Yash Maniar
Yash Maniar is an India-based facilitator, social entrepreneur, and International Coaching Federation certified coach who empowers individuals and organizations in their journey from purpose to action. With a strong focus on aligning personal values with organizational goals, Yash designs and facilitates transformative learning experiences that help teams deepen collaboration, strengthen leadership, and find greater meaning in their work. As an experiential learning facilitator and coach, Yash has designed and led programs on social innovation, leadership, sustainability, systems change, and design thinking across Asia, including China, Indonesia, India, Singapore, Thailand, and Bangladesh. He has facilitated with organizations such as The JUMP! Foundation, coached global climate action teams through the Gigatonne Challenge, and completed over 350 hours of one-on-one coaching with entrepreneurs, leaders, and changemakers. Yash’s entrepreneurial journey includes co-founding Shunya Alternative Solutions, an eco-friendly products venture incubated by The DO School and supported by The Pollination Project. Through Shunya, he helped replace more than one million pieces of plastic cutlery with biodegradable alternatives in India. He has also worked across startups in product strategy, digital marketing, and learning design, bringing a systems thinking and human-centered approach to both organizational growth and social impact.
Gautam Paul
Gautam Paul brings over two decades of international leadership experience across media, technology, and professional services. He has a proven track record of driving performance, transformation, and growth in volatile and complex corporate environments. Having revitalized underperforming teams, scaled high growth organizations, and led cross functional groups across the UK, India, and New Zealand, Gautam combines strong commercial acumen with deep insight into human motivation and leadership effectiveness. His coaching approach blends strategic clarity with practical execution, enabling senior leaders to strengthen their influence, navigate change with confidence, and build resilient, high performing teams. Gautam has advised executives in startups, established enterprises, and global firms, equipping them to align teams to strategy, manage competing stakeholder demands, and deliver measurable business impact in times of uncertainty. Known for driving growth through clarity and culture, Gautam has supported leadership teams to achieve breakthrough results by sharpening goals, strengthening communication, and embedding accountability. In one instance, he coached a stagnant leadership team to double their results within a year by focusing on mindset and collaboration rather than pressure alone. He has also guided leaders launching new ventures to assemble, mentor, and align high performing teams, enabling successful initiatives and strategic partnerships. His work consistently helps leaders turn complex challenges into opportunities for growth and impact. Across his engagements, Gautam emphasizes expanding leadership presence, deepening strategic focus, and unlocking individual potential to ensure sustained high performance and meaningful results.
Beatrice Roby
Originally from Toulouse, Béatrice Roby obtained her Master 2 degree from Toulouse Business School in France. Direct and tenacious by nature, her professional journey is marked by two distinct phases. The first, in salaried positions based in Paris, included numerous professional assignments in the United States, Asia, and Northern Europe. She began her career as a financial auditor at KPMG Paris and later became Financial Director overseeing 12 subsidiaries at SAFT. Following a professional retraining validated by a second Master in Training Engineering and Employment Services, Béatrice transitioned into a new role as European Director in charge of compensation. This stage of her career was focused on professional development and career growth. At the age of 40, Béatrice’s path led her to Africa—specifically Mali—marking the beginning of a new entrepreneurial chapter dedicated to human capital. As the founder and director of the HR consulting firm BR CONSULTING, she carries out missions in Human Resources, recruitment, training, and, since 2020, coaching. Her work spans Mali and the broader French-speaking West African region. Equally at ease in both local and international contexts, Béatrice partners with organizations that strive to place people at the heart of their development strategies.Her credentials include:ACC Certified ICF Coach (coachingfederation.org)Erickson International Certified CoachCertified Cultural Coach (expatcommunication.com)Certified in Leadership and Management with CEGOSMember of the International Coaching FederationMember of the CGBB (Club of Good and Benevolent People)Vice-President of the CSR Committee at CIEM (Club of European Investors in Mali) A strong advocate for environmental protection, Béatrice led the organization of the R’PLAST competition, which honored three start-ups engaged in plastic bottle recycling. Building on its success, she co-founded an association to promote recycling and the circular economy in the region. She is the proud mother of a 16-year-old daughter of Fulani and French-Bambara heritage and champions an educational philosophy rooted in autonomy, balance, and holistic development. In her personal life, Béatrice finds joy in walking, painting, reading, and cooking—skills she developed through training with renowned chefs Alain Ducasse and Lenôtre. She is also deeply committed to actions that promote zero waste living.
