Dr. Rajeev Sharma brings over 20 years of academic experience, including 9 years in thedevelopment sector focusing on industrial clusters and SMEs. He specializes in MSMEs, Cluster Development, Business Development Services (BDS), and Policy Advocacy.He has led several high-impact projects, notably the UNIDO capacity-building program for Cluster Development Agents in Tehran, Iran, and served as a consultant with the Cluster Competitiveness Group, Barcelona for its India operations. Dr. Sharma has coordinated major initiatives such as the DST-funded “Promoting Innovative Clusters” project (₹12.5 crore),fostering innovation across SME sectors like Textile Machinery, Medical Devices, andPharmaceuticals. An accomplished researcher, Dr. Sharma has published extensively in reputed journals and presented papers at national and international conferences, including Sapienza University, Rome, and Burkina Faso. His academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Economics, MA in Economics, and MBA in Operations, along with advanced training at IESE Business School, University of Navarra, Spain under a scholarship program on Cluster Competitiveness. He continues to contribute to policy advocacy, cluster development methodologies, and SME competitiveness through research, training, and international collaborations.

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Dr. Rajiv Kumar, former Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, recently resumed his chairmanship of Pahle India Foundation, a not-for-profit policy think tank, established by him in 2013. Dr. Kumar’s career has spanned academics to government to corporate chambers and multilateral institutions. The wide range of experience, combined with his intellectual depth, as reflected in his substantial publication record, gives him a unique multi-dimensional perspective on the Indian economy.

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He served in the government as Economic Advisor with the Department of Economic Affairs (Ministry of Finance) during 1991-1995 and took over as Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog in September 2017, with the rank of Cabinet Minister and served until April 2022.

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His stints with the corporate sector include serving as Chief Economist of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) from 2004-2006 and later as Secretary General of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), 2011-2013.

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Dr. Kumar holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Lucknow University (1978) and a D.Phil. from Oxford University (1982). Several universities have honored him with an honorary D.Litt. degree. On April 29, 2023, Dr. Kumar was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star of Japan during the 2023 Spring Conferment of Decorations. This prestigious honor was bestowed in recognition of his significant contributions to enhancing economic ties between Japan and India.

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Dr. Rajneesh serves as the Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner (MSME) in the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Government of India. In this capacity, he plays a pivotal role in driving policies and initiatives aimed at strengthening India’s MSME ecosystem. His work focuses on promoting entrepreneurship, enhancing access to finance, and fostering innovation and competitiveness within the sector.

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With extensive experience in public administration and policy implementation, Dr. Rajneesh has represented India at key international platforms and led several high-level initiatives to accelerate the growth and global integration of India’s MSMEs.

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Dr. Sinha has more than 15 years of experience in research and academia. Her expertise extends to Climate Finance, Voluntary Sustainability Standards, Sustainable Finance, and Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG). Dr. Sinha is visiting faculty in the Department of Business and Sustainability, TERI SAS. She has been a part of the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA), the Development Alternatives Group (DA). She has a PhD in Sustainable Finance from TERI SAS, New Delhi and a Masters in Economics from University of Calcutta. As a DAAD-German Indian Climate Change Dialogue Fellow, she has presented her research at conferences in Vienna, Berlin and Boston. Her personal interests include reading and gardening.

Dr. Shamika Ravi is a leading economist and public policy expert, currently serving as a Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India and Secretary to the Government of India. She has previously held senior positions as Director of Research at Brookings India, Vice President of Economic Policy at the Observer Research Foundation, and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Her research spans growth and development economics, with a focus on finance, healthcare, urbanization, gender equality, and poverty alleviation.

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With over two decades of experience as an academic, Dr. Ravi has taught economics and public policy at premier institutions including the Indian School of Business and BITS School of Management. She has published widely in international peer-reviewed journals, writes regular opinion pieces in national dailies in both English and Hindi, and is frequently cited by global and Indian media. Dr. Ravi holds a PhD in Economics from New York University, a Master’s from the Delhi School of Economics, and a B.A. (Hons.) in Economics from Lady Shri Ram College.

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Dr Urvashi Aneja is a leading researcher, policy strategist, and entrepreneur shaping the global conversation on technology and society. She is the Founder and Director of Digital Futures Lab (DFL), one of India’s foremost think tanks focused on the societal impacts of emerging technologies.

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Her work seeks to realign technological innovation with the public interest and promote a more equitable distribution of technology gains. Recognised by MIT Management Review as one of the 50 people shaping India’s digital rise (2025) and by TechCrunch as one of the influential women shaping AI globally (2024), Urvashi is a trusted advisor to governments, international organisations, and industry on digital and AI policy.

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Her research and commentary have been featured in The Financial Times, MIT Technology Review, Al Jazeera, BBC, Reuters, and The Economic Times, among others. She holds an MPhil and a PhD in Politics and International Relations from the University of Oxford.

Erica Arya is the CEO of Project Tech4Dev, an ecosystem collaborative working to transform how non-profits in the Global South use technology and data to scale their impact. With over two decades of experience across product management, engineering, and digital transformation, she has worked with organisations like BBC Media Action and Digital Green in the social sector to build scalable tech solutions leveraging IVR, WhatsApp, chatbots, and mobile apps. At the intersection of design, technology, and social impact, Erica creates sustainable, human-centric solutions.

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Gaurav Goel is an impact entrepreneur and the Founder & CEO of Samagra, a mission-driven governance consulting firm.He holds an MBA from IIM Calcutta and a dual degree in Computer Science & Engineering from IIT Delhi. Prior to Samagra, he was a Management Consultant with McKinsey & Co.Gaurav set up the firm in 2012 with a mission to improve the quality of life of citizens through better governance. Over the last 13 years, the impact of Samagra’s work has been felt by 50 million Indians across states.

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A one-of-a-kind firm, Samagra works exclusively with governments to transform governance. This involves working with the senior political and bureaucratic leadership of states and the Centre on deep systemic reforms, leveraging tech & data, to strengthen the state’s capacity to deliver sustainable outcomes at scale across domains like education, agriculture, skilling, employment, health and public service delivery among others. Under SamagraX, the GovTech and DataGov vertical of Samagra, the firm is leveraging the latest technology & data advancements like AI for solving on-ground use cases in governance.

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With a dynamic team of committed professionals, Samagra is a unique Indian story of entrepreneurship aimed at creating impact at scale. Through Samagra, Gaurav has introduced an ‘impact-first’ approach to governance consulting, maximising impact for the citizens with the government as the thought-partner.

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