Team

Associate - Communications and Marketing, ILSS

Aashi Sengar

Aashi Sengar is a dynamic communications professional with a Master’s in Mass Communication from Pondicherry University and a Bachelor’s in English from the University of Delhi. Her diverse skill set spans content management, digital media creation, graphic design, and social media strategy. 

Her love for storytelling was sparked by her avid reading habit, which has been a constant companion throughout her life. This passion for narratives led her to pursue a career in communications, where she could weave stories that resonate with diverse audiences.

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Adil Shah

Adil is a passionate academic administrator and communicator with a Masters in Mass communication and Journalism from Kashmir University. He has had rich experience working at the student interface of new-age innovative pedagogies. Adil has worked in institutions such as Ashoka University, Vedica Scholars Programme for Women, Indian School of Development Management, and Masters’ Union School of Business.

Over the years, Adil has acquired skills in communication, content creation, programme leadership, and educational administration.

His film, Life on Wheels was recognised as the best film amongst 34 entries from all over India at the Verite Film Festival 2011.

Manager - Outreach and Communication, ILSS

Ananya Sharma

Ananya has garnered experience in the dynamic field of marketing and communication, particularly within the Ed-tech sector. Her journey includes contributions to various marketing initiatives aimed at enhancing brand visibility and engagement. With a keen eye for visual storytelling, she has seamlessly integrated her passion for photography and video production into her professional endeavours. Ananya has played instrumental roles in the growth of several social media channels, demonstrating proficiency in content strategising, creation, and marketing.

Prior to her current role, Ananya dedicated her efforts to marketing an AI software aimed at first-generation English learners at grassroots levels across India. Additionally, she volunteers at the Society of Universe Lovers (SOUL), where she supports underprivileged children’s education and cares for abandoned cows. 

Senior Associate - Outreach and Admissions, ILSS

Ananya Singh

Ananya is a dynamic and results-driven professional with expertise in strategic planning, partnership management, public policy, and international relations. She started her professional journey at the Ananta Aspen Centre where she successfully curated high-profile summits and discussions on critical global issues. Notably, having spearheaded a significant visit to Japan with Indian Members of Parliament in collaboration with key stakeholders. 

As a skilled communicator, Ananya excels in bringing together government, private sector, and academic leaders to forge strategic partnerships that drive meaningful change. She completed her schooling at Welham Girls’ School and holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from Delhi University.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Ananya is passionate about theatre, basketball, reading, and traveling, reflecting her well-rounded interests and commitment to continuous personal growth.

Head - Centre of Excellence for Digital Transformation

Anirban Chaudhury

Anirban leads the Centre of Excellence for Digital Transformation at ILSS. He has more than two decades of experience in delivering strong commercial growth and leading large scale business transformations using innovative Data Science & AI frameworks, for Fortune 500 enterprises. 

He has set-up from scratch and led a number of highly successful analytics & AI enterprises across the globe, and has been instrumental in designing and implementing pioneering AI/ML solutions for various industries.

Prior to ILSS, Anirban has held strategic and business leadership roles in global organizations including Accenture, AXA, HP, and GE.

Anirban holds a master’s degree in economics from the Delhi School of Economics, India and is also an alum of The ILSS Leadership Program

Founder - CEO

Anuradha Prasad

Anu Prasad is the Founder & CEO of India Leaders for Social Sector (ILSS), a Delhi-based non-profit that works to strengthen the leadership talent pool in the social sector. Prior to setting up ILSS in 2017, Anu was the founding Deputy Dean of the prestigious Young India Fellowship (YIF) and a founding member of Ashoka University, India’s first liberal arts university. Before joining the social sector, Anu held leadership roles at multinational companies such as American Express and TNT. At Amex, she led the implementation of Amex’s global financial re-engineering as a part of launching Amex Financial Resource Centre in India. At TNT she was head of finance for the company’s North India region. An entrepreneur at heart, Anu has also co-founded and managed a successful travel company. She has also been a consultant for Dell Foundation on its education projects. Anu is an avid reader, an active volunteer in civic causes, and a passionate believer in lifelong learning, all of which she incorporates into the ILSS proposition of learning and values-based leadership. She also mentors young professionals and senior leaders and sits on the Board of two non-profit organisations. Anu graduated from HR College, Mumbai, and received her MBA from IMI, New Delhi.

