Ankita Rana has four years of experience in enterprise development and capacity building with Kudumbashree National Resource Organization (NRO). Specializing in food service clusters under the National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP), she has played a key role in designing and implementing training programs for State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs) across multiple states. She has led the development of diagnostic study reports, capacity-building frameworks, and monitoring tools to enhance enterprise sustainability.

She holds an M.A. in Social Work in Livelihoods & Social Entrepreneurship from Tata Institute of Social Sciences and a Bachelor’s in Commerce from the University of Delhi.

Andrea is a Program Associate at Imago Global Grassroots for the global office and Latin America. She is a political scientist and professional in International Relations from Universidad del Rosario in Colombia, as well as a specialist in Organizations, Social Responsibility and Development from Universidad de los Andes.

Prior to joining Imago, Andrea worked for more than two years for the British Government in Colombia, first in the International Trade Department and then in the Prosperity Program team during its closing phase. In addition, Andrea is a Master's degree student in Economics of Public Policy at the Universidad del Rosario. Her policy interests include gender, environmental sustainability, peace, inequality, among others.

Anishmita previously worked at the Delhi Assembly Research Centre under Delhi Legislative Assembly as an Associate Fellow closely with a Member of Legislative Assembly, focusing on optimizing the last-mile delivery of government schemes and delving into policy research in the constituency. Prior to that, at the Indian Political Action Committee in Kolkata, she worked on two projects—the West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 and the West Bengal Municipal Election 2022. Her responsibilities encompassed planning, strategizing, and executing impactful political campaigns by conducting extensive primary and secondary research. She worked closely with local communities to understand their needs and grievances and collaborated extensively with the Panchayat Raj Institution at the grassroots level.

She believes in co-creating initiatives with stakeholders, fostering innovation to address societal challenges, and embracing empathy as a guiding principle to understand and cater to the diverse needs of the communities.

She holds a Postgraduate degree in M.A. Social Work specializing in Community Organization and Development Practice from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

Asha is a dedicated professional with 14 years of experience in the entrepreneurship development sector. Throughout her career, Asha has contributed to various livelihood programs, collaborating with organizations such as SIDBI, SRLMs, and CSR projects across India.

Asha's expertise includes project implementation, highlighted by my work on SIDBI's SCK project and HDFC Bank’s Parivartan projects, as well as policy making, demonstrated through her contributions to the SBS program at Karuna Shechen India. Additionally, Asha has a strong background in mentoring through initiatives like the MEC and SVEP Programs under Kudumbashree NRO. Asha is a skilled in capacity building, project proposal writing, and business plan preparation.

Beyond Asha's professional endeavors, she is committed to fostering sustainable development and positive social change, particularly by empowering women at the grassroots level. Asha's passion for entrepreneurship drives her dedication to making a meaningful impact in rural communities.

Asha holds a postgraduate degree in Rural Development from Indira Gandhi Open University, New Delhi, and a Diploma in Entrepreneurship and Business Management (DEBM) from the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India.

Atul has academic training in economics, and his interest lies at the intersection of development and behavioral economics and the application of econometrics methods. He has contributed to research work in diverse areas, including analyzing the challenges and structural impact of Covid-19. As a guest faculty, he briefly taught Introductory Macroeconomics and Financial Literacy to undergrads at Miranda House College, Delhi University. Currently, Atul is working at IMAGO India to support Convergence Evaluation across Bihar.

Atul holds a Masters degree in Economics from the Central University of South Bihar. He continues to engage in development research courses and research work to hone his intellectual abilities.

Bianca has 7 years of experience working in strategic and service design in Latin America and the UK. She has been involved in projects with various clients in the public sector, including regional governments and ministries, in the third sector with foundations focus on children and adolescents, and in the private sector working on sustainability, open innovation events and supporting transformation processes within these organizations.

Bianca has worked in multidisciplinary teams to design both new services and improve existing ones, always with a centred-user approach. She works to understand users' needs and co-creates solutions from there, engaging in collaborative processes with the relevant actors in each ecosystem.

