Our Team

Mr. Shibu George has been with GLRA India for the past three and half decades and has worked in various roles, appointed as Interim CEO and the Managing Trustee (ex-officio) of GLRA India from February 2023. Mr. George is a graduate in social work with a postgraduate diploma in health statistics and community-based rehabilitation, a master trainer in project execution, and an expert in Monitoring and Evaluation of social inclusion initiatives. Mr. George has significantly impacted numerous initiatives in the Asia region aimed at empowering underprivileged communities and his extensive experience in project management and his community outreach initiatives has been invaluable to GLRA India's success.

Dr. Aashish Wagh is a public health professional with over 15 years of experience. Graduated in MBBS from Dr. D Y Patil Medical College, Maharashtra, and an MPH in Public Health from London Metropolitan University. His career spans significant roles and experience in Leprosy and Tuberculosis. He is a trained reconstructive surgeon and has expertise in project management, public health policies and working with high-risk populations. He has a proven track record of leading diverse teams and collaborating with various stakeholders, including government agencies, healthcare providers, and community organizations. Dr. Wagh has published several papers in peer-reviewed journals, presenting innovative solutions to public health challenges and conducting research to advance health outcomes.

Dr. Srilekha Penna currently works as the Regional Research Coordinator at GLRA India. She is additionally designated as the ILEP India Coordinator, in which capacity she represents the ILEP India consortium on national and international platforms and coordinates the activities with the nine affiliated ILEP organizations, the Central Leprosy Division, state governments, WHO, APAL, and other significant stakeholders who share the same objective of eliminating leprosy in India. She holds a master’s degree in Global Health from Maastricht University, Netherlands, specializing in Public Health Epidemiology and Infectious Disease Surveillance.

Ms. Chanda Jha, currently working as a Program Coordinator. A professional in Public Health program management, stakeholder engagement, Advocacy, Public Relations, and Networking. She holds a Master's in Social Work (Medical & Psychiatry), and in Psychology, besides a post-graduate diploma in Public Relations, and in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Ms. Deepa Lakshmi is working as a monitoring and evaluation officer at GLRA. An experienced public health professional with five years of active involvement in the field, holding a Master's degree in Public Health. Her contributions have been significant across various leading Public Health organizations, including the Government of Tamil Nadu. Her expertise lies in developing and implementing Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) strategies, particularly focused on non-communicable diseases. Additionally, she excels in health management, capacity building, and designing training modules, showcasing her commitment to improving public health outcomes through proactive, evidence-based approaches.

Ms. Kannan is a multi-oriented professional with vast experience in secretarial and administrative skills for over 35 years in GLRA India. Uma is currently holding the Head Admin portfolio, the presiding officer of ICC a safeguarding trainer with a high level of accuracy and consistency with confidence in all areas of related work. She graduated from Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu. Besides her HR & administrative management, she has expertise in partner relations, recruitment, procurement, project financial (WINPACCS) validations, cost control analysis, and in periodical preparation of reports and documents.

Mr. Joy Jacob works as the Senior HR Advisor at GLRA India. He has a degree in hospitality and has a master's certificate in Sociology and has actively worked in the field of leprosy for more than 15 years. At GLRA India, Joy manages the procurement, market analysis and delivery systems. He worked at organizations like KNEUS and Caritas India in the past with an overall experience of ---- (his lifetime experience), supporting in providing essential care for marginalized and risk groups of persons affected by Leprosy and HIV/AIDS. Apart from being enthusiastic, Joy works with a vision that “the impact we make in a person’s life will stick with us too” Mr. Joy Jacob joined KNEUS, which was doing leprosy control programs in the self-settled leprosy colonies in Uttar Pradesh, in close collaboration with GLRA India. His almost 15 years of work for the poor leprosy patients was acknowledged by people for his enthusiasm and motivation in the field of leprosy elimination. He then joined and worked for Caritas India in its work for giving care and treatment of opportunistic infections for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Himanshu Sharma is an HR expert with over 10 years of experience in the manufacturing, retail, and social sectors. Currently, he is an HR Manager at GLRA India. He excels in HR consulting. He is also adept at organizational development. He focuses on change management, workforce planning, and talent management, with significant experience in leading projects like Global Fund Axshya Plus, with a workforce of more than 250 plus employees across 38 districts. His role involves aligning HR strategies with business goals in talent acquisition, employee engagement, and compensation management. He holds a PGDM in Human Resources. He is certified in Preventing Sexual Harassment (POSH), implementing Policies for Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH), and holds a Six Sigma Green Belt from ASQ.

Mr Venkateswaran holds the Head Finance portfolio with 30 years of experience in GLRA, an expert in donor funding management including EU, GF, USAID, BMZ funded projects. Mr. Venaktesh is the focal person for GLRA India’s Winpaccs Accounting and cost control measures. Mr. Venaktesh holds a master's in finance (MBA) from Pondicherry University and has exemplary skills in project financial management and office administration.

Mr. Suvankar, Divisional Finance Manager, Kolkata is an experienced finance professional, working in GLRA India since 2009. He possesses more than 17 years of experience in finance, accounts & administration in the NGO sector. Suvankar is a commerce postgraduate and holds an MBA degree in Finance. Over the years at GLRA, he has handled different projects supported by the European Union, USAID, World Vision India, Global Fund, BMZ, and CARE to name a few, and has a lot of experience in partner and fund management across India.

Ms. Belina has been with GLRA India since 2014 and is presently the Divisional Finance Manager - South at Chennai. She is well versed in reviewing, investigating, and able to distinguish corrective actions in financial entries & documents. She has demonstrated excellence in ensuring compliance with applicable policies, contracts, statuaries, and regulations and handling audit assignments.

Mr. Anil is a Finance Manager with 32 years of working experience in the field of finance and administration. He holds a Postgraduate Degree in Commerce and has been serving both the International and National NGO sectors on different themes. His expertise is in making budgets, compliance, internal audits, donor reporting, finalization accounts, ensuring financial and procurement policies are in place, and optimum utilization of the available programme-related budgets.

Geetanjali Kaushik is a Communication and PR Manager with expertise in public relations, communications, and social media. She holds a Master's in Mass Communication, a postgraduate diploma in Public Relations, and a PGC in Cybercrime and Cyberlaws. As a Research Scholar, she has extensive experience in internal and external communications, trend analysis, media liaisoning, and PR agency coordination. She has worked in both government and private sectors. Her proficiencies encompass website management, content writing, social media management, video editing, and designing communication materials.

Ms. Shabinda, PR and Communication Officer at GLRA’s Chennai Office. She has a degree in Humanities with additional academic skills in Graphic design from MAAC. At GLRA India, she is actively involved in coordinating communication activities and her expertise lies in designing, creativity, and visual arts. Shabinda also supports the project-specific requirements by designing communication materials for community mobilization and events.