Pratyay Malakar
Pratyay Malakar (she/they) is an educator, curriculum designer, and education researcher deeply committed to building intersectional, inclusive, and justice-driven learning environments. With 6+ years of experience across the education and development sector, Pratyay has worked with children, teachers, teacher trainers and education systems in roles spanning facilitation, curriculum development, teacher training, and research. She has worked with organizations like Teach For India, Simple Education Foundation, Nirantar, Adhyayan Quality Education Foundation, Language and Learning Foundation, and i-Saksham, designing and leading professional development programs for government and non-profit educators in underserved communities. As a facilitator, Pratyay brings together her grounding in feminist and anti-oppressive pedagogies to create reflective, participatory spaces around themes such as identity, gender, equity, power, youth development, Queer Identities, Allyship and inclusive education. Pratyay is currently pursuing a PhD in Education at Ambedkar University Delhi, where her research focuses on reimagining educational practices through the lens of social justice, intersectionality, belonging, and systemic change. Her vision is to transform classrooms, workplaces and institutions into spaces of healing, dialogue, and possibility for all learners—especially those at the margins.
Aparna Shekar
Aparna Shekar is a passionate and highly experienced soft skills trainer and leadership coach with over 20 years of experience designing and delivering learning programs that support both individual growth and business transformation. Her work is rooted in the belief that strengthening people’s capabilities leads to better outcomes, and she brings this to life through interactive, insight-driven workshops and one-on-one coaching engagements with clients across the world. With a background in marketing, education, and facilitation, Aparna partners with organizations in sectors such as banking, technology, automotive, consulting, and education to help leaders deepen emotional intelligence, build resilient teams, and lead with clarity and purpose. She is especially skilled at facilitating learning for culturally diverse groups and is known for creating high-energy, inclusive learning environments both online and in person. As a certified coach and master trainer, Aparna is consistently praised for her engaging facilitation style and her ability to foster meaningful connection. Her areas of expertise include leadership development, communication, coaching and mentoring, emotional intelligence, influencing without authority, and managing uncertainty with resilience. She has led programs for organizations such as Microsoft, UBS, Mastercard, Deloitte, Intuit, Skoda Auto, Thoughtworks, and many others. Outside of her professional work, Aparna is a trained classical singer and dancer, a curious and enthusiastic home gardener, and a passionate storyteller. She has won awards for her writing and creativity and brings warmth, curiosity, and care into every space she enters. Whether she is coaching a senior leader, designing a team workshop, or simply listening deeply, Aparna remains committed to helping people show up with intention and grow with confidence.
Grishma Bista
Grishma Bista is a seasoned global health and development practitioner with 20 years of expertise in capacity building, leadership training, and program management across multiple international settings. With a strong background in areas like primary health, sexual and reproductive health, risk and governance, and financial accountability, Grishma has driven impactful reforms in diverse roles, including as Director of Integrated Care for North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network and Country Director for MSI Timor-Leste. In her roles with organizations such as MSI and CARE International, Grishma has provided high-impact training on topics such as strategic planning, leadership development, financial oversight, governance, and risk management. She has successfully coached senior leaders, fostering a culture of accountability and cohesive teamwork. Known for her ability to guide teams through complex transitions, including change management and organizational restructuring, Grishma is highly adept at empowering individuals and groups to drive results while meeting global compliance standards. With a hands-on approach, Grishma offers expertise in developing tailored learning programs and facilitating workshops that build technical, managerial, and leadership capabilities in health, not for profit, and development sectors. Fluent in Nepali, English, and Tetum, she brings both cultural fluency and multilingual communication skills to her facilitation work, making her an asset in diverse training settings.