Program Manager

Apeksha Victor

Apeksha is a seasoned professional with over 5 years of experience in Learning and Development and has a deep appreciation for the role that organizations like Teach For India and LEAD School have played in her professional journey.

As an avid reader and lifelong learner, Apeksha understands the importance of staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends and continuously expanding her knowledge base. In her free time, she enjoys books, tea and her love for music and literature extends beyond personal enjoyment.

Program Associate - Fundraising COE, ILSS

Aradhya Sahu

Aradhya has forged a dynamic career path, transitioning from the corporate realm to impactful social work. Starting his professional journey at KPMG, Aradhya honed his skills in a fast-paced, results-driven environment, where he gained valuable experience in strategic analysis and project management. His desire to contribute to societal change led him to a transformative fellowship with Teach For India (TFI), where he immersed himself in educational initiatives aimed at bridging the opportunity gap for underprivileged children.

Currently, Aradhya is a Program Associate at ILSS (India Leaders for and Social Sector) in the Center of Excellence for Fundraising. His blend of corporate acumen and passion for social causes underscores his commitment to fostering meaningful change and advancing sustainable development goals. Aradhya’s journey reflects a dedication to leveraging his skills for the greater good, making a significant difference in the social sector through both strategic insight and hands-on engagement.

Chief Operating Officer

Archana Ramachandran

Archana’s work experiences have focused on leading projects and teams in Learning and Leadership across the Corporate, Government and Social sectors. Prior to ILSS, she worked as the City Director at Teach for India (TFI) where she led the strategy and operations for the TFI Fellowship and Alumni Movement to create a movement for educational equity. Prior to Teach for India, Archana worked with Infosys Leadership Institute and Boston Public Schools in the areas of Human Capital, Competency Development, Change Management and Diversity and Inclusion.

Archana is an Alumna of the Master’s Program in Education (M.Ed.) at Harvard Graduate School of Education at Massachusetts, Master’s Program in Management (MBA) at T.A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal and the Bachelor’s Program in Commerce (B.COM) at Stella Maris College, Chennai. Across all roles and teams, being a learner and an educator is the core of her work.

Sr. Associate- Accounts

Bhawani Nirwan

Bhawani Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce and a diploma in Finance and Accounts. He comes with over 6 years of experience in accounts in companies like Koncept Group and The Ultimate Traveling Camp Pvt Ltd. At ILSS he is currently responsible for operations and accounts

Dr Rajneesh Chowdhury

Dr Rajneesh Chowdhury heads the Centre of Excellence for Leadership at ILSS. He holds an MA in Sociology, and an MSc and PhD in Systems Thinking. He is a distinguished professional with a career spanning over two decades across management consulting, lifelong learning, social impact, and strategic communications. He is the author of two books and numerous peer-reviewed publications. He was instrumental in designing, launching, and delivering a groundbreaking Master’s program in systems thinking and leadership for the UK civil service at the Birmingham Leadership Institute, University of Birmingham (UK). He has been appointed Fellow at the Centre for Systems Studies, University of Hull Business School (UK), for his continued contribution to systems thinking and practice.

Senior Program Manager

Dr Shradha Roy

Dr. Shradha has a career spanning for now around 10 years covering diversified sectors including R & D, technology development and social impact. With expertise in program management and leadership and acumen for strategic thinking and decision making she has been able to show excellent results working in high-pressure and fast-paced situations with stakeholders including government, corporates, non-profits and global organisations. Awarded with the MEXT Govt. of Japan Fellowship for her Ph D nominated by MHRD, Govt. of India, she is an alumna of University of Tokyo, and has done her doctorate in the field of Plant Molecular Genetics. Positive and passionate Shradha enjoys music and mingling across cultures.

