Dr. M. Anandakrishnan completed his master’s and doctorate in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota, USA. He then worked at the Central Road Research Institute, New Delhi, IIT-Kharagpur and at the embassy of India, Washington. He was also with the Advisory Committee on Science & Technology for Development at the United Nations before he returned to Chennai and took over the mantle as Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, Chennai. He was the Chairman of the Madras Institute of Developmental Studies and also advisor to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Information Technology and e-Governance.

Mr. A.K. Venkat Subramanian, a retired civil servant, joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1964 after teaching in Loyola College for 4 years. From 1974, he held important offices in the state and central governments. He served as Collector of undivided Ramanathapuram in the year 1974, as Secretary, Planning and Development and then, Cooperation, Food and Consumer Protection (state government) and later, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution.

Dr. Saranya Nandakumar retired as Director of Lister Laboratory. She also held the position of Director, Founder Trustee and head of the Department of Microbiology of Jeevan Blood Bank and Research Centre. For a brief period she was at Asia Cryo Cell Private Limited but later returned as Medical Director to Jeevan Stem Cell Bank. 

Ms. Santha Sheela Nair is a highly respected retired IAS officer from the 1973 batch, recognized for transformative impact on public administration in Tamil Nadu and India. She was the first woman district collector of Trichy, later serving as Secretary to the Government of India, and after retirement, Vice Chairperson of the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission. Ms.Nair is acclaimed as the architect of Tamil Nadu’s pioneering rainwater harvesting legislation, which played a major role in averting Chennai’s water crisis and influencing national policy. Her long career included key leadership during the 2004 tsunami relief, reforms in water resource management, support for agricultural and poultry development, and extensive work on nutritious grains and sustainability. She received awards such as the Dr. Verghese Kurien Sustainable Development Award for her outstanding contributions.

Ms. Nithya Raman has a BA in political theory from Harvard University and a Masters in Urban Planning from MIT. She has published widely on urban planning and urban policies, especially on access to land tenure and services for the urban poor. She founded Transparent Chennai in 2009, a project that created maps and data about issues facing the urban poor. 

Dr. Arjun Rajagopalan completed his bachelor’s degree in Medicine from Madras Medical College, Chennai and his postgraduate training in surgery from St. Francis Hospital and the Loyola University Medical Center, USA. He was Trustee and Medical Director & Head, Department of Surgery at Sundaram Medical Foundation, a multi-speciality hospital in Chennai. He is a lucid writer and speaker on health care issues and policies. 

Mr. Keshav Desiraju held posts in the government such as Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs and Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare. He spent many years working in the health and education sectors and subsequently remained engaged with several NGOs working in those areas.