Director – Volunteer Programs and Individual Giving
Mr. Ritwik Sawant
Director – Communications
Dr. Rajan Samuel
Managing Director
Dr. Rajan Samuel has over 30 years of experience in microfinance, housing microfinance and social development. He has held various roles in the past in independent consulting and senior level positions with organisations such as Opportunity International, World Bank, Khula Finance, Department for International Development (DFID), International Fund For Agricultural Development (IFAD), CARE, World Vision and Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).
As the Managing Director of Habitat for Humanity India, Rajan inspires partners in government, the private sector and civil society to volunteer, donate, invest and advocate for decent, affordable housing and improved sanitation. He has been instrumental in establishing the Sensitise to Sanitise Coalition with an aim to eliminate open defecation. Popularly known as the S2S Coalition, it has touched the lives of over 3.2 million people across India.
Under his leadership, Habitat India’s outreach has multiplied from having impacted 2,80,000 individuals in 2014 to over 36 million Indians impacted today through with various shelter and sanitation interventions. To support the exponential growth, the organisational revenue has grown over 1000% during his tenure.
Having worked in over 30 countries in Asia, Central Asia, Africa and the Caucasus, Rajan has been instrumental in establishing 15 independent Microfinance institutions in 10 countries including rural banks, cooperatives, credit unions and non-banking finance companies.
Before joining Habitat India, he was the Housing Finance Manager with the Asia Pacific Office of Habitat for Humanity International. He holds a degree in commerce, a Post Graduate degree in Business Management and has presented his Ph.D. thesis on ‘Microfinance as a Tool to Revitalize Azerbaijan’s Economy’. He has completed an advanced Executive Program from Harvard University.
In 1994, Rajan was awarded with the National Achievers Award by the Government of India. He was honoured by the Aid and International Development Forum with the Innovator of the Year Award in 2018. He is the recipient of the prestigious Mahatma Award for two consecutive years – 2019 and 2020. Having led Habitat for Humanity India serve over 1.3 million people affected by COVID-19 and the lockdown Rajan was awarded with the Golden Combatant Award and PeopleQ Inspiration Award in 2020. He was conferred upon the Global Economy Change Makers 2020 Charity Leadership Award to celebrate his prominent impact in leading Habitat for Humanity India’s contribution to the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goal (SDG) 11 of building sustainable cities and communities.
Through Rajan’s able leadership, Habitat for Humanity India serves as a voice for people in need of decent housing.
Rajan lives in Mumbai with his wife Joyce. They have two daughters Judy and Jenny.
Mr. Pradeep Narayanan
Chief Operating Officer
Mr Pradeep Narayanan has 26 years of progressive and diverse experience as a program leader, manager, strategist, technical advisor, and evaluator of programs worldwide. He holds technical expertise in program design, monitoring, research and evaluation across cross-cutting content areas including Social Protection, Child Protection, RMNCH+A (reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health), Nutrition, TB, Gender, Disability, WASH and HIV. Pradeep has led and worked with leading donor and NGOs including AusAid, Save the Children, Danida, UNDP amongst others. He holds extensive experience of formulating and implementing initiatives across sectors, disciplines and geographies.Pradeep has a demonstrated ability to effectively use data for program and policy development and is skilled in designing monitoring and evaluation systems at the strategic and operational levels. He is also adept at identifying opportunities for program development and private sector engagement.Pradeep leads Habitat India’s programs and operations ensuring we support the families in need with adequate housing and improved sanitation solutions.
Mr. Anna Charly J
Director – Volunteer Programs and Individual Giving
Anna Charly began his career in 1995. From writing housing needs proposals to becoming Habitat India’s Director in Volunteer Programs, he has seen dramatic changes in the entire country in meeting the vision and mission of Habitat for Humanity India.
Now in his 24th year of service with the organisation, Charly leads Habitat India’s Global Village Volunteer Program. He has been facilitating the success of domestic and school volunteer programs through special campaigns. Recently, he has traveled far and wide, training and conducting housing and health sanitation awareness sessions across India, with 8.1 million participants under Habitat Young Leaders Build.
Passion and dedication is Charly’s valuable contribution to Habitat. He hopes that his Habitat life-story touches both volunteers and staff alike, during difficulties and self-doubt.