Program Associate - Leadership and Development

Evyan Rai

Evyan recently graduated from the Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts, having majored in Economics and minoring in both, Law and Film. Prior to his work at ILSS he has spent some time working in the public policy space working in the AICC Research Department and at the Centre for the Study of Developing Socieites. His motivation to making a change in the social sector has driven him to vounteer and work in social sector across multiple NGO’s.

Head - Finance and Administration

Gopal Sharma

Gopal Sharma heads the Finance and Admin function at ILSS, he is a Chartered Accountant and comes with over 22 years of diversified experience, majorly working in the Development sector. He specialises in Compliances, Taxations, Budgeting, Financial planning, Forecasting, MIS, Procurement and Vendor management, etc. He is a team player enjoy working with cross functional areas.

His most recent position was as the CFO of Cankids Kidscan and in the past also worked with NASSCOM and NSDC.

Program Manager

Jasmine Saha

Jasmine is a seasoned professional with 5 of experience and a proven ability to perform in cross-functional & fast-paced environments. She began her career in the field of Data Analytics, where as a Sr. Business Analyst she focused on automation and process building . However, her interest in the social sector encouraged her to become a fellow with Teach for India. The fellowship enabled her to create an impact at the grassroots education system. During this time she also piloted her project to enable STEM learning her schooling system.

Hailing from Kolkata, Jasmine loves exploring places, cuisines and culture.

Senior Program Manager

Meenal Manolika

Meenal is a social sector professional with extensive experience of working on issues of gender justice. Prior to ILSS, she was with Kamla Bhasin’s Sangat – a Feminist Network where, for 4+ years, she designed and implemented capacity building programs, campaigns, cultural interventions and strengthened feminist networking around gender justice in South Asia. Meenal holds a Bachelor of Engineering from BIT, Mesra and has worked as a Software Engineer for Verizon Data Services India. She has also been a Young India Fellow (2015-16) at Ashoka University.

Associate Director - Placement, ILSS

Monica Dhir

Monica brings over 20 years of experience in igniting minds across classrooms and boardrooms. Her journey began as a dedicated teacher, blossoming into leadership roles at renowned organisations like Extra Marks & Zee Learn. Further honing her expertise, she headed Learning Delivery at IIIM Ltd. and Zonal Academics at Tata ClassEdge. Her academic foundation, with its MSc in Physics, MA in English literature, BEd and MBA in human resources complement her practical experience seamlessly. From fostering leadership skills to crafting curricula and nurturing relationships, her expertise lies in connecting people and facilitating growth. This shines through in her ability to build networks, understand both sides of the hiring equation, and ensure smooth transitions. A lifelong learner herself, she believes in continuous improvement. In her free time, you’ll find her lost in soulful music or exploring mystical wisdom – pursuits that fuel her creativity and passion for learning.

Chief of Staff

Monica Hemrajani

Monica’s work experiences have focused on roles spanning strategy, organization building, program implementation & consulting. She has spent the last three years working closely with the Chief Minister’s office, in Haryana designing and deploying various policy interventions.

Monica is a Chartered Accountant by education and started her career as an investment banker. A desire to impact the lives of people around her made her crossover from the corporate world to the social sector. She has worked on grassroots initiatives focussing on financial inclusion, education, and women empowerment in rural districts of Maharashtra and Haryana. These experiences have reinforced her commitment to making a positive impact and continuing to work toward the betterment of society.

