Executive Team

EXECUTIVE TEAM

Atishya Kumar

Senior Research Associate

Atishya is a lawyer with wide-ranging research experience in the space of human rights and justice. She has worked extensively with the government as well as with not-for-profits. Prior to joining DAKSH, Atishya was a Research Fellow at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. She is a graduate of the National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi, and holds an LLM in Human Rights Law from the University of Nottingham, for which she was awarded the Developing Solutions Master Scholarship. Her areas of interest include gender rights and access to justice and in her free time, Atishya can be found baking, reading or binging Netflix.

Bhavya Sudhir

Research Associate.

Bhavya Sudhir is a Law graduate from Aligarh Muslim University. He holds an LLM in Access to Justice from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. His research interest lies in the intersection of Law, Public Policy and Society.

Gokul Krishnan R

Project Associate

Gokul is a lawyer with experience in commercial and media law. His areas of interest include the role of law in economic and social development, intermediary liability, and access to justice. He is a graduate of the National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi, and Azim Premji University, Bengaluru.

Harish Narasappa

Co-Founder

Harish is a designated senior advocate. He was the founding partner of the law firm, Samvad Partners, headquartered in Bengaluru. Harish appears regularly before various courts and tribunals in India on a variety of matters. Harish also has extensive experience in advising on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, banking, corporate financing, private equity, projects, regulatory, and dispute resolution matters. Harish has a PhD and a BA, LLB (Hons.) from the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, a BCL from the University of Oxford (where he was a Radhakrishnan Scholar), and a BA (Philosophy) from the University of London

Harshita Kesarwani

Communications Associate

Harshita Kesarwani is a skilled professional in impact communication and media, adept at crafting seamless end-to-end content. Passionate about storytelling and design, she channels these skills to create a social impact. She completed her MA from Christ University, Bangalore in 2019.

Kishore Mandyam

Co-Founder

Kishore is the Chief Executive Officer of PK4 Software, Bengaluru, a market leader in cloud and mobile business solutions for non-Western markets. He has over 24 years of experience in the software industry. He is the technology mastermind for all DAKSH 2019s initiatives. Kishore has a degree in electrical engineering from Bangalore University.

Leah Verghese

Research Manager

Leah is a lawyer and social scientist with wide-ranging work experience in corporations, nonprofits and political campaigns across India. She is a graduate of Columbia University and National Law School of India University.

Neelesh Hundekari

Distinguished Senior Fellow

Neelesh has over 21 years of consulting and industry experience across sectors such as consumer goods, retail, luxury, logistics, energy, and financial services. He has advised clients globally, with expertise in growth strategy, supply chain transformation, and performance improvement, particularly in consumer-facing industries. Neelesh has authored key studies on the Indian premium consumer and serves on CII’s core committees for Luxury, Lifestyle, and Textiles. He is also the Honorary Vice Chairman of the Bombay International School, Mumbai.

Ninni Susan Thomas

Visiting Fellow

Ninni is a lawyer with a wide range of work experience in matters involving civil rights and criminal law. She is a graduate of National Law University, Jodhpur and Columbia University, New York which she attended as a Fulbright-Nehru Fellow (2021-2022) and was thereafter awarded the Pathways Public Interest Fellowship. Her areas of interest include legal aid and access to justice.

Rohith C H

Data Analyst

Rohith is a public policy professional with experience in policy research and consultancy. He is a graduate of MPP from NLSIU and B.Com from Christ University. His areas of interest are state capacity building, governance, youth development and rural economy.

Ritima Singh

Research Associate

Ritima is a lawyer by qualification and has undertaken diverse research work encompassing themes such as intersection of gender and competition law, measuring regulatory performance in India, data protection, regulatory challenges in the digital era, etc. With her Master’s from Jindal Global Law School, she specializes in Corporate and Financial Laws. She has presented her multidisciplinary approach through authored and co-authored contributions in various publications.

Shruti Namboodiri

Community Manager

Shruti is a development practitioner with extensive experience working on community develpment projects across India focused on livelihoods, education, community health, and women’s empowerment. Experienced in social research, project management, and communications, she is passionate about using her skills to facilitate a harmonious and sustainable relationship between people and their ecosystems, both built and natural. She is a postgraduate in Development Studies from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University Delhi.

Shruti Vidyasagar

Consulting Editor

Shruti is a lawyer and editor. She has pursued a varied legal practice in Bengaluru for several years, advising clients on matters ranging from contracts, employment, intellectual property, foreign investment and corporate compliance, to women 2019s rights and matrimonial law. She consults with several Indian and multinational companies on dealing with workplace sexual harassment. She also edits books and journals on law, society, development, business and management.Shruti has an undergraduate degree (B.A.L., LL.B.) from Bangalore University and a post-graduate degree (BCL) from the University of Oxford.

Smita Mutt

Data Lead

Smita Mutt has a background in development consulting with a focus on public participation & accountability in public services. She is interested in leveraging data to assess performances of public institutions.She is a graduate of the University of Chicago and National Law School of India University.

Surya Prakash B S

Fellow and Programme Director

Surya Prakash B S is a chartered accountant and a law graduate with more than 14 years of corporate experience. He has been with DAKSH since December 2015