Mr. Ritwik Sawant
Director – Communications
A firm believer in the power of visuals and the art of storytelling, Ritwik serves as the Director - Communications for Habitat for Humanity India. In his present role, he spearheads brand management, public relations, digital media and is obsessed about telling Habitat’s story to the outside world.
An alumnus of Department of Communication Studies at the University of Pune, Ritwik brings with him 10 years of experience in media and communication. His love for social development brought him to the non-profit sector. Prior to joining Habitat, Ritwik led Communications for Naandi Foundation.
Apart from his work, Ritwik is passionate about art, cinema, photography, literature, food and travelling.
Mrs. Sheila Kripalani
Chairperson - Board of Trustees
Sheila Kripalani is the Director of Pijikay Group of Companies, an international trading house focused on sourcing the best quality frozen seafood from India.
As the Chairperson of Habitat for Humanity India’s Board of Trustees, Mrs. Kripalani champions the cause of housing for low-income families. She has been associated with Habitat India for more than a decade and has played an influential role in the growth of the organisation. She has also served as the Chair of Habitat India’s Women Build India committee that brings together women leaders, entrepreneurs and achievers to support our vision of building a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
Mrs. Kripalani has been associated with a variety of social causes such as Bombay Teen Challenge, the Terry Fox Run and was the former President of the Indian Merchants’ Chamber (IMC) Ladies Wing. At present she serves as the member of IMC Ladies Wing’s Executive Committee and Safe Mumbai Committee.
Sheila Kripalani has graduated with a major in English Literature. For her contribution to the society, Sheila Kripalani has been honoured with the Nehemiah Award by Habitat for Humanity International and Iconic Leader Award by the Women Economic Forum.
Mr. Rajeev Menon
Trustee CEO - All-Tact IT solutions
Rajeev Menon is currently serving as a CEO of a Software development Consulting firm that specializes in the Insurance domain. Prior to this he used to be the Group Investment Advisor for Expat Group of Companies. He was the India Head for an Asset Solution Infrastructure company based out of Sydney.
He also served as Vice President – Business Development of Lavasa Corporation, looking after all Corporate, Institutional, Retail and Residential side of the business.
In 2001 Rajeev Menon founded N-able Solutions (India) Pvt. Ltd. an offshore software application development company based in Mumbai with offshore office in Dallas, Texas.
He has more than thirty years of experience in business and financial strategy consulting. His career spans from being a Business Executive for Nestle to a Business Strategist/Senior Account Manager and Assistant Vice President with Hong Kong Bank, Deutsche Bank and Times Bank and has handled the top end of the Private Banking clientele (Wealth Management Services).
Mr. Roland Smith
Trustee Group Head - Leadership, Strategy and Development for Interglobe Enterprises
Dr. Roland B Smith currently serves as the Group Head - Leadership, Strategy and Development for Interglobe Enterprises (IGE). He also serves as Co-Chair of IGE’s Executive Committee.
Prior to joining IGE, he worked with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) from 2007 to 2017. From 2013 to 2017, he served as the Managing Director for APAC and Senior Vice President of Asia-Pacific. His area of responsibility included China, India (South Asia), Southeast Asia, and ANZ. H[Prior to moving to Asia, Dr Smith was a senior faculty member and lead researcher for both the Senior Executive Research Initiative (SERI) and the Global Institute for Talent Sustainability (GIFTS). He also led CCL’s Legal Practice.
Roland holds a bachelors degree in Finance and a Master Degree in Instructional/Educational Technology from Boise State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Idaho. Dr Smith also served as the Visiting Professor of Leadership at Elon University Law School in North Carolina, USA for three years.
Mr. Shirish Damle
Trustee Head India CSC - Treasury and Trade Solutions Client Operations, CSIPL Citibank India
Shirish Damle has 23 years of vast experience spread across Operations & Corporate Banking including 16 years with Citi. After joining Citi in 1995, he has performed a varied range of roles in Citibank Treasury, Cash Management, Product Management and Global Investigations. As a Product Manager, he was part of the launch of the first Electronic payments for the commercial disbursements product – Paylink. Before taking to Operations, Shirish has also worked as EVP & COO Head of BFS Corporate Banking at TCS eServe after the divestiture.
