI Group was the first IATA agent of the entire Northeast and still continues today as the most experienced, high-end bespoke outbound and inbound tour operator in this region. Assam Bengal Navigation Co. (ABN) established in 2003, is the pioneering long-distance river cruise company in India that earmarked India’s greatest Himalayan Rivers in the world river cruising map. ABN owns and operates a conscious luxury collection of boutique river cruise ships, houseboats and safari lodges along the Brahmaputra and Ganges Rivers. Within which, 5% of every room booked in their portfolio is contributed to their ABN Foundation that supports projects and change-makers within the 3 pillars of education, environment and community development. Antara is well-experienced in the tourism realm of India especially having faced the challenges of north East India. She specialises in niche travel marketing and business development, regenerative tourism and in responsible high value-low volume eco-tourism catering to the conscious luxury traveller. As the 2nd Gen of this family-run boutique portfolio of conscious travel products & experiences, she has been involved with the company since a young age. She has wandered far and wide to purposefully gain a lifetime of experiences as a nature-seeker, an adventurer and an epicurean, she speaks 5 languages (including French and Spanish) and has solo ‘slow’ travelled through 65+ countries to date. During the past decade when she was living between France and Spain, she worked with luxe real estate-buying groups, creative startups, community-based platforms and luxury travel companies in Spain, France, UK and USA within various capacities. She graduated from a French Business School in Paris and Antibes with a Masters in Business Management specialising in Marketing & Business Development. She returned home to the Brahmaputra River valley in north-east India where she is exploring new projects that will add value to the region. She exudes her creativity through designing eco-chic experiences whilst also executing the sustainable interior design and guest experience of the fleet of ships & boats of Assam Bengal Navigation Co.

Dr. S P Aggarwal

Director of the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) of Department of Space, Govt. of India

Dr. S P Aggarwal is the Director of the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) of Department of Space, Govt. of India located in Umiam, Meghalaya, Dr. Aggarwal has taken important initiatives towards effective utilization of Space Technology for various development activities of NER such as Natural Resource Management, Disaster Risk Management, Weather forecasting, Satellite communication applications, ICT based applications and Geo-governance related applications. Prior to joining NESAC, Dr. Aggarwal contributed significantly in various sub-domains of water resources and hydrology such as hydrological modeling, Irrigation water management, Soil erosion assessment, Snow, ice and glacier melt studies, flood mapping, monitoring and flood early warning system, Cryosphere research in Antarctica and Arctic region during his illustrious career spanning over 25 years as a Scientist and Engineer IIRS (ISRO), Dehradun. As programme coordinator of the UN affiliated Centre for space science and technology education in Asia and the Pacific (CSSTEAP) during 2016-2021 periods, Dr Aggarwal played the pivotal role in strengthening the regional and international cooperation in capacity building in space science, technology and applications in the Asia-Pacific region. He interacted with different international organizations, UN agencies, foreign missions in India and Indian missions abroad to organize academic programme for participants from the Asia-Pacific region. These programmes included Remote Sensing and GIS, Satellite Communications, Satellite Meteorology and Global Climate, Space and Atmospheric Sciences and GNSS, conducted at IIRS, Dehradun and SAC and PRL Ahmadabad. Dr. Aggarwal is well known for his teaching skills. He has extensively contributed in various capacity building programmes of IIRS, which includes training programmes for user departments, Ministries of Central and State Governments, University faculty, etc. He has been a major contributor in all IIRS academic programmes viz. M.Tech. (RS & GIS), M.Sc. (Geoinformatics), PG Diploma, and other certificate courses. He has supervised 26 M.Tech students, 42 PG diploma students and guided 5 Ph D students. He has over 150 research publications in peer reviewed national & International journals along with authored book chapters. Dr. Aggarwal is an active member of several scientific and professional societies. He is served as Secretary of Technical Commission V of International Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) on Education and outreach (2016-2022). Currently He is Chair of ISPRS TC V, WG- 4 of Education and awareness in Disaster Risk Management He received several awards and honours including the Institution of Engineers of India (Uttarakhand state) conferring him with the Eminent Engineers Award for 2014 for his outstanding contributions in the field of Water Resource Engineering. He received the President Appreciation medal by ISRS for 2016, prestigious National Geospatial Award for Excellence by Indian Society of Remote Sensing for 2018 and National Award for e-Governance 2022 (Silver Medal) for Excellence in Adopting Emerging Technologies by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Govt. of India. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (India), Indian Society of Remote Sensing (ISRS) and Indian Association of Hydrologist.

