Meet the speakers behind charcha 2025


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Arun Srinivas graduated from the University of Madras and completed his Masters from the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta in 1996. Hejoined Meta in 2019 as the Director for the Global Business Group, leading sales and solutioning with large clients and agencies across industryverticals.He has nearly 30 years of experience, of which 21 years were in the Consumer Products Industry, 2.5 years in the PE Industry and 6 years in the Digital Tech world.He spent 5 years with Reebok India and 16 years subsequently with Hindustan Unilever. In HUL, he rose to lead several businesses such as Modern Retail, Beverages, Foods, Skin Care & Makeup for India, and has been part of the India, South Asia and Global leadership teams. Arun spent 2.5 years in the PE Industry with Westbridge Capital, where he led the consumer vertical across fresh and existing investments. Arun waspart of several deals and evaluated hundreds of companies raising capital across sectors.
Arun spent over a year at Ola, where he was the COO and the Global CMO. He managed the mobility business and P&L for India and led the
Marketing, Categories and Revenue functions globally. Arun anchored the Ola London launch to success.










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Arunesh Singh is the CEO of Generation India Foundation, an affiliate of "Generation: You Employed", a global nonprofit that believes in the power of employment to change lives. Generation trains and places adults into careers that would otherwise be out of reach, while also working to strengthen workforce systems. Generation consists of a global hub and a network of in-country affiliates that spans 17 countries. In ten years since launch, Generation has more than 140,000 graduates who have earned more than $1.5 billion in wages, and we work with more than 21,000 employers, implementation partners, and funders
Arunesh holds over 28+ years of experience in various sectors, such as Healthcare, Financial Inclusion, WASH, Clean Energy and Skill Development. He has closely worked with various donor agencies, governments, and the corporate sector inclusding multi-national foundations.














After 17 years of starting and scaling various businesses, Atul started The/Nudge Foundation to do poverty alleviation work. Atul is now serving both The/Nudge and Give as their CEO.
Over his 5-year stint at InMobi as its Chief Business Officer, Atul helped scale the organisation to a global leader in mobile advertising, with operations in 20+ countries. Atul also served on the Board of Mobile Marketing Association.
Prior to InMobi, Atul was the Head of Mobile Business for Japan & Asia-Pacific at Google. Atul has also done various general management, business development and sales roles across technology companies including Adobe, Samsung and Infosys.
Atul served EndPoverty, a non-profit, as Chairperson for two years, working on water, sanitation, education, skill-development, sustainability and women empowerment. Atul serves on the Advisory Board of various nonprofits including Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Udhyam Learning Foundation and Parivaar.
Atul has been named in the #40underForty list by The Economic Times in 2017,Mahatma Award for Social Impact in 2021. He regularly serves as Jury for various social impact award panels like Forbes 30Under30, Business Standard Social Excellence and UN Women WEF.
Atul holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Indian School of Business and B-Tech from National Institute of Technology.
























Balaji Ganapathy is a globally respected C-level executive who partners with corporations, foundations, and boards to realize community-impact at population-scale. Guided by a belief in “prosperity at the last mile,” he architected one of the world’s largest impact portfolios at $30B TCS, advancing economic mobility for 30 million women, youth, and marginalized groups across 55 countries.
Mobilizing 188 partners, 11K cross-sector leaders, 20M volunteer hours, and $40M in pro bono value, he drove groundbreaking technology innovations in education, workforce development, digital inclusion, health, sustainability, and social entrepreneurship.
A Tata Group veteran, Balaji stewarded business, digital, talent, and sustainability transformation, while advising CXOs on strategy, AI-era and cultural change. Drawing on 26 years’ experience, his paradigm, 'Purpose is the new Tech’ is unlocking value for leaders: business growth, employee purpose, community impact, and shareholder return.
A Charles H. Moore Award winner, his advisory contributions include WEF, U.N, U.S. Chamber Foundation, World Bank.












With over 25 years of experience across the corporate and social development sectors, Bhavna is committed to creating meaningful impact, especially for underprivileged communities. She has played a pivotal role in shaping India’s skill development landscape, from founding the Investing and Funding division at the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to leading the flagship Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana. Currently, Bhavna is spearheading the establishment of India’s first Stainless Academy at Jindal Stainless Ltd., fostering an ecosystem of skills and education for the stainless steel sector. The Stainless Academy is now working across Engineering Colleges, Polytechnics, ITI, Kitchenware clusters and Heavy Fabrication- offering fresh skilling, educational courses and reskilling/ upskilling for building a workforce for the SS sector. The Stainless Academy is an education & Skills movement by Jindal Stainless Ltd and aligned to India’s Skill India and Make in India mission. Her past notable achievements include leading the ‘Udaan’ rehabilitation program for youth in Jammu & Kashmir, contributing to cross-border skill development as part of the Indo-German Working Group, and designing India’s process manual for WorldSkills, positioning the country for global excellence. Bhavna’s influence extends internationally through her participation in platforms like the B20, World Economic Forum, and the UNEVOC Conference on Livelihood. She has also contributed significantly to shaping the National Skills Qualification Framework. In addition to her professional success, Bhavna is a certified trainer in leadership, customer relationships, and emotional intelligence. She exemplifies lifelong learning as a fitness and nutrition consultant, marathoner, cyclist, and trekker.














