Team











Advisors



Rijit Sengupta is CEO of the Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) – and has over twenty years of experience in various areas of sustainable development policy and practice across Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
His interest lies in the interface of business and society – particularly environmental protection/management, consumer welfare, community welfare, livelihoods/SMEs, business regulation, responsible business and SDGs. He has designed and implemented various projects/programmes on these areas in Sub-Saharan Africa, South and South East Asia. Currently, while much of his work on sustainable business/SDGs is focused on India, he has been also advocating for greater North-South dialogue on sustainable business/SDGs at various international platforms, while researching and writing on these issues. He has a Master degree in Agriculture and in Environment Management. He is an Alumnus of the University of Calcutta and the United Nations University (Tokyo). He is Member, Advisory Board of the Trade for Sustainable Development programme, International Trade Centre, Geneva and of the Consumer Information Programme of the One Planet Network.
Director
E : nandini@c4rb.in
Nandini is Director at the Centre for Responsible Business (CRB). She has over ten years of experience working on governance and industry action in the field of sustainability and responsible business behaviour. In her previous engagement at GIZ, she was responsible for driving different projects and cultivating partnerships/collaborations with multiple stakeholders.
A nature lover, Nandini likes to head off into the mountains to unwind and reconnect whenever she gets time.
Devyani Hari is Director (Programmes) at Centre for Responsible Business (CRB). She has a post graduate degree in finance and started her career with JP Morgan. She then moved into the field of sustainability through her work with renewable energy financing. She has tried her hand at entrepreneurship by setting up her own social enterprise and followed this up with a role in the development sector.
In her previous role as a technical expert with GIZ, Ms. Hari was responsible for working with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and SME bankers to increase lending for sustainable investments. At CRB, she continues to focus on issues of sustainability especially pertinent to the SME sector, sustainability through global value chains, and the interface between SDGs and the private sector. When she finds time over and above being Director-Programmes & mother, she likes to read.
Mr. Vivek K. Singh is an expert in making value chain transparent and sustainable. He has supported more than 147 global apparel & textile brands to make their supply chain transparent and sustainable. In his previous assignments, he has implemented end child and forced labour pilot project in apparel supply chains in India, assisted in drafting voluntary sustainability standards for apparel & textile industry, created compliance tools and framework, conceptualized platform connecting CEE and CIS countries SMEs with GVC, mentored IT start-ups, optimized business processes and effectively managed and implemented 18 IT projects. He gathers more than 13 years of invaluable experience in the private and development sectors and has a graduate degree in science and a postgraduate degree in marketing.
Siya C. Batra is a communications and campaigns professional with over 6 years of expertise in marketing – with a focus on campaign strategy, corporate communications, social media marketing and event management, She holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Management from Purdue University, USA where she also received academic specialization in International Business, Organizational Behavior and Human Resources. She brings these skills to her most recent role at CRB. Prior to joining CRB she worked at Infogain, where she successfully worked with teams across geographical boundaries. An avid animal lover, Siya is a well-rounded and creative individual, with interests ranging from traveling to art and design.
Assistant Director
Mr. Aditya has more than 16 years of experience working with grassroots as well as national and international ‘think and do’ tank organizations in the field of environment and sustainability. In the past he has worked with BAIF, Sir Ratan Tata Trust, IUCM, and Columbia University. At CRB he looks after and contributes to the agri and forestry-value chain programs.
Prabhat has joined CRB as Assistant Director – Operations.
He is a CA (finalist) and Physics (H) with experience of more than 27 years in the field of Finance & Accounts, Administration and Human Resources. He started CA course in 1994 and passed out of the 2nd group of CA (final) in 2002.
Started his career from CA firm and later on worked with Hotels, Law Firm, UK Outsourcing Company, Aviation Training Institute, Research Organisation, NGOs and many more.
His scope of jobs included simultaneously from Accounting to Auditing, Finalisation of Books to Preparing Financials, Income Tax Return/ Assessment to FCRA Return, GST Returns, TDS Returns, Statutory/ Internal Auditing and have also dealt with FCRA and Projects Auditing.
He has also worked in the fields of Finance Management, Budgeting, Project Accounting, Project Reporting, Office & Project procurements and Staffs’ Hiring, optimizing resources.
In his previous organization he was actively engaged in construction of a new office, He worked closely worked with Building Fund Grantors, Architect, Govt. Agencies and various contractors related to construction and Procurements.
Mr. Vinay Pandey is ‘Programme Manager’ at Centre for Responsible Business (CRB). He is currently leading a project on “To Enable Indian SMEs Sustainability Reporting and Sustainability Capacity Building”.
