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Leadership
Meet the 2023 Fall Acumen Fellows in India
Meet the 2023 India Acumen Fall Fellows and discover how they are building a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable future
December 22, 2023
Collage of 2023 Acumen Fall Fellows
As we usher in a new dawn, we extend a warm embrace to the resilient and trailblazing individuals who have emerged from the crucible of the 2023 India Acumen Fall Fellowship. Their journey, marked by shared aspirations and steadfast determination, has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Diversity is our strength, and this cohort epitomizes it in every sense — diverse in age, sector, social background, and, most importantly, in their visions for a brighter, more equitable future. The 17 social leaders who now proudly wear the Acumen badge have woven a tapestry of rich experiences and unique perspectives.
In the intimate ecosystem of the fellowship, these leaders have not only honed their skills in moral leadership and systems thinking but have also forged bonds that go beyond professional networking — bonds grounded in empathy, collaboration, and the shared commitment to driving positive change.
Navigating through the challenges of a dynamic world, this cohort has not just weathered storms but has harnessed the winds of adversity to propel their impact initiatives to new heights. As they transition into the Foundry, the crucible of innovation and collaboration, we anticipate nothing short of transformative outcomes.
The strength of our community lies in its interconnectedness, and these 17 individuals are poised to contribute significantly to the broader India community of 275 leaders. They carry with them the torch of possibility, the spirit of resilience, and the conviction that, together, we can reshape realities and make lasting, meaningful impacts.
Join us in celebrating the triumphs and aspirations of the 2023 India Acumen Fall Fellows, for they are the architects of a future where justice, inclusivity, and sustainability are not mere ideals but tangible realities.
Here's to new beginnings, shared journeys, and the promise of a better tomorrow.
Akriti Gupta
Region: Faridabad, Haryana
Title/Organization: Founder of Canfem
Akriti is the co-founder of Canfem, a social enterprise that empowers cancer patients to live with dignity and a better quality of life through non-clinical interventions. With a profound impact on over 200,000 lives, she is leading the charge to revolutionize cancer care. Prior to Canfem, Akriti worked on cancer advocacy, patient support and survivorship, drawing inspiration from her father's cancer journey. She is an alumna of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Aruna Sanghapali
Region: New Delhi
Title/Organization: Founder and Executive Director of Project Mukti
Aruna is the Founder of Project Mukti, which aims to promote gender and caste equity. She has played several roles in response to community needs over the last two decades. She is a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and digital security trainer, anti-caste activist, personal and business development trainer, and social media campaigner. With dual master’s degrees in business administration and Linguistics, she is currently pursuing a Ph.D. with a research focus on the impact of NLP on anxiety and performance in second language learners.
Chandan Singh
Region: Ranchi, Jharkhand
Title/Organization: Co-Founder of Pratigya
Chandan is the Co-Founder of Pratigya, which strives to improve access to education for tribal children in urban slums and surrounding rural areas. He collaborates with both government and private education systems. In communities, he imparts leadership qualities, health, financial and life skills to children in accordance with democratic principles. Chandan completed his master’s in education from Azim Premji University in 2019.
Kuldeep Singh
Region: New Delhi
Title/Organization: Regional Director - India & Bangladesh at Seva Foundation, Berkeley, California, USA
Kuldeep's work focuses on preventing blindness and visual impairment by promoting eye health. He is leading the India and Bangladesh programs and serves on the board of ‘Vision 2020 India’. Kuldeep is a Swedish Institute's YCF Fellow and has previously worked with NITI Aayog, Tata Trusts, and CRISIL Advisory. He is a management graduate from Lucknow University with advanced studies in sustainable development at EPFL, Lausanne.
Kunal Vaid
Region: New Delhi
Title/Organization: Founder and CEO of Resham Sutra
Kunal is the Founder and CEO of Resham Sutra, an organization that empowers rural textile producers in India by providing them with innovative, solar-powered machines to double their productivity and income. Resham Sutra is now moving towards digitalization. He leads the development of an ecosystem for them with training, financing, and backward and forward linkages. Kunal's background in textile manufacturing and education as an industrial engineer have been instrumental in innovating solutions.
Lakshmipriya S.
Region: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Title/Organization: Supervisory Public Grievance Redressal Officer in Mudhalvarin Mugavari Department, Government of Tamil Nadu
Lakshmipriya serves as the Deputy Collector for the Government of Tamil Nadu. She currently works in the department responsible for public grievance redressal and building citizen-centric governance. She received the CM in Your Constituency award for her excellent work in coordinating the technical-related work in the department.
Major Jai Singh
Region: Gurez, Jammu & Kashmir
Title/Organization: Operation Sadbhavana, Indian Army
Jai Singh is currently working as a Major on Operation Sadbhavana in the Indian Army. Major Jai Singh draws from his childhood spent in various locations due to his father’s postings in the army, from small and secluded areas to large cities. His experiences in AIESEC have also been influential, and he is using those lessons to create an impact in Gurez.
