2021 Philanthropy Leaders List
Leaving the world a better place through giving is, quite simply, our responsibility. I hope Indiaspora’s Philanthropy Leaders list inspires greater giving from our community.
We are delighted to be included on Indiaspora’s Philanthropy Leaders List and we hope our efforts inspire others to contribute to philanthropic causes as well.
About
The Indiaspora Philanthropy Leaders List spotlights 100 leaders of the Indian diaspora who have made a significant impact with their philanthropic contributions and engagement.
This list demonstrates the tremendous generosity of the Indian diaspora, and our hope is that it serves as an inspiration for others to give.
Indiaspora is a nonprofit community of powerful global Indian leaders from diverse backgrounds and professions who are committed to inspiring the diaspora to be a force for good by providing a platform to collaborate, engage, and catalyze social change.
Methodology
Creating a global list of philanthropic leaders is an inherently challenging task. Indiaspora’s philosophy is to inspire generosity by spotlighting individuals who have made exceptional impact through their work and contributions. The Indiaspora Philanthropy Leaders List is the product of rigorous research, input from partners in the philanthropy ecosystem, and the guidance of our jurors.
We approached the task of developing this list with careful consideration using the following guiding principles:
This list is not intended as a ranking of big donors but a celebration of expansive philanthropic vision and consistent support of social good.
We took a regional focus in spotlighting philanthropic leaders, as there are obvious limitations in treating donation amounts as the sole criteria across the globe.
We researched multiple sources to curate our list, including leaders of the India Philanthropy Alliance, reputed studies, earlier verified lists, and publicly shared documents.
We are pleased to present this list for the first time in 2021 to celebrate the philanthropic contributions of the Indian diaspora. However, despite our careful research, we recognize this list is by no means exhaustive. We welcome suggestions of other exceptional philanthropic leaders who should be spotlighted and will evaluate recommendations and add to our list as necessary.
United States
Venky Harinarayan
Venky Harinarayan is an entrepreneur and investor. He is a founder of Junglee — a pioneering shopping search engine, which was later acquired by Amazon. He also is a founder of an innovate search and categorization company called Kosmix which was then acquired by Walmart Stores, Inc.. He was a founding investor in Efficient Frontier, which is a leading search and social media marketing company which was eventually acquired by Adobe. Additionally, he created an early stage venture capital firm in 2000 called Cambrian Ventures.
Venky Harinarayan is a notable donor as well as a prominent ChaloGive initiative supporter. He has focused his philanthropic work around enhancing teaching efforts, promoting lead research on data-driven approaches and attracting outstanding young faculty, students, scholars and post doctoral fellows to the institute for his alma mater IIT Madras Visiting Chairs program.
Venky was also named one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business” by FastCompany is 2012, as well as to the “Venture Capital 100” list by AlwaysOn in the same year. Additionally, he is the receipt of the Distinguished Alumni Award from IIT Madras where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He also has a master’s degree in computer science from UCLA, and PhD in computer science from Stanford University.
United Kingdom
GP Hinduja
GP is the Co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group of Companies. He is also the visionary behind the Group’s forays into Power and Infrastructure sectors, spearheading the task of shaping the Group’s plan for building 10 GW of power generation capacity in India.
He is co-chairman of the Hinduja Foundation, a charity that supports and makes notable donations towards various projects in rural development, healthcare, education, arts and culture, water, and social welfare.
GP graduated from Jai Hind College, Mumbai, in 1959. He holds an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Westminster, and an Honorary Doctorate of Economics from Richmond College, London. His interests are trekking, music, and swimming.
United States
Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman
Frank was the founder of the QSS Group, an information technology firm, in 1994. After selling the firm, Frank founded the private investment holding company, The FI Investment Group, in 2007 which he currently heads. Debbie has been part of the Potomac Area Newcomers Group since 2002, and is the Vice President of the Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman Foundation. She has previously worked as a computer engineer in NASA’s communication division at Goddard Space Flight Center.
