Rohini Nilekani to retire from Arghyam Foundation

Arghyam Foundation on Monday said Rohini Nilekani has decided to retire from the foundation as Chairperson and member of the board on September 30, 2021.

She will be succeeded by Sunita Nadhamuni, currently a member of the board at Arghyam and Head of Digital LifeCare, Dell Giving and Social Innovation at Dell Technologies.

Rohini Nilekani, the wife of Infosys co-founder and chairman Nandan Nilekani, had set up the foundation in 2001 as a vehicle for her personal philanthropy.

She has been the founder-chairperson of Argyham that has been working exclusively on water sector issues since 2005.

"Every organisation needs a churning of its leadership to stay energetic and to bring innovation and new wisdom to its work.

"I have immense gratitude to the Board, the team, and to every one of our partners in civil society and the government, for all, we have worked on together.

"I hope, I will always remain a spokesperson for better equity and sustainability in water," Rohini Nilekani said.

With over 150 projects on multiple thematic areas of water, including groundwater, water quality, springs, sanitation, Arghyam has a presence in more than 110 districts spread across 22 states in the country through its network of partner organisations.

Arghyam aims to enable the ecosystem to ensure water security for 100 million people of the country by 2023 and has been collaborating with government, civil society and market actors to strive for water security at scale.

Nadhamuni, who will take over as the foundation's Chairperson on October 1, 2021, has been associated with the organisation over the years as a trustee and was the first CEO of Arghyam in 2005.

She is a technology professional with a decade of IT experience in Silicon Valley, followed by a decade as a social entrepreneur in the development sector in India.

She is currently the Head of Digital LifeCare, a social impact initiative of Dell Technologies, driving the digital transformation of public health services.

"Under Rohini's committed and visionary leadership, Arghyam has built up a rich body of work in diverse communities across the country through a strong network of partners and government.

"I thank her deeply for her trust in me and look forward to working with the board, Mala and the team as Arghyam continues its mission of equity and sustainability of water for all," Nadhamuni said.

Photograph: Kind courtesy, Arghyam