CEO & Founder

Samhita Social Ventures is a social sector consulting firm that collaborates with
companies, government and social organizations to co-create and implement impactful
initiatives. Samhita is supported by Indian and global foundations such as USAID, the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation, UNDP, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Omidyar
Network India.
Previously, Priya co-founded The Spark Group, an education incubator that delivered
affordable education to low-income communities in India. She has worked with the
International Finance Corporation, the Poverty Action Lab at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT) and at Arthur Andersen. Priya has a Master’s degree in economics
from Yale University, a Master’s degree in public policy from the University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor and a Master’s degree (and a Gold Medal) in Commerce from Mumbai
University. She also holds an Executive Education degree from Harvard Business School.

Executive Director

Madhu Bahl has totally more than 30 + years of experience in the education space which includes teaching, designing, training, content creation and building profitable models and interventions that are both scalable and sustainable. She has worked independently as a design and training consultant with well-known funding agencies and social organizations. She also has 15 years of corporate experience at senior management level where she was responsible for profitability along with a deep focus on product development and business delivery. Her corporate responsibilities include experience in working with both the private and the government sector. She has built and worked extensively with large teams, both across physical geography and social demography.

Advisor – Finance

A qualified finance professional (ACA, AICWA, ACS), Sudhir has served articles with A F Ferguson & Co and served MNCs – Shell, Siemens, Ferodo, Colgate Palmolive and Heinz (as CFO and Finance Director) as well as Owner Managed groups – Mittals, Bahwans and Mustafa Sultan as Group CFO. He has worked briefly in Australia, Mexico and for 22 years in the Middle East before joining Samhita.

Head – Research, Knowledge Management and Strategy (RKMS)

rohan sarma is a social scientist with more than a decade’s experience in academia, public institutions and social impact consulting practice. He was one of the founding members of the first government supported Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) thinktanks in India at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. As a CSR and non-profit management specialist, his core competencies include participatory and action research, people-centered policy and programme design, strategies for change management and knowledge management.

While he has served on the CII National Aspirational Districts Development Committee for 2019-2020 as the only non-Industry representative, he has been consecutively invited as a social sector expert on the CII Rural and District Economy Council for 2020-21 and 2021 – 22. As a recognition of his contribution to the social sector, for 2022 – 23, he has been invited to join the CII National Task Force on Rural Development and Migrant Workforce.

His contribution to the development sector has been through training a cadre of human development professionals through ‘communities of learning’ and advocating support to neglected thematics and geographies. rohan is deeply concerned with issues of human dignity, inequality, diversity, ethics and social justice.

rohan leads and mentors the Research and Knowledge teams at Samhita – CGF.

Associate Director – Industry Engagement

Heena has 27 years  experience in Strategic Planning, B2B  Sales & Marketing, Channel Management & Relationship Management. Worked for Retail Sector Skill Council as Head Industry Engagement.  Pioneered in redefining vocation in higher education, with Industry-Academia collaboration to create a talent pool of “Supervisory Cadre”.  Strategic Tie-ups with various  Brands  across  sectors  to  support  them  with  right  talent  pool  having  requisite  skills as  per  the  industry  demand

She holds B Sc in Chemistry from Mumbai University and MBA in Marketing from NMIMS Deemed  University.  Degree  in  Operations  Management  from  IIM  Kozihkode

Some  of  her  hobbies  include  painting  and  pencil  sketch  drawings

Associate Director – HR

Akshatha brings with her over 17 years of experience in Human Resources across industries. She joins us from Bank of Baroda Financial Services. Her prior experience has been with Dainik Bhaskar Group as their Corporate HR Head. She has worked with Adfactors PR, NewsWire 18 and Centrum Finance in the past.

She is a Computer Science graduate and holds a Post Graduate degree in Human Resources from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management.

Some of her hobbies include reading books, writing blogs, teaching.

Associate-Implementation team

Aradhana is an Anthropologist by academic qualification and has her core expertise in the area of public policy, research & stakeholder management. She has a passion for creating social impact and a strong will to learn which is aptly demonstrated in her work experience. She has worked with both governmental and non-governmental organizations- PRS, Praja Foundation, Indian School of Democracy, etc.

