Vijay Mahajan takes over as Secretary and CEO of Rajiv Gandhi Foundation

Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) has appointed Vijay Mahajan as Secretary & Chief Executive Officer of RGF and Director of Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary studies (RGICS). RGF, a charitable trust founded in 1991, was set up to realise Rajiv Gandhi’s vision of a modern, secular and progressive India; a nation where there is a space and will to empower all citizens especially the underprivileged and women. RGICS is an independent national policy think tank promoted by the RGF. RGICS carries out research and policy development on contemporary challenges facing India.

Vijay Mahajan is a leading social entrepreneur. In 1982 he founded PRADAN, an NGO which motivates young professionals to work at the grassroots to promote livelihoods of the poor. In 1991 he founded the Basix Social Enterprise Group, which has supported three million poor households through microfinance and livelihood promotion services.

Named among “60 outstanding social entrepreneurs of the world” at the World Economic Forum, Davos in 2003, Vijay Mahajan served in the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (2005-10); the Rangarajan Committee on Financial Inclusion 2007-08; the Raghuram Rajan Committee on Financial Sector Reforms 2008-09; and as Chair of the World Bank’s Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), 2011-13.

Vijay Mahajan serves as an Advisor/Board Member of various developmental NGOs, social enterprises and financial institutions focused on inclusion.

He is an alumnus of the IIT, Delhi and IIM, Ahmedabad and was a mid-career Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University.