Deval Sanghavi
CEO

Deval, CEO at Dasra has provided philanthropists with intelligent investment strategies directing over $10 million into the Indian social sector over the past 12 years.
He has an impressive track record of scaling and sustaining non profit organizations and social businesses including Magic Bus, Aangan Trust, Muktangan and Educate Girls impacting over 1 million lives. In 2010, Deval played a crucial role in bringing together leading philanthropists through the launch of the acclaimed Indian Philanthropy Forum, India's first platform dedicated to building strategic giving amongst high net worth individuals. He also initiated India's largest collaborative giving platform, the Dasra Giving Circle which combines in-depth research, funding and managerial support to create social sector leaders.
His experience in the social sector enabled Deval to play a vital role in the inception of the Times of India Social-Impact Awards 2011. He is engaged with both philanthropists and social entrepreneurs and has spoken about this unique investment model at leading events such as the Global Philanthropy Forum, Unconvention, Maidan Summit, SOCAP, CSR-CSO Bridge and ICICI Fellows Programme.
Deval's background as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley has equipped him to develop a unique philanthropic investment model that brings rigor and discipline to the sector. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, completing his Bachelor of Business Administration with a dual Honors degree in Business and Finance and a minor in Asian Studies.

Neera Nundy
COO

Neera's expertise in maximizing social return on investment is rooted in her strong corporate background advising investors and valuing companies. Her five years of investment banking experiences at Morgan Stanley and UBS Warburg bring an analytically rigorous, impact-oriented perspective to portfolio organizations Dasra supports such as SNEHA and Mann Deshi.
One of Neera's key successes is the pioneering partnership between Dasra and Social-Impact International, and the highly successful executive education program that she and her team have designed and delivered to over 100 of India's leading social entrepreneurs that include Husk Power Systems, Embrace, Industree and Lend-a-Hand. Neera also led the international launch of Village Capital supporting successful organizations such as Milaap, SMV Wheels, Sabras and Under the Mango Tree. Neera continues to play a crucial role in bringing knowledge and analysis to Dasra's research with specific expertise in improving public education, child malnutrition and employability.
Neera holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School, a Bachelor of Science in Statistical Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in Honors Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario. She is currently an Aspen Institute Fellow. Neera enjoys traveling, swimming, reading and spending time with her kids.

Alison Bukhari
Director - Investor Relations

Alison has a unique insight into what it takes to scale an organization, create wide impact, and become a sector leader in India. She brings distinctive experience to her role as a Director of Investor Relations at Dasra from her seven years working in India during the early years of growth at Magic Bus, now one of India's leading child development organizations, as well as her time as a senior specialist in British and Anglo-Indian art at Christie's, the art auction house.
Alison has opened Dasra's UK office and is forging strong connections with a wide variety of donors and partners in the European philanthropy and impact investing space. Alison has a Master's with Joint Honours in German and History of Art from the University of Edinburgh, as well as a diploma in Cross-Sector Partnerships from Cambridge University, part one of an MA in International Development. Alison likes cycling, tennis, photography, and art.

B.S. Vanarajan
Portfolio Manager, Tamil Nadu

Vana brings over 20 years of experience in the non-profit world to his role with Dasra's partners on the ground. With his deep understanding of the sector and its needs, he has led the distribution of over $1 million for Dasra in disaster-affected areas as philanthropists and donors alike have looked to him for hands-on support and guidance. He is instrumental in strengthening community participation and building problem-solving capacity in a variety of organizations in Tamil Nadu.
In addition to Dasra, Vana is the founder and chairman of Manitham Trust, an organization focused on improving the quality of education in South India. Vana has a bachelor's in English Literature from the American College of Madurai and a bachelor's in Education from Bharathiar University.

Nilesh Nilkanth Sawant
Accounts and Administration Manager

At Dasra, Nilesh handles the accounts, finance, and administrative departments. He brings extensive corporate experience with AtcoIndustries, Piramyd Retail, and shipping and logistics companies to his role at Dasra; while at Piramyd, he helped formulate and implement their accounting and finance module. Nilesh has a post-graduate degree in commerce with a focus on accounting from Mumbai University and a Master's in Business Administration with a focus on finance from the Institute of Technology and Management, which is affiliated to Southern New Hampshire University, USA. In his spare time, Nilesh enjoys reading and meeting new people.

