Our Team

CInI’s Governing Board shapes its strategic vision and ensures the alignment of initiatives to the emerging needs of the communities we serve. 

We Empower Communities for Impact.

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Manoj Kumar

Manoj Kumar is the Founder and CEO of the Foundation for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship (FISE), whose core focus is promoting technology-focused innovation to address critical challenges of communities. Through the brand of Social Alpha, Manoj has been leading the pathway of developing and strengthening the ecosystem through the architecture of Lab to Market with the core focus on impacting the unserved and underserved communities.  

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Rajesh Thadani

Rajesh is a Forest Ecologist, who completed his MFS and Ph.D. from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He is a member of CInI’s Governing Body since September 2012. He is also the Director of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP-India), and has an adjunct position at the Yale F&ES. He is a well-known expert in the Himalayan ecosystem. 

Chanakya Chaudhary

Chanakya functions as the Vice President, of Corporate Services and is handling the functions of Corporate Administration, Communications, CSR, Security, Aviation, Sports and Medical services. He also serves on the Board of New Millennium Iron Corporation, Canada; Mjunction Services Limited, S&T Mining Company Private Limited, T M Mining Company Limited and also as Chairman of the Board of JUSCO (a 100% subsidiary of Tata Steel). He is a member of the National Committee for Mining of CII, the Jharkhand State CII Councilthe Eastern Region Council of CII and the Indian Steel Association (ISA). He holds the membership of the managing committee of FIMI (Federation of Indian Mineral Industries) and is also a member of the Communications Committee of the World Steel Association (WSA). 

Sourav Roy

Sourav is the Chief of Corporate Social Responsibility, Tata Steel and based out of Jamshedpur. He has a degree in Economics from Delhi University, a Master’s degree in Business Law from Bengaluru Law College along a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. Sourav has previously worked for Tata Sustainability through his involvement in the Uttarakhand disaster response program as well as through his work in Assam, Jammu and KashmirAndhra Pradesh and Nepal. 

Harish Hande

Harish completed his undergraduate studies in Energy Engineering from IIT Kharagpur and also has a PhD in Energy Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. An Indian Social Entrepreneur, he co-founded SELCO India in 1995 and was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2011 for putting solar power technology in the hands of the poor through his social enterprise SELCO India. In June 2008, India Today named him one of the 50 Pioneers of Change in India. Presently he is the CEO of Selco Foundation, focusing on SDG 7 strengthening the overall SDGs. 

Ganesh Neelam

Secretary Cum Executive Director

Ganesh has been associated with CInI right since 2007, when it was incorporated. He is a qualified Geologist and has been focusing on integrating agriculture-based livelihoods to meet the aspirations of communities. He is also associated with FISE and Sustain Plus Energy Foundation, wherein he plays the role of bringing relevant technologies to the communities to address their challenges from a long-term perspective.  

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CInI’s CORE team is a fine blend of development and management professionals. Their techno-managerial expertise and wide spectrum of experience in the development sector enable the impactful implementation of the programs on the ground. 

Mala Roy

Program Leader

Mala, a postgraduate in Agriculture Science has an experience of 23 years in the Development Sector. She has expertise in working with tribal communities at the grassroots level, strengthening institutions, poultry enterprises and other livelihood prototypes, etc. She has been an integral part of the CInI since June 2010 and currently oversees the functions of grant management, Human ResourcesFinance and Accounts for the overall organization. 

Sujit K Gopinathan

Team Leader – Gujarat

A Postgraduate in Rural Development from the Xavier’s Institute of Social Studies, Ranchi, Sujit has over 27 years of work experience in implementation of intensive livelihood development programs, strategic planning, programme monitoring, evaluation and engaging diverse stakeholders. His specific areas of interest are participatory resource management which facilitates livelihood promotion and environmentally sustainable development. Currently, he heads the CInI program interventions in the state of Gujarat. 

Samir Bhattacharjee

Team Leader – Maharashtra

A graduate of forestry from the North Eastern Regional Institute of Science & Technology (NERIST), Samir has over 22 years of experience in Rural Development in different roles and positions. As the Regional Manager for the Maharashtra – 1, Samir leads the implementation of multi-sectoral projects in Nandurbar and Lakhpati Kisan programs in the Dhule & Chandrapur districts.  

Sirshendu Paul

Team Leader – Jharkhand

Armed with an M.Phil in Economics, Mr. Sirshendu Paul joined CInI in October 2010 and worked as the microfinance and Livelihood anchor for three years. He has been working as the Team Leader – Jharkhand since 2014. He is the backbone of the design and delivery team of the Lakhpati Kisan programme. His forte is in Rural Enterprise and Entrepreneurs Promotion as well as designing and facilitating group workshops. 

Santanu Dutta

Team Leader – Odisha

With a dynamic experience of 17 years in the rural sector, primarily in farm-based livelihoods, Santanu has initiated and developed service delivery models in the agri-domain, Hi-tech nursery enterprise and commercial drip farming through drip irrigation by smallholders during the first phase of the Lakhpati Kisan programme. He is passionate about bringing change in the local Agroecosystem through partnering with all relevant stakeholders. Santanu is a graduate postgraduate from IRMA. 

Sonal Das

Team Leader – Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh

Sonal is an integral part of Tata Administrative Services with over 11 years of professional experience across various companies including Tata Consultancy Services, and Tata Communications and has been associated with Tata Trusts since 2018. She has led cross-functional roles panning across multiple countries, especially in the area of program management, product marketing and technology. Currently, she plays a dual role as the Team Lead – MP & CG, CInI and General Manager – Central & East Zone, Tata Trusts, working across zones and leading projects from initiation to implementation.