Indiaspora Releases 2021 Indiaspora Philanthropy Leaders List

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Press Release

The 2021 Indiaspora Philanthropy Leaders List spotlights one hundred Indian and diaspora leaders who have made a significant impact with their philanthropic contributions and engagement 

The List recognizes and celebrates the generosity of changemakers from across the world who serve as an inspiration for future philanthropists.   

San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC  — August 12, 2021  — Indiaspora, a nonprofit community of global Indian leaders from diverse backgrounds and professions, released today their list recognizing one hundred Indian and diaspora leaders who are making a difference through their giving.“It is incredibly inspiring to see so many philanthropists from our community who have translated their success into social impact,” said Indiaspora Founder MR Rangaswami. “These leaders serve as an example of the importance of generosity and remind us of the many issues that need our attention.” With guidance from nine jurors and drawing from multiple sources, including reputed studies, earlier verified lists, and publicly shared documents, Indiaspora’s 2021 Philanthropy Leaders List recognizes Indian and diaspora leaders across the globe for their philanthropic contributions and engagement. “It was very gratifying to be a part of this effort, and I appreciated the careful consideration given to each honoree by those who were involved,” said Sara Kalim, Director of Development at Somerville College and one of the jurors.  “As someone who works in the development space, I see firsthand how philanthropy can transform lives for the better.  This list shines a light on the tremendous power of giving.” With more than 32 million people of Indian origin globally, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Indians are the largest diaspora population in the world.  Indiaspora’s 2021 Philanthropy Leaders List includes philanthropists from India and from geographies with significant diaspora migration, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, and Australia.  Several of these philanthropists stepped forward to give during the COVID-19 crisis.“COVID-19 taught us that businesses, nonprofits, government, and philanthropy all play a critical role in lifting the communities they serve and operate in during times of crisis,” said Prem Watsa, Founder and CEO of Fairfax Financial Holdings and one of the honorees on the List. “Indiaspora’s Philanthropy Leaders List serves as a reminder to the diaspora to continue the important work of giving even once the crisis abates so our communities can meet future challenges.”  The List includes names from various industries including technology, entertainment, finance, and the law, among others, who are using their philanthropy to address issues such as access to healthcare, quality education, water and sanitation, arts and culture, food insecurity, and employability.“I hope the diaspora will continue to give forward, and even more boldly,” said Rohini Nilekani, Founder-Chairperson of sustainable water and sanitation nonprofit Arghyam, who is also an honoree on the List. “It is both inspiring and critical to resolve many old and emerging societal challenges in India.”  Indiaspora’s 2021 Philanthropy Leaders List is one of several of the organization’s philanthropy-focused initiatives.  Other initiatives include ChaloGive, an online giving campaign that raised more than $3.5M in 2021 to provide COVID relief in India, and the Philanthropy Summit, an annual event that brings together nonprofits, foundations, philanthropists, and others in the social impact space to share learnings regarding Indian and diaspora philanthropy. “This is a transformative moment for philanthropy,” said Ashish Shah, Senior Director of Philanthropy and Community Engagement at Indiaspora. “The purpose of our philanthropy work is to galvanize the Indian diaspora to elevate its level of giving in the next decade, and Indiaspora’s 2021 Philanthropy Leaders List is an important step towards building a culture of philanthropy.” For the list of honorees and additional resources, including additional quotes, information and news about the honorees, please visit the 2021 Indiaspora Philanthropy Leaders List website. More on the Indiaspora ListsThe Indiaspora Lists (lists.indiaspora.org) highlight the advances of the Indian diaspora in areas such as government, business, and philanthropy.Indiaspora’s inaugural Business Leaders List (July 2020), highlights the Indian diaspora who are leading the largest global companies and the Government Leaders List (February 2021) highlights over 200 government leaders of Indian heritage from 15 countries around the globe.Indiaspora (www.indiaspora.org) is a nonprofit community of powerful global Indian leaders from diverse backgrounds and professions who are committed to inspiring the diaspora to be a force for positive impact by providing a platform to collaborate, engage, and catalyze social change.

Indiaspora announces 2021 Indiaspora Philanthropy Leaders List Launch

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Media Advisory

Indiaspora announces 2021 Indiaspora Philanthropy Leaders List Launch

San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC — August 10, 2021 – Indiaspora, a nonprofit member organization of global Indian diaspora leaders, announced today that registration is now open for the launch of Indiaspora’s 2021 Philanthropy Leaders List.  The launch event will consist of two virtual sessions: August 12th at 10:00 am PT (session 1) and August 13th at 10:00 am IST (session 2).    Indiaspora’s 2021 Philanthropy Leaders List recognizes one hundred Indian and diaspora leaders who have made a significant impact with their philanthropic contributions and engagement.  Leaders in the philanthropy ecosystem and honorees from the List will join from different countries to discuss their philanthropy, philanthropy’s role in crisis, and their representation as part of the List, among other topics. Session 1 Presenters (August 12th 10:00 am PT): 

• Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande, President and Chairman of Sparta Group LLC and Founder and Trustee of the Deshpande Foundation
• Aditya Jha, Founder & Chairman of POA Educational Foundation
• Lata Krishnan, Founder & Co-Chair of the American India Foundation
• Ankur Vora, Chief Strategy Officer of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• Romesh Wadhwani, Founder, Chairman & CEO of SymphonyAI and Founder of Wadhwani Foundation
• Sunil Wadhwani, Founder of SWAT Capital and Founder Donor of WISH Foundation
• Sarosh Zaiwalla, Senior Partner and Founder of Zaiwalla & Co

Session 2 Presenters (August 13th 10:00 am IST): 

• Anu Aga, Former Chairperson of Thermax and Co-founder of Teach for India
• Anand Deshpande, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of Persistent Systems
• Ashish Dhawan, Founder & Chairperson of Central Square Foundation
• Vikram Khanna, Associate Editor and economic affairs commentator at The Straits Times
• Naghma Mulla, CEO of EdelGive Foundation
• Atul Satija, Founder of The/Nudge Foundation and CEO of GiveIndia 
• Abhishek Sharma, CEO of Foundation Holdings
• Ronnie Screwvala, Co-Founder of Swades Foundation
• Zarina Screwvala, Co-Founder of Swades Foundation

The Indiaspora Lists project highlights the accomplishments of leaders of the Indian diaspora from across industries and sectors. With each List, we pay tribute to leaders from a specific area, whether business, government, or philanthropy.  Our aim is to bring greater awareness to the collective inspiration, influence, and impact of our global community.WHAT: 2021 Indiaspora Philanthropy Leaders List LaunchWHEN: August 12, 2021 at 10:00 am PT (session 1); August 13, 2021 at 10:00 am IST (session 2) WHERE:  VirtualREGISTRATION: https://indiaspora.org/event/indiaspora-philanthropy-leaders-list-launch/ There is no cost to attend.  Open to the public. “It is incredibly inspiring to see so many philanthropists from our community who have translated their success into social impact,” said Indiaspora Founder MR Rangaswami. “These leaders serve as an example of the importance of generosity and remind us of the many issues that need our attention.” About Indiaspora:Indiaspora (www.indiaspora.org) is a nonprofit community of powerful global Indian leaders from diverse backgrounds and professions who are committed to inspiring the diaspora to be a force for positive impact by providing a platform to collaborate, engage, and catalyze social change.