Board Members
Our dedicated board members and society leaders providing strategic guidance and governance oversight for sustainable community transformation.
Bimal Charles
President
Dr. Charles is a physician with extensive expertise in advocacy for health policy formulation, program design, implementation and assessment. He is particularly interested in the areas of primary healthcare in both rural and urban settings, global health issues such as HIV and tuberculosis, improving access to health services through telemedicine, and provision of technical assistance to public health interventions. Dr. Charles has special expertise in large national HIV/AIDS prevention programs. He played a key role in Tamil Nadu’s HIV/AIDS Control Program, contributing significantly to its pioneering work and success. He was an advisor to the National AIDS Control Organization for many years. As General Secretary of the Christian Medical Association of India, he was instrumental in reorganizing the Federation of Christian Medical Institutions all over India so that they could more effectively meet their mission of serving the poor with high quality medical interventions and care.
Dr. Charles is an MBBS from the University of Madras and an MSc in health planning from the London School of Economics.
Ms. Shubhangi Sawant
Vice President
Ms. Sawant is an entrepreneur. She is co-owner and Managing Director of Magnum Destination Travels, a company that offers complete travel solutions in the Indian sub – continent, and handles travel related to large sporting events worldwide – including IPL, the Champions League, NatWest and Avantha Masters.
She has recently launched Munchfit, a millet-based snack brand for which she has been recognized by the Government of India as an innovator.
Ms. Sawant has a Master’s degree in Sociology from Annamalai University. Her interest in social work developed when, early in her life she was involved in adult education for young women and health programs for children. Her involvement with Agragami India reflects her desire and ambition to give back to society by helping to uplift those less privileged.
Ms. Madhur Verma
Board Member
Ms. Verma is a professional social worker, with a specialization in child welfare. She has community health program management experience in adolescent and maternal and child health, and is an experienced trainer.
Ms. Verma is a graduate of Lady Irwin College and the Delhi School of Social work, and is a founder member of Agragami India. She is the founder of Subha, an NGO focused on people’s empowerment. She is also very involved in furthering the charitable work of the Esha Foundation.
Ms. Rekha Masilamani
Secretary
Ms. Masilamani is a development professional with a particular interest in behaviour change programs in community health and livelihoods that focus on young adults. She served with USAID/India as Chief of its Health Services Division where she managed projects that funded scientific research in vaccine and contraceptive development, and contributed to shaping USAID’s early HIV/AIDS strategy and program for India. As Pathfinder International’s first Country Director in India, she established its varied reproductive health and HIV/AIDs programs. She has been an early innovator in the area of youth fertility programs. She designed and led the implementation of the extremely successful PRACHAR Project, which pioneered intervention approaches that reduce youth fertility through delaying and spacing child-bearing. She has co-authored a peer reviewed paper on the results of the PRACHAR Project.
Ms. Masilamani has degrees in law (University of Madras), business administration (Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad), and education (Ranchi University).
Dr. Nisha Gupta
Health Specialist
Dr. Gupta’s areas of interest include reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, nutrition, family planning, adolescent health, HIV/AIDS and gender issues. She has expertise in strategy development, project management, proposal development, design and appraisal, evaluation, research, and documentation. Working closely with MOHFW, USAID, BMGF, WHO, UNFPA, NGOs, and the corporate sector, she has contributed to the development of national policies and guidelines for evidence-based practice and programs. Dr. Gupta now devotes all her time to providing primary healthcare services in a remote village in Uttarakhand. She has set up and runs a low-cost clinic that provides consultation, medicines, information and counseling on prevention of communicable and non-communicable diseases as well as maternal health, nutrition and family planning services, with referral to higher centers as required.
Dr. Gupta is an MD from the University of Minsk, Belarus.
Mr. Shrikant Bhonsle
Board Member
Mr. Shrikant Bhonsle is an information technology professional who has had a distinguished career with USAID/India where he served as Executive Officer and technical expert and advisor, in charge of IT operations and implementation of new initiatives. He led pilots of technology projects which were later deployed by USAID world-wide. He has strong knowledge in using ICT for the development sector particularly in health, energy & environment, food security, private sector engagement and regional security. His administrative expertise includes procurement and resource management, facility maintenance, staffing, coaching and staff development, managing customer expectations, and communications. He currently consults and advises for ICT operations and implementation of new initiatives, coaching, training, content writing and specific problem solving, and making technology uptake easier to understand and use. His other interests are art, photography, Indian crafts, gardening, travel, social media and blogging.
Ms. Sreevally D.
Treasurer
Ms. Dharmavaram has over two decades of experience as a grants administrator. She has worked with corporates and national and international NGOs in financial, grants and partner management. She is a skilled grants administrator experienced in pre-grant risk analysis analysing systems, processes, and policies, developing internal control systems, evaluating partner performance, and ensuring compliance with donor and regulatory restrictions. She has managed donor relationships with a range of donors including USAID, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, DFID, Ford Foundation, Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives, UN Women, The Packard Foundation, ITC, Larsen and Tubro Financial Services, and Mahindra & Mahindra.
Ms. Dharmavaram holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration.
Dr. Elkan Elijah Daniel
Medical Advisor
Dr Daniel is a Public Health Consultant. He has over 45 years’ experience of teaching, training, program implementation and research in the fields of MCHN, RH/FP and HIV/AIDS. He has served on the faculty of the departments of preventive and social medicine, Seth G.S. Medical College and K.E.M. Hospital, and was Professor and Head of the Department in T.N. Medical College, and BYL Nair Charitable Hospital, Mumbai. He has served as Director/Advisor of landmark RH/FP and HIV/AIDS projects implemented by Pathfinder International and Swasti. He has been a member of the Government of Karnataka’s Committee on SDGs – Goal 3. He is the author of several articles in peer reviewed international journals and has presented papers at national and international conferences.
Dr. Daniel is an MD in Social and Preventive Medicine, a DPH from Mumbai University and MPH from Hebrew University, Israel.
Mr. Sunil Nanda
Board Member
Mr. Sunil Nanda is a senior management professional with varied expertise in public and private sector corporates, multilateral and bilateral development agencies and international NGOs. He has worked in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other countries of South Asia. He has advocacy, strategic management, program management, resource mobilisation and technical expertise in several social and development sectors including health, agribusiness, penal reform, skill development, youth engagement and human rights.
Mr. Nanda has a Bachelor’s degree in Science, has completed the Intermediate examination of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, and has a Master’s Degree in Business Management from the Xavier Institute of Management, Jamshedpur. Besides his involvement with Agragami India, he also serves as an advisor/board member of Mercy Corps India, Rotary Club New Delhi One, Selfie With Daughter Foundation, the Nepal Internet Foundation, S&L Trehan Charitable Foundation, and Development Drishti.
Ms. Pooja Pal
Board Member
Ms. Pal is a banker who has worked across various jurisdictions in India, Singapore and currently is in the UK. She leads the risk function for global markets in a multinational bank in London.
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