A graduate of UWCSEA and Bard College, where Akshita majored in Political Science and Human Rights as a Davis Scholar. Akshita has spent a decade in social impact with roles in the Wadhwani Institute of Artificial Intelligence as a program and partnerships specialist and prior to that as a senior media executive at Edelman (PR and PA Agency) a global communications associate. Akshita began her career at the International Rescue Committee in NYC, and is currently a Manager at Dasra, a pioneer in catalyzing India’s strategic philanthropy movement to transform a billion lives with dignity and equity.
Being an avid traveler,she has studied and worked in 3 countries spanning India, Singapore and the United States. Having been through a liberal arts education, having one foot in Asia and one in the global community has also specialised her interests which fall in the categories of civil society, international development and strategic communications. Akshita is a nominee for the HT 30 under 30 2022 cohort, a TedX speaker and Net Zero Fellow of the SPG School of Governance (Bangalore) and their joint program with the European Climate Fund, which brings a cohort of public policy youth leaders to understand over a 6 month period ways to mitigate climate change and how to build climate resilience. Akshita is also the Director of The Belgadia Palace and its philanthropic arm The Mayurbhanj Foundation which has allowed her build a road map for sustainable development in Odisha’s largest district Mayurbhanj and use tourism as a vehicle for social impact in the space of arts and culture, sports, education and conservation. She hopes to impact 100,000 lives in the next 10 years through this initiative by scaling local non profits in the region to double livelihoods and increase development indicators.