People

Mr. Jamshyd N. Godrej is the Chairman of the Board of Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company Limited. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, USA. Mr. Godrej is the former Chairman of Ananta Aspen Centre (previously known as Aspen Institute India), Chairman & Trustee of Ananta Centre. He is the President of the World-Wide Fund for Nature – India. He is the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, India Resources Trust and Council on Energy, Environment and Water. He is a Director of World Resources Institute, USA. He is also a Trustee of the Asia Society, USA. He is the Past President of Confederation of Indian Industry and also the Past President of the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association.

Mr. Godrej is the Chairman of the CII Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre. The Centre is housed in a LEED Platinum demonstration building which is the first green building in India and the greenest building in the world at the time when it was rated. The Green Business Centre is a Centre of Excellence for green buildings, energy efficiency, energy conservation, non-conventional energy sources, water policy, water conservation, etc. Godrej and Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. manufactures and markets refrigerators; washing machines; air conditioners; office furniture; home furniture; security equipment for banks (such as safes, strong room doors, bank lockers, etc.) and for commercial establishments and homes; locks and latches, forklift trucks and warehousing equipment; process equipment for chemical, petrochemical, refineries and allied industries; precision tools for sheet metal, zinc, aluminum; real estate development. The Godrej group are leaders in home appliances, consumer durables, office equipment, industrial products, consumer products and services.

Mr. Godrej is an ardent yachting enthusiast and has done extensive cruising along the west coast of India, the Baltic & North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea. The President of India conferred on Mr. Godrej the “Padma Bhushan” on 3rd April 2003.

Mr Nitin Desai is a distinguished economist and a well-known voice in public policy, both nationally and internationally, in the area of sustainable development. He served in the Planning Commission (1973-88) and later served as the Chief Economic Adviser and Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, in the Ministry of Finance (1988-90). He also served as Senior Economic Adviser for the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission). He was the Under Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs in the UN, where his major contributions included the organization of a series of global summits, notably the Rio Earth Summit (1992), the Copenhagen Social Development Summit (1995), the Monterrey Finance and Development Summit (2002) and the Johannesburg Sustainable Development Summit (2002).

Ms. Meher Pudumjee is the Chairperson of Thermax Ltd, a company focused on providing sustainable energy and environment solutions. She managed Thermax’s subsidiary company in the UK before joining the Board of Directors at Thermax Ltd in 1996 and worked closely with the company’s treasury and working capital management functions. In January 2001, Ms. Pudumjee became a non-executive director and was appointed Vice Chairperson in 2002. During this period, she played an active role in the turnaround of the company, looking at divesting of non-core activities and restructuring of business portfolios. Ms. Meher Pudumjee took over as Chairperson of Thermax Limited in 2004 after the retirement of her mother Ms. Anu Aga. She was selected CEO of the Year, 2009 by Business Standard.

Dr. Rajiv Lall is Chairman, IDFC Bank. He was the Founder MD & CEO of IDFC Bank. A veteran economist and business leader, Dr. Lall has been an active part of the finance and policy landscape both in India and internationally. His expertise spans international and macro-economics, banking, capital markets, infrastructure finance, private equity, venture capital and social impact investing, with a particular focus on emerging markets including India and China. Dr. Lall has served on numerous committees of the Government of India and the Reserve Bank of India including: Raghuram Rajan Committee on Financial Sector Reforms; RBI Working Group on NBFCs; RBI Committee on Household Finance; and Expert Committee on Modernisation of Indian Railways. He has also served as India’s representative to the G-20 Working Group on Infrastructure.

Mr. Suman Bery was most recently Shell’s Chief Economist, based in The Hague, The Netherlands. He earlier served as Director-General (Chief Executive) of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), New Delhi, and was a part-time member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, of India’s Statistical Commission and of the Reserve Bank of India’s Technical Advisory Committee on Monetary Policy. Mr. Bery has also been on the staff of the World Bank in Washington DC. His professional writing includes contributions on the political economy of reform, financial sector and banking reform and energy trends and policy. He has been a monthly columnist for the Indian business newspaper Business Standard for more than a decade.

Harish Hande, the founder and Chief Executive of SELCO Foundation, is a renewable energy entrepreneur with over three decades of grassroots experience in meeting the energy needs of underserved populations. Since 2010, he has expanded the SELCO umbrella to include the SELCO Foundation and Incubation Centre for Energy Entrepreneurs in an effort to strengthen the energy access ecosystem. In 2011, Harish was conferred the Ramon Magsaysay Award in recognition of his vision to catalyse development outcomes via sustainable energy. He works closely with the Government of India’s clean energy initiatives and international bodies like UN Sustainable Energy for All as a practitioner representative besides authoring articles, talks and representation on key bodies in the energy access space. His extensive experience is widely recognized as a pragmatic voice in delivering sustainable energy solutions for the poor.