Dr Sriparna B Baruah

MSME Sector & Ex IIE Chairperson & Director

Dr Sriparna B Baruah is a Development Professional with 35 years of work experience in Management Education and in Small and Medium Enterprise Development .Dr Baruah was associated with the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship as Head (Centre for Industrial Extension) and as Director i/c. During her career span of 35 years, in the initial ten years when she was working with the Assam Institute of Management,Dr Baruah played a pioneering role in promoting Management Education in N.E India .Later when she joined the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship her experience for more than two decades has been on Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Promotion . Dr Baruah has extensive experience in action research and projects relating to development of livelihood clusters specifically in all the eight states of North Eastern Region of India. She took up cluster development on a mission mode and the impact created through various need-based interventions resulted in development of sustainable development models for the region. Dr Baruah has also been working towards developing the eco-system for promoting women entrepreneurs and start-ups in the social sector. For the last five years, she has been actively involved in facilitating creation of a start-up eco-system in North East India and has been regularly mentoring and handholding existing and potential start-ups in opportunity guidance and scaling up. Her strong academic experience and background has helped in contributing towards documenting case studies of various successful livelihood initiatives. She has also presented papers and shared Indian experiences of small enterprise promotion in both national and international forums. Dr Baruah has represented NE India in various international forums and lead Business Delegations delegations globally. She has also represented the country as a speaker in international conferences in countries like Latin America and Malaysia She regularly provides academic and consultancy support to MBA departments of all major universities of North East India ,institutions like TISS, NIRD,AASC etc. Dr Baruah has been a member of the Board of Management of the School of Vocational Education (SOVET) IGNOU , the North East Network(NEN), the Cancer Research Foundation (CRF),BRTC A BIRAC-KIIT- TBI initiative, India Women Network, Council for Social and Digital Development (CSDD),Margdarshak Advisory and is actively involved with various industry associations like CII, FICCI and FINER.Dr Baruah is an independent Director in the board of IIT Guwahati Technology Innovation and Development Foundation.Dr Baruah is curently associated with the North East Handloom and Handicraft Development Corporation (NEHHDC) as Advisor (Livelihoods and Entrepeneurship) Dr Sriparna B Baruah received the ‘BHARAT VIKAS AWARD’ for her contribution to the Livelihood Sector from the Institute of Self Reliance on 19 th November 2017. She is also a recipient of an award from JUNIOR CHAMBERS INTERNATIONAL for her contributionto the education sector . She also received the lifetime achievement award for her contribution to the field of entrepreneurship development and livelihoods from NFED (National Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development) on 8 th March 2022. As an enabler for facilitating the development of entrepreneurial eco-system Dr Baruah’s specific contribution is visible in the areas of  Scaling up of micro enterprises  Connecting social entrepreneurs with livelihood projects to ensure sustainability and  Helping in Industry-Academia interface.

Naveen Krishnan

Founder & CEO of SMV Green Solutions

Mr Naveen Krishna is a masters in Social work who founded SMV Green Solutions in 2015. SMV provides dignified livelihood options to the marginalized communities in India by creating an eco-system of Safe, Clean and affordable last mile transport solutions to both the drivers and commuters, promotes gender inclusion in mobility through its flagship program Vahini (Women Electric Rickshaw Drivers) along with Electric wagons to provide Farm to Market linkage to farmer producers organisation in India. SMV has benefitted more than 3000 direct customers and more than 12,000 indirect people till date. SMV through its efforts is reducing 5000 MT of CO2 per year and has increased the income of its end customers from 3$ to 8 $ per day. SMV received 2019 UK’s Ashden Award, 2021 Energy Access Booster Awards and 2021 Meaningful Business 100 for its efforts on Clean transport and livelihoods promotion in a sustainable way in India.