In his current role as Head India CSC for TTS Ops, CSIPL, he is heading the Global Operations for Cash and Trade services for a team of 600 in Mumbai and Chennai. He is also the Co-chair for Asia O&T Women in Leadership Council.
Shirish holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, in addition a qualified Associate Chartered Accountant with all India Ranking 18th and also a Cost and Works Accountant.
He likes playing cricket, football and other adventure sports in his leisure time.
Ms. Belaynesh Tadesse
Trustee
Dr. Rajan Samuel
Ex officio Managing Director, Habitat for Humanity India
Dr. Rajan Samuel has over 30 years of experience in microfinance, housing microfinance and social development. He has held various roles in the past in independent consulting and senior level positions with organisations such as Opportunity International, World Bank, Khula Finance, Department for International Development (DFID), International Fund For Agricultural Development (IFAD), CARE, World Vision and Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).
As the Managing Director of Habitat for Humanity India, Rajan inspires partners in government, the private sector and civil society to volunteer, donate, invest and advocate for decent, affordable housing and improved sanitation. He has been instrumental in establishing the Sensitise to Sanitise Coalition with an aim to eliminate open defecation. Popularly known as the S2S Coalition, it has touched the lives of over 3.2 million people across India.
Under his leadership, Habitat India’s outreach has multiplied from having impacted 2,80,000 individuals in 2014 to over 36 million Indians impacted today through with various shelter and sanitation interventions. To support the exponential growth, the organisational revenue has grown over 1000% during his tenure.
Having worked in over 30 countries in Asia, Central Asia, Africa and the Caucasus, Rajan has been instrumental in establishing 15 independent Microfinance institutions in 10 countries including rural banks, cooperatives, credit unions and non-banking finance companies.
Before joining Habitat India, he was the Housing Finance Manager with the Asia Pacific Office of Habitat for Humanity International. He holds a degree in commerce, a Post Graduate degree in Business Management and has presented his Ph.D. thesis on ‘Microfinance as a Tool to Revitalize Azerbaijan’s Economy’. He has completed an advanced Executive Program from Harvard University.
In 1994, Rajan was awarded with the National Achievers Award by the Government of India. He was honoured by the Aid and International Development Forum with the Innovator of the Year Award in 2018. He is the recipient of the prestigious Mahatma Award for two consecutive years – 2019 and 2020. Having led Habitat for Humanity India serve over 1.3 million people affected by COVID-19 and the lockdown Rajan was awarded with the Golden Combatant Award and PeopleQ Inspiration Award in 2020. He was conferred upon the Global Economy Change Makers 2020 Charity Leadership Award to celebrate his prominent impact in leading Habitat for Humanity India’s contribution to the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goal (SDG) 11 of building sustainable cities and communities.
Through Rajan’s able leadership, Habitat for Humanity India serves as a voice for people in need of decent housing.
Rajan lives in Mumbai with his wife Joyce. They have two daughters Judy and Jenny.
Smt. Rajashree Birla
Chairperson - Advisory Committee Chairperson - The Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development.
Rajashree Birla is a Director on the Board of all the major Aditya Birla Group of Companies. As Chairperson of the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development , she oversees the Group's social and welfare driven work across 30 companies.
She is also the Chairperson of the Advisory Board of the University of Kanchipuram. She is Member of the Advisory Board of "The Research Society For The Care, Treatment and Training of Children in Need of Special Care", Mumbai, and a Trustee of "Population First", India, and of BAIF Development Research Foundation, Pune in addition to several other organizations.
Mrs. Birla has received several honors and awards including “The Economic Times' Corporate Citizen 2001-2002 Award". The Rotary Club of Bombay conferred "The Citizen of Bombay Award 2003", while the Rotarians in Action named her for "The Seva Shiromani Award". Mrs. Birla was conferred the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2011 for her exemplary contribution in the area of social work
Mr. Asit Koticha
Member – Advisory Committee Chairman and Founder, ASK Group
Asit Koticha has over three decades of experience in the Indian capital markets and is well renowned in the Indian financial markets. He has featured in CNBC TV18's 'Wizards of Dalal Street'. Under his mentorship, ASK Group has developed independent and focused expertise in the areas of Equity Research, Asset Management (both Equities and Real Estate), Financial Planning and Wealth Advisory.