Bidisha Barooah leads 3ie’s work on rural livelihoods and gender. An economist by training, she has over 12 years of experience in mixed-methods impact assessments in developing countries. At 3ie, she has led large-scale research programmes on agriculture, small and medium enterprises, and financial inclusion, with a strong focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Most recently, she has been leading 3ie’s evaluation of India’s flagship National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), generating evidence on how collective institutions and livelihood interventions can strengthen women’s economic empowerment and resilience. She also oversees 3ie’s global portfolio on gender and women’s empowerment, which synthesises evidence and builds capacity for gender-transformative programming across sectors.
Before joining 3ie, Bidisha worked as a Lead Technical Specialist (Economist) at IFAD, where she led strategic efforts to promote evidence-informed decision-making in ministries of agriculture in Asia and Africa. She completed her PhD in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics in 2016.












With over two and a half decades of dedicated service in government and public policy, Caralyn Khongwar Deshmukh’s tenure with the Govt of MP and in Govt of India has honed her expertise in policy analysis and strategic planning. At the core of her mission lies a steadfast commitment to enhancing e-governance and public administration, leveraging her analytical skills to align with the organization's goals. The culture of innovation and excellence at the National e-Governance Division resonates deeply with her professional values and aspirations, allowing her to contribute meaningful, diverse perspectives to our team.
As the Chief Operating Officer at the National e-Governance Division, Caralyn Khongwar Deshmukh’s role has been pivotal in orchestrating strategic initiatives and policy implementation. She has had the privilege of working alongside multilateral institutions like the World Bank, streamlining budgeting processes, and driving change management. Her work supports critical government initiatives like Digital India and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyaan, where her policy acumen and leadership in e-Governance capacity building significantly advances national objectives.














Chetna Sinha is the Founder and Chairperson of Mann Deshi Bank and Mann Deshi Foundation, dedicated to empowering rural women and fostering holistic community development.
In 1997, Chetna established the Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank, India's pioneering financial institution designed for and by rural women. The bank has since facilitated loans exceeding 780 million, consistently innovating to introduce new financial products tailored to the evolving needs of female micro-entrepreneurs. Under Chetna's visionary leadership, Mann Deshi Bank pioneered the first pension scheme for women in the informal economy, showcasing an unwavering commitment to the financial well-being of women micro-entrepreneurs.
Chetna's impact extends beyond financial services. In 2006, she founded the first business school for rural women in India, providing education as a key empowerment tool. In 2013, she launched a toll-free helpline and established the first Chambers of Commerce for women micro-entrepreneurs in the country, fostering a supportive business ecosystem.
Recognizing the importance of community development, Mann Deshi Foundation, under Chetna's guidance, operates a diverse range of programs. These include a community radio station, a healthcare for all initiative, a sports for development program, and a climate-smart agriculture program, all geared towards comprehensive development within the communities it serves. It has also set up women-led farmer-producer companies and organizations.
Chetna Sinha's illustrious accolades include being a Yale Fellow, Ashoka Fellow, and Schwab Fellow. In 2018, she co-chaired the World Economic Forum in Davos and the Financial Inclusion segment at the W20 Summit in Argentina. The same year, she received the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar, the highest civilian award for women in India, from the President. Chetna is an active member of the BRICS Women's Business Alliance (2022) and the Gender Equality Advisory Council (2022), appointed during Germany's G7 Presidency. Additionally, she chaired the G20 EMPOWER's Working Group on Financial Inclusion and Business Acceleration in 2023. In 2024, she was invited to speak at the inaugural session of the 68th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City.
Mann Deshi, headquartered in Mhaswad and operating in Maharashtra and Silvassa with an ambitious goal, the organization reached one million women in 2024, reflecting Chetna Sinha's tireless dedication to transforming lives and fostering sustainable development within marginalized communities.












There’s a lot happening at charcha 2025
Exciting programming in play - marquee speakers, extensive CSR and CSO network participation, thought-provoking panels and workshops, curated networking, and more.