She has been a LAMP Fellow (2021-2022) and Elected Representative Fellow (2019) wherein she worked with key institutional stakeholders in solving key issues of socio-cultural, and environmental development such as climate change, cyber safety, political empowerment of women, urban governance, etc.

In her leisure time, she enjoys exploring new places, having long conversations, and chilling with her pet cat.

Associate Finance – Skilling

Dipal was working in Finance Operations.

Dipal holds B.com in Accounting and Finance from Thakur college of Science and Commerce and Master of Management Studies (MMS Finance) from University of Mumbai.

Some of his hobbies include Playing Cricket and Lawn Tennis.

Specialist – Growth & Innovation

Shiv is a former Consultant at Ernst & Young Singapore where he worked with the Business Incentives Advisory team, helping clients obtain various grants and incentives offered by the Singapore government agencies.

He holds BSc in Information Systems from Singapore Management University.

Some of his hobbies include playing and watching sports (all kinds), reading and cooking

Assistant Manager – MEL Team

Varnika has 4 years of experience in Research, Data Interpretation, Analysis & Visualization. She has extensive knowledge of research, analysis techniques, statistical tools such as R, Python, STATA, SQL, Tableau and Advanced Excel.

She holds Master’s degree in Economics from Amity University and B.A. Hons in Economics from Delhi University.

Some of her hobbies include Art & craft and dancing.

Senior Manager

Vinay started his career with Samhita in 2016 in the Research and Knowledge team, before moving on to handle strategic partnerships with key donors, before moving on to work with Piramal Foundation’s water initiative Sarvajal. At Savajal, Vinay led the New Product Development team and was instrumental in driving product expansion into water conservation and Government partnerships, including with NITI Aayog and NSDC.

Vinay holds a MSc in Development Economics from SOAS, London and a BA in Economics from St Xavier’s Collge, Mumbai.

Some of his hobbies include – reading, watching movies and travelling.

Associate

She has joined us as Associate and is part of the REVIVE team. She is based in New Delhi and will report to Vinay Menon.

Aarchita has worked as a Young Professional at the Rajasthan Grameen Aajeevika Vikas Parishad (RGAVP), Ministry of Rural Development, Government of Rajasthan. She then joined as an Academic Associate at the Kautilya School of Public Policy in Hyderabad.

Aarchita holds a BA in Social Sciences from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and a MA in Development Studies from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati.

Some of her hobbies include – reading fiction and graphic novels, baking and East Asian media.

She  can  be  reached  at  [email protected]

Senior Associate – Growth and Innovation

He has joined us as Senior Associate and is part of the Growth and Innovation team. He is based in Gurgaon and will report to Shiv Uppal.

Ahaan has built a career in the development sector, and has worked across multiple focus areas including education, women labour force participation, climate, and sustainable industrial practices.

Ahaan holds an undergraduate degree in Politics from Ashoka University.

Some of his hobbies include reading theory, listening to hip hop, and watching old films.

He  can  be  reached  at  [email protected]

Senior Associate- Marcomm Team

Ayushi is a knowledgeable professional with over 3 years of experience in the humanitarian and development sectors. She has technical proficiency in a wide range of areas, including communications, learning and development, training, and capacity building services. She has previously worked for a leading Humanitarian Non-profit Organization and a prominent CSO/Think Tank that advocates Sustainability and Climate Change-related initiatives.

She graduated with Honours in Geography from Kamala Nehru College, Delhi University and is a University Gold Medalist with a Master’s degree in Disaster Management from Panjab University, Chandigarh.

Ayushi is a good conversationalist who likes travelling and listening to music. She is interested in gardening and enjoys watching films as well as television shows.

Analyst – RKMS

Kajol has worked with Foundation for Democratic Reforms in the Research segment and has a brief experience in experiential marketing with Crewtangle LLP. This aligns with her interest in Research and strategy planning across varied socio-economic domains of importance.

Kajol has completed her graduation in IT and master in Public Policy from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.

Some  of  her  hobbies  include  Yoga and Teaching.

