Nishant Pandey becomes CEO of AIF

- ADVERTISEMENT -

Nishant Pandey, who has been the India Country Director for three years, has become the American Indian Foundation’s (AIF) CEO in New York, the high profile non-profit organization announced Nov. 1. He is expected to build on the important programmatic, institutional development and fund raising successes that he has achieved in India, a press release from AIF said, thus providing strategic leadership to AIF’s operations spanning the U.S. and India.

Pandey began his career as a banker but soon realized that the development sector was his calling. He joined the global charity, Oxfam, as the program officer for South India where he designed and developed value-chain programs on the theme of ‘power in markets’.

Subsequently, he moved to Oxfam’s global headquarters in Oxford to lead on program development and management in 12 countries including Russia, Tajikistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Albania, Yemen, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Jordon, according to the AIF website. His ability to link high-level policy with projects on the ground during his work on the Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area and its impact on small farmers in the European neighborhood, earned him the opportunity to lead the entire policy and campaigns portfolio for Oxfam in the region.

Before moving back to India with AIF, Pandey was based in Jerusalem where he led one of Oxfam’s most complex and challenging country programs in Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel as the Country Director.

“I am thrilled about the prospect and promise of taking AIF to greater heights and the opportunity for me to contribute to this journey. I am confident that working together, we will achieve our ambition of touching the lives of 5 million women, men and children over the next 5 years,” Pandey said in the press release.

“Nishant firmly believes in the power of win-win partnerships. In his career spanning 20 years, he has forged several multi-stakeholder initiatives involving civil society, governments and corporate partners, big and small, global and local,” AIF said. “He believes that in the history of humanity, we have never had so much resources, connectivity and promise to make a positive difference to the underprivileged and marginalized women, men and children,” it added.

Pandey has a Master’s degree in International Development & Finance from the University of Leicester in the U.K. after he won the British Chevening Scholarship. He also has a Master’s degree in Economics as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Economics.