Trustees and Advisory Board
Aasraa’s Board of Trustees
Shaila Brijnath, Chairperson
Shaila Brijnath’s degree is in Education. She worked as a European Equity Trader in London, Paris and New York and was a member of the New York and London Stock Exchanges. She left Investment Banking to follow her dream of returning to India to work with underprivileged children. She founded the Aasraa Trust in 2009 to educate and nurture slum and street children.
Aditi P Kaur, Secretary
Aditi P Kaur started out with a career in Hotel Management which she left to join the social sector more than 15 years ago. In 2003, she was one of the founding members of the Mountain Children’s Foundation that works with children and focuses on child participation and child rights in the state of Uttarakhand. She is also the Director of CHILDLINE, an emergency helpline for children in Dehradun
Neelu Khanna, Managing Trustee
Neelu Khanna, a qualified teacher & travel trade executive, left the corporate world (Singapore Airlines) to pursue her dream of working with the underserved. Based in Dehradun, she has been a social activist for the last 20 years and is working for educational opportunities for economically deprived children. She supports Udayan Care as a core member of the team at Dehradun. Neelu co-initiated Street Smart, a project of Aasraa Trust which fulfils the educational, nutritional & medical needs of more than 4000 street and slum children.
Rahul Bhagat, Trustee
Recognised by The Asian Banker on their List of Leading Practitioners, Rahul N Bhagat is a versatile Consumer Banking professional with over 3 decades of experience. He is a Member of the Board of Governors of The Doon School and a Founder Director of the World Monuments Fund India Association. He also serves as an Independent Director on multiple commercial boards and uses his experience to invest in and mentor early-stage Fintech and Retail focused entrepreneurs.
Meena Rajbir Singh, Trustee
Meena Rajbir Singh is an educationist who co-founded the ‘Play House Schools’ with her sisters in Delhi and Cochin. Artistically inclined, Meena is a Consultant with FabIndia. Compassionate and empathetic by nature, she volunteered for 8 years with the Spastic Society and with Mother Teresa in Kolkata teaching English to novitiate nuns.
Sonia Parshad Bhandari, Trustee
Sonia Parshad Bhandari is a Promoter and Director for Padmini VNA Mechatronics Limited. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire, United States of America. She has significant experience of more than 30 years.
She is a philanthropist and a successful women entrepreneur who has immensely contributed to drive the CSR activities in the Company by way of contribution in various areas like Education and empowerment of underprivileged children, Protection of flora and fauna and Art & Skill Training. She is the Chairperson of CSR Committee at Padmini VNA and with her diverse experiences and insights, she contributes to major developments in the Company.
Aasraa’s Advisory Board Members
- Dr. Vibha Puri Das, IAS, served as Secretary in Government of India and District Magistrate of Dehradun
- Ms. Shivani Anand, Lawyer, Alumna of Welham Girls’ School
- Dr. B.K. Joshi, ex Vice Chancellor of Kumaon University, Founder, Honorary Director, Doon Library and Research Centre, Dehradun and Member of Policy Planning Group, Uttarakhand.
- Dr. Uma Tuli, Founder and Managing Trustee, Amar Jyoti Charitable Trust, New Delhi
- Mrs. Padmini Sambasivam, Principal, Shiv Nadar School, Dehradun
- Amrit Burrett, Director at Pukaar Sanstha, Dehradun
- Mr. Uday Pasricha, Founder Promoter, Intellectual Properties Int. Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai
- Mrs. Mandira Rana, Partner, G2020 Advisors Pte, Ltd. Singapore