Associate, Implementation

Salonee has total 4 years of experience in social work in various different domains. She love interacting with people and helping them in finding ways to utilize the life that has been given to us because every minute is special.

Salonee has completed her B.A (English Hon.)  M.A Social Work  & M.A. Psychology (Pursuing)

Some  of  her  hobbies  include  exploring new places and people,  cooking, reading novels, reading research articles and listening to music.

Insights  Associate – RKMS

Shiboni worked with Centre for Budget and Policy Studies  wherein she gained experience with working in public finance, gender and education largely. She also engaged herself with government officials and has provided trainings on budget data analysis. Her work led her to explore different parts of India which in turn expanded her knowledge base as the dynamic nature of field enabled her in understanding the ground realities of public policy closely.

Shiboni holds a B.Com degree from the University of Mumbai and a M.Sc. In Economics from Symbiosis School of Economics (Symbiosis International University)

In her free time, you will find her reading books , playing badminton or cooking up a meal while sipping a good cup of coffee.

Associate – Implementation team

Sreyoshi is a development practitioner and researcher with keen interest in public health, sustainability and gender rights. She aspires to learn and develop more in this sector and make this  world  a  better  place  to  live!

Sreyoshi holds a B.Sc in Geography from University  of  Calcutta  and  M.A  in  Development  from Azim  Premji  University, Bangalore.

 Associate Impact – RKMS

She is an experienced social sector researcher and consultant with experience of two years. She has in-depth knowledge of project management processes and worked on varied thematic areas, such as maternal health and nutrition, adolescent health and education, early childhood care and elementary education, skill development, health, agriculture, WASH and drinking water etc. She’s skilled in research, report writing, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, impact assessment, stakeholders engagement, project management and coordination. She was part of impact assessment of various CSR activities in different states of India for VEDANTA and CAIRN and also been part of monitoring and evaluation of programs run by UN bodies (WFP and UNICEF) in Bangladesh.

She holds MA in Environment and Development from Ambedkar University Delhi, M.Sc. in Forensic Science form SHUATS, Allahabad and B.Sc. in Physics from Delhi University.

Analyst – RKMS

Syeda Farkhanda  completed her post graduation in 2022 and worked with Samhita (Collective Good Foundation) for 3 months. This aligned with her interests in the field of Development Economics and helped expand her knowledge in the field.

Syeda holds a BSc. in Economics degree from Loreto College, University of Calcutta and an MSc. In Economics degree from the University of Calcutta.

Some of her hobbies include – reading books, listening to music, watching movies and writing.

Associate – Marcomm

Tanvi has a total experience of about 2.5 years; inclusive of 6-month internships with Ropes & Gray, a global law firm and Pathfinder International, a global non-profit organization that focuses on reproductive health, HIV/AIDS prevention and care, and maternal health in the US, a one-year stint EdelGive Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Edelweiss group that focusses on women empowerment, education and livelihoods and a 4-month Masters project with U-Respect Foundation, that focusses on maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and sanitation in India.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Northeastern University, with a major in Finance and a minor in International Affairs and Masters in Liberal Arts in Global Development Practice from Harvard University.

Some of her hobbies include reading and singing. She also enjoyed being an active member of Harvard Extension School Environmental Club, LEAD 360, Finance and Investment Club, and the cultural club for Southeast Asians when at university.

Executive Director – Impementation

She has 2 decades of demonstrated experience in the social sector in senior leadership positions. Has worked for multi lateral and bi lateral organizations such as World Bank, ADB, IFC, CIDA, AKF, DFID, UK AID, FCDO, PwC, KfW & Accion International. Led multiple teams across Asia in capacity building, leading large projects to bring scale & sustainability. Certified in markets and livelihoods from Coadys International Nova Scotia and Leadership course from Harvard .

Enjoys working on programs that are impactful and brings transformational change to the last mile. Thematic areas handled are women empowerment, entrepreneurship, skilling,  livelihoods, WATSAN, education, gender mainstreaming. Highly passionate about entrepreneurial initiatives & creating the right strategic fit.

