About

I am a passionate and impact-driven Economic Development Consultant with 7 years of work experience in advising public sector clients across countries in South Asia and East Africa. I have designed 15+ programs and strategies worth $60M aimed at creating jobs, improving livelihoods and reducing poverty.

After completing my undergraduate degree in Economics in 2011, I joined Athena Infonomics – a boutique international development consulting firm based in Chennai, India. I started as an Analyst carrying out extensive primary research and designing analytical frameworks to execute consulting assignments across a range of sectors – water supply, waste management, public-private partnerships, foreign trade, skill development.

After building strong skills in research and analysis, I stepped into the role of a Consultant. My first assignment was to design a CSR program for the world’s largest chemical company in partnership with a global NGO. I spent many weeks visiting residential areas, including slums in Mumbai to study behavioral patterns of municipal water consumption and designed public-private-community partnerships. Intrigued by the success of my first assignment as a project manager, I started managing bigger projects at Athena Infonomics in India and Rwanda.

My experiences encouraged me to ideate and operationalize ‘Trade & Industry Competitiveness’ consulting division at the firm. Soon I evolved into a Senior Consultant building a pipeline of portfolios, managing teams of 2-4 members and leading the firm’s expansion into the African market. During this time (2014-17), I worked closely with TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) to design its ‘Trade & Logistics Hub’ programs in Burundi, South Sudan & Rwanda. For the design of these programs, I conducted value chain analysis and developed strategies for facilitating cross-border trade and logistics.

I also supported Amazon India to draft a white paper for policy advocacy, leading to its penetration into India’s food e-commerce sector. Additionally, I led the market penetration and brand enhancement strategy for the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (Canada) to increase maple product exports to India. In another similar assignment, I developed the strategy for The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL) focusing on home textile exports to enter new markets of Japan and South Korea. In these market entry strategy assignments, I worked with my team to create market profiles for the target countries covering consumer patterns, retail segments, distribution channels, barriers to trade, etcetera.

In early 2017, I shifted to Texas to spend time with family. I now work as a freelance consultant. I partner with various consulting firms such as Athena Infonomics, Law & Development Partnership, Partner Africa, Adam Smith International to support them in business development and execute assignments in East Africa. Most recently, I designed cross-border trade programs for TMEA in Tanzania and DRC.

I am a research and solutions driven consultant. I strongly believe in creating ‘impact’ and not merely executing consulting assignments. I have an entrepreneurial attitude and enjoy networking and collaborating with people from diverse backgrounds. These traits have helped me build long-term working relationships with my clients and partner consulting firms.