Bianca holds a bachelor’s degree in design from Universidad Católica de Chile, and a master’s in Service Design from the Royal College of Art in London, UK.

Caio has been working with social development and program management in Brazil for more than eight years. Previous to joining Imago, Caio worked at the Lemann Foundation, where oversaw the implementation of educational programs throughout the country. During his time working at the Lemann Foundation, Caio traveled around the country helping public leaders design and implement new policies to advance public education. Before that, Caio worked as the co-founder of Garatéa, a mobile application that connected close-by first-aid trained volunteers to victims in order to reduce the time they had to wait to receive any help. At Imago, Caio leads our work with Brazilian partners, supporting organizations to scale up their social impact and revisit their theory of systems change.

Caio holds a bachelor's degree in social communication from Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing, and a master's in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Caio also holds a Certificate in Economics and Management from Fundação Getúlio Vargas.

Chinmay is working as a Research Associate with Imago Global Grassroots, where he is supporting the planning and implementation for the convergence of the NRLM and MGNREGA in the state of Madhya Pradesh. His research interests lie primarily in the field of livelihoods, particularly the multidisciplinary factors that shape existing livelihood patterns across different socio-cultural regions. Chinmay recently completed his master’s degree in development studies from Tata Institute of Social Sciences Hyderabad, where his dissertation focused on the economic sustainability of Maheshwari handloom for the weavers of the craft. He also holds a master’s degree in economics from Devi Ahilya University, Indore.

Daniel has over 8 years of experience working in education in Latin America. He has worked as a mathematics teacher, conducting research and supporting the training of teachers in educational innovation. Between 2021 and 2023, he led the development of a scaling model for a methodological innovation in rural schools in Honduras and Nicaragua.

Daniel holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Universidad de Chile, and a doctorate in Engineering Sciences from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, where he researched the learning interests of students and their relationship with the national curriculum.

Dilip Kumar Rai is a seasoned development professional with over seven years of experience in sustainable agriculture, livelihood promotion, and environmental sustainability. He has contributed to esteemed organizations such as the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), Aga Khan Rural Support Programme India (AKRSPI), and Reliance Foundation.

In his most recent role, Dilip served as a Consultant at the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) for Mission Amrit Sarovar. He played a crucial role in implementing this mission, focusing on data management, providing hands-on support to ground functionaries, stakeholder management, and ensuring coordination among five participating ministries and all the States/UTs. His work has been instrumental in promoting livelihood opportunities, addressing water scarcity in rural areas, and ensuring the sustainability of Amrit Sarovars by linking user groups to each water body across the nation. He also played a pivotal role in the monitoring and evaluation of the mission's progress and impact.

Dilip holds a Master’s degree in Social Work with a specialization in Livelihood and Social Entrepreneurship from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). His deep passion for rural development and commitment to strengthening livelihoods and social enterprises are evident in his professional achievements and ongoing dedication to creating positive change in rural communities.

Gayatri Rao has more than 11 years of experience working with the private sector, civil society, UNDP, and the Government of India. She has worked with the National Rural Livelihoods Mission on women empowerment and poverty alleviation, as the Mission Manager for value chain development and organic farming across all States in India. Her work included the development and financing of farmer producer companies and women-led enterprises, the development of partnerships among technical support organizations, multilateral agencies, civil society, other Ministries, and individuals. She has also worked on citizen engagement campaigns in Bihar and Punjab, and in corporate strategy in the power and banking infrastructure sectors.

She holds a postgraduate degree in management from the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode, and a Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, where she was an Edward Mason Fellow.

Grace M. Barasa is a Senior Program Manager at Imago Global Grassroots based in Kenya. She is a socio-economic development champion for promoting sustainable community-driven development. With a robust track record of over 20 years of experience, she excels in managing impactful randomized evaluations in health, education, microfinance, agriculture, and water and sanitation sectors in international development programs in low and middle-income settings, mainly in East Africa. She has fostered catalytic relationships with relevant institutional, county, and national government institutions.