Frank and Debbie founded The Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman Charitable Foundation in 2007 whose mission is to promote education, art and culture, and peace and conflict resolution within the United States and India in order to promote a more beautiful and safe world. Through their foundation, Frank and Debbie have donated to the Aligarh Muslim University in Aligarh, India, as well as Marymount University and Montegomery College in the Washington DC area, Library of Congress and Wilson Center and Ford’s Theater, and Harvard University of Kennedy School of Government. Additionally, Frank is on the council for the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, and their foundation has made significant contributions to the United States Institute of Peace and Kennedy Center of Performing Arts. He has served on numerous boards and advisory councils including artistic, civic, higher education, charitable, and business involvement.
In addition to philanthropy work, Frank regularly blogs for The Medium, and writes columns and articles for large publications such as Foreign Policy, the International Business Times, and the Hindustan Times. He also is the host of his own TV show titled “Washington Current Review” featured on MHz Networks — he frequently discusses various business, education, and non-profit ventures. In 2001, he was recognized by Ernst and Young as Maryland Entrepreneur of the Year and selected as the Small Business Person of the Year of the Washington DC Metropolitan Area by the US Small Business Administration. In 2014, Frank was awarded The Indus Entrepreneurs (Tie) Legends Award followed by the Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award for International Service in 2015. Frank received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Colarado. Debbie Driesman has been highly active in her community and is a leader in various aspects. She serves on the Board of Directors of the National Symphony Orchestra, the Honorary Board of the Halcyon Foundation, the Board of Trustees of the Montgomery County Public Schools Educational Foundation, the Board of Governors of the Folger Shakespeare Library, and the National Council of the White House Historical Association.
United Kingdom
Anshu Jain
Anshu Jain is President of Cantor Fitzgerald L.P., a leading financial services company recognized for its strengths in equity & fixed income capital markets, investment banking, prime brokerage, & commercial real estate finance & for its global distribution platform. Anshu has been a leader in the financial services industry for three decades. He served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Bank from 2012 to 2015 and is widely recognized for building the bank’s markets business and for helping transform Deutsche Bank into a global universal bank with a leading investment banking franchise.
He is a trustee of Chance to Shine, a leading UK-based sports charity whose mission is to spread the power of cricket throughout schools and communities. As an ardent conservationist, Anshu is currently working with environment and wildlife conservation groups in India and Southern Africa.
An ardent conservationist, Anshu is currently working with environment and wildlife conservation groups in India and Southern Africa. In 2014, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from London Business School. He was named Global Indian of the Year in 2012 by the Economic Times of India and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Risk magazine in 2010. Euromoney magazine granted Anshu its Capital Markets Achievement Award in 2003.
UAE
Micky Jagtiani
Mukesh Wadhumal “Micky” Jagtiani is an Indian businessman who is based in the UAE. He began his career in Bahrain where he started Babyshop, which sold a wide variety of baby products. Following the Gulf War, he moved his career to Dubai, UAE where he founded the Landmark Group. The Landmark Group specializes in fashion, electronics, furniture, and budget hotels in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. He also has a 6% stake in the retailer Debenhams.
Through his company, Micky started the Landmark International Foundation for Empowerment (LIFE). The foundation helps children with their medical and educational needs and focuses heavily on Corporate social responsibility (CSR) for initiatives such as the Beat Diabetes Initiative which he started.
He has been awarded Retail Personality of the Year at the Third Annual Retail Middle East 2007 awards. In 2008, Forbes regarded him as the 16th richest Indian businessman. He also has been known for his dedication to social well-being and is very rooted to his morals – not selling products from brands/people that do not promote equality.
Canada
Aditya Jha
Aditya Jha is currently the CEO of International Operations of the Indian IT services company, Euclid Infotech Pvt. Ltd., and is also the President & CEO of TransCard Capital Inc. His entrepreneurial pursuits include start-up technology ventures (software product development and IT services) as well as brick and mortar turn-around businesses (Chocolate manufacturing, Real Estate, and Fine dining/Fast food restaurants) in Canada, Thailand, and India. He also co-founded a software company, Isopia Inc., after having a successful career at Bell Canada as General Manager, eBusiness & Product Marketing, which was later acquired by Sun Microsystems Inc., USA.
