Aradhana Rai Gupta is the Co-Founder of Baala, a social enterprise driving menstrual and reproductive health equity across India and beyond through awareness, access to sustainable menstrual products and policy advocacy. Under her leadership, Baala has reached over 1 million women and girls across rural and low-income communities, combining research-driven interventions with local innovation to create long-term behavioral change.

‍

Prior to founding Baala, Aradhana worked with Procter & Gamble, EY and University of Cambridge. She holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from St. Stephen’s College and an MBA from Cornell University.

‍

Recognized among Forbes India 30 Under 30, Vital Voices GROW Fellows, BMGF Goalkeepers, and Harper’s Bazaar India Trailblazers, Aradhana is known for her empathetic, data-led approach to social entrepreneurship and her advocacy for gender equity, youth engagement and sustainable development.

‍

Aranya is an Indian filmmaker based out of Mumbai. He studied Direction at FTII, Pune. He went on to assist Imtiaz Ali and Patrick Graham as an Associate Director & Director’s Assistant.

‍

He has directed five short films, of which Songs for Babasaheb and Chait have screened at Mumbai International Film Festival, Signs Film Festival and Jaffna Film Festival. In 2021, his film Saaya was selected as a Film Bazaar Recommends project. He was a participant and grant winner in the Museum of Imagined Futures Impact Fellowship Programme in 2023 of which 'Humans in the Loop' was born.

‍

'Humans in the Loop' garnered immense audience and acclaim- winning the FIPRESCI  Award for Best Indian film. Most recently winning the prestigious Sloan Distribution, previously won by Oppenheimer. 

‍

Arindom Datta has over 30 years of work experience with the last 17 years at Rabobank where he was Head of Asia for Sustainability Banking initiatives on knowledge, risk management and business development. He also oversaw the development finance projects in blended finance, AgFinTech, and climate financing in the agriculture sector. His previous experience was with NABARD, IDBI Bank and CARE. Arindom has been honoured with the ‘India Sustainable Leadership’ award at the India Sustainability Leadership Summit in 2017. Arindom is a Mathematics honours graduate from St. Stephen’s College and has an MBA with a specialization in Finance and Strategy from IIM Kozhikode. Currently he is the Senior Advisor to Omnivore (India’s largest Agtech VC Fund) and FinReach. He is on the Board of GIFGworth, London and Samunnati Foundation.

‍

Current Affiliations: Investment Committee Member of the SIDBI sponsored Assam Start up Venture Capital Fund, the Tripura Start up Venture Capital Fund; Member, Working Group on Financial Linkages under10,000 FPOs scheme constituted by Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India; Member of the FICCI Task force on Agtech; Member of the FICCI Task Force on Agri Finance; Expert Committee Member – Food Innovation Hub, India – World Economic Forum; Task force Member, Water Resource Group, World Bank; Steering Committee Member – ‘Sustainable Landscape Management for Transforming Agricultural Systems in India’, Rainforest India; Steering Council Member – The Artificial Intelligence for Agriculture Innovation (AI4AI) – World Economic Forum; Member of the Advisory Board of NAFPO (The National Association for Farmer Producer Companies); Advisory Panel of the India Livelihood Summit.

‍

Past Affiliations : Steering Committee member of SAFIN (Small holder and Agri SME Finance & Investment Network); Expert Committee Member of “Green Bonds”

‍

Arjun Venkatraman serves as the Senior Officer for Artificial Intelligence at the Gates Foundation, based in New Delhi. In this role, he leads initiatives focused on leveraging AI and digital technologies to promote inclusivity and social good, particularly in the areas of public health and gender equality.

‍

Prior to joining the Gates Foundation, Arjun worked as a Freelance Open Solutions Architect and Consultant specializing in ICT4D (Information and Communication Technologies for Development), social impact, and CSR projects. He has also held advisory positions at CGNet Swara, a community media platform, and served as a Technology and Innovation Consultant for Internews.

‍

Arjun holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science Engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University and a Master’s in Business Law from National Law School of India University.

Arman is a disability rights activist and social enterprise integration expert with over 15 years of leadership experience in the non-profit sector. As the Executive Director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), he leads India's only cross-disability advocacy organization that works towards creating a more inclusive and accessible society for persons with disabilities.

‍

His core competencies include research-based policy advocacy, stakeholder engagement, program development, and resource mobilization. He has successfully secured multiple awards and recognitions for NCPEDP, launched innovative initiatives such as the NCPEDP Javed Abidi Fellowship for youths with disability and the Manifesto for Disability for the General Election 2024, and published several articles and reports on disability-related topics. His mission is to influence positive change and to create awareness on the issues of disability, using a rights-based approach that empowers and enables persons with disabilities to participate and contribute in all aspects of life.

Arman is also a member of the National Task Force (NTF) on Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in India, established by the Supreme Court of India.

‍

Ms. Arti Ahuja is a retired IAS officer from the 1990 batch of Odisha cadre with a distinguished career in public service spanning over three decades. She has held several high-level positions in both central and state governments, demonstrating profound expertise in policy framing, social security, public health, and skills development. She holds a Master's in Public Policy from Princeton University, where she was a World Bank Robert S. McNamara Fellow, and a Master's in Public Health from Harvard University, where she received the Harvard Presidential Fellowship.

‍

As the Union Secretary for the Ministry of Labour and Employment, she focused on strengthening social security and addressing skill gaps for India's workforce, spearheaded initiatives to provide agency to 300 million unorganized sector workers through the e-shram portal, linking them to skilling, entrepreneurship, and job search opportunities. On the international stage, she successfully represented India in the ILO Governing Body, chaired the Asia Pacific conference of the ILO, was a key negotiator for the country in BRICS, and chaired the G20 Employment Working Group during India's presidency.

Arun Nalavadi currently serves as the Chief of Programmes – Livelihood at Magic Bus India Foundation. He is an accomplished leader with over 44 years of professional experience in various organisations in India. His journey reflects a unique blend of corporate excellence and a deep commitment to social impact. His last corporate assignment was as the Country Manager in India at Accor, where he played a pivotal role in scaling up the organization to become a significant player in the loyalty space.  

‍

Motivated by a strong commitment to giving back to society, Arun embarked on a transformative journey in 2015 by joining Magic Bus. Utilizing his extensive corporate experience, he focused on developing and managing partnerships and building the Livelihood programme to make it one of the largest in the non-profit skilling space. This transition exemplifies Arun's unwavering dedication to creating positive societal impact through strategic alliances, underlining his commitment to social responsibility.

‍

A resident of Mumbai, Arun actively participates in the social sector speaker circuit, contributing valuable insights and experiences to meaningful discussions on effecting positive social change. His engagements reflect a keen interest in the intersection of corporate strategies and social impact, demonstrating his ability to navigate the balance between business objectives and societal well-being.

‍

A proud alumnus of the Harvard Business School, Arun has attended the Spin program, enriching his educational background

Arun Seth is the former Chairman of British Telecom India and Alcatel-Lucent. Over his career, he has held leadership and board positions with Jubilant Group, Dixon Technologies, Kent, and Sify Technologies. He is also deeply engaged in the social sector, serving on boards of HelpAge India, NCPEDP, and Vayah Vikas. Arun has been part of The/Nudge’s Board since 2016, guiding its long-term vision. An alumnus of IIT Kanpur and IIM Calcutta, he combines technology expertise with deep commitment to philanthropy and social development.