Team Members

Seema Arora

CEO

Seema Arora
CEO

Seema Arora pioneered the creation of services on Sustainable Development within CII. Her journey with CII began with engaging Indian Industry towards the run up to the Earth Summit in 1992. Seema Arora works on designing innovative products and frameworks to build the business case for industry to invest in Sustainability and CSR. She works with Industry, Government and Community based organisations to develop policy instruments, curate collaborative initiatives across sector and stakeholders and develops innovative voluntary approaches to Sustainable Development. Her portfolios in CII include the CII - ITC Centre Of Excellence for Sustainable Development, CII Development Initiatives, CII Foundation, India@75 and Indian Women Network.

Seema Arora has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Delhi University. She is a member of World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Biodiversity Action Agenda. She has twenty-nine years of experience in the field of Sustainable Development.

Shivani Kumar

Lead - Gender and Advocacy

Shivani Kumar
Lead - Gender and Advocacy

Shivani Kumar is a Development design, Implementation and Advocacy professional with over 15 years of experience in NGOs, International organizations, corporates and politics. At CII Foundation, Shivani leads the initiatives around women empowerment and early childhood education. She began her career as part of Child in Need Institute where she worked on development, scale and adoption of the concept of community health workers (now ASHA) in Jharkhand. She continued to work on issues of reproductive health in the Upper Himalayan regions, with Constella Futures. She explored the interplay of Gender, Development and Politics through her work with a member of Parliament in Haryana and then continued to JSW Foundation. She holds a MA in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School, USA, a Master’s in social work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences and a BA (Hons) in History from St Stephen’s College.

Chandrakant Pradhan

Lead - Climate Resilience

Chandrakant Pradhan
Lead - Climate Resilience

Chandrakant has over fourteen years of project management and research experience in the areas of social development and environment. He joins us from the Aga Khan Foundation, India, where he was the livelihoods sector lead. Previously, he has worked with PRADAN; IFMR, Chennai; and UNEP, Geneva. He has experience of designing and executing large community development projects in areas of sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, wasteland rehabilitation, nonfarm livelihoods and financial inclusion. Chandrakant has completed M.A. in International Development Policy from Duke University, Durham, USA and B.Sc. in Agriculture from Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneshwar. He has also attended short academic courses at Brandeis University, Waltham, USA (on ecology) and Duke Geneva Programme (on Global Policy and Governance – Environment Track). He was a recipient of the Ford Foundation International Scholarship.

Megha Milan

Lead - Partnerships and Fundraising

Megha Milan
Lead - Partnerships and Fundraising

Megha Milan is a corporate engagement & partnership professional with over 19 years of experience. She has worked with both Multi-National and Indian companies in the corporate sector. As a Development Sector professional, using her cross-sectoral approach she specializes in driving partnerships, mobilizing resources to unlock financial and non-financial opportunities, developing and executing engagement & outreach plans, managing multi-stakeholder relationships for bridging the gap between non-profit and for-profit worlds in order to facilitate corporate alliances on high impact models that are solving socio-economic challenges of the country. She holds a BA (Hons) in Political Science from Lady Sri Ram College and is a Post Graduate in Marketing Management from Times School of Marketing.

Priya Shirali

Head – Communication

Priya Shirali
Head – Communication

Priya Shirali is a communication professional with over 20 years of experience spanning journalism, strategic & development communication, as well as branding.

At the CII Foundation, she leads Communication and conceptualises and implements a 360-degree communication strategy targeting Government, industry and local communities to strengthen the brand equity of the Foundation and increase engagement.

Priya joined CII in 2009 and has worked extensively in the areas of internal and external communication. She was leading Corporate and Strategic Communication at CII and has created and curated customised, targeted communication to key stakeholders such as CII Past Presidents, select Government officials, select Industry leaders, Diplomats, and Media, amongst others. She has also been responsible for key publications such as the Annual Report.

Priya’s academic credentials include a Master’s degree in English Literature from Delhi University, and she graduated from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University. She holds Diplomas in Advertising and Marketing from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi, and in Book Publishing from The National Book Trust, New Delhi.

