event
Carnegie India

Crafting Sustainable Development Solutions

Thu. October 29th, 2020
Zoom Webinar

The world's poorest often pay more than the rich for water, sanitation, food, and credit due to lack of access to fair markets. Non-profits can solve such market failures by connecting low-income communities to businesses that meet their development needs. Yet, profit-making solutions and social development are often seen as having fundamentally opposite agendas. What are the challenges in providing sustainable solutions to beneficiaries while also maintaining profitable business models for partners? How can firms engage with low-income communities effectively?

For our seventh Anahita Speaker Series session of 2020, we hosted Vedika Bhandarkar—chief global impact officer at Water.org—as she drew on her unique experience of working with financial institutions as well as a global non-profit.

EconomySouth AsiaIndia
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Vedika Bhandarkar

Vedika Bhandarkar oversees all impact efforts within Water.org and leads the team responsible for working with financial institutions, global investors, and other sector leaders to empower millions of people in need with access to safe water and sanitation. She previously served as Water.org's managing director, India. Vedika has more than 25 years of experience building teams and businesses with Indian and international financial institutions. Prior to joining Water.org in January 2016, she served as vice chairman and managing director at Credit Suisse Securities (India) Private Limited from 2010-2015. Previously, she served as the managing director & head of investment banking at J.P. Morgan. Vedika serves as an independent director on the boards of several companies. She has been appointed as a part time member of the Banks Board Bureau, and she also serves as a board member of the Jai Vakeel Foundation, an institution focused on children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Eeshani Kochhar

Eeshani Kochhar is a Vedica scholar.