About Kautilya
India is at an inflection point. Since independence, we’ve put in the hard yards. We’ve established the world’s largest democracy. We’ve created global businesses. We’ve bred visionaries who’ve shaped economies, ideologies, and institutions. We’ve established a soft power that makes the world look at us with admiration. And with 90% of our population being under 60 years of age, we’re entering a phase of rapid economic growth.
If there’s one word that well and truly defines India today, it is ‘potential’.
Yet, the fact remains that development has not been sustainable and inclusive. Several sections of society do not have access to basic human rights. Development is often haphazard and short-sighted. Ignoring issues such as these puts at risk the potential upside of India’s demographic dividend.
Building a new India will require passion, long-term commitment and, most importantly, a pool of public policy professionals formally trained in evidence-based policy making, implementation and leadership – which is precisely what we, at Kautilya School of Public Policy, aim to do.
Kautilya’s vision (“Working to rebalance the role of Society, Government & Business for a more equitable and sustainable future.”) and mission (“Empowering leaders to address 21st century issues through rigorous public policy education.”) encapsulate our focus on imparting education that is relevant, contemporary, and practical. We offer passionate young minds a robust training ground that nurtures grassroots aspirations with a rigorous academic program. We have brought on board some of the world’s leading academic experts and policy practitioners to prepare students for a transformed path in nation-building, by inculcating diverse skills necessary for a successful career in public life.
Founding Team
M. Sri Bharat
President of GITAM
Prateek Kanwal
Co-Founder, Kautilya School of Public Policy
Dean
Syed Akbaruddin
Retired IFS officer,
Fmr. Permanent Rep. of India to the UN
Email: dean@kautilya.org.in
Advisory Board
Rathin Roy
Managing Director, Research and Policy, ODI
Steve Jarding
Former Professor, Harvard Kennedy School
Dilip Cherian
Political Campaign Advisor Communications Consultant
Ram Mohan Naidu
Member of Parliament, 17th Lok Sabha
Priyanka Chaturvedi
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
Anil Swarup
Author, Retired IAS Officer
M. V. Rajeev Gowda
Former Member of Parliament; Chairman, Congress Research Department
Moshik Temkin
Fellow at The Belfer Center for Science and Intl. Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Dr. Menaka Guruswamy
Senior Advocate,
Supreme Court of India
Navtej Singh Sarna
Former Indian Ambassador to the US & Israel
Our Team
Ajesh Panicker
Operations Manager
Arushi Jha Thakur
Academic Associate
Aryaman Chatterjee
Academic Associate
Hitesh Kakkar
Director – Admissions & New Initiatives
Neelam Mehra
Deputy Director, Career Fulfillment
Neha Rathore
Administrative Assistant
Pritish Anand
Academic Associate
Priyanka Roy
General Manager – Admissions and Outreach
Rashad Khan
Academic Associate
Rituja Ghosh
Academic Associate
Shivangi Sharma
Program Manager
Shreya Maheshwari
Executive Assistant to the Dean
Sreshtha Majumdar
Academic Associate
Vishnu Menon
Admission Advisor
Technical Support
Aluri Chakradhar Sarma
Sr. Videographer
Niranjay Kumar Pandey
Sr. Technical PCR
Vemali. V. Seshagiri Rao
Asst. Manager PCR
Support Staff
P. Lalitha
N. Venkata Raman
Build a career
in public policy
Our program’s combination of academic rigour and on-ground experiences will give you the confidence to assume leadership in any career of your choice. Some of the popular avenues you can choose after your Master of Public Policy (MPP) include:
Private Sector
This includes business consultants, policy consultants of large corporations, policy analysts, think tanks and private policy implementation organisations. Courses on financial reporting, management, cyber security, etc. focus on these streams.
Public Service
This includes policy making and implementation, government roles and political candidates, who can leverage subjects like politics, public policy design and analysis, ethics, constitution and law, political campaign management, etc.
International and Foreign Affairs
This spans a variety of domains ranging from positions within the Government of India and international organizations like World Bank and United Nations, to positions within international NGOs like ICLEI, ITF and WWF. Students will need to grasp the value and potential of diplomacy within the framework of foreign policy towards creating collaborative and cooperative ties focused on common goals and objectives.
Non-profit or Social Enterprise
The Master of Public Policy (MPP) helps build capacity in entrepreneurship with focus on different sectors within social development. Subjects such as gender, strategy, organization behaviour, energy and climate change, negotiation, corruption, etc. help build all-round skills to drive greater impact in this sector.
Media & Communications
Aspiring media, journalism and communications professionals who focus on public sector topics can leverage subjects like communication for leaders, macroeconomics, global trade and policy, data visualisation, business government and society.
Research & Academia
This includes individuals who want to teach, pursue research, and push policy thinking in India and globally and can leverage courses on research methodologies, quantitative analysis and macroeconomics.