Sailu Sethia
Sailu Sethia started her career supporting talent initiatives for the D.E. Shaw Group. Her most recent corporate role was as a Training Manager for HighPoint where her team planned and executed all facets of training design & development for a multi-million federal healthcare contract. As an organization development consultant, she has successfully designed and deployed talent solutions, facilitated leadership development programs, and guided strategic planning and organizational change efforts. Her work is rooted in trust, intuition, and a belief that growth is possible. As an Associate Certified Coach by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), her coaching journey has been enriched by working with a diverse clientele including entrepreneurs, academia, early to mid-career professionals, leaders, C-suite executives, and women returning to work. Sailu holds a master’s in I/O psychology from the University of Maryland and a certificate in organization consulting and change leadership from Georgetown University. She is also certified to administer the MBTI and Hogan suite of personality assessments.
Amrita Varadarajan
Amrita Varadarajan has 15+ years of education + work experience related to the development sector – working on capacity building/ L&D, organization design & development, program design, assessment design and systems change in sectors like education, panchayati raj, election management and health. She also has worked with a range of stakeholders such as large and small non-profits, donor agencies, management consultants, government stakeholders from village to state & national levels, multilateral and bilateral agencies. She brings to the space a deep desire to empower non-profit leaders and teams to build thriving, reflective & compassionate workspaces – where we all spend more than 1/3rd of our days, physically, mentally, emotionally & spiritually! When not dreaming up ways to do more organization design work, Amrita inhabits other worlds through the characters in the books she reads, the road trips with her partner, the plants she spends time with, music she listens to and the weird series she is trying not to binge on! You can connect with her on LinkedIn (the only social media space you will find her on, sometimes!)
Varsha Prasad
Varsha Prasad is an experienced Innovation Coach and Consultant with over 9 years of expertise in consulting, customer success, and facilitation. Her work focuses on empowering individuals and teams to think creatively, collaborate effectively, and solve complex challenges through tailored strategies and interactive workshops. As the founder of her own consulting business in the Netherlands, Varsha specializes in design thinking, innovation coaching, and building impactful solutions that drive measurable results. Her approach combines practical tools, a deep understanding of client needs, and a passion for unlocking the creative potential of diverse teams. With a strong background in delivering transformative solutions for global clients and organizations, Varsha is committed to creating spaces where ideas flourish, collaboration thrives, and innovation becomes a sustainable practice. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring new cultures and languages, bringing a global perspective to everything she does.
Pragya Mishra
Pragya loves convening and is a champion for SDG 17. In her nine years of work experience, she has always found herself bringing diverse stakeholders together for a common cause, and has built collaborations for social impact. She recently completed a 14 months fellowship in the US where she served at the American Express. She managed the AMEX Leadership Academy Alumni Network of over 4300 social purpose leaders. In addition to her role of organizing learning events, she launched Alumni Taskforce – a global volunteer group of 60 alumni to promote alumni led initiatives. Prior to the fellowship, Pragya worked at Ashoka in India. As part of the Fellowship team she helped design and implement programs on leadership development and impact strategy for a network of 400 Ashoka Fellows working on all 17 SDGs. She also designed a unique event concept – Changemaker Dinner, engaging over 250 senior social, business and media entrepreneurs and promoting cross-sectoral collaborations. At the beginning of her career, Pragya lived in an indigenous village in central India for three years and led a grass-root movement bringing all the stakeholders together to build the first school in the area. Pragya has a Master’s Degree in Social Entrepreneurship and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Counseling and Communication. She is adaptive and nimble and by working at the grassroots, national and international levels she has developed strong people’s skills and cultural intelligence. She is curious and loves learning from people and places.