Professional Experience:
I am a development sector leader with over a decade of experience driving empowerment through education, vocational training, and youth employability.
Passionate about bridging the gap between learning and sustainable livelihoods, I bring a proven track record of managing large-scale, multi-state development initiatives, leading cross-functional teams, and building high-impact ecosystem partnerships across government bodies, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and corporate donors.
Currently serving as the Program Manager (Karnataka Lead & South Region) at QUEST Alliance, I direct state-level operations across 140+ Government Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and lead a 10-member team to deliver employability skill interventions to over 13,000 students annually, achieving a 50% placement rate.
Concurrently, I oversee the regional sub-grant management portfolio across Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala. In this role, I directs a network of 20 skill development NGOs impacting 2,500+ students each year while consistently securing 70%+ placements across 30 vocational training centers.
I excel at high-level stakeholder engagement and government relations. I have successfully spearheaded partnerships with key state entities, including the Department of Industrial Training and Employment (Karnataka), Karnataka Skill Development Corporation, and Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation. Also notably , in executing short-term vocational courses and flagship government schemes like Naan Mudhalvan involved aligning top government authorities, securing crucial approvals, and embedding long-term institutional buy-in.
To further enhance student outcomes, I built strong employer networks across the region—orchestrating Industry-ITI Roundtables and job drives—and designed active alumni engagement models that strengthen mobilization and placement ecosystems. A seasoned manager of social sector operations, I oversee an annual sub-grant portfolio exceeding ?1 Crore, ensuring strict compliance, audit readiness, and optimal financial utilization. My end-to-end management of the partner lifecycle—from onboarding to annual evaluations—alongside my data-driven reporting to corporate CSR partners, directly secured a 6th-year contract renewal and an expanded organizational mandate. In addition to operations and strategy, I am an experienced educator and curriculum strategist.I have designed and delivered large-scale Training of Trainers (ToT) modules for ITI trainers, CSO staff, and university professors. By contextualizing learning frameworks around ground realities, learner needs, and future skills, I ensured education remains learner-centric and accessible. I began my career as a Teach For India Fellow in Mumbai, teaching primary school students in low-income schools, and later worked as an Employability Skills Trainer with ETASHA Society in Jaipur. I hold a Master of Arts in Social Work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Loyola College, Chennai. Fluent in English, Tamil, and Hindi, I combines pedagogical insight with strategic leadership and strive to transform education and skilling ecosystems.