Priya Viswanath, CEO of Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) India and the founder of Catalyst-Social Development Consultants, has been working with social development issues in India for over a decade.
She has designed, directed and administered corporate community initiatives for members of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the apex chamber of Commerce and Industry in India. Prior to joining CAF India in 2003, she consulted with several leading foundations and bilateral agencies across the world on philanthropy, socially responsible business and diaspora giving.
She serves on several not-for-profit boards. Priya is a Governing Council member of the Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium (APPC) and an advisory council member of the Resource Alliance’s South Asia Advisory Group.
Ms. Viswanath has written and published extensively on corporate, diaspora and local philanthropy. Her book, Diaspora Indians: On the Philanthropy Fast Track , focuses on the Indian diaspora in the US, UK, Far and Middle East and their contributions to India’s development.
Ms. Viswanath received an Masters in philosophy from the University of Madras and worked with the Fulbright Program of Educational Exchanges before moving to New Delhi in 1994 to work on Ford Foundation’s Campus Diversity Initiative.
CAF India is a registered public charitable trust and is part of the CAF international network. Established in New Delhi in October 1998, CAF India's mission has been to increase the flow of resources from corporations and high net worth individuals to the non-profit sector. Through a host of offerings and products, CAF India raises substantial resources from the corporate sector, primarily in Delhi and Bangalore.