TEAM

Action Against Hunger was founded with a simple goal in mind: No more hungry children in India. No more deaths caused by starvation, no more of irreversible damage to mental or physical health due to lack of food and water. No more denying our children their basic human right to be free from hunger.

LEADERSHIP TEAM

Ms. Snigdha Sahal

Executive Director

A Chartered Accountant by profession, Snigdha has been working in the banking
and development sectors for the past 15 years in organizations such as Standard Chartered
bank, HDFC bank and Piramal Foundation. She brings strategic, governance and operational
experience in both rural and urban centric projects to the leadership team.

Ms. Mamta Banerjee

Director, Finance

Mamta is the Head of Finance at Action Against Hunger. She is a cost and
management accountant with nearly 25 years of experience in the field of finance and
accounts. She has experience in different industries like media, retail, manufacturing, and
non-profits. In the past, she has worked with organizations such as Magic Box Productions,
Sankalp Retail Value Stores, Ginza Industries, and Magic Bus India Foundation.

Ms. Mousumi Gupta

Director, Advocacy

Mousumi is the Head of Advocacy at Action Against Hunger. She has a rich
experience of working in the field of public health & nutrition and development for more
than 12 years. She has a Masters in Social Work from Visva Bharati University. She currently
leads the advocacy initiatives in Nutrition both at national and state levels, and directs
to the policy, media and political advocacy campaigns.In her previous roles she has worked
with Ministry of Women & Child Development, Voluntary Health Association of India, NIHFW,
YWCA of India and CAPART.

Dr. Pawankumar Patil

Director, Technical

Dr. Patil is the Technical Lead at Action Against Hunger. He is a public health
scientist with expertise in Maternal-Newborn-Child Health and WASH. He also leads the
Research, Innovation and Design lab at Action Against Hunger.He has completed his Masters in
Public Health (MPH) from University of North Texas Health Science Center, USA. He has
previously worked with institutions such as Society for Eduction, Action, and Research in
Community Health (SEARCH) Gadchiroli, India, Johns Hopkins University’s Center for
Communication Programs (JHUCCP), and Community Empowerment Lab (CEL) Lucknow, India. Dr.
Patil has led various public health projects, designing and implementing innovative solution
toward solving various community health challenges.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Prof Swaminathan

Chairman Emeritus

Action Against Hunger is delighted to have Professor MS Swaminathan as the
Chairman Emeritus of our Board. Professor Swaminathan is a member of the Indian Parliament,
an Honorary Chairman of the FAO Council and the Chairman of the National Commission on
Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Security.Professor Swaminathan was the very first recipient
of the World Food Prize, which he received for advancing human development through increased
quantity, quality and accessibility of food.He has also received the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi
Gold Medal for his outstanding work in extending the benefits of biotechnology to
marginalised and poverty-stricken populations in developing countries. He has been honoured
by the Government of France and has received the Ordre du Merite Agricole, for his services
of the highest quality to the cause of agriculture 1997.

Mr. Ashwini Kakkar

Chairman

Mr Kakkar is the President of Mercury travels as well as being the President of
the Association of Travel agencies in India. He is also a member of the International Board
of INSEAD. Mr Kakkar received the National Order of Merit of the French Government in 2007,
in recognition of his contribution towards the promotion of French/Indian relations.

“One in four of the world’s undernourished children lives in India. This reality is not
good enough. This is not the India we want to be living in and it is not the India that
we wish to pass to our own children. Let’s do something about it. Join Action Against
Hunger and let us change this. Support our work and be part of transforming the current
unacceptable reality. Together I believe that we can malnutrition a thing of the past.”

Mr. TCA Rangachari

Mr Rangachari is former diplomat and is also the former director of the MMAJ
Academy of International Studies in New Delhi. He has held a number of posts in several
continents during his career working for UN agencies and not for profits. He represented
India on the boards of UNICEF, UNDP and UNFPA.

Dr. Wasundhara Joshi

A paediatrician and former director of the Indian association SNEHA (Society for
Nutrition Education and Health Action), Dr Joshi is a specialist in mother and child health.
Dr Joshi taught and practiced paediatrics and neo-natal nursing for ten years. She then
joined the public health sector by co-creating SNEHA, which seeks to improve women and
children’s health in the slums of Mumbai.

Mr. Vipul Jain

Vipul Jain is the Chairman of the NGO catalyst for social action and Managing
Director of Accelya Kale Solutions Ltd. Vipul is also a recipient of Asia Pacific
Entrepreneurship Award in the outstanding category for the India Chapter in 2015 for
creating a leading software product company in Accelya Kale and his passionate contribution
to social sector.

ADVISORS

Mr. Denis Metzger

In 1979 Denis Metzger participated in the creation of Action Contre la Faim (ACF) and became President of ACF France and served as Chairman of its International board from 2006 to 2010.He is also a Founding Member of the “Institut National pour la Simplification” (1992), of the “Appel pour le Combat de l’Abbé Pierre” (1994), of Droit d’Urgence (1995), and of Action Against Hunger India (2013) and he still acts as its Advisory Committee Chairman.Denis Metzger has had a professional career in merchant banking,
working with JP Morgan (in London and New York), then with Charterhouse (France) as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman until 2000. Since 2001, he is the Executive President of Chequers Capital, a pan-European investment company.

Mr. Rohan Parikh

Mr. Rohan Parikh is the Managing Director at the Apurva Natvar Parikh Group. The group has a diversified presence in real estate development, logistics, shipping, education and hospitality.