Vineet Nautiyal

Deputy Finance Manager

Vineet Nautiyal
Deputy Finance Manager

Vineet Nautiyal is part of Finance team with CII Foundation. His role primarily involves managing end to end finances of the CII Foundation. He is a Commerce graduate from Delhi University and is a Semi Qualified Chartered Accountant having more than 10 years of experience in the field of Finance, Accounting, and Taxation.

Sukriti Tolani

Program Manager – Gender

Sukriti Tolani
Program Manager - Gender

Sukriti Tolani is a part of the women empowerment team with the CII Foundation. Having worked on capacity building and Women empowerment in rural Uttar Pradesh, Sukriti has rich field work experience. Previously, she has worked for children protection and women empowerment in line with the government officials and rural communities in Basti (Uttar Pradesh). Following which, she extensively worked on menstrual hygiene management practices and breaking the taboos related to menstruation in our society in Lucknow and around. Sukriti completed her Master’s degree in Social Entrepreneurship from Tata Institute of Social Sciences and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media (Journalism) from Mumbai University.

Akanksha Mishra

Program Manager – Gender

Akanksha Mishra
Program Manager - Gender

Akanksha is currently the Program Manager – Gender at CII Foundation. With 3.5 years of experience of working on a project with the Ministry of Rural Development and Kudumbashree, Government of Kerala, she has directly delved into issues of gender, poverty, and local governance in rural India. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from TISS, Mumbai, and has completed her bachelor’s degree in History from Delhi University.

Yukti Bhagchandani

Program Manager
Early Childhood Education (ECE)
& Gender

Yukti Bhagchandani
Program Manager
Early Childhood Education (ECE)
& Gender

Yukti is currently working on Early Childhood Education and Gender Advocacy initiatives at CII Foundation. With a background in Psychology, experience in Advertising and Publishing houses, and a passion for the Development sector, she brings a unique blend of strategic thinking, creativity, and empathy to her work. Having worn many hats, Yukti’s 4+ years of experience includes problem-solving for brands like HCL, Ford, UPES and others, Editorial work for PRH and HarperCollins, and Research and Content Development for Google Arts & Culture projects. She has also briefly worked in the mental health sector to provide Psychosocial Rehabilitation to Schizophrenia patients and done Curriculum Building for children with ID. Yukti’s work as an independent Photographer, addressing various social taboos, has been featured on platforms like Buzzfeed, Alma Magazine and Hindustan Times amongst others. She’s completed her Master’s degree in Psychology from Indira Gandhi National Open University and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media from Mumbai University.

S M Tahir Hussain

Program Officer, Punjab & Haryana

S M Tahir Hussain
Program Officer, Punjab & Haryana

S M Tahir Hussain is a part of the Climate Change Resilience Team. He looks after the crop residue management project in Punjab and Haryana. His role primarily involves working with farmers, cooperative societies and district administration in order to create sustainable farming solutions for all stakeholders. He has an experience of about 3 years of on ground project implementation. He has also previously worked with BloodConnect, NIIT Foundation and Shanti Sahyog in different capacities. He is a commerce graduate and also holds a postgraduate degree in Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, as well as an M. Com in Finance and Marketing from Jamia Millia Islamia.

Jacob Jose

Project Officer, Kerala

Jacob Jose
Project officer, Kerala

Jacob Jose a passionate social worker with more than 8 years of experience in the field of Disaster Management, Educational initiatives and community development projects. He is part of the CII Foundation team in implementation of Kerala Flood Rehabilitation initiatives and other Relief works. Jacob Has previously worked with BPCL as their CSR Consultant and with several NGO’s and was instrumental in their growth. He has completed Masters in Social Work from Loyola College, Chennai and Bachelors of Social Work from Rajagiri College of Social Sciences. He has also completed short-term course in CSR from Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs.

P Prabu Kumar

Project Officer, Karnataka

P Prabu Kumar
Project Officer, Karnataka

P Prabu Kumar looks after the implementation of the initiative enabling quality Early Childhood Education in Karnataka, working in close coordination with the Directorate of Women and Child Development, Department of the State Government. Previously, he worked with ChildFund International. He has more than 8 years of experience in different verticals of social development like Health, Education, Livelihood and Child Protection. He holds a degree in BCA from Amrita University.

