Policy Pod

In this episode of PolicyPod, Ayush is in conversation with Amitav Virmani, Founder and CEO of The Education Alliance — an education non-profit working on systems change in public education, for a wide-ranging and deeply reflective conversation on leadership, education reform, and building change that lasts.Apple podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/policy-pod/id1848677169An alumnus of St. Stephen’s College and an MBA from the University of North Carolina, Amitav took an unscripted path from early stints in the private sector in India & the United States to a decisive shift to the social sector in his late 30s. Over the last 17+ years, he has worked at the intersection of government, civil society, and philanthropy, helping strengthen India’s public education system at scale.In this conversation, Amitav reflects on what drew him to the education space, the realities of pay and progression in the social sector, the journey of building The Education Alliance and its key milestones, how government partnerships actually function on the ground, the role of NGOs and civil society in sustaining reform, and what it takes to build a long-term career in the social sector. Tune in!Read more about Amitav here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amitav-virmani-71716944/Read more about The Education Alliance here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the_education_alliance/Read more about Ayush here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayush-singhal-8b454434/00:00 Introduction & early life05:21 Choosing an unscripted path14:14 Finding purpose in education15:39 From corporate to social sector19:47 Starting The Education Alliance24:57 Reforming schools at scale – the TEA journey29:20 Inside government partnerships36:30 Impact vs showing impact40:42 The permanence of civil society46:46 Mission Ankur & FLN at scale (Madhya Pradesh)54:09 Working in consortia & partnerships59:58 Building careers in the social sector01:08:02 Rapid fire & closing reflections

In this episode of Policy Pod, Ayush is in conversation with Diksha, Program Manager at Toyota Mobility Foundation and alumni Chapter Lead for Hertie School With experience across the LAMP Fellowship, WRI India, consulting and strategic communications, Diksha’s journey captures the intersections of public policy, sustainability sector and lifelong learning.From pursuing higher education at 30 to changing her field from communications to climate change, Diksha shares reflections on navigating policy careers, working remotely for a global organisation, and the value of mentors and networks along the way.Some of the things we talk about:🎓 Why she chose to go back to school at 30 - and why Germany and the Hertie School🌍 Public policy careers in India vs. Germany♻️ Entering the sustainability and climate change space💡 Working as a solo India employee in a global policy organisation🧭 The importance of mentors and professional networks🚀 Finding a job after studying abroadTune in for a grounded, insightful conversation on policy, purpose, and the pursuit of learning.Read more about Diksha here : https://www.linkedin.com/in/diksha-choudhary-458b2124/Read more about Ayush here : https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayush-singhal-8b454434/Please do share and subscribe if you enjoy the podcast.00:00 Introduction & Diksha’s journey into policy05:56 Working remotely for a global policy organisation08:23 Why sustainability and climate change?10:16 Importance of mentors in your professional journey14:18 Public policy in Germany vs India23:07 Why I went back to school at 30: The Hertie Experience30:53 Class profile, age diversity & admissions at Hertie School44:45 Finding a job after an education abroad51:11 Rapid fire & closing thoughtsFor feedback: https://forms.gle/D7XbeHaHAHBtJD3h9

In this episode of Policy Pod, Ayush is in conversation with Prerna Mukharya, the founder of Outline India — a pioneering data-for-impact enterprise working across 65,000+ villages in India to strengthen how policies are designed, implemented, and evaluated.A Chevening Fellow at Oxford and one of Fortune India’s 40 under 40, Prerna shares her journey of building a research firm from scratch, her reflections on navigating the world of academia, the challenges of collecting reliable on-ground data, and why fixing the plumbing of India’s data systems is essential for real impact.From conversations about hiring in the research and policy space to lessons in founder discipline, career transitions from corporate to development, and creating tech tools like Pulse to make data more accessible — this episode explores it all.Tune in for a sharp, honest, and deeply relevant conversation for anyone interested in data, policy, research, or social entrepreneurship.Read more about Prerna here :   / prernamukharya   Read more about Ayush here :   / ayush-singhal-8b454434  Time stamps00:00 Introduction 09:19 Corporate crossovers in social impact space 16:10 Achievements of Outline India 18:48 Hiring on ground from project to project 22:38 Government data and its accessibility and availability over the years 37:33 Learning opportunities for a founder 45:00 Coping mechanisms and support systems 48:55 Careers in social impact 52:57 Hiring at Outline 59:38 Rapid fire Please do share and subscribe if you like our podcast. For feedback, you can write to us here - https://forms.gle/D7XbeHaHAHBtJD3h9

In this episode of Policy Pod, Ayush is in conversation with Rohit Kumar, the co-founder of The Quantum Hub (TQH) and Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC). An alumnus of IIT Bombay and Harvard university, Rohit talks about his foray into the social sector with 75% pay cut from a high paying job in Bombay , shares his perspective and advice on careers in social sector, talks about the experience and challenges of running TQH and YLAC, being a co-founder with your spouse, fellowships in social impact and shares tips and tricks to being successful in public policy.Tune in for a wonderful episode with something for the heart and something for the mind. Read more about Rohit here : https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohit-kumar-7a60799/ Read more about Ayush here : https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayush-singhal-8b454434/00:00 Introduction16:31 Setting up YLAC19:27 Why YLAC and working with young individuals  - the journey of YLAC24:14 Hiring our alumni at YLAC24:51 Revenue models in social impact and public policy51:03 Managing a successful organisation56:42 Consultants in government, lateral entry - what does the future hold?01:01:02 Proliferation of fellowships in public policy - how to choose?01:01:29 Fellowships in public policy01:03:28 Experience of being a co-founder with my spouse01:09:24 Importance of trust and work ethic at workplace01:11:11 Vision for the future - to continue01:13:45 Rapid Fire!01:24:13 Parting thoughtsPlease do share and subscribe if you like our podcast. For any comments and feedback, please write to us here - https://forms.gle/D7XbeHaHAHBtJD3h9

