The TQH team brings together an exceptional combination of skills in policy research and government engagement as well as public relations and media management. |
![]() Rohit co-founded TQH in 2017 and its sister concern Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) in 2016 to strengthen the governance ecosystem in India through public policy research, advocacy and citizen engagement. Rohit’s work in policy cuts across sectors, including regulation of new business models, emerging issues in tech policy, digital public infrastructure and payments. An alumnus of Harvard Kennedy School of Government and IIT Bombay, he previously served as the Head of Policy and Research at the office of Mr. Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda, Member of Parliament (MP) in Lok Sabha.Read complete profile Before working with Mr. Panda, Rohit spent several years at PRS Legislative Research, the Indian think-tank that supports MPs across party lines with research on legislative and policy issues. At PRS, he also developed ‘MP Track’, the tool that is widely used by the media and civil society to track engagement of MPs in Parliament. Previously, Rohit was a strategy consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) at their Mumbai office. He is a 2013 IPRYLI (India-Pakistan Regional Young Leaders Initiative) fellow with the Asia Society.
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![]() Aparajita is a Founding Partner of TQH and co-founder of Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) which works with young people to increase their engagement with democratic processes. Before starting these two organisations, Aparajita was Manager, Corporate Affairs and Communications at Snapdeal where she was responsible for managing media messaging while engaging with policy and legislative issues that affect the digital commerce sector. Aparajita holds a MPP degree from Oxford University and her work cuts across the domains of gender, tech policy and integrity of India’s democratic institutions.Read complete profile Aparajita started her career in public policy as a Legislative Assistant to Mr. N.K. Singh, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and was one of the four Indians selected for the Faiths Act Fellowship by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation in 2011. In her undergraduate years at the College of Business Studies, Delhi University, Aparajita was instrumental in starting ‘Manthan’ – an annual congregation of street theatre societies to spread social awareness. Manthan has now expanded to several towns and cities across India. She is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper from the New Delhi hub.
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![]() A lawyer by training, Deepro graduated from NUJS, Kolkata in 2013. Over the last few years, he has lead policy research and advocacy on several emerging themes in tech policy, especially digital public infrastructure, intermediary regulation and payments. Previously, he worked with the law firm Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas and while at the firm, he was involved in a wide array of cases including criminal matters, arbitration matters and constitutional issues. He has also done a stint in litigation, practising mainly in the Delhi High Court.Read complete profile Deepro is passionate about strengthening governance systems and improving policy design and implementation for effective service delivery. He is also an enthusiastic sportsman, and has played in the Bengal Hockey Association League 3rd Division.
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![]() Sneha is a communications specialist with a strong background in outreach and knowledge management in the social sector. A Commonwealth Scholar (2018-19) with an MSc in Media, Communication and Development from the London School of Economics, she has previously worked with UN agencies and the forest departments of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, playing an active role in managing the communications for two UNDP projects funded by the Global Environment Facility, and with the International Growth Centre in London, where she supported the programme coordination of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded India programme.Read complete profile With a Bachelor’s in Mass Media from University of Mumbai and Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Sneha started her career as a journalist before moving on to the development sector.
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![]() A journalist by training, Amanat graduated from the Columbia Journalism School in New York in 2015. In her previous role, she led the content and editorial vertical at the Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) – an industry body for India’s tech startups – where she was responsible for external and internal communications strategy and overseeing ADIF’s publishing, media and social media, in addition to liaising with member organisations.Read complete profile She has over five years of reporting and copy-editing experience with digital publications including The Wire, Scroll.in and Quartz where she extensively wrote on the issues of gender, child rights, politics and human rights. Amanat has also worked with a weekly newspaper in Maine, United States, where she covered local politics, news and sports.
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![]() An economist by training from IIT Kanpur, Mayank is a public policy professional with extensive experience in the fields of economic & financial analysis, policy advisory, agency design, and regulatory governance. Mayank has worked for over 5 years with the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) as part of their public policy team. At NIPFP, he worked on a wide spectrum of areas ranging from financial sector reforms and technology policy to institution design and government expenditure management.Read complete profile While at NIPFP, he also had the opportunity to partner with several government agencies to help solve complex public policy problems and facilitate strategic decisions. Prior to moving to public policy, Mayank worked with McKinsey & Company as part of its Credit Risk Management practice.