She holds a Masters in Economics and a Doctoral degree in Enterprise Management from Bangalore University.

Usha enjoys travelling , plays the instrument Veena and is a movie buff. Believes in “Zindagi na milegi dobara”,   very humorous and lively person , enjoys gardening, cooking and reading friction.  Likes to blog experiences while travelling and has a keen eye on observing people and mimicking.

Director – MEL

Vinti has had more than 2 decades of experience across academic institutions, professional training organizations and non-governmental organizations in roles of research, capacity building, consulting and MEL. She is proficient in designing MEL systems and impact evaluation studies including those with a gendered and mixed methods approach.

She holds a specialization in economics, finance, and data analytics. This includes a C.F.A designation from ICFAI, a doctorate in economics from C.C. S University and an M.S in Government Analytics from Johns Hopkins University.

She loves reading, listening to music, enlightening talks, watching classic old-time movies and standup  comedy shows. She also enjoys bonding with people over cups of tea and looks forward to occasional travel for quiet reflections and learning.

Digital Strategy and Planning Specialist

Amit  is a digital marketing enthusiast who takes every challenge as an opportunity to drive results and further build on it. He likes adding a creative perspective to everything that crosses his path. I look forward to contributing my expertise in creating value that is aspired.

He holds BE in Electronics and Telecommunication from Pune University.

Some of his hobbies include : Reading Random Stuff on the internet, Food Tastings, Exploring places.

Senior Manager – Finance

Dhatri is rank holder of the Gujarat Board and a qualified Chartered Accountant with a Bachelors in Commerce. She has worked for more than 7 years in the Accounts & Finance sector. She has 3 years of experience as an article assistant and more than 4 years of post qualifications experience. Prior to Samhita, she was part of the Accounts and Finance team of Backbone Construction Private Limited and Jain Wealth Managers Private Limited where she looked after the finalisation of accounts, auditing and taxation work. She is fond of travelling to places of natural beauty and loves dancing.

Senior Manager – Skilling

Shiv has  10  years of experience, He was designated as DGM in Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC) handling  Standards,  Operations  &  Special  projects  i.e  RPL,  NAPS  &  Strategic  projects.

He  holds  an  MBA – PGDM  in  Telecom  from  MITSOT,  Pune  and  Engineering  degree  in  Electronics  &  Communications  from  RGPV  University. 

Some  of  his  hobbies  include  Watching  Sci-Fi  movies  and  love  to read on innovative products

Program  Coordinator – Skilling

Venkatesh has overall 9 years of work experience in livelihood ,project operations and Skill Development domain  and  his  top  skills  are project management, operations and implementation.

He has completed his graduation in Bachelors of Business Administration from Annamalai University  and  Master  Degree  MBA  in  Project  Management  from  Mumbai  University.

His hobbies are – playing Football, Reading Books, playing Cricket, Long Drive and Cooking.

Communication Specialist

Avantika has a vast experience as a Journalist, Researcher, Oral Historian, Documentary Filmmaker, and Podcaster. She  is  a  staunch  believer  in  the  power  of  storytelling  and  her primary interest lies in recording, archiving, and communicating personal life stories of people or organizations. 

She is a graduate from Asian College of Journalism  where  she  specialized in New  Media. Before she made  this  switch  in  her life, she finished her degree  as Bachelors  of Commerce  Honors from  Delhi  University. 

Apart from documenting  family  histories  and archiving objects, She loves to indulge in the world of psychology, neuroscience, and narrative therapy. She spends a lot of time communicating  with  auto-rickshaw   drivers  and  writing  their  life  histories.

Manager – Programmes, RKMS

Manager – Strategic Change Management

Dwiya  is a Project Management Specialist with 7+ years  of  experience  of  working  with private and public sector companies in CSR Portfolio Management, CSR Strategy, Monitoring, Evaluation  and  Learning (MEL), Due Diligence, and Knowledge Management  initiatives. She has  previously  worked  with  the  Tata  Institute  of  Social  Sciences  and  FXB  India  Suraksha. 

She  holds  a  Masters  degree  in  History,  from University  of  Calcutta. 