Dr. Ashvini Kumar has over four decades of experience in the energy sector, especially solar energy. He has worked with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) as a Principal Scientist / Director for 26 years, and with the Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd. as Managing Director (Solar Energy) for five years. His last assignment was with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) as a Senior Director where he led their Renewable Energy Technology division. Dr. Kumar has a Ph. D from IIT Delhi. As an Advisor, Dr Kumar extends technical advice to Shakti’s programme areas, shares insights on policy matters, reviews research and publications, and extends opinion and advice as required.

Dr Anshu Bharadwaj was a member of the Indian Administrative Services (IAS, 1992 batch, Karnataka cadre). He worked in the state government in various capacities. In 2007, he joined as Executive Director of Centre of Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) and helped establish CSTEP as a leading technology policy Think Tank. He functioned as ED of CSTEP till 2020. He has expertise in technology and policy aspects of energy and environmental sectors. He is a member of several government committees in these areas. He holds a PhD from the Departments of Engineering and Public Policy and Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Piittsburgh, USA. He also has a B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and PGDM from Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.

Vatsala Joseph leads Shakti’s financial strategy and manages all financial activities ranging from budgeting , internal controls, compliance, legal, reporting, monitoring and audits including grant and contract management. Prior to joining Shakti in July 2012, Vatsala has worked with Care, Oxfam and AIACHE. With over 27 years of experience, Vatsala specialises in financial planning, process and procedure implementation, fund management, budgeting, donor financial contract management, audits, taxation and general administration. She has extensive experience in administering large budgets funded by donors like USAID, DFID, British High Commission, European Union, ECHO, UNICEF, UNDP and CIDA. Vatsala is a commerce graduate and qualified CA partially.

Koyel Kumar Mandal provides strategic leadership and guidance to Shakti across all programme verticals. Koyel brings to this position over 15 years of leadership experience in designing and implementing programmes in climate resilient infrastructure and international climate finance, and developing financial and policy ecosystems for decentralized renewable energy. Prior to joining Shakti in April 2021, Koyel worked with the Institute for Financial Management and Research as Head of Programmes, GIZ as Senior Advisor, and G20 Saudi Arabia as Policy Expert. Koyel holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Wisconsin, USA, a Post Graduate Diploma in Natural Resource Management from the Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta.

Shishir Soti leads Shakti’s donor engagement and fundraising efforts. His key accountabilities include identifying, networking and engaging with external groups and individuals. A Post Graduate in Marketing and Finance from the Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies in Pune and a Senior Management Program (SMP) from IIM Kolkata, Shishir has over 21 years of experience in developing and implementing business strategies and marketing plans, maintaining long-term customer relationships by providing high quality services, and building opportunities for client engagement. Before joining Shakti in July 2015, Shishir worked with Kotak Mahindra Bank as Associate Vice President (Privy Banking) where he set up the Bank’s first Privy League Branch. Shishir has also worked with Standard Chartered Bank, Modi Xerox Limited, and ICICI Bank.

Surendra leads Shakti’s Human Resources and Organisational Development strategy for sourcing, developing, rewarding, engaging and retaining quality talent. With over 20 years experience in HR, Surendra specialises in organisational design, leadership development, talent management, change management, employment law and establishing effective HR systems. Prior to joining Shakti in July 2012, Surendra has worked with the British High Commission, ActionAid and the Population Foundation of India. Surendra is Post Graduate in Business Management with specialisation in Human Resources Management from the Institute of Management Technology, holds Diploma in Training and Development from the Indian Society for Training and Development, and is a certified Coach from Neuro-Leadership Institute.

Aditi Sinha leads Shakti’s communications activities. Prior to joining Shakti in April 2013, Aditi worked as a consultant with the Aga Khan Foundation in New Delhi, where she planned and implemented communication strategies for interventions in rural development, education and water and sanitation. Her areas of interest include strategic communications, media relations, social media, writing, design and production and special events. Aditi holds a degree in international studies from the University of Oregon, USA.

Ruchir Shukla leads Shakti’s Electric Mobility program. With a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Ruchir has over two decades of valuable experience in engineering and project management. His experience in the Electric Mobility domain includes transportation systems, connectivity, charging infrastructure, and interfacing it with renewable and clean energy options. He is a technopreneur with strong leadership and program management skills, and business discipline. Prior to joining Shakti in June 2020, Ruchir has worked with Usha International, Mahindra Reva, Delphi, and his last assignment was with STL e-Mobility as India Consultant. He also assumed expat assignments in various countries in the past, and he is well networked with professionals and subject matter experts across sectors and geographies.