Radhi Mehta
Indian Philanthropy Forum Manager

At Dasra, Radhi is involved in developing the strategy, vision, and funding plans for the IPF with Dasra's CEO and Board, as well as the IPF team. She is also involved in implementing the member recruitment plan, forming partnerships and representing the program at both corporate and social events to increase awareness through education. Most recently Radhi assisted in closing India's first high engagement, collaborative giving initiative – the Dasra Giving Circle for Urban Education. Radhi brings over 4 years of strong corporate experience to Dasra.
Before joining Dasra, Radhi worked in management consulting in financial services at Ernst and Young in New York, assisting clients' C-suite in developing and executing strategic initiatives. She has also spent over two years at Lehman Brothers as a senior analyst in Prime Brokerage advising clients on investment strategies. Radhi holds a Master in Business Adminstration from Cornell University, a Honors bachelor's degree from Rutgers Business School and a minor in Communications from Rutgers University.

Vikas Bahl
Dasra Social-Impact Manager

As manager of Dasra Social-Impact, Vikas leads the DSI program and brings extensive experience in Human Resources, relationship management, and project management to the team.
Prior to Dasra, Vikas worked in the HR industry in the US with a focus on providing strategic consulting services to several high-profile Fortune 500 clients.
Vikas has an MBA from the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. He enjoys playing golf and loves to travel.

Aakif Merchant
Dasra Social-Impact Associate

As part of the Dasra Social-Impact team, Aakif assists with the management of DSI. He works directly with the program's cohort of leading innovative social sector entrepreneurs to develop viable business models, communications strategies, and networks of mentors and funders.
Before joining Dasra, Aakif worked in New Delhi as a legislative aide to Bhartruhari Mahtab, Member of Parliament from the Lok Sabha, where he drafted speeches, provided support with research, and acted as a media liaison. He has also provided strategic consulting to multinational corporations and private equity firms during his time as an associate at LEK Consulting. During college, Aakif interned with a myriad of lobbying firms and think tanks in Washington DC, including Fontheim International, Potomac Research Group, and World Affairs Councils of America. Additionally, he interned with Priya Dutt, Member of Parliament from the Lok Sabha
Aakif graduated from The George Washington University in Washington DC with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science. In his spare time, Aakif enjoys travel, politics, and collecting model airplanes.

Gayatri Divecha
Research Associate

Gayatri works on Dasra's research reports for donors from the Indian Philanthropy Forum and Dasra Giving Circles who want to invest in specific sectors within development.
She has four years of experience in development, including research and resource mobilization at Prerana, Mumbai (a leading non-profit in India that advocates women's rights and empowerment in the commercial sex industry and one of Dasra's portfolio organizations) and starting a CSR project at the University of Westminster, London. Gayatri has also taught Cultural Studies and Development Studies at an undergraduate level at the University of Westminster.
Gayatri has a bachelor's degree in Cultural Studies and Mass Communications and a master's degree in Globalization and Development Studies with a focus on poverty reduction and income inequality in India from the University of Westminster.

Joseph De Wolk
Dasra Social-Impact Associate

Joseph currently works in Bali, Indonesia, managing the international pilot of Dasra Social-Impact (DSI) program and on-the-ground affairs for our Indonesia partner, the Annika Linden Foundation. Working closely with top social sector entrepreneurs on business models, networks, and communications, Joseph's goal as part of the DSI team is connecting our partners with the knowledge, people, and funding they need to massively and sustainably scale their impact.
After working as press staff on Barack Obama's presidential campaign, Joseph was appointed to the U.S. Department of Labor as a spokesperson for the White House "Car Czar" and for key reform initiatives such as the Obama health care law, Wall Street regulation, and immigration. Prior to this work, Joseph was the California Governor's Office Executive Fellow for international trade and infrastructure policy. Joseph, 26, is from Oakland, California. He studied at La Universidad de Chile, in Santiago, Chile, and holds a B.A. in International Development with multiple academic honors from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Kavita Desai
Investor Relations Associate

Kavita is an investor relations associate at Dasra. She works on business and partnership development, which involves writing proposals and presentations as well as sustaining and building relationships with current partners and investors. She also assists foundations, individuals and corporations with giving strategically in India. Kavita manages the day-to-day operations of the Investor Relations team and works to support Dasra's partner non-profit organizations and social businesses by providing advice on fundraising and development opportunities.
Before Dasra, Kavita was Director of Development for "Women At Risk," an organization supported by New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and which focused on breast cancer research, education and support services. This involved managing efforts to generate all income for the organization by leading fundraising and development events, writing proposals and research on potential partnerships and investors. She was also co-chair of a young professional committee of Sakhi for South Asian Women, a New York-based non-profit that seeks to end domestic violence. Kavita has a bachelor's degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University in Washington DC. In her spare time, Kavita enjoys dance, travel, and food.

Roshan Desai
Human Resources Associate

As the human resources associate at Dasra, Roshan liaises closely with the senior management team to manage and implement HR policies and procedures; organization development; contracts and agreements for Dasra's staff, fellows, volunteers and NGO partners; reviews and performance appraisals; recruitment and database management.
With a post-graduate degree in Human Resource from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Roshan has eight years of experience in Human Management with expertise in recruitment, skill assessment, and grievance handling. Prior to joining Dasra, Roshan worked with The Hinduja Group, Umicore Marketing Services-Belgium, Aviva Life Insurance and J.P. Morgan Chase. In her spare time, Roshan enjoys trekking and fabric and ceramic painting. She is a horticulture enthusiast and an avid Kathak dancer.

