India, Nepal and Sri Lanka

Kavita N. Ramdas

Representative New Delhi

Kavita N. Ramdas serves as the representative for the foundation's office in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, where she oversees all of our grant making in the region. The regional work focuses on issues of equity, inclusion, economic fairness, freedom of expression, human rights, sexuality and reproductive health and rights, transparency and accountable governance, and sustainable development. Kavita also works to leverage relationships with government, civil society and the private sector to advance social justice.

Before joining the foundation in 2012, Kavita served as the founder and first executive director of the Program on Social Entrepreneurship (PSE)—housed at the Centre for Democracy, Development and Rule of Law at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. PSE brings global leaders in social innovation to share their expertise as practitioners with the academic community.

From 1996 to 2010, Kavita served as president and CEO of the Global Fund for Women, which grew under her leadership to become the world's largest public foundation for women's rights. During her tenure, the fund's assets increased from $3 million to $21 million—giving women in more than 170 countries access to financial capital that fueled innovation and change.

In addition, Kavita has broadly promoted women's human rights, social justice philanthropy and international development through her membership and professional affiliations on the boards and advisory councils of a diverse array of organizations. She currently chairs the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council for India and serves as a board member at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Kavita has a master's degree in public affairs with a focus on international development from Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. She holds a bachelor's degree in politics and international relations from Mount Holyoke and academic training from Delhi University. She is fluent in Hindi/Urdu, English and German and is conversant in Tamil, Spanish and French.

Issues and Initiatives

Kavita N. Ramdas manages the regional strategy in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka integrating the following initiatives:

Issue	Initiative
Democratic and Accountable Government	Promoting Transparent, Effective and Accountable Government
Human Rights	Strengthening Human Rights Worldwide
Economic Fairness	Expanding Livelihood Opportunities for Poor Households
Sustainable Development	Expanding Community Rights Over Natural Resources
Freedom of Expression	Advancing Media Rights and Access
Sexuality and Reproductive Health and Rights	Youth Sexuality, Reproductive Health, and Rights