PRAGYA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Select Staff
- Member of the View Team
- Manager - Finance & Accounts
Abhijit manages the Accounts functions & reporting of Pragya at the Head Office through a dedicated Team of Accounting professionals.
He holds a Masters degree in Commerce and brings in vast experience of over 33 yrs in Accounting roles both in the Non Profit sector and in Private organizations. He carries strong knowledge & experience in internal audits and government regulations on statutory compliances as notified from time to time by the appropriate authorities.
Following an internship at the United Nations Association in London in 2005, Alex studied for a masters degree in International Relations at King's College London. Out of university, Alex worked for the NHS managing blood products in a specialist unit at St Thomas' Hospital. Alex spent four years in the private sector working in International and UK logistics for Time Inc, before moving to the voluntary sector, taking up a role in fundraising for the environmental charity Friends of the Earth. Alex has travelled extensively through China and India and maintains an ongoing interest in Asian cultures.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Select Staff
- Member of the View Team
- Regional Team Member, Nepal
Anil blends in his career experience in the Environment and Disaster Management sectors, as well as in the Human Rights and Gender domains. He holds a Masters degree in Environment Science, with a specialization in Mountain Ecology from Khowpa College, Nepal and is currently pursuing a Masters in Sociology. He began his career with work on solid waste management with the Ministry of Urban Development, Nepal and thereafter also worked on evaluation and monitoring of health & safety hazards. Working with Pragya, he has been involved in a range of projects related to livelihoods improvement, WASH, gender equity, and disaster relief & rehabilitation.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Select Staff
- Member of the View Team
- Lead, Communications & Engagement
As the lead for Pragya's Communications and Engagement team, Anna manages Pragya's IEC work, setting and executing awareness campaign strategies, very often for challenging terrains with poor infrastructure like that of the Himalayas. She also manages Pragya's ICT-based Training & Education, and Social Media and in-house web development.
Anna works with teams across our Disaster Management, Social Development and Natural Resources Management verticals, using storytelling and creativity to influence tangible change at the ground level amongst some of the most vulnerable communities in the world. She has extensive experience working with written and video content in the private and public sectors. She holds a Bachelors degree in English Literature and a Masters degree in Film production.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
- Specialist
Arasan Aruliah is a specialist Sales Director/Consultant in London. He works for companies with new and complex products and services, to uncover new markets, and for small/medium businesses that need to acquire new large business/public sector customers. His recent clients operate in the software, consultancy, funds management, media and training sectors. In the 1990s, Mr. Aruliah worked as a News and Current Affairs producer for BBC World Service, including a four-year stint in India. He continues to be a journalist as well, having contributed to The Guardian, and is currently the editor of Energy Post (world energy news, aimed at government, policy-makers, business, influencers, strategic thinkers). In the development space, he advises charities on best practice employment procedures, designed specifically for the international development sector.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Select Staff
- Project Officer, Bangladesh
Bahauddin works on Pragya's Bangladesh programmes, based out of Dhaka. He coordinates with partner NGOs to carry out programming on water resource management, health and WASH and agriculture and sustainable livelihoods. He also conducts necessary research and monitoring to ensure programme deliverables.
He has rich experience in Emergency Humanitarian Response, WASH and Solid Waste Management, Enterprise Development. He holds an MBA in Marketing from Comilla University and a Masters Degree in Business Studies from National University. Before joining Pragya he worked as an Assistant Field Officer at Practical Action.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Select Staff
- Chief Operating Officer, India
Mary is experienced in stakeholder management, academics and management consulting. She has considerable experience in respect to issues facing the indigenous communities in India and East Africa and has been supervising Pragya's interventions for climate adaption in agriculture, community-anchored services for addressing food and nutrition security, and participative management of education. She plays a crucial role in research studies and advocacy initiatives carried out by Pragya, and is also involved in project guidance and stakeholder interactions for the ongoing programs. A Doctorate in Economics from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India, Mary has earlier worked with Tata Consultancy Services, ICFAI Business School, Goa Institute of Management and others.
Kimenye is a medical professional with over two decades of experience of working in the field of public health. As the Deputy Head of the National TB, Leprosy and Lung Disease Programme in Kenya, Dr. Kamene is responsible for the quality care given to the patients, and provides technical inputs to the Kenyan Ministry of Health on matters regarding number of diseases. She has undergone training at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, conducting extensive research on drug-resistant TB (DR-TB), and has worked to tackle DR-TB in the kingdom of Lesotho during a fellowship with Partners in Health. She is the National coordinator for the programmatic management of drug-resistant TB in Kenya, and organises the prevention, care and treatment of DR-TB patients in the country. As a consultant with the World Health Organization, she is responsible for assessing the initiatives being implemented across Africa, and provides support to World Bank related facilities. Dr. Kamene has a wide experience of managing projects in the development sector and is working extensively to raise awareness among communities and schools about Female Genital Mutilation and its adverse impact on society.