Aditya has sponsored an initiative with the office of the Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation to nurture entrepreneurship within the aboriginal communities of Canada. His charitable foundation, the POA Educational Foundation, created endowments at four institutions (Ryerson University, Trent University, York University, and George Brown College), which grants a total of thirteen bursary awards ($42,000 annually) to students. His foundation has also supported several other projects, especially within the area of education and the arts. He has also funded a digital literacy project donating laptops and desktops to 11 schools in Nepal and to the Islamic Institute of Toronto and has supported Nepal Library Foundation for setting up libraries in the remote villages of Nepal. Additionally, he has chaired UNICEF Canada India HIV/AIDS campaign.
Aditya has received many awards for his entrepreneurship and philanthropy, most notable being awarded the Member of the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian honors, and is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. He is also the appointee of the Government of Canada to the Board of First Nations Financial Management Board as well other numerous academic boards.
UAE
Surender Kandhari
Mr. Surender Singh Kandhari is the Chairman and founder of the Al Dobowi Group. What started as an exploratory visit to Dubai in 1975 by Mr. Kandhari, led to the creation of a multinational company with diverse business interests under his visionary leadership. His passion for excellence and integrity are cornerstones on which the Al Dobowi family is built.
Mr. Kandhari is an active and respected leader both in business as well as in the community. He believes in giving back and has been recognized globally for many of his philanthropic efforts.
As an avid golfer, he is a founding member of the Emirates Golf Club where he has served as the Golf Club Captain. In 2018, he made the Forbes list of the top 100 Indian business leaders in the Middle East.
Singapore
Sat Pal Khattar
After graduating in 1966, Sat Pal Khattar entered the civil service as a deputy public prosecutor and state counsel in the Attorney-General’s Chamber. Later that year, he joined the Inland Revenue Department as a legal officer and rose to become a senior legal officer in 1971. Khattar left the civil service in 1974 and set up his own law firm, which is currently one of the largest law firms in Singapore. After retirement, he remained chairman of his private investment firm, Khattar Holdings. In addition to that, he has held chairmanship and directorship of a number of organizations. He was formerly chairman of GuocoLand Ltd and director of Gateway Distriparks Ltd, India.
He is presently a life trustee of SINDA, a non-profit set up to foster and help the less fortunate members of the Indian community in Singapore. He is also vice-president of the Singapore Indian Education Trust, chairman of the International Management Action Awards Council, and director of the Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship.
In 2011 he was awarded the Padma Shri award. For his contributions to the civil service, he was awarded the Public Administrative Medal (Silver) at the National Day Awards in 1972.
United Kingdom
Uday and Nitya Khemka
Uday Khemka is Vice Chairman of the SUN Group. Before Sun, Uday worked with Credit Suisse, First Boston, and Morgan Stanley in London and New York and then established and led Morgan Stanley’s investment banking operation in India. Dr. Nitya’s PhD focused on the impact of decentralization of healthcare systems on women’s access and utilization of reproductive and child healthcare in rural India. She has worked with UNDP (India Country Office) and ILO (Geneva, Switzerland).
Uday’s community interests include his founding and chairmanship of Youthreach, a New Delhi-based non-profit organization founded in 1997. Youthreach aims to inspire individual and collective transformation to create positive social change. He manages trustees of his family’s charitable trusts–the Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation and the Nabha Foundation. The charities focus on social entrepreneurship and integrated rural development, respectively. Dr. Nitya is Director at The Nand and Jeet Khemka Foundation and looks after the Action to Improve Public Scheme Access and Delivery project apart from playing an advisory role in all the initiatives of the Foundation.