Shubhashis Dey provides strategic planning, leadership, and guidance to Shakti’s Energy Efficiency Program. Shubhashis is a climate change and energy efficiency professional with 17 years of experience in advising government, multilateral, bilateral organizations and business in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Jordan, Mauritius and United Kingdom on projects related to energy efficiency and climate change policy in sectors such as industry, transport, forestry, water, urban infrastructure and buildings. Prior to joining Shakti in September 2016, Shubhashis was working with Ernst & Young as Manager – Climate Change & Sustainability Services, and has worked with Sodexo, Eaga Energy and McKinnon & Clarke in the past. Shubhashis is Post Graduate in Energy Management from Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management (IISWBM) and BE in Electronics Engineering from RCOEM, Nagpur University.

Manu Maudgal leads Shakti's Clean Power Programme. Over two decades of rich experience in climate change mitigation interventions across key sectors including lighting, smart meters, solar rooftop PV, and cooling, Manu has in-depth exposure in the fields of environment and renewable energy from the perspectives of policy, consulting, and auditing. Prior to joining Shakti in March 2021, Manu has worked with GIZ as Programme Advisor from 2008 to 2020. He has also worked with TUV Nord India, and Confederation of Indian Industry in the past. Manu is Master’s in Business Administration from Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi; has Post Graduate Diploma in Environment Management from Indian Institute of Environment Management; and B. Tech in Chemical & Bio Engineering from REC, Jalandhar.

Vivek M Chandran provides strategic planning, leadership, and guidance to Shakti’s Transport program. With masters degree in Planning with specialisation in Urban and Transport Planning from CEPT University, Ahmedabad and bachelors degree in Architecture from BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore, Vivek has worked with C40 Climate Leadership Group, EMBARQ, Agenda for Bangalore Infrastructure Development (ABIDe) and Centre for Urban Equity (CEPT University) in the past. Vivek has expertise in Urban Planning and Transport Mobility fields and his experience includes managing assignments like “Metro Accessibility Project” in Indira Nagar and Gurgaon, “City Bus Terminal Design Project” in Gulbarga, “Transit Oriented Development Project” in Hubli Dharwad, and “Technical Inputs and Reviews” project for Jaipur Smart City Ltd.

Gayatri Ramanathan is part of the Donor Engagement and Fundraising team at Shakti. She has rich experience and in-depth knowledge of the Indian energy sector gained through her years of association with media outlets such as The Times of India, Business Standard, Mint and The Energy Business, of which she was the Founding Editor. Prior to joining Shakti in January 2018, Gayatri worked with the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission as a consultant on power markets. She brings a deep understanding of the Indian power regulatory environment, energy infrastructure and markets. Gayatri holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Electricity Regulation from the World Trade Institute in addition to a Post-Graduation in Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi.

Siddharth Arora is part of Shakti Clean Power programme. With over ten years of rich experience in the domain of renewable energy, energy transition, electricity regulation, and sustainable development, Siddharth joined us in October 2021. Prior to joining Shakti he has worked with Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission, where he worked as Senior Regulatory Officer. He has also worked with CERC, World Institute of Sustainable Energy, and Ecoren Energy India Pvt Ltd. He has written various research papers on the topics like wind energy, lithium-ion battery storage etc. Siddharth is an MBA in Power Management from National Power Training Institute, and has done his B Tech in Marine Engineering from BITS Pilani.

Sachin leads Shakti’s Energy Efficiency programme. An energy professional with over 20 years of demonstrated experience across various dimensions of energy efficiency, Sachin has facilitated the low-carbon growth of various energy-intensive industry segments in the sector through research design, knowledge sharing, and capacity building. Sachin has extensive experience in working closely with policy makers, industry leaders, opinion-makers, funding organisations, and sector experts in the energy efficiency domain. Before joining Shakti in December 2021, he has worked with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) as Senior Fellow & Area Convenor (Industrial Energy Efficiency). Sachin has a Ph.D. from TERI University, a Master of Environmental Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, and a B Tech in Civil Engineering from REC Hamirpur.

Parshant Kumar is part of the Finance team at Shakti and leads activities on budget management. Parshant has over 20 years of experience with substantial knowledge in accounting, legal compliance, financial management and monitoring of grants funded by key government and international donors. Prior to joining Shakti in November 2012, Parshant worked with large social sector organisations such as CARE India and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, where he was instrumental in establishing robust systems for accurate and timely reporting to donor agencies. Parshant holds an undergraduate degree in Commerce from the University of Delhi and a post graduate diploma in Business Administration with a specialization in Finance from Symbiosis, Pune.

