Board of Trustees India
Madhu Pandit Dasa
Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation
Madhu Pandit Dasa - Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation
Madhu Pandit Dasa is the Chairman of the Akshaya Patra Foundation since 2000. He designed the first revolutionary centralized and mechanized kitchen of Akshaya Patra, to provide school meals to underprivileged children in the Government schools of Bangalore's Rural District, starting from July 2000. Today, Akshaya Patra is the largest mid-day meal program in the world, and serves over 2.2 million children across 24,000 schools in India every day.
KV Chowdary
Former Chairman, Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) Former Chairman, Central
Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)
KV Chowdary - Former Chairman, Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) Former Chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)
KV Chowdary is an officer of the 1978 batch of Indian Revenue Service (IRS) who has served as the Chairman of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). He has worked in the Department of Revenue as an Under Secretary and the Department of Company Affairs as a Deputy Secretary. A graduate in Mathematics from Loyola College, Chennai, and Post-Graduate in Mathematics from IIT Madras, he has held several executive positions in the Income Tax Department. An eloquent orator, he regularly addresses trade associations and chambers of commerce, including FICCI, CII and Indo American Chamber of Commerce, delivering talks on issues relating to integrity, anti-corruption, transparency and governance, etc. Currently, he holds directorship in CCL Products (India) Limited and Reliance Industries Limited.
Satya Gaura Chandra Dasa
Trustee, The Akshaya Patra Foundation
Satya Gaura Chandra Dasa - Trustee, The Akshaya Patra Foundation
Satya Gaura Chandra Dasa is a Gold Medalist in B.Tech Mechanical at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University - Kakinada. He eventually did his M.Tech from IIT-Chennai and worked in a multinational IT firm in Bengaluru before deciding to dedicate his life to serving humanity. The first Akshaya Patra kitchen in Andhra Pradesh (now Telangana) was set up in Hyderabad in 2008 under his leadership. He also oversaw the setting up of the Foundation's high-tech mega kitchen in Kandi, Telangana, in association with the Infosys Foundation in 2018. Currently, he is serving as the President for Akshaya Patra Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
M S Unnikrishnan
CEO, IITB-Monash Research Academy, Mumbai. Former Managing Director & CEO, Thermax
M S Unnikrishnan - CEO, IITB-Monash Research Academy, Mumbai. Former Managing Director & CEO, Thermax
MS Unnikrishnan is the CEO of IITB - Monash Research Academy and the former Managing Director & CEO of Thermax, an engineering company providing sustainable solutions in energy and the environment. He is a mechanical engineer from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) - Nagpur and has done the Advanced Management Programme from Harvard Business School, USA. He has served on various policy-making and consultative bodies. He has co-chaired the CII's National Committee on Industrial Relations and chaired the Capital Goods Sectoral Skills Council of FICCI, CII's National Committee of Capital Goods & Engineering and BRICS Business Council.
Anil Swarup
Former Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Department (MHRD), Government of
India
Anil Swarup - Former Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Department (MHRD), Government of India
Anil Swarup is a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre 1981 batch. In a career spanning 38 years, he has held various assignments with the Government of India as well as the Government of Uttar Pradesh, including the Secretary for Coal from 2014 to 2016 and Secretary for School Education between 2016 and 2018. During his tenure as the Secretary School Education, he fostered public-private partnerships to improve quality of school education by involving NGOs. He holds a Master's degree in Political Science from Allahabad University and has authored two books, Ethical Dilemmas of a Civil Servant and Not Just a Civil Servant. He is the Founder Chairman of Nexus of Good: an initiative towards recognising positive action and providing inspiration to society at large to replicate them.
Chanchalapathi Dasa
Vice Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation
Chanchalapathi Dasa - Vice Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation
Chanchalapathi Dasa has been working in the field of spiritual education since 1984 and social development since 2000. He pursued his Bachelor's Degree in PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, where he came in touch with ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada's mission. Later, he joined the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, to pursue his Masters in Electrical Communication Engineering. He has combined the spirit of compassion with his education in technology and applied it to social development. He is currently involved in strategy, planning and governance for Akshaya Patra.
G Raghuram
Principal Academic Advisor, National Rail & Transportation Institute (NRTI) Former Director, IIM-Bangalore
G Raghuram - Principal Academic Advisor, National Rail & Transportation Institute (NRTI) Former Director, IIM-Bangalore
G Raghuram was a faculty member at IIM-Ahmedabad for 32 years. He has done his B.Tech from IIT-Madras and PGDM from IIM-Ahmedabad. He has a PhD from Kellogg Management School, Northwestern University, USA. His specialisations include infrastructure and transport systems and logistics and supply chain management. Raghuram has to his credit six co-authored books, numerous journal articles, papers, newspaper and magazine articles, and case studies. Among his many accolades are the 'MC Puri Memorial Award' for contribution to operational research in India in 2016 and the 'Academician of the Year' by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in 2012.