Uday is on the boards of several institutions including the India School of Business (ISB), the Public Health Foundation of India, and Synergos. He has been elected a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Dr. Nitya is currently an Academic Visitor at the Department of Development Studies at the University of Cambridge.
United States
Vinod and Neeru Khosla
Vinod Khosla is an entrepreneur, investor, and technology fan. He is the founder of Khosla Ventures, focused on impactful technology investments in software, AI, robotics, 3D printing, healthcare and more. Mr. Khosla was a co-founder of Daisy systems and founding CEO of Sun Microsystems where he pioneered open systems and commercial RISC processors. Neeru Khosla is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of CK-12 Foundation, a not-for-profit organization advancing K-12 STEM education by leveraging the power of AI and open multi-modal content. CK-12 Foundation’s AI-powered Student Tutor, Teacher Assistant, and Open Content is removing the barrier of access and equity by providing the best content delivered by cutting-edge technology, free for all. CK-12 has served over 175M users worldwide.
One of Mr. Khosla’s greatest passions is being a mentor to entrepreneurs, assisting entrepreneurs and helping them build technology-based businesses. Mr. Khosla is driven by the desire to make a positive impact through using technology to reinvent societal infrastructure and multiply resources. He is also passionate about Social Entrepreneurship. Mrs. Khosla in the past has served as a member on several advisory boards, including The Nueva School’s Board of Trustees, the Board of Directors for High Tech High School’s Graduate School of Education, the Advisory Board for Stanford University’s School of Education, and the Advisory Board for IDEO.org, a member on the Advisory Board for the Wikimedia Foundation, the Advisory Board for DonorsChoose.org, and is one of the founding members of the K-12 Initiative of the Design School (Hasso Plattner Institute of Design) at Stanford University.
Vinod holds a Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering from IIT, New Delhi, a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
United Kingdom
Nik and Moni Kotecha
Dr Nik Kotecha OBE is a business leader and entrepreneur, as well as a philanthropist and influencer. As a businessman, Dr Kotecha is the Founder and Chairman of Morningside Pharmaceuticals Ltd, a Midlands-based manufacturer and exporter of branded and generic medicines and healthcare products to the UK and international export markets. He, with his wife Moni, started the business in 1991 from his home garage and grew it into a global business.
With his wife Moni, Dr Kotecha founded the Randal Charitable Foundation in 2017, which has a vision to directly save lives and significantly improve the quality of life for those in need in the UK and around the world with an ambition to save one million lives globally. The Foundation has already directly saved more than 145,000 lives and significantly improved over 240,000 lives within a few years. Its focus is to provide grant funding to causes connected to the areas of health, mental health, severe poverty, social disadvantage, addiction and education.
Dr Kotecha has been recognised by numerous awards for his business and philanthropic work, including the National Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2019 National Business Awards. In 2017, he was awarded an OBE for services to entrepreneurship, innovation in pharmaceutical services and philanthropy. He is active in public service at both national and regional level, and his roles include Department of International Trade (DIT) Export Champion, Midlands Engine, CBI Midlands and the British Generics Manufacturers Association (BGMA), amongst others.
UAE
Faizal Kottikollon
Faizal Kottikollon is a UAE based Indian-entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the founder and chairman of KEF Holdings (technology integrated enterprises) and Meitra Hospital, an advanced quaternary care hospital in Kerala, India. Started in 1995, Faizal set up his first company, Al Ahmadi General Trading, a scrap metal trading business in UAE. In 1997, he opened Emirates Techno Casting (ETC), a world-class foundry with research facility. Faizal is now transforming the healthcare sector, with the aim of making premium healthcare accessible to everyone through their flagship hospital – Meitra Hospital – in Calicut, Kerala.
