Board Members
Ms Sriparna Ganguly
President
Sriparna is a Post Graduate in Rural Management and is passionate about justice. She firmly believes that socio-economic development should reach all. Her core sector expertise is in poverty alleviation, democracy and governance, citizen initiatives and engagement programs, community mobilization and empowerment, women’s empowerment, elimination of violence against women, leadership building, public policy advocacy and reform, and advancing access to justice. She is currently the Agency Director with Children International.
Ms Jennifer Azavedo
Vice President
Jennifer serves as Vice President of the Executive Committee and has been associated with the organisation for more than 8 years. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and has more than 15 years of experience with technology and Business Process Outsourcing organisations. Jennifer is currently working with Maersk in the Training and Competency department.
Ms Sonali Patnaik
Secretary
Sonali is an anthropologist and MBA HR. A technical expert from the Social Development sector with 20 + years of experience in gender, diversity, food security and livelihoods. She is the Director of a 22-year-old Trust called Arupa Mission Research Foundation, the Co-Founder and Director of a startup software company called Quadraphic Solutions Pvt. Ltd. and the Governing Board Member and Secretary of the Coalition for Food and Nutrition Security, India. She is also a core member of the Odisha Corporates Foundation.
Mr Edward D’Souza
Treasurer
Edward serves as Treasurer of the Executive Committee. He has been associated with the organisation for 12+ years. He is a Commerce graduate with more than 22 years of experience in the development sector with a specialization in finance and accounting.
Mr Roque Coutinho
Member
Roque has been associated with the organisation for more than 14 years. Roque has close to three decades of work experience. The past 23 years have been in development organisations with a focus on community development. He has previously worked in the corporate sector for 6 years. Roque has completed a certificate course in Theology.
Mr Indu Prakash Singh
Member
Dr. Indu Prakash Singh, is a feminist, writer, poet and activist with over four decades of engagement on Gandhian principles. He is the author of seven books on the issues relating to women and homelessness (CityMakers). Indu is a Board Member of many govt bodies and voluntary organisations. As a PRA facilitator, he's keen to learn from everyone.
Ms Geetanjali Jha Chakraborty
Member
Geetanjali Jha Chakraborty has been in the board at Apnalaya since 2018. She has a diverse background, with the early years in the corporate sector and more than a decade in the Social Sector. She has held leadership and CEO level roles in Concern India Foundation, CHILDLINE India Foundation, and ARMMAN, and is currently serving on the boards of many NGOs. She is passionate about child protection, urban inequality, and mental health. Geetanjali has a Masters in Social Work and a Masters in Human Rights and Criminal Law. She loves to read on Buddhist philosophy, practice yoga, and enjoys solitary walks.
Mr Shashank Shekhar
Member
Shashank is a LLB, LLM and a practicing advocate in the Supreme Court of India since 2007. He is also a Former Member of Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) and is presently the Founder Director of Jus naturae Law Offices Pvt Ltd. (OPC). He is also the Settlor and Lifetime Founding Trustee of CRACR & PD.
Samir Baptist
Member
Samir is the Chief Executive Officer of VIHAAN with 28 years of experience in development and private sectors. Having worked across the FMCG, Insurance, Training and Education sectors, his strength lies in Monitoring and Achieving organizational objectives. He holds a Graduate degree in Commerce and an MBA in Marketing. He has worked with Nestle, ING Vysya, NIIT and Pearson Education. With a desire to serve and give back to society, Samir started with VIHAAN to fulfil his dream of offering his best years of service to the neglected and oppressed.