As an active contributor to society, Mr. Koticha has supported the Mumbai University in building a Philosophy Center and a Convention Center, which are now both work-in-progress. He is on the advisory board of Habitat for Humanity India. He has pioneered the house-for- a-house campaign, which contributed towards building homes for more than 2500 families. He has been instrumental in setup, registration and strategy for MicroBuild India. In addition, he is Vice-Chairman on the board of the Saurashtra Medical and Charitable Trust, set up in Rajkot, Gujarat. The Olympic Gold Quest is another of Mr. Koticha’s contributions through which he supports the Indian athletes training for championship in the Olympics.
Mr. Sanjay Nayar
Member – Advisory Committee Chairman - KKR India
Sanjay Nayar joined KKR in 2009 and is the chairman of KKR India. He is also a member of the Asia Portfolio Management Committee and the Asia Investment Committee. He is on the board of KKR's portfolio companies Magma Financial Services, Apollo Hospitals, Coffee Day Holdings, Avendus Capital, Max Financial Services and Radiant Lifecare, and has had significant involvement with KKR's investment in Avantha. He also supports expanding the range of KKR's credit and capital markets offerings across the region.
Mr. Nayar was the deputy chairman of the Indian Banks Association (IBA), a member of the board of US-India Business Council (USIBC), and co-chairman of the Banking Committee for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Currently, he is on SEBI’s Board of NISM (National Institute of Securities) and Alternative Investment Fund (AIF). He also served on the Committee of the Reserve Bank of India tasked with building a Centre for Advanced Financial Learning (CAFL).
Mr. Nayar is on the board of Habitat for Humanity, Pratham, Grameen Capital and ISB, and is a founding member of the Brookings Foundation, India. He is also on the Board of Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (EMPEA), and served as the Chairman of the Indian Private Venture Capital Association until 2006”.
Mr. Gul Kripalani
Member – Advisory Committee Chairman and Managing Director - Pijikay Group of Companies
Gul Kripalani is the Chairman & Managing Director of Pijikay Group of Companies and has been in the business for 45 years. He has served as the Regional President and the National Vice President of Seafood Exporters’ Association of India. He has led several delegations on behalf of the Industry as well as been part of several delegation s to Israel, Taiwan, France, UK and Belgium.
He is currently the President of the Federation of Indo-Israel Chambers of Commerce. He is the Convenor for Terry Fox (India) Committee, an organization which espouses the cause of research of cancer amongst children. He is on the Board of Jai Hind College. He is the Past President of the Rotary Club of Bombay, Past President of Maharashtra Chapter of International Christian Chamber of Commerce and also the Past National President of the Indo-Canadian Business Chamber. He is on the Advisory Board of Habitat for Humanity, India. He has been the District Chairman of “The Peace Conference” for Rotary District 3140 for the last 3 years.
Since September 2010, he has been appointed as the Honorary Consul General of Iceland in Mumbai. Since July 2013, he has been appointed the Chairman of Honorary Consular Corps Diplomatique (HCCD) and Vice Dean of Consular Corps Association Mumbai (CCAM).
Mr. Chandrakant Nayak
Member – Advisory Committee Country President - Dow India
Mr. Chandrakant Nayak has been with the company for over 25 years and has held several key leadership positions across multiple business units and regions. Closely associated with the rapid growth in India, he has played a key role in establishing Dow India’s business partnerships across major industries including packaging, telecom, automotive, and consumer markets through local business models and innovative product solutions.
Mr. Nayak joined Dow in 1995 in Mumbai as Business Manager for the Polyethylene business and has had extensive experience in key growth economies in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Passionate about community initiatives, he was instrumental in the development and launch of the company’s signature CSR program – the Polyurethanes Jaipur Foot Project – which has received international acclaim. He is also deeply invested in the organization’s inclusion and diversity initiatives and an avid advocate of improving representation of minority groups in society.
Mr. Nayak is a gold medallist in bachelor’s degree in Polymers Technology from Institute of Chemical Technology (formerly UDCT), Mumbai University and holds a master’s degree in Marketing Management from the same university.