Faizal and his wife Shabana founded the Faizal & Shabana Foundation in 2007, with the vision of ‘Giving to Create Impact’. The Foundation has supported and implemented more than 50 projects, till date, across Asia, Australia, Africa, and North America positively impacting the lives of more than 600,000 persons. To date, the foundation has donated in excess of $20 million on various projects. The Foundation launched the Krishnagiri Development Project where they adopted 8 villages for targeted intervention through the participatory approach. By the end of 5 years, more than 56% of farmers are practicing organic farming and there has been more than three times increase in the annual income of an average household with women being empowered to play a critical role in family and societal decision making.
Faizal has been ranked among ‘The 100 Most Powerful Indians in the Gulf 2014’, the ‘PV Sami Memorial Award 2016’ for his valuable contribution to business and philanthropy, and was named one of the ‘Top 100 Indian Leaders in the UAE’ by Forbes Magazine (2016).
United States
Lata Krishnan and Ajay Shah
Lata Krishnan is a private investor and original co-founder in the Krishnan-Shah Family Office, Lata helped start Shah Capital Partners. She takes an active role in identifying and investing in high-growth opportunities and inspiring founders from the technology, medical device, energy, real estate, and social impact worlds. She received her Bachelor of Science degree with Honors from the London School of Economics. Ajay Shah joined Silver Lake, a global private equity investment firm in 2007, and is the co-founder and Managing Partner of the firm’s middle market growth fund, Silver Lake Sumeru. Since 2014, Mr. Shah has also served as a Senior Operating Partner of Sumeru Equity Partners, a middle-market private equity firm. Previously, he founded Shah Capital Partners, a private equity firm that merged into Silver Lake. Mr. Shah serves as Chairman of the Board of SMART Global Holdings, a Silver Lake portfolio company (Nasdaq: SGH). He previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of SGH from February 1989 till December 2000 and then again from June 2018 to August 2020. He was a co-founder of the company in 1989. He is also CEO of Maui Greens, an early stage Agriculture technology company. He also currently serves on the boards of directors of a number of private technology companies including Maui Greens, Healthgrades and Vast Data.
Lata is a also member of both public and private Boards, most notably the Stanford Healthcare Board (SHC), and the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) Financial Group. She also had extensive exposure to the technology sector, venture industry, and private equity markets. Lata has built a robust network of corporate relationships in India and the US through her work with SVB and her non-profit board roles. Lata is the Founder, former President, and current Co-Chair of the non-profit organization American India Foundation. Philanthropy being a passion, Lata serves on the Boards of The Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, the Opportunity Fund, the Asian Art Museum and is a Fellow with the American Leadership Forum. Lata is also a Senior Advisory Board Member of the London School of Economics, South Asia Centre. In the not-for-profit sector, Ajay Shah serves on the board of the National Audubon Society and the Indian School of Business (ISB). He also is a member of the Advisory board for the Stanford Research Institutes. He previously served on the board of Northern California Public Broadcasting and the Tech Museum. He is a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum and is a Trustee of the American India Foundation.
Ajay has a B.S. in Engineering from the University of Baroda, India and an M.S. degree in Engineering Management from Stanford University.
Singapore
Sri Prakash and Aloke Lohia
Sri Prakash Lohia and his father founded Indorama Group, a petrochemical company. He currently serves as the Group Chairman of the company. His Brother, Aloke, heads Indorama Ventures (IVL).
The brothers helped found IVL’s philanthropy, the IVL Foundation. The foundation has projects in healthcare, education and empowerment, and environment and community. They have especially gotten attention for their projects regarding recycling PET plastics, where they have recycled about 300,000 tons per year.
Singapore
Ninian Mogan Lourdenadin
Before turning into an entrepreneur, Ninian was a doctor trained in London. He currently is a major shareholder of MBf Holdings, which has an interest in printing, manufacturing, retail, car distribution, and plantations in Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji.
Over the past 10 years, he has donated over $15 million to causes such as education and children’s healthcare in Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji.
The Queen’s Birthday Honors mentioned him in 2013 for his philanthropy.