Jyotsna Kaur Habibullah

Chief Executive Officer at Lucknow Farmers Market, TEDx Speaker

Jyotsna Kaur Habibullah is a veteran in International Marketing, having lived and worked globally in cities like Dubai, London, Mumbai, Delhi and now Lucknow. Working on skill development and creating self-reliance amongst women’s groups since 2011 Jyotsna has always focused on Sustainable livelihoods, sanitation, and women's health. She founded FICCI FLO Lucknow & Kanpur chapters and was involved at a national level as part of the governing body of FLO working for women's empowerment since 2015. Her expertise lies in building an ecosystem for sustainable entrepreneurs and giving them a platform. She is also the founder of Lucknow Farmers Market as an online platform and offline Farmers Market connecting 500 farmers, agripreneurs, startups across the country with 7000 products and services listed on lucknowfarmersmarket.com, monthly.

Prof. Kshitij Awasthi

Professor in Strategic Management area and Coordinator, IIM Lucknow

Prof. Kshitij Awasthi is Associate Professor in Strategic Management area and Coordinator, Centre for Public Policy at IIM Lucknow. He obtained his doctoral degree from IIM Bangalore. His current research interests are in public policy, corporate governance, and micro-entrepreneurship. His research has featured in reputed global and national journals like the Business & Society, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Economic and Political Weekly, Development Policy Review, The Economic Papers, International Social Science Journal etc. He has been actively involved in consulting and advisory with several government departments in areas of planning, economic growth and sustainable development. He is recipient of CK Prahlad Prashasti, 2022 and Distinguished Paper award from Academy of Management, USA, 2016. Recently, his research paper on Health belief and Women education in India, published in 'The Economic Papers' was awarded the best paper for year 2022 by The Economic Society of Ausralia.

Trina Talukdar

Chief Visioning Officer at Fields of View

Trina started working in Kalighat, one of Asia's largest red light areas, at the age of 18. Her interaction with commercial sex workers spurred her passion to co-found Kranti at the age of 22. Kranti empowers girls from Mumbai’s Red Light Areas to become social change leaders. Trina was Director of Venture and Fellowship, South Asia, for Ashoka, a global organisation across 90 countries, investing in the leading social entrepreneurs of our times. Trina led Ashoka both in South Asia and Southern Africa. Trina worked with American Express, Philanthropy, in Washington, D.C. and New York, where she built American Express’ leadership program for non-profit professionals. Trina continues to be a serial social entrepreneur, kick-starting critical development work in the field of 21st century leadership. Her most recent venture is Bolti Bandh, that builds dialogue between politically polarised people. As Chief Visioning Officer at Fields of View, Trina focus her energies on scaling Fields of View’s digital serious games and getting them into the hands of diverse stakeholders, from policy makers, to businesses, philanthropies and citizens, to build sustained dialogue and action on civic issues.

Karthik Natarajan

Director at Thumbi Labs and COO at Fields of View

A trained architect and product designer having trained in India and Germany. He has over 20 years of engaging with sustainability in various ways. Ranging from scaling purpose enterprises, to working with civil society organisations to better engage with their communities through games and simulation. At FoV his interests lie in increasing participation in sustainability conversations and finding cross-sectoral applications for research tools and methodologies.

CERTIFICATE

Fellows attending the workshops shall be awarded a Certificate of Participation from the School of Policy and Governance.

The Net Zero Fellowship Programme,2023 is aimed at building and enabling an environment in India, through regional cohorts of emerging political leaders and decision-makers, to develop a deeper understanding of Net Zero and Climate Change in India and strengthen their own effort and response.

