Team

Together, we

Have 70 years of combined expertise in the education sector as teachers, consultants and researchers.
Have postgraduate degrees ranging across Public Policy and Development Studies to Media and Management.
Are a young team, with an average age of 30 years
Know 8 different languages and have lived in over 25 cities across India and abroad.

Core Team

Aparna Shankar

Associate Director, Projects

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived; it is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”

Bansidhara E James

Specialist, Monitoring & Governance

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style” – Maya Angelou

Deepika Rajagopalan

Specialist, Curriculum & Instructional Design

“If you are trying to transform a brutalized society into one where people can live in dignity and hope, you begin with the empowering of the most powerless. You build from the ground up.” – Adrienne Rich

Jiss Mary Thomas

Associate, Content Development

“It is the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting” – Paulo Coelho

Merlia Shaukath

CEO

“We may encounter many defeats but we must never be defeated” – Maya Angelou

Srivathsan Ramaswamy

Lead, Foundational Learning Improvement Programme (FLIP)

“When something is important enough, you do it even if odds are not in your favour” – Elon Musk

Urmila Reghunath

Associate, Partnerships and Communications

“Beauty was not simply something to behold; it was something one could do.” – Toni Morrison

Vijayalakshmi Mohan

Senior Manager, Partnerships

“திருவினை வென்று வாழ்” (Do your duty, do not expect favourable results) – Mahakavi Subramania Bharati

Field Team

Arun R

District Supervisor, Training & Impact

Elumalai P

Assistant, Training & Impact

Ramkumar M

Assistant, Training & Impact

Skandaa Ramani

District Supervisor, Training & Impact

ADVISORS

Advisory Board

R Seshasayee

FMR. Chairman, Board of Directors, Infosys Ltd.

Ranganath N.K

FMR. MD/CEO Grundfos Pumps India Pvt. Ltd.

Meenakshi Ramesh

Executive Director, United Way Chennai

Raj Cherubal

CEO, Chennai Smart City Ltd.

Radha Vasudevan

Correspondent, Vidyanikethan Higher Secondary School

Shaveta Sharma-Kukreja

Managing Director, Central Square Foundation

Kavita Rajagopalan

Programme Director, Global Schools Forum

Gayatri Nair Lobo

Chief Operating Officer, ATE Chandra Foundation

Advisory Council

Srini Swaminathan

FMR. City Director - Teach For India

C.K.Ranganathan

Founder Chairman, CavinKare

Mala Rajpal

Founder, Left Right SG, Consultant, UNDP

Vinay Samtani

Managing Director, Tryangled Solutions Private Limited

Rakhi Singh

HR Consultant, FMR. Sr. Consultant & Project Director, Aon Hewitt

Rajendran Thamarapura

Co-founder and Director, Academics at Qrius Learning Initiatives LLP

Suresh Sambandam

CEO, Kissflow

OUR VALUES

Resilience

We know what we have set out to do is not easy. We will do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Empathy

We believe that everyone we meet is fighting a battle we know nothing about. We strive to make empathy a habit, especially on days it is hard to come by.

Mission Obsessed

Each team member is guided more by values than rules, which manifests in them treating all tasks – big or small – with an enormous sense of responsibility and commitment.

Inquiry

We are curious and always on a path to learn and grow. We are not afraid to seek answers to difficult questions, even if that makes us the ‘bad guys’.