Previously, she worked for the Development Innovation Lab at the University of Chicago (DIL) where she supported the scaling of highly impactful interventions following rigorous research. Before this, she worked for Innovations for Poverty Action – Kenya (IPA-K) where she was responsible for overseeing the entire project cycle for several projects from start to finish.

Grace has a strong foundation in international development with a Bachelor's in Anthropology from Moi University and a Master's in Public Policy from Strathmore University. Grace is passionate about using evidence and impact to drive policy engagement and strategic decision-making.

Hannah has eight years of program management experience in media development and gender-focused programming.

Previously, Hannah worked as a Senior Program Manager at an international media development organization. She managed projects at the intersection of human rights, gender, press freedom and access to information in Jordan, South Africa and across Canada focusing on Indigenous representation in media, combatting disinformation and misinformation and policy responses to support independent media in the country.

Hannah holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) where she specialized in Gender and Public Policy and Technology, Media and Communications. She also holds a certificate in Non-Profit Leadership for Impact, and is a graduate of the University of Toronto majoring in International Relations, and Peace, Conflict and Justice Studies and minoring in Women and Gender Studies. She is particularly interested in the intersection of representation, gender, public discourse, and policy. She joined Imago as a Program Manager at Imago after being a summer fellow in 2021.

Isabel Guerrero is driven to change the world in which she lives. Throughout her career, she’s helped those with the least break out of the cycle of poverty while celebrating the intrinsic beauty and dignity in each person. With this goal in mind, Isabel and Zachary Green co-founded IMAGO Global Grassroots, an organization focused on giving people living in poverty the tools to build their own destiny. Isabel worked for 30 years at the World Bank, including five years as Vice-President for the South Asia region, managing a US$39 billion portfolio.
While presenting a different set of challenges, Isabel’s work with IMAGO offers tremendous potential to change the world through tackling some of the most intractable development problems we face today.

In addition to her work with IMAGO, Isabel is on the board of the Presencing Institute at MIT and a Council Member of the United Nations University. She is an economist from London School of Economics and a psychoanalyst trained at the Washington Psychoanalytic Society. Isabel teaches “Scaling Up for Development Impact” at Harvard and is a Senior Lecturer in leadership at MIT.

Jimena has twelve years of experience in the development sector, working in different capacities around the management and delivery of programs in poverty elimination, financial inclusion, and organizational change. As Imago's Director of Programs, Jimena oversees the programs team and works directly with a diverse set of clients, including grassroots and non-profit organizations in Latin America and globally with Lever for Change, The Nature Conservancy, the World Bank, UN Women, among others.

Jimena joined Imago in 2019 after being a summer fellow with the organization, collaborating with Transforming Rural India in New Delhi. She has established strong skills in co-creation and facilitation, and managing sometimes complex dynamics amongst diverse audiences. Previously, she worked as manager of the Poverty Stoplight, a participatory poverty assessment tool that has been replicated in over 29 countries, and consulted with UNICEF and the Government of Paraguay on Early Childhood Development policies. She is a certified scrum master and holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University.

Johanan has over 12 years of experience working in both the public sector and with multilateral donors. He is the COO of Imago and is working directly with Gates, Pratham, TaRL Africa, NMMF, PCIC and Financiera Sustentable. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, and a master’s in Public Administration and International Development (MPA-ID) from Harvard Kennedy School.

Johanan is a member of the LGBTQ Victory Campaign Board. Prior to joining IMAGO, he worked in the evaluation department of both the Interamerican Development Bank and the World Bank. He is a certified scrum master and small group facilitator.

Jossie has eight years of experience working in development projects, mainly in Latin America and the Caribbean. She is a Program Manager at Imago focused on advancing scaling up and adaptive evaluation projects in the Latin American and Global office. She’s also a co-author of the book “Scaling Up Development Impact” with Isabel Guerrero and Siddhant Gokhale.