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![]() Sonakshi has an MA in Gender, Violence and Conflict from the University of Sussex (where she was a Chevening Scholar), and an undergraduate degree in English Literature from St. Stephen’s College. She has previously worked as a consultant and as a gender specialist on a range of projects. Most recently, she completed a stint as Research & Editorial Lead for ‘Women in Labour’ — a podcast examining female labour force participation in India. She has also worked as a Consultant at the Ministry of Women & Child Development and as a Researcher at the Observer Research Foundation.Read complete profile In 2012, she co-founded the Woman of the Elements Trust, which provides free legal aid to women and child victims of domestic violence. She is a Global Shaper with the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Hub New Delhi, and was a delegate at the 2020 edition of the bilateral Australia India Youth Dialogue.
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![]() Sumeysh is a lawyer by training and an alumnus of Symbiosis Law School Pune. He has previously worked at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy and was part of the founding team for Nyaaya, India’s first free online resource for accessible legal information. He has also worked as a legal researcher for the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), where his research work contributed to two PILs filed for securing socio-economic rights of fishing communities, and headed Nyayika, a non-profit social enterprise established by CSJ to provide affordable legal services.Read complete profile Sumeysh’s research interests are primarily in areas of access to technology, information, and rights in the digital space. He writes on issues that look at the intersection between technology, law, society, and access for both academic and non-academic platforms and has pursued certification courses on privacy, internet governance and social entrepreneurship.
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![]() A law graduate from Symbiosis Law School Pune, Mahwash has previously worked as an attorney at the law firm Lakshmikumaran and Sridharan. During her tenure there, her experience ranged from litigation, advisory and advocacy on issues of indirect taxation and constitutional law. With a keen interest in the intersection of law, policy and governance she took up the Policy in Action Program with Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) in April, 2021. Thrilled by that experience and knowledge, she went on to complete the Graduate Certificate Program in Public Policy from Takshashila Institute.Read complete profile Mahwash is passionate about working towards the goal of making the legal framework work for every strata through effective policies, strategic governance and impact litigation. During her free time, she engages herself in art & craft, reading and baking.
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![]() Nikhil is trained in law from NUJS, Kolkata. Prior to his current role, he worked as a legislative assistant at the office of Mr. Unmesh Patil, Lok Sabha MP from Jalgaon, Maharashtra. At Mr. Patil’s office, Nikhil was able to set up focused research practices and develop a suitable style of parliamentary interventions for a first-time MP. While at NUJS, he was part of the team that published the NUJS Diversity Survey to map socio-economic identities of students against their academic and extracurricular performance at law school to understand how they can be better supported.Read complete profile Nikhil has previously freelanced as a legal draftsman for a state heritage commission. With a keen interest in urban issues and governance, he has also engaged with the Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission and the Observer Research Foundation. Nikhil is an avid parliamentary debater.
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![]() Venkat is an urban development professional with a background in architecture. He is a Chevening Scholar (2018-19) with a Masters in City Design and Social Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has previously worked in urban development projects with the Governments of Karnataka, Rajasthan, and TamilNadu. His most recent engagement was with Jana Urban Space working on the Master Plans for towns in Tamil Nadu under the AMRUT scheme of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.Read complete profile Previously, Venkat has worked as an architect/urban designer on the Bengaluru Smart City project, as well as other urban development projects in tier 2 and 3 cities in Rajasthan and Karnataka.
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![]() Aishwarya is an international development professional, with a Master’s in International Economic Policy from Sciences Po, Paris and a Bachelor’s in Economics from Christ University, Bangalore. She has experience in economic policy research and analysis, project management, and political communication having worked as a Consultant with the United Nations Secretariat and the Overseas Development Institute.Read complete profile Both at the UN and at ODI, she worked on a variety of assignments that focused on financing the global sustainable development goals (SDGs). Prior to working in the public sector, Aishwarya worked with Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP in their international tax practice.
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![]() Kaushik is an alumnus of the National Law University, Delhi (NLUD) having graduated in 2019. His previous engagement was as a Judicial Law Clerk to Honourable Mr. Justice R. Subhash Reddy at the Supreme Court of India. He provided research assistance therein to both Constitution and Division Benches of the Court, across a wide array of matters such as constitutional, criminal and civil law. Kaushik is passionate about civil liberties, social policy and issues related to gender and sexuality.Read complete profile While at NLUD, he was part of the CLPG-DHCLSC Prisons Project that created policy proposals to identify and address systemic blockages in the criminal justice system. He has previously also engaged with the Social and Political Research Foundation, Project 39A and Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative to this end. In his free time, he enjoys birdwatching, reading and maintains a keen interest in palaeontology.