The invite-only Regional Fellowship Workshop provides a safe space and opportunity for the leaders to deep-dive into the issues and pathways of achieving net zero emissions in India. It covers the basics of climate change, its impact, and ways to address it, through the lens of Transition, Growth and Protection. This immersive learning experience also includes an assessment of issues specific to the region. Fellows also get a chance to identify where the biggest impact for opportunities lie for their careers, work, as well as for India as a whole.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE NET ZERO FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME:

● Deeper understanding of the path to net zero emissions in India through dialogues and engagements on topics and teaching/mentorship by subject matter experts
● Transition the dialogue for participants from Net Zero v/s development to Net Zero as an integral part of future development in India.
● A community of fellows that are champions for Net Zero in India, backed by real ideas

Chandrakanth B N

Chandra is a passionate creator with an empathetic business sense and an entrepreneur who left a high flying career in the US, to chase an Indian dream. He has been involved in establishing several companies since 1996. His ventures have ranged from IT Services, Digital Media operations, Manufacturing and Training. As the Chairman of Pairee, he oversees several investments made by the company.

Prior to Pairee, Chandra was the Founder and Managing Director of Theorem India, which he started with just two people in 2002 and grew it to over 1300+ people globally spread across 4 continents, serving several global blue chip brands and establishing a sprawling campus in Mysore before leaving at the end of 2013. Chandra also enjoys investing, advising and mentoring start-up companies and is on the board of a several such companies. He is also passionate about giving back to the society. His Pairee Foundation is helping educate the rural youth of India and making them job ready. Chandra holds a Masters degree in Industrial Management from Northern Illinois University, Chicago and a BE degree from Bangalore University. He is a leading voice in the IT Industry and regularly speaks at global conferences. He is also an active member of various industry groups in the technology world. Chandra and his work regularly feature on national and regional TV channels.


Monika Barthwal-Datta

Monika Barthwal-Datta is Senior Lecturer in International Security in the School of Social Sciences, University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney. Before joining UNSW in 2012, Monika was a MacArthur Foundation postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for International Security Studies (CISS), University of Sydney, where she led a two-year research project on ‘Food Security in Asia: Strategic Risks and Mitigation.’ Her research areas include critical security studies, non-traditional security, the international politics of South Asia and Indian foreign policy.

Monika was awarded her PhD by Royal Holloway and Bedford College, University of London and holds an MScEcon in Security Studies from Aberystwyth University. She also has a Master’s in International Journalism from Cardiff University and has worked as a Broadcast Journalist for the BBC World Service Radio in London for several years. Since making Sydney her home in late 2010, Monika has been actively involved in the Australia-India space through her research and community engagement. Monika was a Director and a Steering Committee member of the Australia India Youth Dialogue. She is also on the Executive Committee of the South Asian Studies Association of Australia (SASAA) and on the editorial board of the journal Asian Studies Review. Monika is the author of ‘Understanding Security Practices in South Asia: Securitization Theory and the Role of Non-State Actors’ (Routledge 2012) and ‘Food Security in Asia: Challenges, Policies and Implications’ (IISS and Routledge, 2014), and has spoken at TEDx Orange (NSW, Australia) on the role of small family farms in global food security.


Ruchir Punjabi

Ruchir is a Co-Founder & Chief Digital Officer at Distributed Energy (www.de.energy). Distributed Energy matches investors with renewable energy projects across Africa, the Middle East, and India.

Ruchir formerly founded Langoor (www.langoor.com) – one of APAC’s largest independent digital agencies that were later sold to Havas Group in 2019. Langoor started in his living room in Sydney before growing to 200+ people digital agency across the Asia Pacific. He continues to be a Board Director and Evangelist for the business.

Passionate about social change, Ruchir has started a number of social and not for profit organizations. After the International student crisis in Australia in 2010, Ruchir created the Australia India Youth Dialogue, a Track II diplomatic dialogue between the young leaders of Australia and India. Ruchir is also the Founder of a School of Policy and Governance and Samarthan India. Ruchir is a Computer Science graduate from Sydney University and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He serves as Director on a number of not for profit and business Boards, including investing in some of them.