Some of her interests  include – sustainable  business  practices, geopolitics  and  modern history

Sr. Manager – Strategic Partnerships

Anisha has total 6+ years of experience in the Automotive and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Consulting, Skill Development, Ed-Tech solutions, Govt. & Private Sector Advisory, Governance & Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Space in designing outcome-based scalable solutions and managing PAN India level projects. Previously she worked with IL&FS Skills Development Corporation Ltd (a leading TVET provider in India) as a Strategy & Business Development Manager in the Corporate Skill Development Vertical handling B2B, B2G and CSR partnerships and solutions. She has also been associated with reputed organizations like Eicher Motors Limited, Teach for India and AIESEC. Being passionate about empowering the under-served population, she has worked extensively on the ground in designing and managing multi-stakeholder and multi-locational projects involving diverse skill sets in rural and semi-urban geographies. She has also worked on several bilateral/ multilateral projects funded by USAID, World Bank, ADB, DFID, UNDP, ILO, IFC etc. focusing on projects aimed at socio-economic development. She has worked on various Cluster Development initiatives in the African continent and GCC countries; with Central Ministries & State Govts on various Govt. Schemes and has designed CSR projects for aspirational districts as prescribed by NITI Aayog (GoI). Anisha is an avid reader and loves travelling, listening to music, playing squash, painting & being an active member of global networking clubs.

Manager – Implementation

Hailing from the beautiful land of Jammu, Richa has done her Masters in Psychology from the University of Jammu. She started her career in a de-addiction centre after which she also served as a school counsellor and thereafter joining Kaivalya Education Foundation as a Program Leader. With a certification in human resource and management, Richa has been a part of Samhita since 2018. She is an outward friendly and a pleasant personality with extreme fondness towards food and dogs. Her outgoing and free nature is what makes her unique. She truly believes in ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.’,

Manager – Implementation

Rishika is a development sector professional with around 9 years of experience. Addressing social issues attracted her since childhood, hence she chose a career in the sector. She is an MSW from University of Delhi. She has worked on pressing issues like WASH, road accidents, child hunger and poverty. She specialises in research & documentation, monitoring & evaluation, and managing project life cycle .She is a mother of one. f time permits, she travels to mountains and loves to trek. Other than travelling she likes to party, cook for loved ones and play with her little one.

Manager – Implementation

Post graduate in Sociology (Honors), Miral has been in the development sector since 8+ years with diverse experience raging from program implementation, monitoring and evaluation, liaising with government, fundraising, networking and reporting with relevant stakeholders. She has worked with organisations such as CHILDLINE India Foundation, Cuddles Foundation who has pan India presence. Dance being her passion she is trained in Bharatnatyam and folk dance. She also enjoys reading, music and travelling.

Manager – Implementation

Siddhanta has done Masters in Mass Communication and possesses 5 years of work experience while managing teams. His work with his organisation could successfully impact and bring about changes in the Nutritional aspects and Natural Resource Management of 36 Villages in Purulia District. He had read a few articles and thus CSR interested him and so Samhita. He is keen to learn about the various dynamics of CSR in the upcoming years, Siddhanta’s hobbies are Photography and Film Making. One of his movies was shown in Banaras Film Festival. He also loves sports. He has represented his department and schools in various athletic meets.

Manager – Monitoring, Evaluation & Research.

Vishal is driven by the need to create tangible social impact, and is biased towards innovative and bold ideas carrying potential to achieving real results. He has spent 5 profound years working on various social problems and enriched competencies in problem solving, strategy and research by endeavouring in inclusive businesses, education and governance.

Vishal holds Master of Technology in Transportation System Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and Bachelor of  Technology  in  Civil  Engineering  from  VNIT Nagpur.

Manager – Implementation

Christie is a passionate social worker with hunger to solve gender based issues. She started out as a Gender Mainstreaming Officer at IGSSS, working towards dismantling stereotypes and ensuring sexual and reproductive health rights among young girls. She was later involved in creating Gender Neutral Educative Toy Libraries in rural and tribal areas across the country while working with The Toy Bank. Widening her experience further, she was leading communications along with research at Letz Dream Foundation. She also has a few publications to her name on forums like NewsCentral 24×7 and The Book Review Journal.  