Previously, she worked with the Division of Social Protection and Jobs at the World Bank on projects on labor markets and good quality jobs in Colombia, Mexico, and Chile. Before that, Jossie worked with the Rural Development Division of the Inter-American Development Bank. She collaborated on the impact evaluation of rural development projects in several countries of Latin American and the Caribbean, including Bolivia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Peru. Before joining the IDB, Jossie was an analyst at the Department of Economics Studies at the Central Reserve Bank of Peru.

Jossie holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Universidad de Piura, and a master’s in Public Administration and International Development (MPA-ID) from Harvard Kennedy School. She also holds a Certificate in Management, Leadership, and Decision Sciences from Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to joining Imago, she was part of our Summer Fellows program and collaborated with the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in India.

Lorena has over six years of experience as a project and program manager in international development, trade policy, and digital transformation across Latin America and the Caribbean. As a Program Manager at Imago, she contributes to a project focused on enhancing government support systems for rural entrepreneurs in Peru.

Previously, Lorena served as Coordinator for the Pacific Alliance at the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Peru, where she facilitated international trade agreements and managed regional projects to enhance market opportunities across Peru, Chile, Colombia and Mexico. She also worked at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on implementing technical cooperation projects in Peru, and contributed to the United Nations Development Programme’s Digital X initiative, supporting the scale-up of digital solutions globally.

Lorena holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and a Bachelor’s in Commercial Engineering from Jorge Basadre Grohmann National University, complemented by additional certifications in public administration, international cooperation, and trade negotiations.

Mauricio has around 4 years of experience working in the financial and commercial sector. Previously, Mauricio worked as a Financial Analyst for a banking institution in Paraguay, serving as the main point of contact between multilateral organizations and the bank.
While serving as a financial analyst Mauricio was in charge of managing the liquidity of the financial entity and negotiating time deposits with correspondent banks abroad. Mauricio has also worked as a Commercial Manager for a tech retail company in Paraguay, while serving in this role he conducted market research and analysis to create detailed business plans on commercial opportunities. Mauricio holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Kansas State University.

Maria Thereza has over seven years of experience in public policy and philanthropy. She previously worked in the private sector on diversity and equity programs and in the nonprofit sector at Fundação Itaú, providing technical assistance to governments in Brazil with a focus on policies that integrate education and the labor market. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV-EAESP) and a master’s degree in International Education Policy Analysis from Stanford University. Her research focuses on policy implementation and state capacity, with studies on cash-transfer programs, urban housing, and vocational education.

Maria joined Imago in 2024 after participating as a summer fellow with the organization, where she collaborated with the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in India. Currently, she is a Program Manager for the Global Office, supporting projects in Brazil and the United States through adaptive evaluation techniques, scaling roadmaps, and institutional development methodologies.

Mayank has over five years of experience in rural management and agriculture, specializing in institution building, project management, and data-driven decision-making. Throughout his career, he has worked with NDDB Dairy Services, Mahila Jagriti Samiti, ITC-Food Division, Mrida Group, and Syngenta Foundation India. He has supported producer-owned enterprises (POEs), strengthened governance frameworks, and enhanced dairy value chains, contributing to research, rural entrepreneurship, and agri-business development. His expertise includes business planning, financial literacy, stakeholder engagement, capability development, data analysis, governance training, and operational optimization. Additionally, he has conducted field studies on price sensitivity, competitor analysis, and market scoping for agri-commodities. Mayank holds an MBA in Rural Management and a B.Sc. in Agriculture, Rural & Tribal Development, with certifications in business planning, organic farming, and research methodologies. His work focuses on building innovative, sustainable solutions that are inclusive and economically viable for marginalized communities.

In addition to his work with IMAGO, Michael has been teaching at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government since 2004. He is also Senior Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, Delhi. Prior to moving to Harvard, he worked for over 20 years at the World Bank, including as global Director for Poverty Reduction, Chief Economist for East Asia, and director of two World Development Reports, on labor and on inequality. Michael is also a dancer and continues to take modern dance classes as an integral part of his life.