Ms. Elina Meswani
Member – Advisory Committee Philanthropist
Ms. Elina Meswani has graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Southern California at Los Angeles, and has completed a Graduate and Post Graduate course on Children’s brain development from the Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential, Philadelphia.
In addition to serving on the advisory committee of Habitat for Humanity India, Elina Meswani is involved in various charitable causes such as Eye Camps, Jaipur Foot Camps and Schools for the Deaf and Disabled.
Mr. Niranjan Hiranandani
Member – Advisory Committee Managing Director – Hiranandani Group of Companies
From his early beginnings of teaching chartered accountancy, Mr. Niranjan Hiranandani began his initial business by venturing into textiles with a weaving unit at Charkop in Kandivali in 1981. His first spark of recognition in the construction line came with their work in Versova, Andheri in the mid-eighties. Since then, the Hiranandani Group has come a long way to be recognized countrywide for their modern and state-of-the-art mix-user township projects in Powai and Thane.
He is actively associated with and holds key positions in various Government Bodies, Private and Social Institutions, Schools and Colleges. Continuing to serve the society in the best possible manner, the Group has forayed into the Healthcare sector with the 188 bedded Dr. L. H. Hiranandani Super Specialty Hospitals at Powai and Thane. He calls it his “Building of Passion”.
From June 2012 to June 2013, he was the President of the Indian Merchant Chamber ( IMC). Some of his past achievements include drafting the State Policy for Slum Rehabilitation in Mumbai designed to improve the wellbeing of over 6 million slum inhabitants; acting as a trustee for the creation of Nathdwara Township as a heritage destination; serving on the board of the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), acting as an adviser to the Government of India on housing and habitat policy for over a decade; and serving as Chairman of Housing Committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
Mr. Nikhil Srivastava
Member – Advisory Committee Partner and Managing Director, Head of India Private Equity at PAG
Nikhil Srivastava is a Partner and Managing Director, Head of India Private Equity at PAG, one of Asia's largest alternative investment managers with USD 45 billion in assets under management. He started PAG's India office and is currently investing from a USD 6 billion private equity fund. Prior to joining PAG, Mr. Srivastava spent almost a decade at KKR in India, Singapore, and the United States. Previously, he worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs and was an early employee at Inphi (NYSE: IPHI).
Mr. Srivastava has an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Masters in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from BITS-Pilani where he graduated as University gold medallist. He is the author of several patents.
Mr. Navin Agarwal
Member – Advisory Committee Group Chairman, Vedanta Resources Plc and Chairman Emeritus, Vedanta Limited
Navin Agarwal is the Executive Chairman of Vedanta Ltd and Chairman of Cairn India Ltd, and Executive Vice Chairman of Vedanta Resources Plc. He has been with the Vedanta group since its founding days and has extensive experience in the natural resources industry.
Mr. Agarwal plays a key role in the strategic and governance framework of the Vedanta Group, and provides leadership for its long-term planning, business development and capital planning. He has been instrumental in the growth of the group, through world-scale organic projects, as well as acquisitions. He is a member of the nomination and remuneration committees for both Vedanta Limited and Cairn India Limited. He is passionate about developing leadership talent for the group, and identifying and nurturing future leaders.
Anil Singhvi is Chairman of Ican Investments Advisors Pvt Ltd, a Corporate Advisory firm engaged in Corporate advisory and consultancy. In 2011, Mr. Singhvi conceptualized and advised merger of Enam, one of the largest investment banks in India, with Axis Bank, a deal involving around US $ 500 million.
Mr. Singhvi founded IIAS (Institutional Investor Advisory Services India Ltd), proxy advisory company for Institutional Investors. He is advisor to Corporates & Private Equity firms in India, and Director to several companies including Hindustan Construction Co. Ltd, Subex Ltd, Institutional Investor Advisory Services India Ltd, Steiner AG, Zurich, Greatship (India) Limited, Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corporation Limited and as a Governing Council member of Foundation for Liberal and Management Education (FLAME University).
He is also closely associated as Trustee with SAMPARC- a non government organization (founded in 1990) that helps to empower the destitute children and provides them not only shelter but a complete way of life. SAMPARC shelters over 800 such children by running 8 homes in the different parts of the country.
Our 160-member team is spread across 23 states and 3 union territories. Join our robust team and help us rebuild lives of more families in India.
