India

Nirav Khambhati’s Journey to Blended Finance

One of the extraordinary attributes of Chevening fellows is the dynamic trajectory of their careers and the work they do. Their curiosity and passion compel them to expand their education, interests, and influence and pursue new opportunities and challenges. The arc of their work and interests is never static.  They may start out as an

Women in News: Lessons and Learnings 

The crucial significance of gender balance in the news media is very important. Women are under-represented in the news media all across the world. Women are oftentimes prevented from expanding their professional networks and overall career paths due to social and cultural restrictions. For instance, women don’t have the same access to mentors as men

An interview with Shabd Mishra, Managing Director for Renaissance eServices Ltd and founder of Meducination

John Hoffmire: Let me quote something I read about you online, “In 2005 Shabd Mishra quit his job as Head of International Sales for a leading US information publisher to start Renaissance eServices in 2005. The business, located in the UK, spans over 52 countries and caters to nearly 2 million students globally. Since 2005, the

An Interview with Suparna Kapoor, L&D Leader, Consultant, Happiness Coach, and Chevening CRISP Fellow, University of Oxford, 2022

John Hoffmire: I sometimes struggle with the notion of a “thought leader”.  In some cases, it just sounds presumptuous for someone to claim they can or should influence the thinking of others.  But in your case, it seems to me that you are a genuine thought leader in the best sense – you are someone

Interview with Amita Dahiya, Project Lead (Entrepreneurship) Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusive Leadership, XLRI

John Hoffmire: I’m always interested to hear how someone’s career evolves and, in some ways, changes direction. I often refer to such a career path as “following the current” as in the current of a river. It seems like your career has been a bit like that, would you agree?

Amita: Yes, I think I would agree that

De-silting Lakes and Ponds in India

Water is the basic necessity for all living organisms.  Water capacity of ponds and lakes in India has been significantly reduced due to the settling of silt at the bottom of these water bodies. This causes a water availability problem for villages, in particular.

Another problem is that many people don’t have the resources to de-silt

Businesses Addressing Poverty in India

India is a country with a rich cultural heritage and a fast-growing population and economy. However, it still faces a enormous challenge of poverty. According to the World Bank, in 2018, about 44.8% of India’s population lived below the international poverty line of $1.90 per day.  Those are the most up-to-fate figures since India

Young Writers Series – The Covid Impact: Women’s Participation in the Labour Force Post Pandemic 

It is a well-known fact that India’s economy faced a drastic blow during the COVID-19 initiated lockdowns. While this led to unemployment across various sectors, informal vocations, due to a lack of documentation and formal agreements, faced the brunt of this unemployment. This was further exacerbated for the female workforce, since they were shouldering responsibilities

Young Writers Series – Surveying Economic Policies for Women’s Empowerment in India

As has been explored in earlier articles on this blog, there are numerous obstacles – political, social, and structural – that prevent the integration of women into the Indian economy on equitable terms and footing with their male counterparts. These issues are deeply rooted in the Indian economy and society more broadly, and addressing them

Gender Equality, Education, and Employment in India

India is a country where gender inequality has been a crucial issue for generations. Starting at a very young age, girls face a variety of barriers that contribute to unequal economic and educational opportunities. The empowerment of women, both through education of girls and employment of women, has a direct impact on the Indian economy. 

An interview with Tushar Vyas, President of Growth and Transformation for GroupM South Asia

John Hoffmire: I find it fascinating that you have been both an entrepreneur and an intrapreneur in the field of digital media. You’ve started companies from scratch, and you created new business enterprises within a multinational corporation. Tell me about your journey from start-up entrepreneur to a GroupM intrapreneur.

Tushar: In many ways, there is not

An interview with Paramjyoti Chattopadhyay, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, NITI Aayog

John Hoffmire: I remember when I met you at Oxford in 2015, feeling like you and I had similar interests and unusual career tracks that bounced us back and forth between working to alleviate poverty, management consulting, and public policy. Am I right about the unusual career paths?

Param: I’ve always been interested in both development

Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka to foster tech entrepreneurs

The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), the apex ICT institution of the Government and a catalyst in driving the startup ecosystem forward, launched the ’10,000 Ideas’ national tech innovation program recently to empower the next generation of tech entrepreneurs along with startup ecosystem enablers.

An interview with Dr. Kasturi Das, Professor of Economics at the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad (IMTG)

John Hoffmire: Kasturi, you have covered multiple fields in your work life so far. Tell me about your professional journey, if you will.

Kasturi: That’s right, John. In my professional journey spanning more than two decades I have worked in multiple capacities – conducting research, advisory, advocacy, teaching, academic administration, and community service. My journey has

An interview with Kaushik Bose, Co-founder and CEO of SustLabs (a consumer IoT company in the energy space)

John Hoffmire: I remember when I first met you during your time as a fellow of the Chevening Research Science and Innovation Leadership Programme (CRISP). You were so passionate about energy conservation and had recently cofounded SustLabs. Is SustLabs an energy saving or a data analytics company?

Kaushik: At the moment, we are primarily a consumer

An interview with Vinita Srivastava, Executive Director (Heritage) at Railway Board

John Hoffmire:  You’ve had an interesting career that spans mechanical engineering, the transportation sector, and cultural preservation. That’s an unusual mix. I’d love to learn more about how that came about?

Vinita: I don’t see it as such an unusual mix. I’ve always had a love for the Indian railroads. You see, a railway isn’t just tracks and

An interview with Sanghamitra Biswas Jayant, Member, Corporate Strategic Management Team, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited

John Hoffmire: You are an increasingly rare entity in management these days — you’ve stayed with the same company for nearly 20 years. Tell me about your work with Bharat Heavy Electricals and why you’ve felt comfortable staying there for so long.

Sanghamitra: You are right, I’ve been with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) for a

An Interview with Meghna Apparao, Chevening Research Science and Innovation Leadership Programme (CRISP) Fellow, 2018

John Hoffmire: Since your time as a fellow at the Chevening Research Science and Innovation Leadership Programme (CRISP), you’ve taken on new roles and responsibilities as a leader of brand awareness and customer experience. I’d love to hear more about that?

Meghna: I came to Oxford in 2018 as part of the CRISP program at St.

An interview with Shilpa Pandit, Associate Professor of Psychology and Co-Founder of Dreampath Foundation (which works with adolescents and youth as they navigate their careers)

John Hoffmire: When I first met you in 2018, I remember being impressed by three things: 1) You seemed like a very wise soul – like someone full of hard-earned wisdom; 2) You radiated joy and fun – happiness just spilled out of you; and, 3) You’ve worked in such a wide variety of ways

An interview with Reena Dayal, founder and CEO of Benzaiten Advisors, and Chair at Quantum Ecosystems Technology Council of India

John Hoffmire: I understand that you have been a strong advocate and promoter of the field of quantum computing in India, that you have a new position as Chair at Quantum Ecosystems Technology Council of India, and that you founded a startup focused on innovation management and future tech consulting, called Benzaiten Advisors. I’d love

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