Miluska is a Senior Knowledge Associate at Imago Global Grassroots for the global office and Latin America. She is an economist from Universidad del Pacífico in Peru, with a Specialization in Public Policies from its School of Public Management.

Prior to joining Imago, Miluska worked as a Consultant for the Country Advisory and Economics (CAE) team at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, focusing on private investment, regulatory reform, and climate projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. She also worked with Delivery Associates, where she supported data-driven governance strategies and capacity-building projects. Her experience includes roles in the Peruvian public sector, including the Ministry of Education and the Authority for Reconstruction with Changes (ARCC)

Moitreyee has more than 5 years of experience working with Kudumbashree National Resource Organization, where she was engaged in managing partnerships with different State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs), project implementation, policy creation, and monitoring and evaluation of various Non-Farm livelihood programs. She has extensively worked on establishing, improving, and standardizing systems and processes for the Start-Up Village Entrepreneurship Program (SVEP), which is a flagship program under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), India. She has worked on initiatives such as establishing a Community-Based Monitoring System, Community-Based Tourism, and developing capacity-building frameworks and modules for SRLM staff.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Moitreyee exudes a profound passion for fostering community development and nurturing catalysts of change that engender enduring, sustainable impacts on society at large.

She completed her bachelor’s degree in social sciences and a master’s degree in development studies from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Recently, she has also obtained an online certification in Public Policy Analysis from the London School of Economics.

Muskan is a Senior Associate at Imago Global Grassroots, working in the Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation and Implementation team. With over three years of experience, she has applied behavioural science to projects in climate change, public safety, and sustainability. Her past work includes increasing waste segregation rates in a high-rise gated community in Dehradun, collaborating with Northern Railways to reduce smoking incidents on a passenger train, and encouraging low-carbon lifestyles in Indian cities by exploring sustainable choices in urban mobility, household energy consumption, material use, and food consumption.

Muskan holds a Bachelor’s in Commerce from Hansraj College, Delhi University, and an MSc in Behavioural Science from Christ University, Bangalore. She has multiple publications across education, material use, and climate change, and her work was featured in the Top 75 Ideas for LiFE paper released by NITI Aayog, Government of India. She is passionate about leveraging behavioural insights for social impact, sustainability, and streamlining data systems.

Narmada Prasad Kasliwal is a seasoned project coordinator with a passion for driving social impact in rural communities. With 5+ years of experience in project management, he has delivered results-driven projects in health, livelihood, and governance. Previously, he worked with TRI on Health, Livelihood, and Governance projects in Khategaon and with Sewa on the Rudi scaling-up project with Imago. Currently, he coordinates the Rudi project with Imago's MP team. Narmada holds a BSc in Computer Science from Shaskiya Mahavidyalaya Khategaon, a D.Ed from Jain Divakar Mahavidyalaya, Indore, a PGDCE (Post Graduation Diploma in Computer Education) from Makhanlal Chaturvedi University Bhopal, and an MBA in Rural Development from Manasarovar University. In his free time, he enjoys watching Hindi films, traveling, and listening to bhajans and Bollywood songs.

Nicole has around 8 years of experience working in development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Previously, Nicole worked at Fundación Chile, a public-private institution that innovates on public issues, where she led the design and implementation of an unprecedented public-private partnership between the Chilean government and the mining sector to improve the quality of vocational education. Before that, she worked as a field coordinator and research analyst in J-PAL LAC, where she was part of the research team assessing the impact of a parental involvement program. At Imago, Nicole has been supporting diverse organizations in the creation of scaling up road maps, especially in Chile and Latin America.

Nicole holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Universidad de Chile, and a master’s in Public Administration and International Development (MPA-ID) from Harvard Kennedy School. She also holds a Certificate in Management, Leadership, and Decision Sciences from Harvard Kennedy School.