She  holds BA (Hons) in  Journalism from Kamala Nehru College and MA in Social Work from TISS.

Some of her hobbies include – baking and cooking – currently exploring making healthy ice creams. She’s  also  a  trained  Bharatanatyam  dancer.

Assistant Manager – Qualitative Research, RKMS

Shatakshy is a social science researcher, pursuing her PhD in Social Work from the TISS, with a specialization in participatory research/assessments and Participatory Learning and Action (PLA). Having travelled extensively for fieldwork across the country, Shatakshy has worked with NGOs and people’s networks in community mobilization, people-centred development design and capacity building.

She has worked with various government institutions on designing social accountability tools and was part of the team that designed the social audit manual for the Ministry of Rural Development. Given her research acumen, she was awarded the Institute Shield for the Best MSW Student in Fieldwork at TISS.

She wants to contribute in building transparency and accountability in institutions and feels passionately about research ethics and issues that concern women.

Assistant Manager – Finance

Assistant Manager – Implementation

Nayonika has four years of experience in strategy and operations  across  information systems  and  governance  consulting. She  started  her career  in  automobile  sector, but  it  was her  varied volunteering and CSR  experiences that motivated her to pivot to the social impact  sector   full-time.

Nayonika  holds  a  B.Tech  in  Information  Technology  from  SRM  University,  Tamil Nadu.

Some  of  her  hobbies  include  –  travelling,  singing  and  reading.

Assistant Manager – Finance

Asha has a good amount of knowledge of the account and finance department. Prior to joining Samhita and CGF, she was working with Population First as an Account Officer. She has completed her post graduation in Commerce from Mumbai University and certified in Advance Account and Taxation from ICA Institute. God has blessed her with a small family, which includes her husband, son and herself. She enjoys listening to soft music and spending quality time with family.

Assistant Manager – HR & Admin

Assistant Manager – Research, RKMS

Divya is a law graduate from Symbiosis Law School, Pune with prior work experience in policy research, primarily in education. Her quest to expand the scope of her work to include other areas of development has led her to Samhita. Having led field research in policy-centric projects, she now aims to focus on impact in order to understand the mechanics of positive change and enact the same in ever-expanding areas of need. She has been working as an independent consultant since a while now and some of her past organisations that she worked with were Centre for Civil Society and Tata AIG. In her leisure time, she likes to explore new places, experiences and ideas.

Senior Associate – REVIVE

Aman  has a mix of working in the project management and construction along with working in the social development field. 

He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from GITAM University and a PGD in Development Management from Indian School of Development Management.

Some of his hobbies include – Cycling, reading comic books, making memes, video games

Senior Associate – Implementation

Abhishek has an experience of 3 years in the development sector in project implementation leading the Employee Engagement vertical at Piramal Foundation and as a District Consultant- Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen in Bihar working on ground with Tata Trusts and  Government  of  India.

He holds a Masters in Social Entrepreneurship from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

Some  of  his  interests  include  cycling,  cooking,  cricket  and  current  affairs.

Sr Associate – Implementation

Khushboo comes with almost 10+ years of experience in organisations such as Tata Communications Ltd and HRM Consultants India. She was part of India’s first Skill University, Shri  Vishwakarma  Skill University , handling Soft Skills Trainings and a team member of Quality  &  Standards  of  the University.

She holds BE in Electronics from Amaravati University and Post Graduate Diploma from Tata Institute  of  Social  Sciences.

In  her  spare  time,  she  loves  reading,  enjoys  working  out  and  trekking.

Assistant Manager, Implementation

Pratik Trivedi joins us as Assistant Manager Implementation, based out of Mumbai, and will be  working  closely  with  Richa.

Pratik  has  been working in the development sector since last 8 years and has worked on multiple thematic areas. He comes with a strong project management background and has experience in program implementation, monitoring & evaluation, reporting, stakeholder management and designing dashboards. He has worked with organisations such as Learning Links  Foundation and Tata Strive, and has handled a PMU of Godrej Properties’ CSR initiatives.

