OUR
TEAM
Meet the team making it all happen
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Heeta is a climate educator and entrepreneur dedicated to empowering vulnerable groups in intergovernmental decision-making and taking climate action. With a Masters in Environmental Studies from TERI University, she is dedicated to nurturing change-makers who combat the climate crisis with knowledge-based action. Heeta was introduced to the United Nations Climate Change (UNFCCC) process at COP21 in 2015 and served as the Global Focal Point for YOUNGO during 2020 & 2021, playing a pivotal role in elevating youth voices on the global stage. She co-founded the Youth Negotiators Academy in 2022, to promote inclusivity in national delegations by training youth to be effective negotiators in the UN intergovernmental processes.
HEETA LAKHANI
Founder & Managing Director
DEVDATTA TENGSHE
Devdatta is a Geospatial specialist, with experience in Designing and Developing Geospatial Software along with Satellite data. He is the founder of a company that helps organizations unlock the spatial potential of their data, and builds softwares which use GIS based tools, techniques and processes. He actively promotes the applications of GIS and open-source data, including OpenStreetMap, and is passionate about using these tools to support environmental sustainability.
Director
TEAM
VIVEKA JANI
Viveka is an environmentalist with 10 years of experience in the fields of education, communication, capacity building, research, and policy advocacy for climate change and sustainable development. Aside from her association with TCI, she also works independently as an educator, trainer, and knowledge consultant on sustainability, environmental preservation, and climate change. Additionally, she works as a science communicator, distilling complex scientific research into more comprehensible content, including plain summaries, infographics and animated videos. Throughout her experience in the climate education space, Viveka has worked with different stakeholders and organisations from India and internationally, including the Centre for Environmental Education (CEE), Germanwatch, and UNFCCC.
Programme Lead
RITIKA CHAWLA
Ritika is an educator by chance and an environment enthusiast by choice. She has over 14 years of experience in the education sector, specialising in learning and development, and educational leadership. She holds an MA in Education from Azim Premji University and an undergraduate degree in Business Management from Symbiosis. Previously, she has worked with various organisations, including LEAD Group, India School Leadership Institute, Teach for India, Oye Happy and led the initiative called Human Library Hyderabad. Her deep love for the planet drew her to pivot to the environment, sustainability and climate change sector.
Operations Lead
SHILPA RAINA
Fuelled by curiosity and resilience, Shilpa has worn many hats over the years - journalist, brand consultant, communications director, short story writer, and volunteer educator. After 18 years with some of India’s leading institutions and media organisations, she has charted an independent path as a writer, brand strategist, and communication expert. Along the way, she has developed a deep interest in the circular economy, climate education and sustainability, which now shape the core of her reportage and professional focus.
Communications Lead
TULIKA KARMAKAR
Tulika Karmakar is a dedicated communicator and strategic partnership builder with a background in political science. Her work lies at the complex intersections of sustainable development, focusing on climate change, finance, and gender equality. With hands-on experience of working with leading international development organisations in partnerships, research, and advocacy, she has supported cross-sectoral initiatives at the national and global levels.
Founder’s Associate - Fundraising
MEDHA PRIYA
Medha is a Designer from National Institute of Design, Bangalore. Medha contributes to the organization's visual identity, communication strategies and produces a range of design materials that help TCI effectively convey its message. Her role is to enhance TCI's outreach and engagement efforts through visually compelling content.
Design Lead
ABHINAV PAREWA
Abhinav Parewa is a climate justice activist based in New Delhi, India, pursuing history honors at St. Stephen’s College. With a strong academic background in research and sustainable development, he strongly believes in climate literacy as critical tool to combating climate change and designs capacity building modules for students. His interests include education, sustainable development and innovation for climate action. He is currently the Founder’s Associate at TCI and the Hey Campaign Ambassador 2025.
Founder’s Associate - Partnerships
CHAHAT GARG
Chahat Garg is passionate about building systems that are inclusive, thoughtful, and people-centered. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's in Management from the University of British Columbia, bringing a unique lens to her work at TCI. She supports internal operations and communications with care and intention. Chahat is especially drawn to work that combines empathy with impact and is excited to contribute to climate education that centers community voices and lived experiences.
