Team
Akshay Nambiar
Ashoka

Akshay Nambiar
Ashoka
Akshay is supporting the building and management of ASPI-Re´s community, ecosystem, operations, and partnerships. He is passionate about weaving a holistic understanding of policy, sustainability and youth-leadership. He previously led a youth-run leadership development organization in various roles and worked across twenty-one countries for implementing SDG based projects to amplify awareness
Anand Rajan
Societal Platform

Anand Rajan
Societal Platform
Anand is a Societal Platform Strategy and Innovation advisor for organizations looking to solve large scale problems with speed and in a sustainable way.
Gopal Garg
Ashoka

Gopal Garg
Ashoka
Gopal Garg is ASPI-Re´s Ecosystem and Partnerships Director. For the last 20yrs he has led social impact initiatives with a focus on youth. His innovative programs on ecosystem building for the inclusion of people with disabilities in corporate has changed mindsets and influenced many policies in India, Mauritius and Kenya. He co-led the designing and implementing the mission of the 1million job
Irina Snissar
Ashoka

Irina Snissar
Ashoka
Irina leads program design and knowledge creation in ASPIRe. She is experienced in orchestrating complex social impact initiatives by engaging networks of social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, academia, and the private sector. She has conceptualized and led the launch of several initiatives with Ashoka, GiveIndia, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, Bangalore International Centre among others.
Maria Zapata
Ashoka

Maria Zapata
Ashoka
Maria Zapata is the ASPI-Re Global lead. She has been with Ashoka for almost 20 years leading different programs, including Globalizer, Ashoka´s flagship program on scaling. Supporting Social Entrepreneurs think strategically about how to best scale their impact has been at the core of Maria´s work, so she´s thrilled with the opportunity of supporting the creation of a framework that helps drive
Naveen Varshan
Societal Platform

Naveen Varshan
Societal Platform
Naveen manages Knowledge & Research for Societal Platforms initiative at EkStep Foundation. His focus is on enabling practices and policies that are grounded in the lived experiences of people.
Sahana Jose
Societal Platform

Sahana Jose
Societal Platform
Sahana Jose leads Communications & Engagements for Societal Platforms initiative at EkStep Foundation. Her interest lies in the intersection of social development and communication.
Vyjayanthi Mala
Societal Platform

Vyjayanthi Mala
Societal Platform
Vyjayanthi is a Program Manager at the Societal Platform. She strongly believes that every individual has an inherent willingness and ability to make this world a better place. She is committed to this transformation movement of activating it with the right energy and inspiration.
Deepali Bhardwaj
Ashoka

Deepali Bhardwaj
Ashoka
Deepali works as a Change Manager with the Globaliser team under their ASPIRe program. She comes with seven years of experience in the development sector working with youth & women in rural India and a master’s in development studies. Through ASPIRe Deepali is keen on understanding how technology especially digital platforms can support social entrepreneurs reach scale and higher impact. She is also an avid reader and a traveler!
Advisors
Antonella Broglia
Ambassador of Ashoka Spain and TEDx Conferences
Antonella Broglia
Ambassador of Ashoka Spain and TEDx Conferences
Antonella spent the first part of her career in commercial communication, working at Ogilvy & Mather and Saatchi & Saatchi as CEO, all around the world. In the last 15 years, she has devoted her life to the communication of social innovation and citizen innovators, in TV programs, TEDxTalks, and events promoting citizen Labs, as a curator, speaker and trainer. She is the Ambassador of Ashoka Spain since 2011.
Gautam John
Director of Strategy, Nilekani Philanthropies

Gautam John
Director of Strategy, Nilekani Philanthropies
Gautam believes that it is powerful to give people the ability to make a choice and that all individuals are agents of change.
Jeroo Billimoria
Ashoka Fellow since 1998

Jeroo Billimoria
Ashoka Fellow since 1998
Managing Director at One Family Foundation and at Child and Youth Finance International
Maria Clara Pinheiro
Director, Ashoka South Asia

Maria Clara Pinheiro
Director, Ashoka South Asia
For the past 20 years, Maria Clara has worked extensively to identify, support and engage leading social entrepreneurs in different parts of the world. She co-created The Wellbeing Project in 2012 and launched Ashoka’s global efforts in building a culture of wellbeing for changemakers. After leading Ashoka’s Global Fellowship Program for 3 years, Maria Clara is now building a new strategy and leadership team in South Asia. Maria Clara currently lives in Bangalore with her partner and daughter. She is passionate about yoga and Ayurveda and is very committed to her practice and learnings.
Pramod Varma
CTO, EkStep

Pramod Varma
CTO, EkStep
Dr. Pramod Varma is the CTO for EkStep. He continues to be the Chief Architect and Technology Advisor for Aadhaar (UID) project. He is passionate about technology, science, society, and teaching.
Rathish Balakrishnan
Co-founder and Managing Partner at Sattva Consulting

Rathish Balakrishnan
Co-founder and Managing Partner at Sattva Consulting
Committed to ending poverty in our lifetime by enabling exceptional leaders & social organisations to achieve orbit shifting change and designing & implementing solutions that will solve social problems for good. My ideal career would be at the intersection of deep social impact, entrepreneurship and Consulting. Which is what I do today.
Rizwan Tayabali
Founder / Director at Fraktal Impact

Rizwan Tayabali
Founder / Director at Fraktal Impact
Founder and Director of Fraktal; an impact agency specialising in Fund Strategy, Due Diligence and Partner (Fundee) Support. Aside from impact leadership, culture, and organisational design, other personal specializations include solution design, social innovation, systems change and financing, implementing and scaling long-term transformative solutions to deep-rooted social challenges.
Sanjay Purohit
Chief Curator, Societal Platform

Sanjay Purohit
Chief Curator, Societal Platform
Sanjay is the Chief Curator of Societal Platform at EkStep Foundation. He is a strategic advisor and a mentor to several entrepreneurs & social enterprises.
Sanjeev Arora
Ashoka Fellow since 2009

Sanjeev Arora
Ashoka Fellow since 2009
Sanjeev Arora is the Director and Founder of Project ECHO. He is a Distinguished Professor of Medicine with tenure in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. Project ECHO® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) dramatically improves both capacity and access to speciality care for rural and underserved populations.
Shankar Maruwada
CEO and Co-founder of EkStep

Shankar Maruwada
CEO and Co-founder of EkStep
Shankar Maruwada is the CEO and Co-founder of EkStep. He is an entrepreneur and marketing professional with a wide range of experience working on large scale projects. He is also an investor in startups and a mentor to entrepreneurs.