Pratik  has  done  MBA  in  Social  Entrepreneurship  from  NMIMS  Mumbai.

Some  of  his  hobbies  include – Watching  movies,  playing  cricket  & volleyball and travelling.

Associate – Implementation

Smriti is a Psychology graduate from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai with a post-graduate degree in Development Studies from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad. Her exposure to social sciences during undergraduation sparked the drive in her to pursue a career in the development sector. Being an inquisitive learner with varied interests, her work experience ranges from Arts Management, Urban Governance and Development to CSR and Public Policy, with her key interests being in the domains of Education, Livelihoods, and Informal Labour. She has previously worked with Praja Foundation, Social Lens Consulting, and Reliance Foundation on projects related to urban governance, Informal settlements, and Education. She has also contributed to a policy research paper on the adoption and effectiveness of Ed-Tech in India submitted to the office of Mr. Ninong Ering (MLA, Arunachal Pradesh). She is passionate about optimally combining her diverse experiences to augment sustainable human development through social policy. On a personal front, Smriti finds great joy in balancing her work life with some of her other passions such as solo travel, dancing, cinema and theatre, and doing a range of courses to satisfy her appetite for learning!

Associate – Strategic Partnerships

Grishma Kajbaje joins us as Associate – Strategic Partnerships, based out of Mumbai, and will be working  closely  with  Anisha.

Grishma is a committed and hardworking development professional with 2 years of grassroots experience in the education sector, passionate about social responsibility and working in teams.

She holds B.Com degree from R A Podar College of Commerce and Economics and PGP in Development  Management  from  Indian  School  Of  Development  Management.

Some of her hobbies  include – dancing, trekking, painting  and  theatre.

Business  Analyst

Toji  Easo  Varghese  joins  us  as  Business  Analyst, he is based out of Mumbai, and  will be  working  closely  with  Akash.

Toji  has  been  a Business  Analyst Professional for the last 5 years working in different domains  with  the  likes  of  Location Based Services, Logistics and E-Governance with expertise  in  various  reporting,  wireframing,  and  content  management  applications.

He holds Masters in Management Studies from Mumbai University and is an Engineering Graduate  from  Mumbai  University,  both  under  the  domain  of  Information  Technology

Some  of  his  hobbies  include – playing  the  guitar,  long  distance touring, singing

Assistant Manager – Strategic Partnerships

Akshay Kamtam joins us as Assistant Manager – Strategic Partnerships, based out of Mumbai, and will  be  working  closely  with  Anisha.

Akshay has more than 4 years of experience in consulting, entrepreneurship & account management space. He has worked in Indian and International markets for companies like Ray Business Technologies, Australia & Infratech. He also co-founded a social venture called Marine Meadow Farms where he worked as a think tank for Maharashtra Fishery Department for development of seaweed  projects in Maharashtra to tackle climate change and create women empowerment.

Akshay  holds Masters Degree from Melbourne Business School, Australia  and  BBA  from  Mumbai  University.

Assistant Manager – Implementation

Narendra Kulkarni joins us as Assistant Manager – Implementation, based out of Pune, and will be  working  closely  with  Vinay  Menon.

Narendra has experience of working with corporate, non for profit and the government for more than 5 years. He was involved in designing large scale projects with Paani Foundation and Government of Maharashtra. His expertise are stakeholder management and program design and  implementation.

He holds B. Tech from Pune University and Post graduate diploma from Indian School of Public Policy.

Some  of  his  hobbies  include  –  travelling,  reading  and  watching  movies  and  plays.

Associate – Implementation

Sanika graduated in Mass Media with a major in journalism and a Masters in Public Policy from St. Xaviers College, Mumbai. She worked as a Public Relations professional after graduation. Post her masters, she grew passionate about conservation, with a vision of a sustainable and inclusive future. She worked on political campaigns and party’s and politician’s social media. She carried out various PR projects for FMCG and sports brands with a team and a few PR campaigns by herself. She believes in social equality, opportunity and work towards the greater good. She is a moviegoer who enjoys cooking, reading historical fiction/non-fiction, sketching and travelling!