Founder’s Associate - Operations
ISHAN DWIVEDI
Ishan Dwivedi is a climate communicator, systems thinker, and a proud fellow from the 2024–25 cohort of The ClimAct Initiative. Now contributing to the same team that shaped his journey, Ishan brings a deep commitment to making climate action feel less overwhelming and more human. With a background in Philosophy and a Master’s in Development Management, his path into the climate space wasn’t linear, but always intentional. He founded the Kashvi Foundation to tackle everyday resource inequity through low-waste reuse models, and has since grown into roles that bridge communication, research, and circular economy strategy.
Content Research Associate
SHRUTI SALUNKHE
Dr. Shruti Salunkhe supports the design and tracking of programme outcomes through data-driven insights. A dentist turned development professional, Shruti brings a unique lens to systemic change - one that combines scientific rigor with a deep understanding of public systems. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Development Management from the Indian School of Development Management (ISDM), where she developed skills in systems thinking, program theory, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and participatory research. Her journey spans national and international programs with organizations such as the World Health Organization, National Health Mission, Meghalaya, PRADAN, Gram Vikas, etc., with experience in research, project and product management, and stakeholder engagement. Shruti has contributed to initiatives across health systems and grassroots governance. A quiet thinker with a creative spirit, she believes meaningful change often starts with listening to data, to communities, and to the spaces in between.
Monitoring and Evaluating Associate
SRISHTI ANAND
Srishti is a passionate climate communicator with a Master’s in Climate Science and Policy from The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). With a strong foundation in environmental science and a creative flair for storytelling, she transforms complex climate challenges into engaging, relatable narratives that inspire awareness and action. Armed with sharp oratory skills and a solutions-driven mindset, Srishti brings clarity, confidence, and compassion to every piece of content she creates—whether it’s for digital campaigns, educational outreach, or public speaking engagements. Her voice is rooted in scientific understanding, yet accessible and empowering to diverse audiences. From climate resilience and sustainability to policy advocacy, Srishti's work bridges the gap between data and dialogue.
Training Content Associate
NAINA MIDHA
Community Management Associate
Naina Midha is a psychologist with 6 years of experience in mental health research and counselling.
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She has organised many small initiatives like beach clean ups, reducing paper usage and Say no to buying new plastic items during her master's at Tata institute of social sciences, Chennai campus. Naina loves animals and plants and is experimenting on a community start waste segregation model.
ADVISORY
BOARD
DAVID BOYD
Dr. David R. Boyd is a professor at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (University of British Columbia). From 2018-2024, Boyd was the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, presenting dozens of reports to the UN, filing amicus briefs in 15 landmark legal proceedings, and making more than 500 speeches in a successful effort to advance the recognition and implementation of the right to a healthy environment. His work on this fundamental human right has been cited by courts around the world including the International Court of Justice, Inter-American Court of Human Rights and European Court of Human Rights. He is also a father, nature lover, Canadian age-group ultramarathon champion, a four-time Ironman, and the recipient of an honorary doctor of laws degree from Nelson Mandela University. Among his 10 books are The Rights of Nature (ECW Press, 2017), The Optimistic Environmentalist (ECW Press, 2015), The Right to a Healthy Environment (UBC Press, 2012) and The Environmental Rights Revolution (UBC Press, 2011).
Former UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment 2018-24
VANCE G. MARTIN
Vance G. Martin created and built-out the WILD Foundation over 40 years as its President and on its board. In that capacity he served as International Director of the World Wilderness Congress, and initiated and deployed international wilderness-related programmes that integrated science, human communities, policy, business, and culture. He is Founder/Co-Chair of the Wilderness Specialist Group (WCPA,IUCN), and serves on NGO boards and advises projects in many countries in his capacity as President Emeritus of Wilderness Foundation Global, an international alliance based in South Africa.
President Emeritus, Wilderness Foundation Global
BITTU SAHGAL
Bittu Sahgal, Editor Sanctuary Asia, Head of the Sanctuary Nature Foundation, and India's one million strong Kids for Tigers program, is a strong voice for nature conservation, climate mitigation and biospheric health.
He has made it his life’s mission to direct world leaders away from short-term development objectives that could compromise the ability of India to sustain its population of 1.4 billion people. He believes that the ecological foundations of all nations are the bedrock on which global economic and social foundations rest.
Believing that climate change poses the greatest ever threat to humanity, he is a strong Nature Needs Half advocate who works with young adults and policy makers, arguing that rewilding Planet Earth is critical to the long term survival of Homo sapiens
Founder, Sanctuary Nature Foundation