Job Titles:
- Regional Team Member, East Africa
Faith has wide experience in field research and monitoring and evaluation. In Pragya Kenya, she is involved in stakeholder interactions and field research for project implementation andmonitoring. She also interacts with partners, and supervises Pragya's initiatives on biodiversity conservation, livelihoods development and water and sanitation. Faith has a degree in Community Development from Daystar University and a minor in peace and conflict transformation, and a strong motivation towards development interventions for women empowerment and related advocacy. She has earlier worked for Innovations for Poverty Action, Lukenya Pillars of Transformation, Education Center for Women in Democracy and Research International.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Founding Member
Gargi Banerji is a founding member of Pragya. A post-graduate in Business Administration, she has worked as a management consultant and has wide experience of consulting with industrial houses and multi-national corporations. Ms. Banerji co-founded Pragya in 1995 and presently serves as an Executive Member of the Board of Trustees (Hon.). Through her decisions and actions, she has been shaping the organization into a development institution of repute. Under her leadership, Pragya has made significant contributions to improving lives of disadvantaged communities and conserving fragile ecologies. For her exemplary work on the conservation of medicinal and aromatic plants, she has been awarded the 'Whitley Award for International Nature Conservation'. She is a recipient of the 'MSDS Award' for Social Entrepreneurs and has also received recognition for her work by National HRD Network of India. Ms. Banerji is actively engaged in research and advocacy on development issues. She has authored several papers and publications on diverse development themes, including poverty alleviation, conservation and green development, women's empowerment, disaster management, served as guest editor on international journals of repute and as speaker at international fora, and contributed frequently to various UN consultations. She is also on the Board of two networks for development issues in India.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Select Staff
- Regional Manager, Kenya
Ashitiva works on Pragya's Kenya programmes, based out of Nairobi. He coordinates with field staff and partner NGOs to carry out programming on agriculture and sustainable livelihoods, health and WASH and education. He also conducts necessary research and monitoring to ensure programme deliverables.
He has prior experience in Community Education service and Agro-forestry programmes. He holds a Master's in Project Planning and Management from University of Nairobi. Before joining Pragya, he has been associated with the Development Action and Research Project, Africa and Community Education Services, Canada.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Select Staff
- Development Officer, UK
Prior to joining Pragya in 2021, Georgia worked as a Project Coordinator for Blossom Trust, working in Tamil Nadu on gender, health and agriculture projects. Georgia has also gained experience in communications, outreach and fundraising, having interned at Peabody Housing Association, The AIRE Centre, African Initiatives and Article 25. She holds a BA in Anthropology from Bristol University and an MSc in Development Studies from the London School of Economics.
Job Titles:
- Regional Team Member, East Africa
Gibson has in-depth experience in agro-forestry and knowledge extension. In Pragya Kenya, he is involved in stakeholder interactions and documentation. He supervises research and training initiatives in the domain of natural resource management. A graduate in Horticulture from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Gibson has been working with the Kenyan farmers for over 5 years. Before joining Pragya, he has been associated with various projects of Swedish Cooperative Centre for Agro Forestry, Horticulture Crops Development Authority, National Environment Management Authority.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
As a founder, managing trustee and honorary Executive Director of Ability Foundation, a national non-profit organization committed to providing equitable opportunities, empowerment, and integration to people with disabilities, Jayshree Raveendran transformed the discourse and notion of disability and changed the way that disability was perceived in the country. . She has a Research Degree in English Literature from the University of Madras as well as a Degree in Education from the M.S. University of Baroda. She has held positions of Lecturer in IIT, Chennai and Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi and positions of Creative Writer and Senior Executive in advertising and corporate agencies. Having an initial career in academics and creative writing, she has dedicated herself to building an equitable society and has led several initiatives in the domain over the past two decades. She is involved in the development of India's National policy on issues pertaining to disability and has been a member of advisory committees, standing committees and task forces on social justice and empowerment and human resources for Government of India.
Job Titles:
- Certified Public Accountant
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
John Pope Aleri is a certified public accountant with a decade of experience of managing financial organisations in Kenya, and is an expert in financial reporting and cash inflow management. He has previously worked extensively with public health institutions in Nairobi, and was the head of credit control at APA Instance Ltd where he was instrumental in formulating credit risk policies and implementing a debtor tracking system. He is using his extensive knowledge of the development sector to help the sugarcane farmers in Homa Bay and Migori counties of Kenya to market their produce by facilitating market linkages.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
- Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
A graduate in Mathematics, Mr. Subramanian is an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (All India 3rd Rank holder in the CA Final exams). He is with TATA Consultancy Services (TCS) for over 30 years where he currently heads their Delivery Excellence Group with global responsibilities for enterprise quality, customer advocacy, performance improvement, knowledge management, agile deployment and benchmarking. His earlier leadership roles include functions such as Enterprise Process Design, India Geography Delivery, Program Management Practice and Australia / New Zealand Operations. He is trained in the application of Systems Engineering, Complexity science, Agile methodologies and Data Science to solve real business problems. With his deep experience, he has rendered consulting and program management services to Fortune 500 companies across industries such as Banking and Financial Services, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Utilities, Retail, Travel/Hospitality and Energy & Resources.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
Krishna Kumar has more than 20 years of experience in the information systems sector and publishing industry in the US. He has particular competence in e-commerce solutions and is keenly interested in the application of such technologies and solutions for improving the livelihoods of the poor along with developing market linkages for them. One of the main areas of his concern are the digital and technical divide in developing nations, and he has been guiding Pragya in bridging this divide.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Disaster Management
He holds an Engineering degree (Electrical Engineering) and began his career in the IT sector. In his more than 12 years of experience in the non-profit sector, he has had rich experience in programming in multiple development issues ranging from Climate Change, Renewable Energy to Political and Electoral Reforms. He brings in strong skills in Stakeholder Relations, Advocacy and Campaigns and Outreach Programmes in these domains.