Senior Associate - Marketing and Communications, ILSS

Muskaan Bhatia

Muskaan, a seasoned marketing professional with nearly four years of experience, has demonstrated her acumen in diverse industries. Starting her journey from a textile market intelligence platform and share and stock broking company as a marketing intern, she later transitioned to a full-time role in a private and bespoke tailoring business. Her expertise extended to the pet industry, and for the past two years, she has been a valuable contributor to an Ed-Tech company. Holding a BA in economics from Jai Hind College, Mumbai, her commitment to excellence includes ongoing learning in a digital marketing course, reflecting her dedication to staying updated in the dynamic industry. Beyond her professional endeavours, Muskaan’s passion for journaling, organisational finesse, and creativity define her dynamic approach.

Associate Director & Lead - Placements

Naeha Sharma

Naeha leads the Placements at ILSS, She is a management graduate and comes with over 16 years of experience. She specialises in Executive Search and worked with ABC Consultants before joining team ILSS. She has successfully partnered with organisations within the education and social sector for their critical hiring needs.

She has a knack for placing the right person for the right job and enjoys working with varied stakeholders.

In her free time, she loves to travel, try different cuisines, and understand local cultures.

Head - Centre of Excellence for Fundraising

Nikita Gupta

Nikita is an impact leader with experience across corporate philanthropy, capacity building, and nonprofit program management. She previously served as the India Lead at Google.org, the global philanthropic arm of Google, wherein she spearheaded Google India’s CSR strategy and grantmaking. She built Google India’s first philanthropic portfolio in Digital Responsibility to reach over 1 million underserved people, in addition to crafting impact partnerships in sustainability, economic opportunity, and AI for Social Good. 

Early in her career, she was a founding team member of the School of Life Foundation, a not-for-profit social enterprise focused on prevention of sexual violence against women and children. She also worked with Kaivalya Education Foundation on large-scale public education reform in rural Rajasthan and municipal schools of Mumbai. 

Nikita holds a Master’s in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education and is also an alum of Delhi University and the Gandhi Fellowship.

Associate - Centre of Excellence for Leadership

Nish Dewani

Nish Dewani is an Associate in the Centre of Excellence for Leadership at ILSS and also the Founder of Naaz Be Proud, a platform raising awareness about marginalised genders. A recognised advocate for social change, she is also a Young Changemaker Fellow with Pride Circle, where she contributes to advancing LGBTQIA+ rights and inclusion. 

With a strong academic foundation, Nish holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Delhi and is pursuing a second degree in Economics. 

Passionate about gender equality and education, she volunteers her time to support these causes. Beyond her professional commitments, she is also a trained Hindustani classical singer.

Associate Director

Nupur Mahajan

Nupur brings with her a decade long experience in content creation, training and facilitation, while working with a diverse audience across Edtech, Big4, Health & IT sectors.

Being a hustler at core, Nupur started and continued her entrepreneurial journey of 6.5 years, as one of the Founder Team members at Parwarish– responsible for nurturing the unlimited potential of Human beings.
Since then, she has worked in both corporate and Startup spaces.

In the past, she has been responsible for creating and delivering effective learning programs for Senior Women leaders, Mid management and Early talent during her tenure at Deloitte India Shared Services Pvt. Ltd. She also taught a rigorous 110 hour of Design Thinking course to Global Universities across South Africa, Netherlands as Director of Learning at Ingenious Faces

Nupur holds a Master’s degree in Human Development & Childhood studies (University of Delhi) along with an Advanced Diploma in Guidance and counselling from IP University and is keen on building the Entrepreneurial mindsets in young talent across India

Program Manager

Payel Mohanto

As a driven professional with a passion for inspiring and empowering others, I have spent the past 7+ years honing my skills in project management, marketing expansion, stakeholder relationship management, and team leadership. I am in a constant quest for Exploring New Horizons & Driving Growth and Innovation through Strategic Leadership and Collaborative Solutions. I have worked extensively in remote areas across India, working in livelihood generation for rural communities.

When I am not working, you will usually find me exploring remote corners of the world or burying my head deep in some novel! I am an explorer at heart & have an immense sweet tooth.

