Krishna Nilkanth Desai

Krishna Nilkanth Desai

On-Purpose Associate

About Krishna

Having worked across financial consulting, renewable energy, and education, Krishna brings a unique combination of financial skills and grassroots insight.

She began her career as a Chartered Accountant working in mergers and acquisitions. Joining the founder’s office of a renewable energy startup gave her a unique perspective into scaling an impactful venture. She managed entire fundraising cycles from international impact investors, independently managed investor relations and organisation-wide change initiatives.

When the pandemic hit, she decided to take a sabbatical from her corporate career. Working in after-schools in the marginalised villages of Auroville, India sparked deep fulfilment and a desire to work towards social change. The next two years were spent teaching eighty students in a government school in Mumbai as part of the Teach for India fellowship. She designed community-rooted education strategies and built powerful partnerships with students, parents, and school leaders. This experience convinced her to dedicate her career to pursuing social challenges at a systemic level.

Having completed her Master's in Education and International Development from UCL, she is now eager to root herself in the social impact space while meaningfully combining her experience in finance and community change to address complex social issues.