Shankar Maruwada
CEO, EkStep Foundation
Shankar Maruwada is the CEO of EkStep Foundation, a philanthropic mission he co-founded with Nandan Nilekani and Rohini Nilekani in 2015, to improve basic education for 200 million children in India.
He is a member of the National Steering Committee set up by the Government of India for reshaping the country’s curriculum in line with the 2020 National Education Policy. More than 25 years of experience across corporate, entrepreneurial, nonprofit and government sectors enables Shankar to see through different lenses, an ability that he has effectively leveraged in shaping EkStep’s mission, using technology strategically to achieve population-scale impact in learning.
Shankar is deeply passionate about data, research, and leveraging technology for creating large-scale transformation in society. He was part of the startup team at Aadhaar; he was also responsible for naming it. He set up one of India’s first data analytics companies, Marketics. This combination of cross-sectoral experience and interdisciplinary approach has been the driving force in pursuing innovative solutions at scale, together with strategic collaborations, in achieving EkStep’s education mission. He is a mentor to startups, social entrepreneurs, and not-for-profits.
The motto of his alma mater, IIT Kharagpur, ‘Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam’ (Yoga is excellence at work), and its message of ‘Dedicated to the service of the Nation’, together represent his chosen path of life. He deems it a privilege that he received the best possible higher education in India, and that it was subsidised by the Indian taxpayers. He is also an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
Shankar values the diversity generated by his experience of having lived, and grown up, in the north, south, east, and west of India. Being a proud husband and a playful father, he considers, are his greatest achievements.