Consultant

Ravin Khosla

Ravin concluded a 37-year military career as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff, holding the rank of a Three-Star General. Through a long and checkered career, he has served along both the Pakistan and China borders. He has actively participated in counter terrorist operations and commanded prestigious field formations, including the renowned Gajraj Corps. At the apex level, he contributed to HR policy formulation and its implementation. Additionally, Ravin served as instructional staff at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington and the National Defence College in New Delhi. He represented the United Nations in Congo and led the International Cooperation Branch of the Army.

Ravin holds an honours degree in economics from the University of Delhi, MPhil in Defence Studies from Madras University, Chennai and another MPhil from Devi Ahilya Bai University, Indore. His illustrious career earned him accolades, including the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.

Associate Director - Programs, ILSS

Roohi Sharma

Roohi leading the creation of a new program at ILSS. Prior to joining ILSS, Roohi held pivotal positions that allowed her to make significant contributions to education reform. At ChangeInkk Foundation in Delhi, she led the school education vertical, focusing on bridging the gap between policy and implementation for students with learning disabilities. Her tenure at the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) in Seattle, US, saw her actively engage in projects spanning charter schools, special education, school choice, and system governance. Roohi’s dedication to educational transformation also led her to serve at the Washington State Charter Schools Association during a key period following the passage of charter school legislation in the state. Her diverse professional background includes roles as an Education Pioneers Strategy Fellow in Boston, US, and a Teach For India fellow in Pune, India. Her professional journey began as an Application Developer at IBM in India.

In addition to her professional roles, Roohi has contributed her expertise to various boards, including the Master’s in Education Policy Alumni Advisory Board at the University of Washington and the League of Education Voters (LEV) Board of Directors in Seattle, US. She holds a master’s degree in education policy from the US, and a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from India.

Consultant

S Viswanathan

S Viswanathan (Vish) currently advises ILSS on all HR aspects and serves as  a coach to the ILSS alumni. He has a Masters in Applied Mathematics (Anna University, Chennai) and MBA (XLRI, Jamshedpur)

He enjoys working with diverse teams leveraging the opportunities to immerse himself into diverse functional areas across. During his career in the IT industry had the opportunity to take on roles spanning Training, Business Operations Management, P&L Management, Process Transition, Strategy, M&A, and Human Resources. His most recent corporate position was as the Chief People Officer of Coforge Ltd, formerly known as NIIT Technologies.

Head - Centre of Excellence for Board and Governance

Samina Alam

Samina Alam is the head of the Centre of Excellence for Board and Governance. Samina has spent close to two decades in the space of education and skills, conceptualising and managing large-scale multi-stakeholder engagements across geographies for corporates and nonprofit organisations. She has led systemic interventions for whole state transformation, curriculum and instructional design, training and development, M&E and impact assessment in the foundational learning, K-12 Ed-Tech, and employability skills domains. 

Having co-founded her own education and skills startup, Samina operationalised her own brand of preschools for the peri-urban population, led employability skills at school and placement-linked skills after school programs. 

She won the ‘Social Entrepreneur’ award in ‘Masterpreneur’ 2015, a national-level competition for Indian startups, organised by the national news channel CNBC Awaaz. She has an entrepreneurial approach to work and life and is passionate about girls’ education, gender equity and career opportunities for those with the least access. 

Before joining ILSS, Samina was the CEO of a national level nonprofit, SEEDS Impact, which had a diverse portfolio cutting across education, livelihoods, skills and health.

Lead - Marketing

Sandeep Julka

Sandeep Julka is a marketing professional with over ten years of experience in higher education. He specializes in Digital Marketing and is currently responsible for digital outreach of India Leaders For Social Sector.
Before ILSS, he managed the marketing and admissions for Plaksha University and the Indian School of Development Management (ISDM). He was instrumental in establishing the digital footprint for the Great Lakes Institute of Management’s undergraduate programs and the School of Inspired Leadership (SOIL). He began his professional innings with The Times of India (Media) before moving to Ignitee – To The New (Digital Marketing) and then Percept (Advertising).
Sandeep is an alumnus of Times School of Marketing (Master’s Program in Marketing) and Jamia Hamdard University (B.Sc. in Information Technology).
Sandeep is deeply committed to connecting students with educational institutions to further their professional and personal journeys. He is fascinated by the power of collaboration and teamwork.