Vidyanand Sagaram

Vidyanand Sagaram joined the Victorian Government Business Office in 2009 to head their Skilled and Business Migration portfolio for South and South East Asia. In 2011 he was appointed as the Director for Strategic Projects with a primary focus on the whole-of Victorian government initiatives. To deliver the key initiatives and priorities of the government he has been engaging very closely with the Indian governments both State and Federal, industry groups and various Victorian departments.

Vidya was also the Director for the Australia India Youth Dialogue which hosts young leaders from Australia and India at an annual conference, held in India and Australia in alternate years. He is currently on the Executive Council of the Indo Australian Chamber of Commerce. Vidya has previously worked for La Trobe University in India heading their operations for South Asia, prior to that with Hobsons Solutions and Telstra in Melbourne. He holds a Master’s degree from Monash University, Melbourne.


Rishi Suri

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Manuraj Sundaram

Manuraj is a lawyer practicing at the Madras High Court and is also a Media Spokesperson for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party. He has rich experience in the field of public policy after working as a Parliamentary Advisor for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for 5 years.

In November 2010, Manu was a Fellow of the ‘Legislative Fellows Program’ organized by the US State Department. In July 2013, Manuraj was invited to participate in the ‘European Union Visitor Program’, with fellowships in Brussels, Strassbourg and The Hague.

Manuraj has run tech-based outreach campaigns to engage citizens on civic issues and study participatory governance models.


Sanushka Seomangal

Sanushka Seomangal is a Partner in Thomson Geer’s Sydney office where she specialises in equity and debt capital markets and mergers and acquisitions. With particular expertise in public and private equity fundraising, initial public offerings (IPOs), and mergers and acquisitions involving both private and listed companies, Sanushka also advises her clients on general corporate matters. Sanushka’s practice is largely cross-border with an Asia-focus and she has expertise in capital markets and M&A transactions involving clients in the PRC, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia and India. Amongst her professional achievements, Sanushka was named one of the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence in 2018 and was a finalist at the Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards 2019.

Sanushka holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Natal, South Africa, a Master of Applied Law from the University of Queensland, Australia and a Master of Business Law from the University of Sydney, Australia. Sanushka has a particular interest in India and is a member of the board of the Australia India Council, the National Vice Chair of the Australia India Business Council, and co-founder of the Australia India Youth Dialogue. She is also a member of UN Women Australia and Philanthropy Australia’s New Generation of Giving.


Preethi Herman

Preethi Herman is the Global Executive Director of the Change.org Foundation and an Obama Foundation Fellow for global civic leadership. She established Change.org as a people’s platform in India – growing it from a user base of less than 2 lakh users to a current 1 crore active citizens taking action on various social change issues across the country. Under Preethi’s lead, the Change.org India team has brought several issues into national headlines and made it into a movement touching the lives of millions of Indians.

Preethi is one of the few women leaders from the Global South at the forefront of the civic technology. She has been recognised as one among the 50 most influential women in media (in India) by Impact Media in 2016 and again in 2017, was awarded Business Today’s Most Powerful Women Award in India in 2017 and was recognized by the Indian Government as one of the 25 women transforming India through the UN’s #WomenTransform initiative. At the heart of Preethi’s vision is enabling the power for people coming together to create change and leveraging technology in a decentralised structure of civil leadership. She has helped set up powerful civic and campaigning based organisations like ‘She Creates Change’ and ‘Campaign Academy India’ and serves on the boards of various Indian and International organisations.


Subhadra Menon
Head of Programs

Subhadra Menon leads SPG’s Programmes and Initiatives. She has been working in the domains of human development with a specific focus on communication and advocacy. An award-winning writer, Subhadra uses her core skills and professional experiences to contribute towards the improvement of development indices in India and the region through communication and advocacy using high calibre research, evidence-gathering, analysis, writing and documentation for public domain knowledge. She is passionate about public engagement and outreach. She has extensive experience with social and behaviour change communication, evidence-based advocacy, health literacy initiatives, knowledge management and packaging communication products for change agendas.