Sahil Gandhi
Portfolio Associate

At Dasra, Sahil is responsible for carrying out due diligence of social businesses and non-profit organizations that are preparing to scale, as well as providing hands-on capacity building for portfolio organizations.
Sahil started his career at Deloitte Consulting in Chicago, where he specialized in technology implementation in the telecommunications and retail industries. Before joining Dasra, Sahil founded a solid waste management company in Mumbai. Sahil has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Sarika Dicholkar
Finance Associate

Sarika co-manages all of Dasra's financial systems, including accounts of some of Dasra's non-profit partners. She also takes care of Dasra's administrative responsibilities.
Prior to joining Dasra, Sarika worked in the Administration Department of Diamond Jubilee High School for Girls for two and a half years. Sarika has a post-graduate degree in Commerce from the University of Mumbai. Sarika likes to listen to music, watch Bollywood movies, and tinker with computers in her spare time.

Shradha Kothari
Indian Philanthopy Forum Associate

Shradha is an IPF associate at Dasra. She supports the IPF team with strategy and business development, relationship management, Dasra Giving Circles, and other fundraising initiatives. Additionally, she assists Dasra's Portfolio team with capacity building for their portfolio organizations.
Before joining Dasra, Shradha was an associate at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Mumbai, where she provided execution and origination support on domestic and international equity and debt capital market transactions for four years. She has been involved with various community service initiatives throughout her academic and professional life, including voluntary stints with Akansha in Mumbai and Ecosphere in Spiti Valley.
Shradha graduated from St. Stephen's College in New Delhi with a BA (Hons) in Economics. She loves to travel and is always ready for a new adventure.

Shrikant Ayyangar
Communications Associate

As a communications associate at Dasra, Shrikant oversees initiatives related to communications, brand strategies and public relations. He handles the production of communication materials for Dasra, and is responsible for digital media communication, external relationship management, events' strategy, and vendor management.
Prior to joining Dasra, Shrikant spent three years in the online media sector. He started his career as a journalist and then moved into an editorial role. With an eye for detail, Shrikant was responsible for delivering best quality content.
He has a bachelor's degree in Finance and Accounting and a Diploma in Public Relations and Advertising from Welingkar Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai. When he gets the time, Shrikant indulges in photography, travel, adventure sports and blogging.

Smriti Goyal
Senior Research and Portfolio Associate

Smriti works on Dasra's research projects for donors from the Indian Philanthropy Forum and Dasra Giving Circles. She is responsible for the due diligence, needs assessment and capacity building of non-profits and social businesses in Dasra's portfolio. Smriti joined Dasra in 2011. Most recently, she worked at Safe Water Network, a non-profit organization founded by the late actor Paul Newman, focused on advancing market-based solutions for clean water initiatives in India and Africa. Prior to that, she worked on energy and private sector development in Latin America as a Junior Professional for the World Bank. She has also worked on a community-based water and sanitation project in Kenya and on low-income affordable housing in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Smriti holds a Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude from Emory University and a dual degree in Masters in Public Administration in Economic and Public Policy from the London School of Economics and Columbia University. Smriti is also fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

Tushar Gogia
Dasra Social-Impact Associate

Tushar comes to Dasra with a strong background in leadership and community development. For over a decade, he has been facilitating training and development programs for international audiences ranging from middle school students to corporate executives. With the Dasra Social-Impact team, Tushar's key areas of responsibility are program development and partnership management. In addition to curriculum development and workshop delivery, his role has him identify and forge partnerships with stakeholders – including mentors, investors and other social sector organizations. Tushar plays a myriad of roles at Dasra, including event planner, social media strategist, and recycler. He has been known to rummage through office waste, encouraging his colleagues to re-use and pre-cycle.
Prior to Dasra, Tushar worked for Magic Bus where he was instrumental in initiating revenue-generating programs for both corporate and private customers. He designed, marketed, and delivered leadership development courses at the Magic Bus Outdoor Learning and Development Centre.
Tushar earned his master's degree in Non-Profit Management and Organizational Development from The New School, New York and his bachelor's in Environmental Science from SUNY Plattsburgh. He was elected student body president at The New School, as well as at The American College of Dubai and is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, a Leadership Honor Society. He likes long walks on the beach and puppy dogs.

