Arun is an Associate Director and a public policy professional with several years of experience leading interdisciplinary teams to design and execute high-impact programs. At TQH, he leads projects across gender equality, disability rights, climate action, and digital public infrastructure, managing complex multi-stakeholder collaboratives and research initiatives.

Previously, as Senior Public Finance Researcher at CivicDataLab, he led the expansion of the Open Budgets India platform, the largest repository of public finance information in India. At NITI Aayog, he was a core member of the team that launched the Government of India’s flagship Aspirational Districts Programme, designing its ranking methodology and leading implementation support across 100+ districts while serving as Communications Lead during the programme’s national rollout.

Arun holds a Master of Social Science in Economics (Research) from the National University of Singapore, where he was a National University Research Fellow, and an Integrated Master of Arts in Economics from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. His research interests span Indian public finance, social sector schemes, and development policy, and he remains a keen observer of India’s political economy across areas including law and justice, technology, and electoral politics. Beyond his professional work, Arun is a passionate educator, part-time amateur singer, and enthusiastic cook. His favourite quote: “no man-made system is immune to human deceit”.