Subhadra has led several large programmes and initiatives for national and international organisations, mainly the Public Health Foundation of India, UNFPA India, the Futures Group, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation. Before this, Subhadra was a print journalist specialising in health, science and technology, environment and social issues. She was Principal Correspondent for the India Today magazine, among other professional affiliations.


Anushka Mukherjee

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Jennie Jehosheba Jackson

Jennie is the Programme Associate at School of Policy and Governance. She graduated with a Master of Philosophy in Social Work specialized in Human Resources from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. Jennie has worked as a Social Worker and as a Human Resource Trainee in different sectors like schools, manufacturing industries and hospitality. She has also been a Volunteer at Cheshire Homes Coimbatore and has extended her support for the persons with disabilities. Jennie has also been working in a Media Post Production company based out of Bangalore for the past 3 years and has recently joined our team.


Dr. Dhanasree Jayaram

Dr. Dhanasree Jayaram is a Research Fellow at Centre Marc Bloch (CMB) and Guest Researcher at Freie Universität Berlin – under the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s International Climate Protection Fellowship (for postdocs) 2022-23. She is an Assistant Professor, Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, and Co-coordinator, Centre for Climate Studies, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Karnataka, India. She is also a Research Fellow, Earth System Governance; Member, Climate Security Expert Network; and Member, Planet Politics Institute. She holds a PhD in Geopolitics and International Relations from MAHE. She pursued a visiting fellowship (Erasmus Mundus – short-term PhD) at Leiden University, the Netherlands during 2014-15; and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, under the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship during 2018-19. She managed a project of adelphi (Berlin) on “Climate Diplomacy”, sponsored by the German Federal Foreign Office during 2015-20. Her primary fields of interest include climate politics and diplomacy, environmental security and military, regional environmental policy in Asia, and environmental peacebuilding.


Nakkeeran Nanjappan

N. Nakkeeran is Professor with the School of Global Affairs & Deputy Director of Centre for Research Methods, Dr. B.R Ambedkar University, Delhi (AUD). A Gold Medallist in M.A. (Anthropology) from Madras University, Prof. N. Nakkeeran did his M.Phil and PhD from the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Before Joining AUD, he was with the Department of Health Services Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and the Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar (IIPHG - PHFI). Prof. Nakkeeran has worked, published and undertaken funded research in the areas of health social sciences, health equity, qualitative research methodology and child malnutrition. He has participated as a resource person in numerous research methodology workshops meant for research scholars and young faculty members organised across the country. While at IIPHG he had successfully conducted three-day annual workshop on Qualitative Research Methods for medical and public health professionals between 2010 and 2014 and also rolled out an online Certificate programme in Research Methodology. He also was instrumental in designing and rolling out Master of Public Health Programmes at IIPHG and AUD and a doctoral programme in Public Health at AUD. He has won a number of fellowships and research grants including 3rd & 4th Global symposium on Health Systems Research Fellowships; PHFI-Wellcome Trust Research fellowship; ICMR Research Grants; DST Research Grant and a number grants for organizing methodology workshops. Extracts from his ethnographic study of a south Indian village was published as “Conditions of Women's Work, Status and Fertility: Land, Caste and Gender in a South Indian Village”, EPW); he has co-authored an ethnographic monograph “Transfer of Home-based Newborn Care from SEARCH to Other Organizations: Process Documentation of the ANKUR Project”, (SEARCH, 2007). His other publications in this area include “Qualitative Research Methodology: Epistemological Foundation and Research Procedures”, (IJSW), “Knowledge, Truth and Social Reality: An Introductory Note on Qualitative Research” (IJCM); “Rigor and Validity in Qualitative Methods in Applied Situations” (IJPH); “Is ‘Sampling’ a Misnomer in Qualitative Research?” (Sociological Bulletin); “Disability, mental health, sexual orientation and gender identity: understanding health inequity through experience and difference” (Health Research Policy and Systems); and Beyond behaviour as individual choice: A call to expand understandings around social science in health research (Wellcomeopenresearch).


