Case Study
CherYsh Educate teaches rural children through After-School Learning Centers, where trained village women foster holistic learning, digital literacy, and critical thinking.
CherYsh Educate teaches rural children through After-School Learning Centers, where trained village women foster holistic learning, digital literacy, and critical thinking.
Gautham is a management professional with experience across the corporate & development sectors, bringing a strategic & data-driven perspective to organizational growth & governance. He has expertise in strategy formulation, program effectiveness & evidence-based decision-making across Education, Natural Resource Management & Entrepreneurship.
He currently serves as Head – Strategy & Program Analysis at the Deshpande Foundation, Hubballi, strengthening program design, performance measurement & impact strategy. Earlier, he worked as a Project Lead at L&T Technology Services, Bengaluru, leading engineering initiatives for industrial product development.
He holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore & a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University, Karnataka.
Nancy Naik holds a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) degree from Bangalore University. She brings over four years of professional experience spanning two key sectors: banking and the Regional Transport Office. In these roles, she developed expertise in financial operations, regulatory compliance, and administrative management.
Currently, Nancy is dedicated to advancing education in rural communities. Her focus is on creating equitable learning opportunities and fostering sustainable educational development. With her diverse background and commitment to social impact, she aims to bridge systemic gaps and empower students through accessible education.
Atmaja A is a doctoral scholar at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, with over five years of experience in the education sector. Her PhD work is grounded in classroom practices and equity-focused learning, and she has led multiple research initiatives involving program evaluation. She brings strong academic rigour alongside deep on-ground experience. Atmaja will be leading the ESM Product – Shiksha at Cherysh, overseeing its research, design, and implementation.
Spoorthi is leading Cherysh’s STEM laboratory initiatives with purpose. With an engineering background and experience at Amazon, Swiggy, and Royal Enfield, she focuses on building thoughtful, scalable STEM learning environments that expand access to hands-on education.
Suresh Ponneth is an experienced education and operations professional with over two decades of leadership in program management, process strengthening, and stakeholder engagement. He brings deep expertise in governance, operations, and capacity building, with a strong focus on transparency, compliance, and sustainable impact.
Kritik Sannmani, an ME graduate (Class of 2025) from KLS VDRIT Institute of Technology, Haliyal, serves as a Junior Engineer with the STEM Labs and E-Shiksha program. He has completed training in quality control at Fleetguard Filters Pvt. Ltd., Dharwad, and has gained industry exposure at Europa Locking Systems Pvt. Ltd., Pune. He has also worked on multiple college-level technical project models that strengthened his applied engineering capabilities.
Anita Singh has worked in the advertising and marketing industry for several years, handling brands across various industries, including IT services, consumer durables, and ice creams. She is a highly motivated strategic leader with more than 25 years of global corporate experience and success in aligning people, brand and organization propositions to deliver business value – both for scaling and growth.She is dedicated to supporting education and livelihoods for underprivileged women and children and supporting the needs of the elderly and less fortunate. As a Trustee for the CherYsh Trust, she works to better the prospects of women and children through programs that prepare them for future challenges.
Shantha Doddamani has a MSW from Belgaum and has been part of the CherYsh team since 2015, making her the first employee of CherYsh. Shantha’s interests lie in the education and livelihood sectors, and she is always eager to learn new things. To Shantha, CherYsh is like her baby, and she is deeply committed to the organization’s goal of improving the lives of girls and women in the Haliyal region through sustainable work. She is hopeful that her work will contribute to community development and help change people’s mindsets.
Sanjiv Shanmugam, a third-generation industrialist, is the Managing Partner of MLC Estates LLP. He has diversified the company’s activities by including real estate, angel investing and solar power. He graduated from Wilmington College with a major in Business Administration and a minor in Economics. Sanjiv is an active member of society and holds various prestigious positions. He is a founding patron of Art Bengaluru, an avid golfer and a member of numerous clubs. Sanjiv has been a donor with CherYsh since a decade, a cause he holds dear, which aims to empower rural women and enhance the education of the girl child.
Kala Anand is a seasoned expert in international education, having extensive experience in building partnerships, coaching, and marketing initiatives across various industries. As the Vice President (Global) at upGrad Connect, she was spearheading the crucial strategies to enhance institutional relationships and provide transformative learning experiences for students worldwide. Currently as the Director(Sports Advisory at KPMG India, she is responsible for growth strategy and digital transformation initiative’s for organizations engaged in sports related products or services.
Anita Singh has worked in the advertising and marketing industry for several years, handling brands across various industries, including IT services, consumer durables, and ice creams. She is a highly motivated strategic leader with more than 25 years of global corporate experience and success in aligning people, brand and organization propositions to deliver business value – both for scaling and growth.She is dedicated to supporting education and livelihoods for underprivileged women and children and supporting the needs of the elderly and less fortunate. As a Trustee for the CherYsh Trust, she works to better the prospects of women and children through programs that prepare them for future challenges.
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