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![]() Swathi is a chemical engineer by education. After her graduate studies at Cornell University, she worked as a scientist at enerG2 – a battery materials company in Seattle where she also supported large battery manufacturers in India with R&D and materials testing. Her interest in policy stems from her keen interest in renewable energy, education and women’s representation in STEM.Read complete profile After returning to India, her first stint was with YLAC’s Policy in Action Program in 2021. While in India, she has also worked at an early stage ed-tech startup that works to make tech education accessible to everyone.
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![]() Vishakha pursued her B.A. LL.B. from National Law Institute University, Bhopal and her post-graduation in law from National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata. While at NUJS, she was awarded the Saroja Gopalkrishnan Scholarship for academic performance. Previously, she has worked at the Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India as a Young Professional where she focused on emerging issues in tech policy and law.Read complete profile She has also worked as an in-house counsel at Wipro Ltd. where she handled statutory and ethics compliance and as a Research Assistant at National Law University, Delhi on a research project on Legal Education Systems in India and China.
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![]() Devika is a psychology graduate from Jesus and Mary college, Delhi University. She previously worked with SEWA Bharat as a researcher, where her research portfolio focused on health, livelihood, gender-based violence and cash transfers amongst women working in the informal economy. Her research has focused on dissecting how socio-political institutions shape mental health and well-being and her work on the same can be found on IDR, Feminism in India, and other digital media platforms.Read complete profile Devika has also worked as an educator with Aawaaz Foundation focused on critical thinking, social-emotional learning and public speaking. She is interested in using her educational and professional training to understand the policy landscape in India, and enjoys watching old TV shows, discovering new music and reading on most days.
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![]() Salil is a journalism graduate from Delhi University with a penchant for public policy and research. Prior to joining TQH, Salil led the research team at Newslaundry where he worked to analyse government schemes and policies. He was the researcher and writer for Newslaundry’s flagship policy explainer show, Sansad Watch, India’s first news show on Parliament and civic affairs, hosted on Youtube.Read complete profile Salil also did a short stint with the Maadhyam Foundation, where he was involved in parliamentary research and helped prepare a budget brief for the Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways. He has previously worked in the communications sector and helped devise communication strategies for brands like Maruti Suzuki, Roca, and Bajaj Finserv. During his free time, Salil likes to cycle and trek.
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![]() Shubham is an ex-LAMP Fellow with an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Delhi. As a LAMP Fellow, he provided legislative and policy research support to Lok Sabha MP Mr. Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu. Previously, he has worked on grassroots-level projects in the fields of education, food security, and capacity development across Haryana, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Delhi.Read complete profile Shubham was awarded the Millennium Fellowship by the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) and the global non-profit Millennium Campus Network (MCN) in 2021 for his project on SDG 1. His current interests focus on understanding the role of diverse institutions and their interactions in shaping and sustaining policy outcomes. He enjoys running, cycling and interdisciplinary reading.
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![]() Srijan completed his Bachelors in Political Science from Hindu College, University of Delhi and worked as a Legislative Assistant to a Member of Parliament (LAMP) fellow. Prior to his current role, he worked with an impact consulting firm to implement a Digital Education project in Rajasthan that was aimed at improving learning outcomes for 10 lakh girl students enrolled in different schools across the state. His interest areas include tech policy, social movements and participatory policymaking.Read complete profile While working as a LAMP fellow, Srijan drafted legislative interventions in the diverse sectors of health, education and tech policy and also worked to create a monitoring mechanism for tracking government schemes at the constituency level in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. In his free time, he likes listening to rap songs and reading books.
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![]() After graduating with an honours degree in Political Science from the University of Delhi, Suhani worked at the office of Dr. Amar Patnaik as a LAMP fellow. During her fellowship, Suhani assisted the MP in leading the Parliamentary Advocacy Group on Handloom and Handicraft. Besides making regular parliamentary interventions, she also provided research inputs to the social media team. While in college, she interned with the Foreign Policy Research Centre, Nirmaan Organization and Praja Foundation to gain exposure to policy research tools and communication campaigns.Read complete profile Working closely with civil society organisations and various other stakeholders, she hopes to gain vital exposure in the world of public policy and advocacy. Suhani also co-founded an academic writing group during her undergraduate study to facilitate peer learning amongst undergraduate and postgraduate students. To unwind, she enjoys watching stand-up comedy and loves art.
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