Tariq Ahmad

Project Coordinator, J&K

Tariq Ahmad
Project Coordinator, J&K

Tariq Ahmad looks after the implementation of the initiative towards enabling Early Childhood Education in J & K. He is Development sector professional with experience in implementing projects to achieve goals in the development and humanitarian sector. Tariq has worked on several cross-sectorial projects while being associated with NASSCOM Foundation, Avant Learning Centres-Delhi, Aman Public Charitable Trust-Delhi, and Bridge Foundation among others. He holds a BSc and MSW from University of Kashmir.

Hitesh Goyal

Project Associate, Punjab

Hitesh Goyal
Project Associate, Punjab

Hitesh is part of Crop Residue Management Initiative, looking after the project implementation in Patiala and Sangrur districts of Punjab. His role primarily involves working with farmers, cooperative societies and district administration in order to create sustainable farming solutions for all stakeholders. He has an experience of more than a year on ground project implementation. He is a commerce graduate and holds an MBA degree in Finance and Market operations. He also has a certification in interior design.

Harpreet Singh

Project Associate, Punjab

Harpreet Singh
Project Associate, Punjab

Harpreet Singh is part of the Crop Residue Management Initiative, looking after the project implementation in the Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib districts of Punjab. His role primarily involves working with farmers, cooperative societies and district administration to create sustainable farming solutions for all stakeholders. He has an experience of 5 years on ground project implementation. He holds a Postgraduate degree in Sociology from Panjab University, Chandigarh.

Ankit Bagri

Project Associate, Haryana

Ankit Bagri
Project Associate, Haryana

Ankit Bagri is part of the Crop Residue Management Initiative, looking after the project implementation in Sirsa and Fatehabad, Haryana. His role primarily includes working with farmers, Cooperative societies, District Administration, the state agricultural department, and other concerned departments to promote sustainability among paddy farmers on crop residue burning. He has experience of more than a year on the ground. Ankit holds a B.Sc (Hons) degree in Agriculture from Maharishi Markandeshwar University (MMU), Ambala. He has previously worked as an Intern on a Farmers’ Extension Project on Crop Residue Management of Nurture.farm, UPL India Ltd.

Jibran Zakir

Project Associate

Jibran Zakir
Project Associate

Jibran Zakir is a part of the Climate Change Resilience Team. He looks after Waste Management Initiative in Okhla, New Delhi. His role primarily involves working with waste workers, R.W.A and municipal cooperation in order to create zero waste societies. He has an experience of about 1 year of on ground project implementation. He has also previously worked with Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses (SPYM) and FXB India Suraksha (FXBIS) in different capacities. He has a Bachelor's degree in B.com from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi and holds a postgraduate degree in Master’s in Social Work (MSW) from Amity University along with certifications in Nature-Based Solutions for Disaster & Climate Resilience from UN Environment Programme & in Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, The École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne(EPFL).

Abdullah Siddiqui

Project Coordinator, Punjab & Haryana

Abdullah Siddiqui
Project Coordinator, Punjab & Haryana

Abdullah Siddiqui is part of Crop Residue Management Initiative, looking after the project implementation in Ludhiana, Punjab. His role primarily includes working with farmers, cooperative societies, district administration, agricultural department and other concerned departments. Abdullah has previously worked with IIPA as a Research Assistant, where he audited two Central Government schemes. These projects gave him a micro-level understanding of the implementation of government schemes on ground Abdullah holds an MBA from Jamia Millia Islamia.

Prashasti Yadav

Communications Associate

Prashasti Yadav
Communications Associate

Prashasti Yadav is working as Communications Associate in the Communications team.

A budding communication professional, she is committed to bringing nuance, complexities, and impact of the development sector from the margins to the mainstream. Having worked in various social work areas - Geriatric Social Work, Correctional Social Work, Psychiatric Social Work, to name a few, she holds fast to make a change.

Previously, she has worked with L&T's CSR in Rajpura, Patiala, and Fatehgarh Sahib districts in the domain of Women Empowerment, along with Education, Rural Development, and Water & Sanitation verticals.

She has obtained a degree in Masters of Social Work from Panjab University, Chandigarh, and has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science (H) from Mehr Chand Mahajan (MCM) DAV College for Women, Chandigarh.

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