Paloma brings over 13 years of experience in communications and sustainability, with a strong track record in environmental conservation and development impact projects. She has more than five years of experience in international development, managing USAID-funded programs across the Latin America and Caribbean region, where her work has helped advance locally led development initiatives for Amazonian communities and Indigenous Peoples.


Before joining Imago, Paloma served as Team Lead for USAID’s Amazon Regional Environment Program at an environmental consultancy, where she streamlined strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, and program delivery across six countries. She has also led corporate innovation initiatives in various industries, applying design thinking and human-centered design methodologies to drive organizational change and foster creative, collaborative problem-solving.


Paloma holds a BA in Communication for Development from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, an MSc in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Diploma in Strategic Innovation from the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, and a Foresight Certification from TSFX.

Pawan has 7 years of professional work experience in social work with M.Com and MARD degrees. Their previous experience includes working with a Farmer Producer Company (FPC) formed by Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) where they were responsible for making Kisan Didis from Self Help Groups (SHGs) shareholders, conducting input and output business with farmers, and managing MIS entries and book records on 10K portal and Simply Khata. In their role at TRIF organization, Pawan facilitated government schemes and worked on various livelihood activities. Under MKSP (Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana), Pawan handled all kinds of data entry related to MIS.

Prakarsh has diverse experience of working with grassroot organizations, central government departments, and in engineering. He is currently part of the IMAGO India office. He has experience in project planning & implementation, creative problem-solving, stakeholder management and human-centered design. He is interested in people-centered communication, design thinking, and building humane & resilient organizations.

Prakarsh holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from IIT (BHU), Varanasi and a Post Graduate Diploma in Liberal Studies (Young India Fellowship) from Ashoka University. A perpetual learner, he embraces the uncertainties and ambiguities with an overarching focus on leading a wholesome life of significance and joy.

Rahul has 4.5 years of experience working with organizations such as Syngenta, Action for Social Advancement (ASA) NGO, Agri Bazaar (NAFED), Kissan Dhan, and Aryadhan. Rahul's professional experience spans watershed projects, organic cotton procurement and sales, livelihoods, field implementation (SHGs), marketing, e-Mandi, and connecting FPOs with input and output markets. Additionally, Rahul has experience in NBFC finance, including working capital loans and WHR finance.

Academically, Rahul hold a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Horticulture from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Agribusiness from Shri Vaishnav Vidyapeeth Vishwavidyalaya, Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

As a Prerak (CLF HR) at the Transforming Rural India Foundation in Varanasi, Rajendra contributed to projects like 'Model of Model CLF' and 'Lakhpati Mahila' while providing technical support to UPSRLM. My role involved training SHG women in livelihood activities, facilitating cadre training, and working on community development initiatives across health, education, environment, youth, and gender. Rajendra also supported PG formation, FPO awareness, and agricultural demonstrations and organized summer camps for children while managing virtual meetings.

Rajendra holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from VBSPU, Jaunpur, and a Master of Arts (M.A.) from MGKVP, Varanasi.

Rameshwara has more than 9 years of experience working with the private sector, civil society organisations and the Government of Kerala. Prior to this, as part of the Mission Karmayogi he supported the Capacity Building Commission (Govt. of India) in designing
the competency-based capacity development training systems for public sector employees. He has also worked with Kudumbashree NRO on economic and social empowerment of women and poverty alleviation. His work included establishing systems and processes for the flagship entrepreneurship programs (SVEP) under National Rural Livelihood Mission, Ministry of Rural Development across multiple states.

Rameshwara has also worked on product planning in the automotive sector. He holds an undergraduate degree in engineering from VIT University, M.A in Development from Azim Premji University and M.A in Public Policy from Harris School of
Public Policy, University of Chicago, where he was an Obama Scholar.