Manager - Programs

Shraddha Upadhyay

Shraddha is a Manager – Programs at India Leaders for Social Sector. She has previously worked at Janaagraha, focusing on the intersections of public health and urban governance. Before that, she contributed to the childcare team at Lok Swasthya SEWA Trust, where she played a key role in strengthening evidence for policy advocacy.

She has also served as a Research Associate with Knowledge Management and Innovations for Change, a partnership between IIM Ahmedabad and UNICEF. She has pursued the Young India Fellowship from Ashoka University. She also earned a B.A., LL.B (Hons.) with a specialisation in Constitutional Law from the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab.

Senior Program Manager

Simran Gupta

Simran Gupta is a Program Manager – Placement and Alumni Engagement at ILSS. Simran’s career has spanned across research, teaching, program management, business development, and career services. She has worked with think tanks and educational organisations, in both the social and corporate space.

Prior to ILSS, Simran has served as a Senior Program Manager – Career Services at Masters’ Union where she worked with the founding team building the brand of Masters’ Union, making it India’s unique B-School offering industry immersive business education. She has also worked at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences managing end-to-end academic engagement of Customized Short-term Study in India Programmes for foreign universities and at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements in the resource development domain creating more visibility and fundraise for the institute.

Simran holds a M.Phil. in Development Studies from the TISS, Mumbai, M.Sc. in Economics (Development Studies) from the Symbiosis School of Economics, Pune and a BA Economics (H) from St. Xavier’s College, Ranchi.

Manager - Marketing and Communication

Souradeep Roy

Souradeep Roy is a communications specialist with nearly 8 years of experience in print media, online mediums as well as in the development sector. Being trained in both visual and written mass communication skills, he has extensively worked on writing and photographic assignments for international magazines as well as various YouTube channels. He has also worked with various Non-Profit organisations and corporate houses in various communication and fundraising capacities. A believer of constant self-improvement, he is also an alumni of ILSS’ Fundraising Program and is currently pursuing an Executive Programme on Business Analytics – Branding and Advertising from Indian Institute of Management, Indore.

Senior Manager

Tapoja Mukherji

Prior to joining ILSS, Tapoja was the long-standing Senior Editor of TTIS, a renowned children’s weekly from The Telegraph, Kolkata — a part of the ABP Group, one the most well-known media houses in India. Passionate about content writing, and with a flair for editing, Tapoja is now a part of the ILSS communications team. Content writing and evaluation, proofreading, and copy editing are a few of her core areas of expertise.

An alumna of Loreto School and Presidency College, Tapoja holds an MA in English, and also a B.Ed. She started her career as a high school teacher more than two decades ago.

Finance and Operations Manager

Vineet Mittal

Vineet comes with over 8 years of experience in Accounting and Finance across sectors. At ILSS he takes care of the organization’s admin and operations apart from the leading the Accounts department. Prior to ILSS, he has held several leadership roles in companies like Koncept Group and Deutsche Motoren. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from Delhi University.

Program Manager

Vishakha Singh

Vishakha has worked for over 5 years across the development sector. She worked as an experiential learning specialist for Disha India in Gurgaon before moving to Rajasthan, UP, and eventually Chhattisgarh as part of the Piramal Foundation. Through these three years, she worked with the govt at all levels in education and health domains. However, the most fulfilling work for her was as a mentor to Gandhi fellows. In her last stint, she was a Senior Associate, Fundraising at The Antara Foundation working in maternal health.

Vishakha hails from Lucknow and loves academics. She has also had a brief stint in college theatre, actively doing street and stage plays across universities.