India
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, India’s richest self-made woman, founded India’s largest listed biopharmaceutical firm Biocon) by revenue, in 1978 from her garage in India. She iss a first-generation entrepreneur and global business leader with over 4 decades of experience in biotechnology. She is a Chairperson of the Board of the Directors, leading Biocon into successfully foraying into the lucrative US biosimilars market, catching the attention of investors. The company has sold 3 billion doses of insulin to date and has Asia’s largest insulin factory in Malaysia’s Johor region.
Her philanthropic initiative, The Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Centre, aims to create a sustainable, affordable cancer care model. She also has many philanthropic initiatives she has donated to such as scientific research & innovation, education, healthcare, and policy research & advocacy to name a few. She is a signatory of the Giving Pledge.
In 1989 she was awarded the Padma Shri for pioneering biotechnology in India. In 2005, she was also awarded Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honour. In 2019 she received Lifetime Achievement Award by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for her philanthropic efforts and contribution in healthcare. Outside of India, she was conferred with the Highest French Distinction – Chevalier de l’Ordre national de la Légion d’Honeur (Knight of the Legion of Honour), and in 2020 was Conferred with Australia’s highest civilian honour, the Order of Australia, for advancing Australia-India bilateral relationship. She was named EY World Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 for her contribution in improving universal access to affordable life-saving medicines in 2020.
India
Anand Mahindra
Anand Mahindra is Vice Chairman and managing director of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., which is the flagship company of the Mahindra Group. Mahindra Group is among the top 10 industrial houses in India. He is also a very engaged Harvard alumnus — his engagement includes membership on the Committee on University Resources, the Advisory Committee of the Harvard University Asia Center, the HBS Board of Dean’s Advisors, and the Asia-Pacific Advisory Board. He also co-founded the HBS Association of India.
In 1996, Anand began Project Nanhi Kali (‘a little bud’) at the K.C. Mahindra Education Trust. The purpose of this organization is educating underprivileged girls in India through scholarships. In addition to the foundation of this project, he provided a gift to Harvard University in 2010 to support the Humanities Center in honor of his mother, Indira Mahindra.
Anand also received the HBS Alumni Achievement Award in 2008. In 2013 he was awarded “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Forbes India.
Australia
Darshak Mehta
Darshak Mehta is Co-founder and Chairman of The Chappell Foundation Ltd, a Patron, Co-founder and former Chairman of The Learning for a Better World (LBW) Trust, and a Patron of the Australian branch of “Pratham” – the world’s largest children’s education charity.
In addition to this, Darshak served as President of the Bombay Industries Association at age 27, and was the youngest member of the Managing Committee of the venerable Indian Merchants Chamber.
Mehta’s two main focus areas are Education and Cricket – usually, intertwining the two. The LBW Trust helps tertiary-educate over 1500 young adults in India and has done so for over 12 years. Through Pratham Australia, he has served to advice and amplify awareness to boost fund-raising for enhancing education and helping millions of Indian children realize their potential. In 2016, Mehta received the OAM (Medal of the Order Australia) Award. He received this award primarily due to his distinguished work through The LBW Trust providing thousands of scholarships annually to economically disadvantaged adults in developing (cricket playing) countries.
India
Sudhir and Samir Mehta
Brothers Sudhir and Samir Mehta lead Torrent Group, and the flagship companies (Torrent Power and Torrent Pharma), which was founded by their father.
UNM Foundation carries out Social and Philanthropic activities of the Mehta Family and Torrent Group, with a focus on Community Healthcare, Education & Knowledge Enhancement, and Social Care & Concern.
UAE
PNC and Sobha Menon
In 1976, PNC moved to Oman to start an interior designer decorating company. Seeing an opportunity in real estate back home, he started Sobha Developers in 1995, in Bangalore, naming it after his wife. His company, Sobha Realty in the Middle East has operations spanning the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and other Gulf countries.
PNC and Sobha are both signatories of the Giving Pledge. The family’s philanthropy is focused on rural poverty and education in Southern India and works to promote self-reliance based on the Gandhian principle of Gram Swaraj.