Rohit Kumar Gope has previously worked with the Indo Global Social Service Society, where he actively engaged communities in meetings under the Sustainable City Program. In this role, he connected vulnerable communities to essential rights and services, assisted in raising awareness about climate change, and supported capacity-building initiatives focused on youth development and gender equality. Additionally, he played a key role in facilitating community engagement with various government schemes, helping to ensure that essential resources reached those in need. He loves to play football.

Saurabh has over 7 years of diverse experience in development sector, digital and FMCG sectors and extensive experience in grassroots political consulting. After his MBA from IIM Calcutta, Saurabh worked in digital marketing, optimizing campaigns for a major U.S. online retailer, followed by key roles at two FMCG startups in marketing, strategy, and distribution. Most recently, with the Indian Political Action Committee, he led grassroots political campaigns across rural India, gaining insights into socio-economic challenges and engaging communities through data-driven outreach.

Deeply motivated by a drive to create an impact, Saurabh is committed to empowering local entrepreneurs and fostering livelihoods at the grassroots level.

With 10+ years of experience, Seema has worked as a Master Trainer (NRETP & SVEP), Micro Enterprise Consultant (MEC), and Entrepreneur. As a Master Trainer at Kudumbashree NRO for seven years, Seema trained BDSPs and CRP-EPs in entrepreneurship development, administration, and management, while also handling project documentation, planning, and reporting.

As an MEC for three years, Seema identified business opportunities for SHG women, conducted EDPs, promoted micro-enterprises, facilitated bank linkages, and assisted in micro-planning with SHGs and producer groups.

Previously, Seema spent five years as an entrepreneur, managing a trading and catering business, gaining hands-on experience in enterprise development, manufacturing, and training.

Shiv Kumar Chauhan is a Field Coordinator in Varanasi (U.P.) at Imago with approximately 10 years of experience working with various organizations in the social sector. He has over 7 years of experience raising awareness about social issues through street plays and stage shows as an artist and co-director with organizations like 'Prerna Kala Manch' and 'Gokul Arts' in several states across India.

Prior to Imago, Shiv worked at the Dr. Shambhunath Singh Research Foundation on issues related to child rights and development, women's empowerment, and gender issues at the grassroots level for 7 months. At the TRIF organization, he worked as a CLF-Coordinator on the 'Model of Model CLF' project and the 'Lakhpati Mahila' project for more than two and a half years, during which Shiv also provided technical support to UPSRLM. Shiv also worked as a financial advisor on the 'CFL Project' operated by Aroh Foundation under the auspices of RBI for more than 3 months.

Shiv holds a Master's degree in Social Work from IGNOU. Engaging in social work gives him emotional/internal positive energy, which is why he is very passionate about this field. He is eager to be part of processes that enable both himself and others to face and solve challenges. He enjoys reading books, listening to inspirational thoughts, and acting.

Siddhant has five years of experience working in development economics research. He built the knowledge vertical in Imago and is responsible for leading Imago’s learning agenda, strategy, and framework. He co-wrote a theoretical paper on adaptive evaluation with Michael Walton and is involved in advising adaptive evaluations projects across Imago. Siddhant previously worked as a Research Associate at the Behavioral Development Lab, establishing J-PAL South Asia’s first project in the state of Goa. In Goa, he led a project that examined the effect of low-cost, peer-delivered psychotherapy to treat depression among the poor on economic well-being. Earlier, he worked with IFMR LEAD (now LEAD at Krea University), in which he was actively involved, in varying capacities, with randomized control evaluations on the impact of sleep deprivation and chronic pain on economic decision-making. He began his career scoping early-stage research projects on how savings behavior is correlated with subjective probabilities of life events and the impact of loneliness among migrant factory workers in Chennai.

Siddhant holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Cornell University and a master’s degree in economics from Columbia University. He also has a Master’s in Public Administration and International Development from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Siddharth previous assignments as Senior Research Associate at LEAD at KREA University were to study the methodologies to estimate the prevalence of bonded/forced labor in Tamil Nadu, India, and understanding the role of last-mile technology-based solutions to remove barriers to business growth among rural artisans in Rajasthan, India. His primary research interests include questions in the field of labor economics and poverty alleviation in South Asia.

