Vivan steers our client-servicing and advocacy. He is Secretary of the Esya Centre, a Visiting Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, and serves on the boards of several innovation-centric organisations. He is also the author of "Wonked!: India in Search of an Economic Ideology", published by Bloomsbury in 2019; and co-author of "The Dazzle of the Digital: Unbundling India Online", published by Routledge in 2022.
Raghav steers our investment advisory and internal administration. Previously, he served as Director at a merchant bank, handling corporate finance mandates and as a strategic advisor to a large infrastructure firm. Raghav started his career in the financial services industry in Switzerland, and has experience of structuring cross-border investments.
Dr Gautam leads our economic research. He has extensive research and teaching experience at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Indian Institute of Management, Institute of Capital Markets, and Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research.
Bharathi leads our external outreach. She was previously with the Times Group, where she was responsible for identifying, building & managing partnerships with government & public sector entities. She also worked with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on issues related to international trade & commerce.
Aniruddha leads Programmes, Sustainability and Knowledge management. He is an expert in social sector risk management, and sustainable development. Previously, he served as Deputy Programme Director (Financial Sector Development) and Senior Advisor, special initiative (One World no Hunger) at GIZ.
Dr Garg leads Koan’s technology and trade vertical. He is a seasoned technocrat who was at the forefront of digitalisation programmes in India. Previously, as a Senior Director in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), he led the International Cooperation Division. He remains a key contributor to various Track II and Track 1.5 initiatives.
Rohan leads our work on the Global Partnership on AI at the Ministry of Electronics and IT. He is an expert in bilateral and multilateral trade and investment agreements. Previously, he steered trade policy work for the United Kingdom in India, as a member of the UK-India FTA negotiations team. He also led the Government Relations and Regulatory Strategy for South Asia for the London Stock Exchange Group.
Aayush is a journalist who has written about India's politics, culture, technology and society for The Guardian, The Indian Express, The South China Morning Post, The Caravan, India Ink-The New York Times etc. He previously served as India correspondent for The Committee to Protect Journalists, an advocacy group that aims to enhance media freedom worldwide.
Varun is a lawyer who focuses on regulations relating to information technology. He analyses the role of regulation in fostering the growth of converging digital infrastructure and service industries.
Priyesh works on a range of international cooperation mandates linked to the digital sector, and is currently seconded to the Ministry of Electronics and IT. He was previously legislative assistant to a Member of Parliament, and drafted India's first comprehensive legislation on Genocide.
Ateesh is a lawyer who has a keen interest in assessing the regulatory challenges posed by emerging technologies. He previously worked with startups on PE/VC transactions. He currently analyses issues relating to digital payments, crypto currencies and internet governance.
Dhruv is a lawyer interested in areas such as platform regulation, algorithmic accountability and regulation of emerging technologies. Prior to joining Koan, he has worked at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Common Cause, and as a consultant to independent directors of a leading NBFC.
Srishti Joshi is a lawyer who focuses on data and platform governance, and emerging technologies. Prior to joining Koan, she worked at the Centre for Communication Governance, National Law University Delhi as a Project Officer. She has also worked with the Microsoft Cloud Legal Project, Queen Mary University of London as a Research Assistant.
Lalantika is a lawyer and works on areas related to cyber security, data protection and internet governance. She is interested in the regulation of emerging technologies and studies them through an intersectional lens.
Niharika is an economist with keen interest in International and Environmental Economics. Previously she worked on projects focused on Macroeconomics and ESG. She has a Masters in Economics from the University of Warwick.
Tamanna is a Physics graduate from Miranda House, University of Delhi, and holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Statistics from the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI). Her interests centre on emerging technologies such as Machine Learning, AI, Virtual Digital Assets, as well as new forms of digital media. She is also deeply passionate about entrepreneurship and sustainability.
Achyutam is a lawyer with a keen interest in privacy and data protection. He has interned at various research centres and law firms.
Adhnan supports our research on energy and sustainability. He previously worked on themes like clean energy and mobility at the Ola Mobility Institute, New Delhi. He has a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's degree in Social Design.
Mannat is a lawyer, with an undergraduate degree in business. Her areas of interest and work include data privacy, cross-border data flows, and platform governance.
