Team and Advisors - Nitya Saarthi Foundation

Where it began

Founders

Jayesh Kirange

Founder & Chairman

Engineer, CFA and FRM who teaches finance at top MBA colleges — and spends his summers teaching at camp in Vikramgad.

An engineer, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Financial Risk Manager (FRM), and a senior leader in the corporate world who works closely with some of the world’s leading banks and financial institutions, and teaches core finance at premier MBA colleges. Repeated visits to remote villages showed him children whose futures were shaped not by ability, but by access. It was here that the idea of Nitya Saarthi Foundation was born.

Uma Sheth

Co-founder

CA, CPA and CFA with 25+ years in asset management. She came home to give back.

A Chartered Accountant (CA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 25+ years in the asset management industry in India and the United States. Driven by a deep love for the nation and a desire to give back, Uma returned to India to contribute meaningfully to society. She believes every child deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and decide their own future.

Guiding the work

Mentors

Dr. Sandesh Kirkire

Mentor

Former CEO of Kotak Mahindra AMC and co-founder of Apasarjanam Foundation.

An engineer with an MMS from JBIMS and a PhD from Mumbai University, with over 25 years in financial services. He served as CEO of Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company for over nine years and is a director on many corporate boards. As Co-Founder of Apasarjanam Foundation, he closely mentors and guides Nitya Saarthi Foundation in implementing water and education projects.

Priya Garud

Mentor

Chartered Accountant building English-learning tools for tribal children.

A Chartered Accountant with nearly two decades of experience in global hedge fund administration, deeply invested in education-led social change. She advises Nitya Saarthi Foundation on education, mental well-being, women’s empowerment, rural upliftment and skill development, and builds tools to improve English learning for tribal children.

Parag Mehta

Mentor

Founder of Component Masters; champions education and community upliftment.

Owner and Founder of Component Masters, he brings an entrepreneurial outlook alongside a strong commitment to social responsibility. Actively engaged with Nitya Saarthi Foundation, he contributes to initiatives promoting education and community upliftment.

Shashwat Belapurkar

Mentor

Chief Representative Officer – India, ING; guides strategy and fundraising.

Chief Representative Officer – India at ING Nederland, and previously CEO of JM Financial Credit Solutions, with expertise in capital markets, structured finance and fixed-income securities. As part of Nitya Saarthi’s strategy team, he guides organisational growth, execution of social initiatives, and fundraising.

Opening doors

Official advisors

Rahul Bamb

Official Advisor

Founder of Parth Electronics; member of the Rotary Club.

Owner and Founder of Parth Electronics Corporation, he combines business leadership with a strong commitment to social responsibility. He is actively associated with Nitya Saarthi Foundation and is a member of the Rotary Club, supporting education and broader social causes.

Piyush Shah

Official Advisor

Co-founder of Aurochem; founder of the Nishit Education and Welfare Foundation.

Co-Founder of Aurochem Laboratories (I) Pvt. Ltd. and Aurochem Pharmaceuticals (I) Pvt. Ltd., with over four decades in pharmaceutical manufacturing. As Founder of the Nishit Education and Welfare Foundation, he supports education for underprivileged children, care for physically and mentally challenged individuals, and the Indian Armed Forces.

Anjali Kirkire

Official Advisor

Associate Professor at TSEC and co-founder of Apasarjanam Foundation.

Co-Founder of Apasarjanam Foundation and an Associate Professor at Thadomal Shahani Engineering College, Mumbai. Through Apasarjanam she supports Zila Parishad schools across interior Maharashtra, strengthening access to quality education, and mentors Nitya Saarthi Foundation in its educational initiatives.

Dharmesh Ratanghayra

Official Advisor

Chartered Accountant; SVP Finance at a health-tech start-up.

A Chartered Accountant who lived and worked in London for over a decade, serving as Finance Director at a US–UK tech company later acquired for USD 250 million by an NYSE-listed company. Now SVP Finance at a health-tech start-up, he brings insights into business, sustainability and innovation.

Leadership. Structure. Success.

Education leadership

Kalpesh Patil

Chief Academic Officer

Leads teaching and academic planning for the residential programme.

Tanuja Jadhav

Chief Operating Officer

Runs the residential programme and the camps day to day.

Hanmant Biradar

Chief Mentor

Walks beside students from Class 10 to Class 12.

And hundreds more

Our teachers and volunteers

Subject teachers, mentors and camp volunteers sit with students through summer, Diwali and the two-year residential programme. If you teach, organise, design or simply show up, there is a place for you.