Dr Shweta Singh

Shweta Singh is Associate Professor of International Relations at the South Asian University (New Delhi, India). Her research broadly focuses on the politics of ‘everyday’, norms and WPS agenda (South Asia), critical peace and conflict studies (with a particular focus on post-colonial South Asia) , gender and populism, and contemporary politics of Afghanistan, Kashmir and Sri Lanka. She has been the recipient of the prestigious United States Leadership Award in 2010, and the Mahbub Ul Haq Award in 2013. She was recently appointed as the UN Women International Expert on populism, nationalism, and gender (Regional Office for Asia and Pacific), and as Academic Advisor for the UNESCO-MGiEP project on State of Prevention of Violent Extremism through Education in South Asia. She is co-editor (with Tiina Vaittinen and Catia Confortini), of a Rowman and Littlefield book series(which is now under process of transition) titled Feminist Studies on Peace, Justice and Violence. Her recent publications include ‘Towards an intersectional approach to populism: comparative perspectives from Finland and India’, Contemporary Politics (co-authored with Elise Feron) 2021;‘ ‘Gendering education for peace: Critical perspectives’ in Tarja Väyrynen, Swati Parashar, Élise Féron, Catia Confortini (eds.), Handbook of Feminist Peace Research, Routledge, 2021, ‘In between the Ulema and Local Warlords in Afghanistan: Critical Perspectives on the Everyday, Norms Translation and UNSCR 1325’, International Feminist Journal of Politics, 2020.  


Shreelata Krishnan

Shreelata brings to the table a creative and entrepreneurial approach to developing sustainable solutions for organisations across industries. Towards this end, she is experienced in mentoring and coaching people and enterprises, implementing pioneering solutions for multi scalar, projects that help drive positive societal, economic, and climate change impact, and building capacity by employing a bottom-up approach. Shreelata has completed a master’s level education in Sustainable Transitions from the University of Aberdeen.

Intrigued and fascinated with different cultures and lifestyles, she has worked with a diverse set of national & international organisations in the fields of sustainability communication, social impact, impact monitoring and capacity building.

Early in her career, Shreelata has worked extensively in the customer service sector across hospitality, shipping and telecom industries managing multiple teams, co-founded her own online enterprise supporting nearly 30 rural and semi-urban SHGs, entrepreneurs, and brands, coached and mentored social impact entrepreneurs globally, and volunteered with various capacity-building organisations as a mentor, fundraiser, advisor, and member. She is passionate about working with people and communities, promoting the culture of entrepreneurship, working to drive social change and can speak seven languages.


Roxy-Mathew

Dr. Roxy Mathew Koll

Dr. Roxy Mathew Koll is a Climate Scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. He did his Ph.D. in Ocean and Atmospheric Dynamics from Hokkaido University, Japan. Dr. Koll has made breakthrough contributions to observing and predicting the Indo-Pacific climate, facilitating the food, water, and economic security of the region. He led the redesign of the Indian Ocean Observation System and the development of the first climate model from South Asia—contributing to the science, monitoring, forecasts, and climate projections of the Indian Ocean rim countries. He is currently leading research on climate change and its impacts on the monsoon, cyclones, heatwaves, and the marine ecosystem. Dr. Koll is the Chair of the Indian Ocean Region Panel and a Lead Author of the IPCC Reports. He actively collaborates with citizen science networks, local governments, and media to bring science to society. Dr. Koll is among the top 2% scientists ranked by Stanford University. He was awarded the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Devendra Lal Medal for outstanding research in Earth and Space Sciences in 2022. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences awarded him the Kavli Fellowship in 2015 and the NRC Senior Research Fellowship in 2018. The Indian Meteorological Society felicitated him with the Young Scientist Award in 2016 for his research on the changes in the Monsoon.


Ulka Kelkar

Ulka Kelkar is Director, Climate, World Resources Institute India. She is an economist with more than two decades’ experience in climate policy. She models the economic impacts of low-carbon development pathways for India and supports climate action in Indian cities and states. She previously worked as a consultant climate assessment specialist for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and research fellow with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). She was appointed by the Government of India to formulate India’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (STIP 2020) in the thematic group on Energy, Environment and Climate Change.


