Our People

The Team

Senior consultants with PhDs, IIT degrees, and over a decade of field experience across India's most complex development challenges.

Meet the Consultants

Deep Expertise, Grounded Experience

Akash Patki
Akash Patki
Senior Consultant · Founder · Senior Manager (MEL)
Education & Certifications MSc Development Practices, TISS Mumbai
BE Engineering, Govt. Engineering College, Amravati
McKinsey & Company — Ability to Execute (A2E) Lead Badge
Sectors Education · Skill Development · Convergence · Public Policy · Governance · Institutional Reforms · Livelihoods · Rural Development
MEL & Impact Evaluation System Change Project Management Kobo Toolbox PowerBI SPSS CommCare Avni Capacity Building Rural Development
Currently Senior Manager (MEL) at Lend A Hand India, managing a multi-year, multi-million dollar Co-Impact grant for system change in education across 4 states — globally recognized by The Bridgespan Group.
Dr Yatin Diwakar
Dr. Yatin Diwakar
Senior Consultant · Evaluator · Development Professional
Education & Certifications PhD — IIT Bombay
M.Tech Technology & Development — CTARA, IIT Bombay
M.Sc Biotechnology — IBB, Pune University
IPDET — University of Bern, Switzerland
Evaluating Social Programs — J-PAL, MIT on EdX
Designing & Running Randomised Evaluations — MIT on EdX
Sectors Skill Development · Livelihoods · Rural Development · Public Policy · NRM · Participatory Approaches
Randomised Evaluations PRA Methods Theory of Change Social Impact Assessment Qualitative Research M&E Trainer Natural Resource Management
Research for Impact Fellow (CLEAR South Asia) · Coordinator, APEA · Evaluation Expert at CTARA, IIT Bombay · Co-leader, EvalYouth India and EvalYouth Asia.

Recognitions & Awards

Our team's work has been recognized at national and international levels

🏆
Skoch Order-of-Merit Award 2018
Awarded for the Swasthya Sathi initiative in Narayanpur — an innovative barefoot health workers program in a PVTG area of Chhattisgarh.
🌐
Global Recognition by Bridgespan Group
System change MEL framework and data-driven approach recognized globally by thought leaders at The Bridgespan Group.
📜
District Collector Certificates
Multiple certificates from District Collectors for special contributions in Swasthya Sathi implementation, Livelihood College setup, and planning in LWE-affected areas.

Career Background

Where We've Worked

Akash Patki

2020 – Present

Sr. Manager, MEL — Lend A Hand India, Pune

2018 – 2020

Asst. Manager (Convergence) — Sulochana Thapar Foundation, Pune

2017

State Program Manager (Convergence) — Bihan/NRLM, Chhattisgarh

2014 – 2017

Prime Minister's Rural Development Fellow — Narayanpur, Bastar, CG

Dr. Yatin Diwakar

2025 – Present

Coordinator, APEA

2018 – Present

Evaluation Expert — CTARA, IIT Bombay

2016 – 2017

Project Manager — TDSC, CTARA IIT Bombay

2012 – 2015

Prime Minister's Rural Development Fellow