Kunal works on research linked to deep tech. He also has a keen interest in sustainability, and aspires to contribute towards a more equitable world through his work. Kunal has a Bachelor's degree in Physics from Jamia Millia Islamia University and is currently pursuing a Masters in Economics.
Bhargavi is a lawyer with focus on emerging technologies and data protection. She is currently focussed on fintech, payments and digital asset regulations.
Meghna is a lawyer with deep experience in media and emerging technology. Previously, she worked on legal and policy strategy at the Walt Disney Company. Before Disney, she set up and led the India office for Consensys, the world’s largest blockchain technology company. She is also a Fellow at the Esya Centre, New Delhi.
Vrinda is a lawyer who looks at regulation of emerging technologies. She has worked at the intersection of technology, law and policy for over a decade. She holds a BA, LLB. (Hons.) from the National Law School of India University, Bangalore and a MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.
Ananta is a legal professional with a master’s degree in law from the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a specialization in Technology Laws and is interested in the intersection of law, technology, and governance. Ananta is currently seconded to the Ministry of Electronics and IT and supports our work on the Global Partnership on AI.
Sukanya is a lawyer with a penchant for international law. Previously, she was a Project Officer at the Centre for Communication Governance at the National Law University Delhi and a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for WTO Studies at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. Sukanya is currently seconded to the Ministry of Electronics and IT and supports our work on the Global Partnership on AI.
Dr. Kumar is Assistant Professor at California State University, San Bernardino. His work has appeared in various academic journals and policy forums such as Economic and Political Weekly, Ideas for India and developingeconomics.org.
Vijay is an indispensable part of our team, and renders administrative support to various projects and programmes.
For the last twenty years, Narendra has used a unique combination of communication ability, coding skills and strategic thinking to deliver. In his last role as Chief Digital Officer at Xynteo, Narendra led digital transformation for some of the world’s largest companies. He now runs his own data-driven firm which collaborates closely with Koan.
Mr. Gulati, a mechanical engineer from IIT Delhi, served in the IAS for 34 years and superannuated as Additional Chief Secretary to the Govt. of Gujarat. He has worked in Steel, Coal, Finance and Textiles, Industry, Energy & Petrochemicals, Labour, Geology & Mining, Information Technology, Transport and Finance. While in the Govt. of Gujarat, he played a key role in establishment of Vibrant Gujarat Summit, off-shore wind power and electric vehicles/infrastructure initiatives etc.
Dr. Saran is President at the Observer Research Foundation and a frequent commentator on issues in Cyber Security and Governance. He chairs ‘CyFy’, India’s dedicated conference on cyber security and internet governance and is Commissioner, Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace.
Mr. Tiwari retired as Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Gujarat. A consummate social sector expert, he has worked in areas such as women's empowerment, rural and tribal development, education, livelihood, CSR etc. He was also the Managing Director of Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizer Company, Gujarat Alkalies & Chemicals Ltd., and Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd. He is presently on several boards and is also a visiting faculty at Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA).
Dr. Rai was a member of the IAS for more than 21 years. He also worked as the National Project Director - UNDP/WIPO; Member Secretary, Foreign Investment Promotion Council; National Negotiator at WTO/WIPO; and Secretary General, Quality Council of India. Subsequently, Dr. Rai worked at the WIPO for 16 years.
Mr Karthak is a former Executive Director at the Reserve Bank of India. His expertise and skills lie in Bank Regulation, Investigation of Banking Fraud, Foreign Exchange Management, Information Technology, Currency Management, Resource Management and Leadership. Besides, serving at the RBI, he was also deputed to the Govt of India, New Delhi and Central Bureau of Investigation HQ, New Delhi. Prior to joining RBI, he worked in the Unit Trust of India, Mumbai and Air India.
Mr. Kher superannuated as Commerce Secretary in 2015 after a career of 35 years in the IAS. He then worked as a Member in the Competition Appellate Tribunal for two years. He is now a Distinguished Fellow at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries.
Mr Kaul has over four decades of experience in industrial quality control, standards development and product certification. Previously, he headed the National Institute of Training for Standardization, Certification Policy and Overseas Certification divisions of the Bureau of Indian Standards. He continues to participate in various standard-setting efforts, and is recognised as a leading expert on conformity assessment and technical regulations in India.