Siddharth holds a master’s degree in Development Studies from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Hansraj College, University of Delhi.

Sritama Rana has more than 5 years of experience working with Kudumbashree National resource organisation. Her area of specialisation has been enterprise promotion and livelihood generation through entrepreneurship development. She pioneered her career with the Start-Up Village Entrepreneurship Program (SVEP), a flagship program under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). She was the team lead for growth enterprises wherein she anchored high order enterprises and development of enterprise clusters specific to food-service. She anchored multiple partnerships with different State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs) and eminent institutions in the field of promotion of food service enterprises. She also provided leadership in implementing food clusters under National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP) , a project launched by MoRD. Her focus area has been in identifying best practices for program improvement, designing and customizing interventions that are suitable to the needs of the community.

Apart from a professional journey, she has engaged with the community and various civil society organisations on a personal level. This has led her to connect deeper with the roots of the community and the systemic structures that affect welfare measures of the society focused towards rural households.

Sritama, an Azim Premji University alumna with an M.A. in Development, continues to shape narratives, identify best practices, and customise interventions, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of rural empowerment.

Suresh is a Project Manager in India/Uttar Pradesh (UP) at Imago. He has five years of experience in the Non-Farm livelihood programs. Prior to join Imago he managed efficiently Take-Home Ration (THR) enterprise project at Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh to make the enterprise Centre of Excellence (CoE). He worked with Kudumbashree National Resource Organization to implement Star-Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) in Jharkhand for the Self-Help Group(SHG) member and their family to improve their family income by owning an enterprise. As a team member of Growth Enterprise of Kudumbashree NRO, he supported Odisha Livelihood Mission (Govt of Odisha) to make implementation strategy, model enterprise set-up activities, training of the field team to successfully implement the NRETP Foodservice Cluster project for collective women from the SHGs in Odisha.

He has passion and dedication to work for the rural community in the socio-economic development activities. He has been constantly acquiring knowledge to have a better mechanism and knowhow for bringing the holistic social change in the community.
He completed his bachelor’s degree in Geography from Asutosh College, University of Calcutta and a master’s degree in development Studies from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati.

Tapan Barman has more than 7 years of experience working with State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLM) and Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN). He was worked with the SRLM and PRADAN on women empowerment and poverty alleviation, as the Project Manager on off-farm (Livestock) and Farmer Producer Organizations for Project implementation, Business development, Forward & Backwards linkage, Agri-input, Capacity-building and Project monitoring & Evaluation in Bihar.

Tapan holds a master's degree in Agri-Business Management from IAS (Banaras Hindu University), and bachelor's degree in agriculture science from Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra.

Vivek is interested in the political economy of development in emerging economies. His policy interests include gender, education, and poverty alleviation, with particular emphasis on key drivers of inequality that lie at the intersection of market mechanisms and non-market factors such as systemic discrimination, class stratification, and social exclusion.

He has previously worked in education as a researcher in STEM pedagogy at the University of Colorado for the CIRTL Network, a network of research universities focused on advancing effective teaching practices for STEM in the United States. Vivek joined Imago as a Summer Fellow in 2022 and worked with grassroots social enterprises in India like SEWA and TRIF. He later joined the Imago team in 2023 and worked on scaling the work of women led agribusiness enterprises within the NRLM framework.

Prior to moving into international development, Vivek worked for the Indian Government’s Defence Research and Development Organisation. He holds a Master of Public Policy from The University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. He also holds graduate degrees in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder and an undergraduate degree in Physics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi.

Zachary has 30 years of experience working with grassroots organizations, helping them unleash possibilities and reach their deeper potential. He has a PhD in Clinical and Community Psychology from Boston University, and Med in Counseling from Cleveland University. He is an executive coach, Professor of Practice, and the Associate Director of the Leadership Institute at the University of San Diego.