Manik Dhingra
Region: Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Title/Organization: Co-Founder of Shoonya Environmental Solutions & Eywa
Manik Dhingra is the Co-founder of Shoonya Environmental Solutions and Eywa. Shoonya works with market-based solutions to enable the implementation of a resilient solid waste management system in India. Eywa focuses on empathetic leadership development for the waste management sector. Manik is an Aspire Circle Fellow, and a fellow of the Japan-India Transformative Technology Network anchored by Salzburg Global Seminar. Manik recently completed the Regenerative Economics course anchored by the Capital Institute.
Nagakarthik MP
Region: Shillong, Meghalaya
Title/Organization: Founder of Sauramandala Foundation
Nagakarthik Mp is the founder of the Sauramandala Foundation, which works to improve the development indicators of remote, vulnerable, and disconnected communities. An engineer by education, he has spent the last eight years working across the Indian Himalayan region and the Northeastern states to design large-scale programs across health, education, climate, and entrepreneurship. While not working, he can mostly be found on a motorcycle in a remote village.
Nidhi Jain
Region: Pune, Maharashtra
Title/Organization: Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Fluid Robotics
Nidhi Jain is the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Fluid Robotics. She has over 15 years of experience working in tech, where she built software products for companies such as Qualcomm, iSkoot, and Flint Mobile in Silicon Valley, which are being used today by millions of people. She leads product design and technical development at Fluid to tackle urban water pollution and public-health challenges. Nidhi has a Master’s in Computer Science from the University of Southern California.
Niharika Jain
Region: Delhi
Title/Organization: Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Broomees
Niharika is the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Broomees India Private Limited, working towards standardization and training of domestic workers to disrupt the market. She has also worked with a bootstrap startup for 2 years where she realized how exciting building things from scratch were. She holds a commerce degree from Delhi University and turned down her MBA admission at Indian School of Business to kickstart Broomees in 2021.
Pragya Pathak
Region: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Title/Organization: Lead Delivery & Operations at Anode Governance Lab
Pragya Pathak is currently leading delivery and operations at Anode Governance Lab. She is a social researcher with over 15 years of experience in designing and implementing projects. Her role involves developing and designing the project frameworks and implementation strategies for the project teams. Her experience spans a wide range of sectors including institutional strengthening, governance, gender, and labour rights both in formal and informal sectors across urban and rural settings.
Rajkumar M.
Region: Kohima, Nagaland
Title/Organization: Divisional Forest Officer, Kohima Forest Division, Government of Nagaland
Rajkumar M. is an Indian Forest Service officer of 2014 batch. He is currently serving as Divisional Forest Officer, Kohima, Nagaland. He has 2 years of corporate experience and 8 years of experience in Government sector donning various hats in Ecotourism, Wildlife and Livelihood improvement. He has been a recipient of Governor’s Gold medal for his distinguished service and Home Commissioner’s certificate of appreciation for exemplary service during Forest fire.
Revathi R.
Region: Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu
Title/Organization: Founder and Director of Vanavil Trust
Revathi is the Founder and Director of Vanavil Trust, a social development organization that works towards the betterment of nomadic communities in Tamil Nadu, through education and livelihoods. She is a writer, filmmaker, and social development professional who started Vanavil Trust in 2005 after the devastation of the Asian Tsunami. Her organization has been a pioneer in advocating for the identity, dignity, and equality of nomadic communities in the coastal district of Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu.
Shashank Mittal
Region: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Title/Organization: Lead, Partnerships and Development at Community Design Agency, Mumbai
Shashank currently leads the Partnerships and Development at Community Design Agency in Mumbai. Alongside being involved in ongoing projects, he works to establish new partnerships and engagement opportunities for the studio. He has a bachelor’s in interior design from School of Visual Arts, New York and is an alumni of Young India Fellowship.
Sahar Mansoor
Region: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Title/Organization: Founder of Bare Necessities
Sahar Mansoor is the Founder of Bare Necessities, a social enterprise promoting zero-waste, circular economy and sustainability. They provide zero-waste personal care, lifestyle, home care and educational products and services, including online sustainability courses. Sahar's prior experience includes working at the World Health Organization in Geneva and at SELCO Foundation implementing solar energy projects in rural Karnataka. Sahar is a University of Cambridge graduate from 2014.
Shuchin Bajaj
Region: Delhi
Title/Organization: Founder and Director of Ujala Cygnus Hospitals
Dr. Shuchin Bajaj is Founder and Director of Ujala Cygnus Hospitals. Prior to this, he worked at Delhi's biggest private hospital. Cygnus Hospitals has grown to 19 hospitals, with outreach clinics and digital health services, providing high-quality low-cost healthcare to communities that don't have access. His work has been recognized with several awards including the "Entrepreneur of the Year" at the 7th Economic Times Awards in 2019.
