Sudarshan serves as the Chief Development Officer at Reliance Foundation. Formerly the CEO of Save the Children, Sudarshan is a seasoned civil society leader and an authority in participatory practices for empowering communities to lead transformation. He has rich local and global experience in academics, development, and in the corporate environment. In his professional journey span of close to 4 decades he brings in an experience of rich and diverse roles at cutting across sectors and themes and most importantly as he says – risen from the ranks!!. An alumnus of St. Stephens College, Delhi University, and Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Sussex, UK, Sudarshan is a leading development professional, with myriad professional achievements including successful advocacy for reforms in cooperative laws and the Producer Company Act Enactment; turnaround of AP Dairy cooperatives; launching of the largest bio-diesel cultivation initiative in India; and executing one of the largest rural transformation initiatives – ‘bij’, at Reliance Foundation.

Over the past three decades, Sudarshan has held leadership positions with distinguished organisations. He also brings in academic experience, having teaching experience at IRMA and IIHMR, and a regular resource person at ILSS and ISDM etc. Sudarshan also serves on Governance platforms, being on the advisory board of Young Lives; and on the Board of Studies of IIHMR’s Rural Management Institute.