Abhishek is a seasoned public policy professional and part of the senior leadership at The Council. He built and continues to guide The Council’s practices on energy access, sustainable livelihoods, and sustainable food systems. He also directs 'Powering Livelihoods', a multi-million dollar initiative transforming India's rural economy with clean energy solutions. In the past, he has led CEEW’s flagship research effort, ACCESS, the largest panel survey on multidimensional energy access in India. With more than twelve years of diverse experience, Abhishek’s work focuses on supporting the aspirations of marginalised communities through ecologically-compliant approaches — at scale. He works on a variety of issues spanning decentralised renewable energy, energy access, clean cooking, fossil fuel subsidies, power sector, rural livelihoods, sustainable agriculture, green economy, among others.
Abhishek has published in leading international journals, including Nature, and has written book chapters for Springer and other publishers. He regularly writes in leading national dailies, mentors social impact enterprises, speaks at international forums and advises senior government officials.
He is an Asia 21 Young Leader, a Chevening Fellow, and an alumnus of the University of Cambridge and IIT Roorkee. Before moving into public policy, Abhishek worked with Nestlé India to reduce its environmental footprint.