Lakshmi Tejaswini

Lakshmi Tejaswini P is a multifaceted professional who has successfully driven impactful initiatives across various sectors. She has a proven track record of collaborating with businesses, nonprofits, political firms and government bodies to bring about positive change.She worked with the Higher Education Department of the Government of Karnataka, contributing to the establishment of aspirational goals for 2030, and played a vital role in the passing of the UVCE Act-2021 as part of the Vision Group of Higher Education and Research. She briefly worked with NetApp's APAC team in run their Corporate Social Impact programmes. Transitioning to political consulting, she developed effective strategies and campaigns for four successful political leaders in the Karnataka Assembly Elections of 2023. Additionally, she serves as the General Secretary of the Dheerya Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting accessible holistic education for all.


Dr Tanwir Arshed

Dr Tanwir Arshed is an Assistant Professor presently teaching at the Department of Political Science, President University, Kolkata. He completed his PhD from the University of North Bengal, Darjeeling, on India Pakistan Relations and the Role of the United States. His area of interest are Indian Public Administration and Indian Foreign Policy with a specific focus on South Asia and China. He has been a former SUSI Fellow at the University of Massachusetts, USA  


Ms. Kanika Dhupar

Kanika Dhupar, is a communications and policy professional, presently working as a Consultant at the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) Reforms Secretariat, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. She completed her Masters in Journalism from School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh. Her areas of interest are public affairs and policy, with a specific focus on multidisciplinary stakeholder engagements for global MNCs and industrial conglomerates, for addressal of issues, mitigating regulatory risks and helping them navigate the complex hierarchy of Central and State government stakeholders. With a keen interest in news, policy and communications - in her previous stints, she was an Account Director at Genesis BCW; a journalist in the print and digital domain, when she worked with Hindustan Times, The Tribune and The Indian Express. She was also the southeast-Asia reporter/producer with Barcroft Media - now ‘truly’ - London.  


Dr. Ekta Singh

Dr. Ekta Singh is an Assistant Professor in Public Policy and Governance at Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD). Before joining AUD, she worked as an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Policy & Governance at TISS, Hyderabad Campus. Dr. Singh’s doctoral research looks at the interface between welfare and neo-liberalism in post-liberalization India through the lens of governance reforms in PDS. Her research interests primarily encompass policy institutions, the political economy of development, politics of welfare, comparative social policy, and governance issues. She is currently interested in critically analyzing the interface between technology and social policy.  


Adarsh

Adarsh is the Programme Design Manager at the School of Policy and Governance. He has successfully provided policy and business advice, content development, risk management and research support to various clients in both public and private sectors. As an Advisor at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Government of New Zealand, he supported and engaged with various stakeholders within and outside the government. His involvement encompassed advising on complex policy issues, cabinet papers, ministerial activities, research, and amendments.

While working at EASRB Consulting, Adarsh engaged in political consulting, programme design, strategy development, electioneering, and research for clients in both the public and private domains. During his tenure at Pinkerton Corporate Risk Management, he took on the responsibility of monitoring and analyzing potential political and security risks, in addition to coordinating emergency response protocols.

Adarsh leverages his multidisciplinary academic background in his role, holding a Master's degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Victora University of Wellington, a Master’s degree in Geopolitics and International Relations from Manipal University, and a Bachelor's degree in Physics from Mahatma Gandhi University. This multidisciplinary academic and research background enables him to perceive concepts from multiple perspectives. His publications in various journals and websites demonstrate his capability to impart complex information and innovative concepts to a wide range of audiences.


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With a Master's in Environmental Studies and over 11 years of varied experience in the corporate, not-for-profit, and consulting sectors, I am an experienced civil engineer. I have strong project management skills thanks to my professional experience, which includes managing multiple projects and inspiring teams to accomplish key goals.

My area of expertise is in an intersection between project management, research, and policy formation, with a particular emphasis on generating social impact. I have a strong desire to use my managerial skills and technological knowledge to advance programmes that promote social change and sustainable development.