Senior Associate, Growth and Innovation

Akshat is an early-career professional with over 2 years of experience in policy research in a variety of sectors, including science & technology, public health, urban development, and sustainability with a particular focus on Global South. Before Samhita, He was a part of the Asian Century Foundation, based in New Delhi, where he worked as Program Manager in the Knowledge and Policy team. He has also worked in other policy-focused organisations, including PRS Legislative and YLAC India in the past.

Akshat has completed his BBA from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Mumbai in 2019.

Some of his hobbies include reading, music, and filmmaking

Senior Associate – Finance

Dipti has 9 years of experience into the field of Accounting & Finance

She holds an B.com Graduate degree from Mumbai University and CA-Intermediate.

Some of his hobbies include – Reading Books and  Listening Music

Manager, Strategic Partnerships

She spent five years building the strategic partnerships team at Amnesty International and has worked  as an independent consultant for organizations like VAANI Deaf Children’s Foundation, MSF and  The Good Food Institute.

She holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from Christ University and a Masters in Public Policy from University College London.

She loves animals and is currently playing the role of Cat Mom to three kittens. Dipti bakes some delicious brownies and likes to spend her free time volunteering- working  with  children with  special  needs.

Assistant Manager

Kedar is a Development Sector Professional for more than 7 years and have worked in area like sanitation, waste management, WASH, social and financial inclusion, livelihood, health and education.

He is a Mechanical Engineer and holds a Masters Degree in Business Management from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management.

Some of his hobbies include – exploring new places, reading and crafting.

Senior Associate, Implementation

A public health professional at heart, the larger goal is to positively influence the public health landscape globally.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Dental Surgery from Maharashtra University of Health Sciences and a Masters Degree from Indian Institute of Public Health-Delhi.

Some of her hobbies include playing board games, listening to indie music bands & watching “The Office” on the loop. “There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things” is the thought that she would like to leave us with.

Director – Strategy and Alliance Development

Vishal brings with him over 2 decades of experience across industries like consumer durable, automobile, financial services. His experience has been in Sales, Business Development, Sales Strategy across products. Vishal has been recognized with many awards and accolades in his corporate journey. People who know him consider him to be passionate and a people’s person with clear focus on business and the knack to align people and business. He now wants to leverage his core management skills in the development sector and in the consulting space and that is how Samhita happened to him. He is excited to start his journey with us and impact lives positively.

Vishal is a Mechanical Engineer and holds a Masters Degree in Business Management from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management.

Some of his hobbies include – travelling, nature photography, gardening & cycling

Assistant Manager, Implementation REVIVE

Yamini is an aspiring entrepreneur with 2+ years of experience in social sector. She has worked in different sector from financial inclusion, education, business accumen, health to mental health. She is a team player and  After her formal working hours she is a co founder at a mental health organization “Vartamaan care network”, and wanna be illustration artist.

She holds B.A hon in History from Delhi University and Postgraduate professional Certificate in Management Practice and leadership  from Vedica scholars Program.

Some  of  her  hobbies  include  illustrating, paining and traveling.

Associate – Assessments, RKMS

Analyst – Implementation

Anirban brings with him a diverse background as a graduate in Electrical Engineering from KiiT University and as a Gandhi fellow! At the Gandhi Fellowship Program, he was extensively involved in Improving Student’s Learning Outcome working in tandem with various school stakeholders in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. Anirban’s interests lay in the convergence of education and sports sector.

His curiosity to learn how to create impact through CSR projects at scale has led him to Samhita!

Analyst, RKMS

Harikrishnan belongs to the state of Kerala. He has recently graduated from National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR), Hyderabad in Rural Management. He had undertaken internships with Kudumbashree (Trivandrum), Mizoram State Rural Livelihoods Mission (Aizawl) & Tata Institute of social Sciences (Mumbai). He also holds a degree in Electronics & Communication Engineering from Coimbatore under Anna University, Chennai.

His hobbies include reading and cooking. Loves to explore new languages and culture and also do a bit of photography and backpacking.

Network Support – IT