He is a management postgraduate having over 12 years of professional experience in liaising with government agencies, policy advocacy, industry relations, capacity building, partnerships, stakeholders’ management, to organize seminars/ webinars/ summit/ conference/ award function/ expo/ trade fair. Prior to CRB he has worked at the ASSOCHAM (The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India) & led the activities of the MSME along with Manufacturing, Start-ups, Tourism and States Development councils. He had the opportunity to successfully organize and complete from ASSOCHAM the various industry-oriented programmes and projects. Has led delegation of Indian Food & Beverages Exporters to Saudi Arabia & Sri Lanka. He has also worked for a leading real estate company.
He has done MBA (Marketing & Finance) from Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University and PGDIB (International Business) from Pondicherry University and B.Sc. (PCM) from University of Allahabad &‘Certified Digital Marketing Course’ from ‘Digital Vidya’.
In his spare time, he enjoys reading, watching movies, cooking and exercising.
Neha is Program Manager at the Centre for Responsible Business. She is a Lawyer with Masters in International Law (University of Bristol, United Kingdom).
Neha has been in the development sector for over nine years and has keen interest in policy, planning and multistakeholder engagements. In her previous role she was deputed at the Ministry of Corporate Affairs by the United Nations Development Program to provide support in drafting of India’s first National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. She has managed implementation of Centre Government Schemes, MPLAD funds and solid waste management projects for the Office of Member of Parliament – Ladakh. She also has experience in implementing multistakeholder projects in the Philippines, Ghana, and in India – Bihar and Rajasthan.
In free time, Neha enjoys reading and exploring new restaurants.
Manager- HRD and Admin
E : hr@c4rb.in
Preeti is a science graduate with a degree in Mathematics(Honours) from Delhi University, and pursued her masters in Human resources from I.P University. She has more than 9 years of experience working with the telecommunication sector, across Talent Acquisition (Recruitment), Complete employee cycle, Employee Engagement, Policy Formulation & Implementation, Data Reporting / HR Analytics.
In her free time she enjoys exploring people, places, culture and stories across the globe.
Bhavya Sharma works as a Programme Officer at CRB. At CRB, Bhavya works on projects related to sustainable palm oil, nutrition security (SDG 2) and youth engagements.
Bhavya holds a Master’s degree in Environment and Development from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, Delhi and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology (Honors) from University of Delhi. In her seven years of experience so far, Bhavya has worked on multiple projects, looking at various aspects of energy, climate change, agriculture and biodiversity financing. She was also a part of a team that looked after the Public Private Partnership arrangements for implementation activities under the USAID-MOEFCC Forest-PLUS Program.
In her free time, Bhavya loves to read, spend time with her dog, travel preferably to the mountains and watch movies.
Nitya Chhiber has completed her undergraduate degree in Environmental Policy and Anthropology from the Claremont Colleges, California in 2012 where she attended Pitzer College. She went on to complete her Master’s in Environmental Policy in 2014 from the Fenner School at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. Her 4 years of work experience includes stints at the Centre for Science and Environment, YES Bank and Industree, a social foundation in Bengaluru empowering women in livelihoods. She is currently working at the Centre for Responsible Business on a project funded by the IDRC. In her spare time, she is a fitness enthusiast and dabbles in cooking.
Admin & HR Officer
E : admin@c4rb.in
Rich experience of work in entire North India. Cultivated Effective Interpretation & implementation of strategies; clear dissemination to the Team members for better comprehension of objectives and to ensure successful achievement goals. A team player & ability to handle IR challenges .Tens of my team members are currently promoted as Senior Managers. Always believe in achieving the maximum out of major Constraints like Resource Crunch & Timeline. Connoisseur of Music, be it Hindustani Classical, (VOCAL/Instrumental) Sufi & Performing Arts.
Programme Officer
E : devosmita@c4rb.in
Devosmita has completed her Master Degree in Human Rights from the University of Calcutta and has since worked in the field of Social Work extensively. She has previously worked at the National Human Rights Commission of India both as an intern as well as an employee in the Policy Research, Projects and Programmes Division as a Research Consultant. She also has experience working at the grassroot level in India while working with different NGOs and doing volunteer work. Her interests include Business and Human Rights, Sustainability, Sustainable Development Goals and gender Equality. She is a true Bengali at heart, she loves Bengali cuisine and Biryani. She is also an avid animal lover and loves to go on impromptu trips and explore different cultures whenever she gets time.
Events and Outreach Officer
E : chelsia@c4rb.in
Chelsia is an alumni of Miranda house and Ambedkar University Delhi with Undergraduate in Geography and Postgraduate in Environment and development respectively. She has been working in the nonprofit industry for the past two years with – WWF India , Angel Xpress Foundation and Perroayuda welfare foundation. Chelsia is passionate to spread knowledge about the entire new world to people of all ages by educating and taking bombard measures for conserving biodiversity, protecting indigenous people, safeguarding tradition and culture, and preserving forests. She is always eager to learn new things and has a positive attitude. She also enjoys being outside watching birds and dancing as a form of therapy.