Vidya Shah
Chairperson and CEO, EdelGive Foundation Former CEO, Edelweiss Group
Vidya Shah - Chairperson and CEO, EdelGive Foundation Former CEO, Edelweiss Group
Vidya Shah has previously worked with large financial institutions such as ICICI, Peregrine and NM Rothschild India as an investment banker. She holds a postgraduate degree in Master of Business Administration from IIM-Ahmedabad and a graduate degree in B.Com from RA Podar College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai. In 2019, Vidya received recognition as India's Top 100 Women in Finance by the Association of International Wealth Management of India (AIWMI). Furthermore, she was conferred the Woman Achiever of the Year Award by ABP Group during BFSI Awards in 2017 and the Financial Inclusion Award by CNBC TV 18 in 2016.
Bharatarshabha Dasa
Trustee, The Akshaya Patra Foundation
Bharatarshabha Dasa - Trustee, The Akshaya Patra Foundation
Bharatarshabha Dasa chose the path of spirituality in 1992 while studying B.Tech in Computer Science from REC Calicut. At Akshaya Patra, he has been handling various important areas related to public affairs, strategic outreach, policy planning and implementation, programme management and humanitarian food relief. He has been instrumental in the commencement of the organisation's feeding operations in various parts of India, including Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi NCR, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh. Bharatarshabha Dasa currently serves as the Regional President for Akshaya Patra's feeding initiatives in Delhi NCR, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Singapore Leadership Council
Pallavi Gopinath Aney
Partner, Co Head of India Group, A&O Shearman
Pallavi Gopinath Aney - Partner, Co Head of India Group, A&O Shearman
Pallavi Gopinath Aney focuses on debt and equity capital markets transactions in India and across the Asia Pacific region where she has nearly 20 years of experience advising issuers, underwriters and sponsors. She is ranked for her work in various leading legal directories and also has a keen interest in DEI matters and social impact initiatives
Dinesh Malkani
Founder and CEO, Smarten Spaces
Dinesh Malkani - Founder and CEO, Smarten Spaces
Dinesh Malkani is the Founder and CEO of Smarten Spaces, a global AI Powered SaaS company dedicated to building intuitive technology for Space Management and delivering an Enhanced Employee Experience. Prior to founding Smarten Spaces in 2017, Mr. Malkani led Cisco for nearly 10 years as President of Cisco's India and SAARC operations. With 23 years of leadership experience in the technology industry, Mr. Malkani has now built Smarten Spaces into a global leader in the Digital Workplace and Smart Buildings Technology space.
Sulakshana Swaminathan
Assistant Director, Nanyang Technological University
Sulakshana Swaminathan - Assistant Director, Nanyang Technological University
Sulakshana Swaminathan brings over 25 years of corporate experience and has been actively involved in philanthropy and giving back to the community for the past decade. A graduate of the MBA program at IIM Bangalore, she has held several high-impact roles at global organizations such as Citibank, Capital One, and Bajaj Finserv. In her current role at Nanyang Technological University, Ms. Swaminathan focuses on raising funds for needy and deserving students and fostering engagement with alumni, helping to support students in need and strengthen the university's community.
Akshaya patra Singapore Team
Shridhar Venkat
Chief Executive Officer
Shridhar Venkat - Chief Executive Officer
Shridhar Venkat has over 25 years of professional experience and has worked with leading multinationals, including Philips, ABB and Webex Communications (now CISCO). Before he joined The Akshaya Patra Foundation in search of existential purpose in life, he was the VP - Sales at Webex Communications. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering and a Master's Degree in Management. He is an Eisenhower Fellow for innovation, a graduate of the Advanced Management Programme from the Wharton Business School and a recipient of the Mother Teresa Social Leadership Scholarship. At Akshaya Patra, he brings to the table strong people management and organisation skills. He believes that it is important to blend missionary spirit and professionalism to deliver value.
Balaji M N
Chief Financial Officer
Balaji M N - Chief Financial Officer
Balaji MN joined The Akshaya Patra Foundation as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to strategise and execute plans for the sustainability and growth of the organisation. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and a certified member of ISACA, USA (CISA). He has over 25 years of experience. He has worked with reputed firms, such as Deloitte Haskins & Sells, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Moore Stephens, handling an impressive list of clients, which included Hindustan Unilever Limited, Britannia, Titan Company Limited, Honeywell India, Societe Generale, Tata Coffee and Kalyan Jewellers.
Rohit Choudhary
Chief Growth Officer
Rohit Choudhary - Chief Growth Officer
An IIT-Bombay alumnus, Rohit holds a Masters degree from HEC Paris - one of Europe's leading Business Schools. Prior to joining Akshaya Patra in 2014, Rohit worked in Strategy & Business Development functions at organisations such as Siemens Corporate Technology, IndSight Growth Partners, Erehwon Innovation Consulting.
Founders Circle
Shrikant Krishnan
CEO, Grow-Trees Pvt Ltd
Bhupinder Pal Singh
Fmr. Vice President Finance, Greater Asia, Becton Dickinson & Co
Pallavi Gopinath Aney
Partner, Co Head of India Group, A&O Shearman
Dinesh Malkani
Founder and CEO, Smarten Spaces
Sulakshana Swaminathan
Assistant Director, Nanyang Technological University
Roshini Bakshi
Managing Director Private Equity & Head of Impact, Everstone Capital
Kirti Ram Hariharan
General Counsel at BPEA EQT