Nilima Das has been working as a mentor (Missamari...
Job Titles:
- Director
- Manager, Disaster Management
Poonam is a part of the Director's office and plays a key Coordination & Communication role.
She brings in diverse, varied & rich experience in Event Management, Internal Communications, Administration, vendor management and travel management. Prior to joining Pragya, she was in the media sector and associated with NDTV Worldwide. In her role, she coordinates with various Pragya offices and stakeholders, facilitating operations and productivity. She holds a Bachelors in English (Hons) and diploma in Office Management.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
Pratap Rughani is an award-winning writer and documentary filmmaker and academic. He has over 30 films for British television (BBC TV & Channel4, UK) and has written for several newspapers (The Independent & The Times, London). His work ranges from investigative social stories to environmental themes. He has extensive experience of working in developing countries (South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa) and has keen interest in developmental issues. Apart from working on various documentation and filming projects, Dr. Rughani is Associate Dean of Research and Course Director for Documentary Film at the London College of Communication, University of the Arts, London (UAL). He has been working at the university to promote cross-cultural exchange through teaching, research and documentary film practice. He presents and writes widely on documentary practice, ethics and roles, relationship between film, philosophy and the evolution of post-colonial thought. Dr. Rughani has been instrumental in Pragya UK's collaborations with key partners like The Karuna Trust, which has led to development and implementation of several large-scale projects in the Indian Himalayas.
Job Titles:
- Manager - Program Support
Samir heads the Program Support Department at Pragya India's Gurgaon Office and leads a team of HR, Administration and Support Staff.
He brings in over 33 yrs of experience in Human Resource, Administration & Logistics operations in the Non Profit sector. He has previously worked with INGOs in multiple regions across India and has managed multidisciplinary and multi-locational teams. Samir is a Graduate in Science from the Calcutta University and holds a PG Diploma in Human Resources Management.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Social Development
Saroja leads the Social Development vertical of Pragya, India at its Gurgaon Office and manages multiple projects related to social development across our geographies in India.
She holds a Post Graduate Degree in Applied Operational Research and a Masters in Social Work (MSW). She has over 15 years of experience in the Development/Non-Profit Sector and in Research & Consultancy. She has worked with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, GoI in various capacities for over 7 years on issues related to women's empowerment, gender mainstreaming, child development & protection, and girl child education.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
Having a post-graduate degree in Psychology, Shanti Prasad has held the position of Professor of Psychology at the Department of Psychology and Parapsychology at Andhra University in India. In her long career in academics and research in India and the US, she has lectured and published widely on the subjects of her expertise. She has been associated with The Institute for Yoga & Consciousness (Visakhapatnam, India) and has also conducted studies on psychological, physiological and parapsychological aspects of yoga and meditation. Shanti was closely connected with the setting up of Pragya in 1995, advising and guiding the founding members in the initial years. Based out of US today, she promotes and facilitates the organisation's activities in the country to help it build a wider support base.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Trustee
Sunil Pillai co-founded Pragya in 1995 and has been an Executive member of the board (Hon.) directing the finance and communication functions along with developing and managing stakeholder relations. A post-graduate in Business Administration, he has 25 years of experience in the corporate, with wide experience of consulting with industrial houses and multi-national corporations, as well as the state and development sectors. Mr. Pillai has been instrumental in the growth and diversification of Pragya into new geographies and programming areas. His significant contribution has led Pragya to win many accolades and prestigious international awards (Whitley Award, Energy Globe Award, and STARS Impact Award to name a few). Apart from that, he has also been acclaimed by National HRD Network of India for his valuable contribution to the sector. Mr. Pillai also plays a key role in managing Pragya Solutions and the delivery of advisory services to other state and non-state actors under this banner. He has conducted various programme assessments, evaluations and planning studies on multiple development sectors.
Prior to joining Pragya, Tommaso worked in advocacy and fundraising for the New York-based non-profit ARCHIVE Global, which focuses on the link between health and the built environment. He has volunteered extensively at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, both as a patient advocate and assisting with research programs. Tommaso also has experience in academic research, having worked as a research assistant at UCL's Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy. He holds a BA in Architecture from Columbia University, and an MSc in Urban Economic Development from University College London.