Archana Gandhi manages CEO’s office and handles administrative works including logistics, procurements, event management,  housekeeping & office maintenance and vendor management. She has a rich working experience of managing the office of executive head of the organisation and handling of office administration and management including good understanding of systems for offices. Before joining Shakti, she has worked with Population Foundation of India, Institute of Human Development, and WaterAid. In all, she is having more than 18 years of working experience during which period he has developed a good understanding of Non-profit sector and is accustomed to working in a multi-cultural organization environment. Archana is B Com. from Delhi University and has Diploma in Secretarial Practice from Y.W.C.A, Delhi.

Manoj manages financial operations at Shakti in order to ensure compliance with donor requirements as well as internal organizational policies. Manoj has rich experience in financial planning, budgeting, and reporting. He holds a postgraduate degree in Commerce from Calicut University, Kerala and has worked with the British High Commission, New Delhi and Eastern Rana Forex Consultants Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi before joining Shakti in February 2015.

Nidhi manages Shakti's Climate Policy programme. A climate change and sustainability professional, Nidhi has over 10 years of valuable experience in climate change adaptation, natural resource management, sustainable development, climate finance, policy research, knowledge management, and environmental impact assessment. Prior to joining Shakti in March 2021, Nidhi has worked with GIZ as Technical Expert, Two Oceans Strategy as Senior Associate, and International Resource Group Systems as Consultant. Nidhi is M Tech in Energy and Environment Management from IIT Delhi, and B Tech in Environment from IP University (Gold Medallist).

Ritika works in the Energy Efficiency program at Shakti. She holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science, Policy & Management (MESPOM) from the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics at Lund University, Sweden. Prior to joining Shakti in September 2019, Ritika has worked with Karo Sambhav as Manager, EPR. She was also associated with United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) as an intern with the IPBES outreach team. Her domain experience includes building partnerships, research and analysis, and project planning and management. Ritika enjoys reading, hiking and traveling in her free time.

Suchitra works in the Electric Mobility programme at Shakti. A clean energy advocate and electric mobility enthusiast, Suchitra has four years of experience in these areas. Prior to joining Shakti in May 2021, Suchitra worked with Customized Energy Solutions as an Analyst (Emerging Technologies). She has also worked with the Renewable Energy Welfare Society and Hyderabad Industries Ltd. Suchitra holds an M. Tech. degree in Renewable Energy Engineering and Management from the TERI School of Advanced Studies, and B. Tech. in Chemical Engineering from SRM University, Chennai. She completed her six-months internship at Shakti in 2017 during her M. degree at TERI.

Prasanth manages projects under Shakti’s Transport programme. Prashanth has a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from CEPT University, and a Bachelors in Civil Engineering from the Nitte Mahalinga Adyantha Memorial Institute of Technology, Mangalore. Prior to joining Shakti in June 2021, he worked with Urbanist as Research Associate and CEPT University as an Academic Associate / Visiting Faculty.

Kruthika manages Shakti’s Clean Energy Finance Programme. A climate finance professional, Kruthika has over four years’ rich experience in financial services and public policy. Prior to joining Shakti in October 2021, she has worked with Goldman Sachs (Netherlands) as Analyst, where she partnered with various stakeholders to revise financial models. She also worked with Finance Ideas as Consultant in the past. Kruthika has master’s in public policy from Maastricht University and UNU Merit, and B Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology.

Vidvatta supports the Chief of Programmes in coordinating programmatic efforts. A post-graduate in English Literature, with a BA (Honours) degree in the same discipline from Miranda House, University of Delhi, Vidvatta has worked on several aspects of communications for over two years. She seeks to be a well-rounded professional and has experience in advertising, social media marketing, public relations, and public affairs. She is inspired to leverage her background for the effective coordination of programmatic activities at Shakti.

Priti provides tactical support to Shakti’s Transport programme. Priti has a Master’s degree in Planning, with a specialization in Urban Planning from the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, and Bachelor’s of Architecture from SEDA Navrachana University, Vadodara. Prior to joining Shakti in April 2021, Priti worked with the National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi as a Research Associate, where she was associated with the National Capital Regional Transport Corporation (NCRTC) for transit-oriented development and value capture finance for Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS).

Priyadarshini works in the Electric Mobility programme at Shakti. With a master’s degree in Transport Planning from School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, Priyadarshini specialises in transport planning, road safety, feasibility study, and architecture design. Priyadarshini started at Shakti as Intern and joined on regular basis in December 2021.

Riya is part of Climate Policy team at Shakti. A Civil Engineering Graduate from IP University, Delhi, Riya is passionate to work in the area of climate change and environment protection. She is armed with GIS skills to gather and analyse data for tackling environmental issues. Riya completed her six months internship with Shakti and joined on regular basis in December 2021.