As The Rockefeller Foundation’s chief representative in Asia, Deepali Khanna oversees efforts to amplify the Foundation’s impact and initiatives to make opportunities universal and sustainable. She leads the efforts of the Asia Regional Office team to build and sustain networks with different institutions, leverage financing and collaborations, innovative grants, thought leadership and information on trends driving the Asian continent’s development.
In her role, Deepali is leading engagement with India’s G20 presidency to advance global economic equity, public health, clean energy, and sustainable food systems. Deepali currently serves as co-Chair of G20 India’s Business20 task force on Financing For Global Economic Recovery and as co-chair of G7 Japan’s Think7 task force on Development and Economic Prosperity. Deepali is also on the Digital Green Foundation Board and the International Jury of The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure Fellowship Programme.
Deepali joined the Foundation in 2015, serving as Director of the Foundation’s $75 million where she led Smart Power for Rural Development – later Smart Power India –to provide affordable and clean energy access to over a million people in India. She regularly writes on issues relevant to the sustainable development goals and the importance of south-south cooperation in regional and national publications across Asia, including Forbes Asia, The Straits Times, and The Bangkok Post. She is a regular speaker at regional platforms such as the Asia Venture Philanthropy Network, Philanthropy Asia Summit, and World Sustainable Development Summit among others.
Prior to joining The Rockefeller Foundation, Deepali has held multiple leadership positions at The MasterCard Foundation, Plan International managing operations across several continents.
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Aug 23 2023 Blog Post Bold, Urgent Proposals for Using AI in Climate Action There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
May 31 2023 Blog Post The Fight Against Climate Change: The Rockefeller Foundation’s Biggest Bet “Three months are very difficult for us. With intense heat, we feel dizzy and dehydrated. At times, we lose consciousness.” This is the story of Vijuben – a salt pan farmer in Gujarat along India’s western coast. Rising temperatures in the deserts of Little Rann of Kutch make Vijuben feel dizzy and dehydrated, forcing her […]
Mar 30 2023 Blog Post 5 Things We Can All Do Better to Advance Gender Equity Every day, women are helping women advance human rights, tackle climate change, drive economic growth, secure nourishing and sustainable food, and prioritize health, all around the world. As this Women’s History Month comes to a close, we carry the inspiration of their accomplishments forward throughout the year. While we applaud women supporting women, advancing gender […]
Aug 30 2022 Blog Post Women Warriors: Breaking Barriers and Bridging Equality Gaps Shashibala runs a beauty salon in Tamkuhi Raj, a small town in North India’s Uttar Pradesh. She loves her work but continuous power outages and erratic access to electricity blocked her road to financial independence. “There were times when the customer was on the chair but there was no electricity. I would use a mobile […]
May 31 2022 Field Note Amplifying Global Change: Insights From The Rockefeller Foundation’s Asia Regional Partners Meeting The two-day first ever meeting was a reminder of why we do what we do. It was a celebration and anticipation of what we have done, and what is to come next. It is unacceptable that in a world capable of so much, there are still so many with so little hope. That is why […]