Aakanksha spent her early years in investment banking and strategy consulting, before transitioning into the development sector ten years ago. She is currently the CEO at ACT Grants, where she oversees ACT's venture-style grants across Education, Environment, Health and Women verticals. ACT also serves as a platform that helps catalyse programs and collectives to further deepen and accelerate their portfolio's progress by bringing together startups, NGOs, public and private sector organizations. Prior to ACT, she led strategy and program design as the Chief Program Officer at Teach For India. 

Before moving into the impact sector, she supported financial sector clients at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). She started her career in mortgage backed securities and loan portfolio strategy at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Barclays Capital and Lehman Brothers. It is this diverse set of experiences that shapes Aakanksha's strong belief in the need for cross-sectoral collaboration in solving India's biggest social challenges in the coming decade.

Aakanksha was an F.C. Austin Scholar at the Kellogg School of Management where she received her MBA, and graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with a double bachelors degree in Mathematics and Economics.

Aakash Sethi, a visionary leader, is transforming the education-to-employment landscape in India by driving innovative learning solutions that equip young people with 21st century skills and cultivate self-learning mindsets. Under his leadership, Quest Alliance has pioneered experiential learning models that prepare young learners for an evolving world of work, impacting over 2 million learners to date. 

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Aakash has facilitated a community of over 40 non profit organisations working in the sector to share knowledge, worked with over 10 state governments to integrate a dedicated curriculum and build capacity of teachers and principals to create a self learning environment.

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He has launched the Quest Learning Observatory, a collaborative space that integrates sustainable practices, interdisciplinary experimentation, and emerging trends, where members can reimagine, experiment, and co-create regenerative cultures for their organizations

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Aakash’s vision has shaped Quest2Learn, a flagship event into bold, creative, participatory process, co-created with young people in India who are demonstrating critical thinking, self awareness, reimagining career pathways and innovative, community led solutions. (This point can be re-written from an impact lens of our work)

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An Ashoka Fellow since 2019, Aakash continues his unwavering commitment to empowering marginalized youth and shaping transformative educational pathways that redefine India's future of learning and employment.

Aarti Mohan is a Co-founder and Partner at Sattva. She currently heads the Practice areas of Gender and Responsible Supply Chains, working with diverse ecosystems across business and development, to deliver impact on the ground. Over her 15+ years in the impact sector, Aarti has had the opportunity to bring several large-scale initiatives to life in partnership with global and domestic philanthropies, non-profits, and governments, across India and geographies in Africa and Asia. She has made notable contributions in the areas of women’s economic empowerment, digital transformation, agriculture, healthcare, and water. 

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Aarti’s worldview is rooted in the belief that markets should work for and with everyone, and that building inclusive business models and supply chains is equally good for business AND society,  which is why she pushes for sustainable pathways in business.Passionate about curating action-oriented spaces for business, government, and society to come together, she has led flagship research projects bringing data and evidence towards informed decision-making and established multiple ecosystem engagements.

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Her gender-focused work includes advising philanthropies on Gender Equality portfolios and leading initiatives around women’s entrepreneurship, women in agriculture and women groups. She has partnered with organisations such as USAID, Mastercard Foundation, JP Morgan Philanthropy, UN-Women, the World Bank, SEWA, IDH, Shell Foundation and Frontier Markets,  in designing and helping bring their missions to life. Aarti has also contributed to policy engagements, addressing gender & work and gender & health in India. 

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Aarti holds a degree in Computer Engineering from BITS Pilani and is an alumna of the Management Programme for Women Entrepreneurs (MPWE) at IIM Bangalore, and the GS10K women’s programme.

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Abhishek Sharma is a Senior Manager at IDinsight, where for the past four years he has led multiple research and advisory engagements with state governments and philanthropic organizations. He is a development professional with over twelve years of experience across public policy, implementation, and evaluation, having previously worked with Kudumbashree National Resource Organization under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, UNDP, the World Bank, and Harvard Kennedy School’s Evidence for Policy Design.

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He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from NIT Hamirpur, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Rural Management from IRMA, and a Master of Public Administration (International Development) from Cornell University

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With over two decades of diverse experience across Indian and multinational organizations, Aditi established LinkedIn India's government affairs and policy function. As Board Director and Country Head of Legal & Government Affairs at LinkedIn India, Aditi champions efforts that blend policy, purpose, and platform—leading work on AI, digital skilling, gender equity, and climate partnerships that translates LinkedIn’s global vision—creating economic opportunity for every member of the workforce—into actionable impact through collaboration with governments, NGOs, and multilateral institutions. With accolades such as the GC Powerlist and Young Achiever’s Award, she continues to influence change at the intersection of law, technology, and policy.

Prior to LinkedIn, Aditi has worked at ITC Limited and Johnson & Johnson and holds post-graduate degrees from Stanford University.

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Aditi Surie is a senior researcher and faculty member at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements. She specializes in gig and platform work in India, studying how digital platforms shape labor outcomes and worker experiences in informal economies. Her research connects the strategies of platform companies with on-the-ground realities of workers—especially women and migrants—and examines how emerging forms of services like quick commerce, data annotation, and traditional services like taxi driving, care work are being reconfigured in the Global South.

K. Parameshwar, is a designated Senior Advocate practicing in the Supreme Court of India, with over 17 years of distinguished legal experience. He represents key public and private clients and has previously served as the Additional Advocate General for Uttar Pradesh. He regularly assists the Court as Amicus Curiae in numerous public law cases, including the TN Godavarman case (popularly called the Forest Bench), Open Prisons, criminal law reforms, and  Dr. Balaram Singh v. Union of India which deals with the implementation of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act. Mr. Parameshwar’s engagement in Court-appointed committees within the judicial administration, writing, and frequent engagement with some of India’s most impactful cases mark him as a respected thought leader and speaker in the legal community.

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Aishwarya leads Atma’s programme portfolio, including its flagship programmes, customised NGO partnerships, OD diagnostics, ecosystem-strengthening initiatives, and workshop offerings. She holds a degree in law from NALSAR University of Law and a postgraduate diploma in management from the Indian Institute of Management Lucknow, and was part of the 2024–2025 cohort of the Dasra Social Impact Leadership Programme. Aishwarya has 11 years of experience across the corporate and nonprofit sectors. After early stints in corporate law and FMCG sales, she chose to apply her skills to the nonprofit sector, supporting NGOs in building stronger systems and processes.