Programme Officer
E : nidhi@c4rb.in
Nidhi is a Programme Officer at Centre for Responsible Business. She works on projects related to
sustainable palm oil, traceability in the Indian palm oil sector & deforestation free commodity value
chains. Nidhi has over 4 years of experience in natural resource management, monitoring & evaluation of
forestry projects and conducting sustainable forest management assessment against national and international sustainability standards. Her field work experience in India spans across Andhra
Pradesh, Odisha, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. She has worked extensively with accreditation bodies, state forest departments, state forest corporations, research institutes and
national & International NGOs.
Nidhi holds a master’s degree in Wood Science and Technology from Forest Research Institute
Deemed University, Dehradun and completed her bachelors in Forestry (hons.) from Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry, Solan. In her spare time, she loves to travel to the mountains and spend time with her family.
Swati is an alumnus of MICA University, with a master’s degree in Communication and Digital Marketing. She brings years of experience from working with various organizations, including Nordic Drizit Tech and Punjabi by Nature, where she worked as a Senior Executive in Marketing and Event. With a passion for writing from a young age, Swati brings a unique creative flair to our team. Her outgoing and friendly personality makes her a joy to work with. When she’s not busy crafting compelling content, you can find her dancing and singing her heart out – sometimes even writing her own poems and shayaris ! Swati’s motto, “Viva La Vida,” reflects her positive attitude and carefree spirit, which inspires everyone around her.
An MBA graduate in Sustainable Development & Management from Nalanda University, Shubham is passionate about the world of sustainability,and is driven by a deep passion for creating a better world. His journey encompasses diverse experiences, including contributing to government policy think tanks and working on impactful infrastructure projects. His insatiable curiosity and love for books lead him to explore various aspects of environmentalism, green technologies, and personal growth. When not immersed in the world of written knowledge, Shubham finds tranquility in his own personal nursery where he nurtures and grows his plants. As an Eco-Voyager, Shubham embarks on thrilling adventures, seeking hidden gems worldwide. Shubham’s journey embodies the perfect blend of passion, knowledge, and action. Through dynamic engagement, Shubham leaves a greener footprint on the world, making a lasting impact in the realm of sustainability. Join him on this transformative journey towards a more sustainable future.
Office Assistant
Ravinder is CRB’s oldest employee. He has been with the organisation since 2013. He ensures that the Office is always well stocked and all office staff and guests are well taken care off. Ravinderji assists in administrative tasks. In his spare time he can be seen pouring over Newspaper. He enjoys watching and talking about cricket.
An avid traveler and foodie, Ms Sonali Paikaray has a background of Life Sciences with a professional degree in MBA in Business Sustainability from the renowned Teri School of Advanced Studies. She has entrepreneurial experience and she applies the same learning and practical approach towards the work she handles.
Apart from food hunting and explorations, she likes to read and learn and practice about the sustainable approach towards life.
Programme Manager
E: shreya@c4rb.in
Having completed her graduation from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University with a degree in History, Shreya pursued her Masters in Social Work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. She has previously worked with the Ministry of Education, Ernst & Young (EY) and the National Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Hub across domains of research, corporate social responsibility, skill development, higher education, project planning and operations. At CRB, she assists in developing the organisation vertical on Business and Human Rights.
In her spare time, Shreya is an amateur baker and enjoys reading, exploring cuisines and photography.
Priyanka is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Responsible Business. She has completed her doctoral studies from IIT Kanpur, with specialization in CSR. As a part of her thesis, Priyanka has undertaken extensive fieldwork to get an insight into various perspectives of CSR interventions. She holds a master’s degree in Development Studies from Gautam Buddha University, Greater NOIDA and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Delhi. Priyanka is always on a lookout for meaningful connections and likes to practice meditation and yoga.
Ziaul Haque holds MBA from Aligarh Muslim University and Entrepreneur Certificate from ISB Hyderabad. He is having 5 year’s experience in various roles from Corporate to Social Development. In his previous role as a Research Analyst with Global Opportunities he was responsible for Collecting, Analysing and Interpreting the data and collaborating with Foreign Universities from USA, UK and Canada
He is a Poetry Lover and passionate about Monitoring and Evaluating the Public Policy and studying about Governance.
Advisor
E : divya@c4rb.in
Divya is a passionate Sustainability and CSR professional with rich experience in the Textile and Apparel sector sustainability issues. Divya works across industry sectors and engages in promoting uptake of responsible business policies and practices across value chains.