In this episode of #Policypod, Ayush is in conversation with Keshav Kanoria, Principal Consultant at The Bridgespan Group (TBG) and someone with varied experience across the social sector consulting landscape. (Views expressed by Keshav are strictly personal) Tune in for an enthralling conversation where Keshav decodes & talks about different actors in social sector consulting, value add of a consultant, hiring, impact measurement, experience of doing MBA at ISB, how to build communication skills and offers wonderful insights & anecdotes from his own experience of working in social sector consulting across different firms. Read more about Keshav here : https://www.linkedin.com/in/keshavkanoria/Read more about Ayush here : https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayush-singhal-8b454434/ Do let us know in the comments section what you thought about the episode. For feedback  - https://forms.gle/D7XbeHaHAHBtJD3h9 Time stamps 00:00 Coming up 01:20 Introduction 05:49 Decoding social sector consulting 11:35 Being a generalist and interconnectedness of social impact consulting 18:05 Different actors/pillars in social sector consulting 21:28 Value add of a consultant 24:35 Hiring in social impact consulting 28:50 Pay difference in social impact 32:12 The future of social impact 33:52 Coping with the 'consulting' hours 35:34 Building good communication skills 37:42 ISB MBA 40:47 Impact measurement in social sector 49:14 Rapid fire! 54:22 Parting advice

In this episode of #Policypod, Ayush is in conversation with Dr Ajit Phadnis, faculty at IIM Indore and someone with varied experience across the social sector landscape including in Public Policy education, social sector and impact consulting and legislature. Tune in for a for an enthralling conversation where Dr Phadnis offers wonderful insights and anecdotes from his own experience of working in social sector consulting with E&Y in 2000s, his experience working with parliament and his current role as a professor at IIM Indore where he engaged with social sector professionals on a frequent basis and has done wide ranging research on political consulting, public policy education, impact investing and parliament. It is particularly a great episode for anyone considering their PhDs and/or working in research in Public policy and social impact! Read more about Ajit here :   / ajitphadnis   Read more about Ayush here :   / ayush-singhal-8b454434   Do let us know in comments section what you thought about the episode. For feedback - https://forms.gle/D7XbeHaHAHBtJD3h9

In this episode of #Policypod, Ayush is in conversation with Aniket, CEO and co-founder of Haqdarshak, an organisation bringing welfare schemes and services to millions of citizens. Tune in for a for an enthralling conversation ranging from insights on Social Security and Service delivery, careers in social sector and challenges along with it to some great perspective on on social entrepreneurship, technology and product management for not for profits and some interesting anecdotes in this episode. Read more about Aniket here : https://www.linkedin.com/in/aniket-doegar-56458245/ Read more about Ayush here : https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayush-singhal-8b454434/ To know more about Haqdarshak visit their website - https://haqdarshak.com/ Do let us know in comments section what you thought about the episode Time stamps 0:00 Coming up 01:30 Introduction 02:42 Journey in the social sector 06:44 Teaching - the toughest and the most satisfying 07:26 The experience at Teach for India fellowship 12:05 Why social security 17:19 Social entrepreunership 21:22 Product management and use of Technology in the Social sector 30:44 Social security and service delivery in India 36:47 B2B model at Haqdarshak 40:45 Shark Tank experience 44:50 Support system for a social entrepreuner 50:21 Challenges in the journey 52:50 Vision for Haqdarshak 54:51 Conclusion For feedback - https://forms.gle/D7XbeHaHAHBtJD3h9

In this episode of Policy Pod, Ayush is in conversation with Mr Dhanaraju S, a senior IAS officer currently the Special Project Director, Samagra Shiksha, Government of Madhya Pradesh. He talks about the governance reforms in education in Madhya Pradesh, the newly launched MP NIPUN professionals programme, and his experience working in the government and with governance consultants, young professionals and NGOs.

In this episode of Policy Pod, Ayush is in conversation with Nayonika who work in strategy and implementation at Samhita Social Ventures, a social impact consulting firm. During the conversation, Nayonika talks about her journey from corporate to the development sector, her learnings working at the grassroots, with government as a CMGGA, and now with multiple partners in designing and implementing large-scale programmes in social security, healthcare, and skills for informal workers and micro-entrepreneurs.

In this episode of Policy Pod, Ayush is in conversation with two bright Young India fellows, Aakanksha & Ishika. They talk about their experience during the Young India Fellowship (YIF) at Ashoka university - the learnings, takeaways and the application process. Along with the same they also share about their career journeys in the development space and plans for the future.

In this episode, Ayush is in conversation with Natasha Zarine, the founder of Ecosattva a social enterprise that provides environmental solutions to the challenges of waste, polluted waterbodies and depleting green cover. She talks about entrepreneurship in development sector, how varied experiences shape your career. Natasha also opens up on her struggles, interactions with government stakeholders and shares about careers in environment & sustainability sector. Tune in to listen and know more!

In the debut episode of Policy Pod, Ayush speaks with Jayraj Pandya, director of the coveted LAMP fellowship at PRS Legislative Research, on his wide range of experiences working in political and policy space, including his work with CM offices, a Union minister, and studying international development at Sciences Po among others.