Vishal R. Kapoor
Portfolio Associate

As a portfolio associate, Vishal conducts due diligence on high-impact and scalable models in the social sector in India, and provides capacity building support to Dasra's portfolio organizations. At present, Vishal is assisting Mann Deshi (a non-profit organization offering financial inclusion and management training to rural women), as well as Milaap and SMV Wheels (social businesses in the financial inclusion cum livelihoods space) with their scaling needs. Over the past year, Vishal has conducted due diligence on non-profit organizations working in the education and healthcare sectors in Mumbai, and shortlisted those with high impact and potential to scale significantly.
Vishal was also a member of the Dasra team that helped develop a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy plan for the Godrej Group.
Prior to joining Dasra, Vishal worked for four years under the Antitrust & Competition Economics division at Charles River Associates in Boston, USA, where he performed economic analyses for mergers & acquisitions and antitrust lawsuits across diverse industries, such as healthcare, pharmaceuticals, office supplies, retail distribution and labor relations.
Vishal holds a BA in Economics with Honors from Trinity College, Hartford, CT, where he also co-captained the Men's Squash Team (US inter-collegiate national champions). Vishal is a former junior Indian National Squash Champion, and apart from being a squash enthusiast, enjoys reading period fiction novels and watching international food & travel shows.

Aditi Elhence
Investor Relations Analyst

Aditi assists in the development of short- and long-term strategies to raise funds for Dasra and its portfolio organizations, both domestically and globally. She manages Dasra's donor database, tracking any reports and materials exchanged between social investors and NGOs. Aditi is also responsible for gathering information from the field and thus developing appropriate collateral for investors.

Before Dasra, Aditi was a Project Consultant at IL&FS Education in Mumbai. She holds a bachelor's degree in Economics Honours from Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi University, and a master's degree in Social Entrepreneurship from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. In her spare time, Aditi partakes in creative art and sketching.

Alexandra Korijn
Research and Portfolio Analyst

Alexandra is part of the Research and Portfolio team at Dasra, conducting due diligence on non profit organizations in the development sector and working closely with organizations in Dasra's portfolio to build their capacity. Currently she is working with the non profit organizations Muktangan and SNEHA, and the social businesses UTMT and SMV Wheels. Last year, she was part of the Indian Philanthropy Forum team at Dasra, where her main responsibilities included content development and external communications.
Before joining Dasra, Alexandra worked at Goodwell Investments, a social investment firm in the Netherlands that invests in microfinance organizations in India and Africa. She also worked at Broadreach Group, a boutique executive recruitment firm in New York.
Alexandra has a B.SC in Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University. Her interests include travel and photography.

Neeti Bandodker
Research and Portfolio Analyst

At Dasra, Neeti is involved in conducting due diligence on organizations that are being scouted for Dasra's research reports, as well as assisting with capacity building of portfolio organizations.
In the past, Neeti has worked at the Global Asia Institute of the National University of Singapore on a research project studying "Sustainability and Liveability in Asian Cities." She has interned with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs at the United Nations Headquarters, as well as with the INSEAD Business School.
Neeti graduated from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani in June 2011 with a bachelor's degree in Information Systems. She is a 2010 StartingBloc Fellow for Social Entrepreneurship and a Bharatanatyam dancer. She joined Dasra after a long trip through South East Asia.

Pakzan Dastoor
Research and Portfolio Analyst

As a research and portfolio analyst at Dasra, Pakzan works on research reports in various development sectors and carries out primary due diligence of non-profit organizations.
Before joining Dasra, Pakzan worked at The Akanksha Foundation in Mumbai, where she designed curriculum, planned community development programs and devised impact measurables. Pakzan has a Masters in Business Administration with honors from S.P Jain Center of Management and a bachelor's in Management Studies with honors from University of Mumbai. In her spare time, Pakzan enjoys wheel pottery and photography.

Tejas Mehr
Finance Consultant

Tejas manages the Accounts and Finance team at Dasra, as well as Dasra's Fiscal Sponsorship Programme. Tejas is a qualified Chartered Accountant and has been working with the social sector for the last eight years. Her core competency is in developing accounting and financial management systems for non-profit organizations, an area in which she has extensive experience.

Revati Velu
Executive Assistant

As the executive assistant at Dasra, Revati spearheads all administrative responsibilities. She manages the calendar and logistics for the senior management team and is responsible for arranging meetings for them internally and externally.
Revati has a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Geography from Mumbai University, and has over 10 years of experience in secretarial and administrative work. Prior to joining Dasra, she worked as an Associate with PriceWaterHouseCoopers (PWC) and with Ocwen Financial Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Revati likes to travel and is a movie aficionado.

Stanley Monis
Administration Assistant

At Dasra Stanley is responsible for the housekeeping and administrative tasks of the office. He is responsible for the cleanliness and upkeep of the office. Prior to joining Dasra, Stanley has worked with a well-known restaurant in Mumbai and has also worked at Bahrain for Gulf Garage Servicing.