Divya steers the strategic direction of CRB and has been responsible for conceptualizing and developing the global portfolio of CRB’s services, programmes and partnerships as a member of the founding leadership team at CRB. Divya is a graduate from National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Delhi and a post graduate in Social Responsibility and Sustainability from Aston Business School, UK.
Honorary Advisor
E : tanikbusiness@gmail.com
Mr. Ashok Juneja B. Text., MIE, Chartered Engineer has 38 years of textile industry experience with companies like Vardhman, Mahindra & Mahindra, Birla, Inarco, Kirloskar Toyota, and Saurer. After his last assignment as Director – Sales and Service at M/s. Saurer India, he is now an independent Management Consultant. Ashok is also the National President of The Textile Association (India) for the term 2019-2021.
He has previously been awarded with Service Memento (1999) and Service Gold Medal (2008) by TAI for enormous contributions during All India Textile Conferences.
Advisor
E : viraf.m.mehta@gmail.com
Viraf Mehta is a social anthropologist who has been at the forefront of corporate responsibility issues for nearly three decades, notably with pioneering companies and NGOs, including Tata Group and Partners in Change. Between 2002 and 2010, Viraf led Partners in Change before joining the team as an advisor. He has also served on the boards and committees of various Industry, Government and Civil Society organisations, including the Bureau of Indian Standards, Global Compact Network-India, the South Asia Forum for Responsible Business. From 2006 – 2011, Viraf has been focusing attention on Business and Human Rights and has worked closely with SRSG Prof. John Ruggie’s mandate. Viraf was also the rapporteur at the 1st UN Asia Regional Forum on Business and Human Rights as well as a Regional Advisor to the Institute of Human Rights and Business in the UK.
Viraf has been instrumental in making different policy shifts, including that of National Guidelines on the Responsible Business Conduct. Currently, Viraf is also a member of NHRC’s core group on Business, Environment and Human Rights.
Senior Fellow
Dr. Rajat Panwar is a Senior Fellow associated specifically with our Sustainable Palm Oil Initiative. Dr. Panwar is a tenured faculty in Forest Ecosystems and Society Department at Oregon State University, USA. Dr. Panwar is a Deputy Editor of the journal Business & Society.
With more than 39 years of PSU experience in the areas of Governance, Business Responsibility, Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility, Resettlement & Rehabilitation Dinesh has special interest in Institutional Strengthening, Stakeholder engagement, negotiation & conflict resolution, Social & Environmental Impact Assessment, Socio Economic and Need Assessment Survey, training and capacity building. A Mechanical Engineering graduate from GB Pant University and undergone Leadership Programme at IIM, Lucknow, LEAD International, UK and ICH, Norway, he provided leadership for formulating Standards on “Social Accountability at Work Place” & “Guidance on Good Governance” for Bureau of Indian Standard, “National Voluntary Guidelines on Economic, Social and Environmental Responsibilities of Business” and “National Policy on Rehabilitation & Resettlement” for Government of India.
Dr. T. R. Manoharan is a sustainability professional based in New Delhi. He is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) International Member and visiting faculty in School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi. He holds Master’s Degree and M. Phil in Economics from University of Kerala and PhD in Forestry Economics from Forest Research Institute University, Dehradun. Dr. Manoharan occupied senior positions in both national and international organisations and his experience include development and management of projects, stakeholder engagement, research, teaching and policy analysis in the area of environmental economics, forest conservation, trade and environment, environment regulation and forest certification.
Yukti has a degree in history and law from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi and Harvard Law School. She has more than five years of work experience across various sectors including Mining Regulation, Climate Change, conducting Human Rights Due Diligence, Corporate Social Responsibility, Stakeholder Mapping and Community Engagement. She has previously worked with Centre for Science and Environment (New Delhi), Centre for Responsible Business (New Delhi) and Context Consulting (London). She is an elected member of the Zila Parishad from Fatehabad, Haryana. She is the founder of Sustaim Consulting, a boutique consulting firm for conducting Human Rights Impact Assessment.
Rajnish has studied Economics at St Stephen’s College, University of Delhi and Management at the IIM Calcutta. Before deciding to set up a textile export company, Rajnish did a stint at the Tata Steel. He is credited with growing the export company into India’s leading design houses for home textiles for European and American specialty stores in a span of two decades. Later years, Rajnish assumed the role of Resident Representative at Delhi for MJunction Ltd and as Advisor at Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd, handling relationships with senior government officials and ministries. He has served as an honorary visiting fellow with Observer Research Foundation. At present, he teaches Energy Law and Policy as a Visiting Faculty member at OP Jindal Global University’s law school. Rajnish researches the strains of India’s transition from a socialist to a market economy. He was awarded a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Jindal School of Government and Public Policy in 2018.