Yale School of Management - Ramesh Ramanathan '91

"Most Indians have a strong foundation in the sciences and quantitative methods. I chose to come to Yale SOM specifically because I wanted to get rounded out, and because while I wanted to succeed in a global setting in the private sector, I also wanted to do something more meaningful — addressing larger public issues — at some unknown point in the future. Yale SOM was an extraordinary experience for me on all these levels and I’m sure that I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now without it."

Ramesh joined Citibank on graduating from Yale SOM, and worked with them in New York and London, until leaving for India. His career path at Citibank was one of the fastest to rise from a management associate to his last position as managing director & European head of corporate derivatives. Ramesh was also a member of the bank’s Global Markets Leadership Team.

Both Ramesh and his wife Swati decided to return to India in 1998, to "give something back." Since then, Ramesh’s interests have been in two areas: urban poverty alleviation and urban governance. He is co-founder of Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, a nonprofit organisation focused on improving urban governance in India. He is also Chairman of Janalakshmi, an urban microfinance institution, and Chairman, Janaadhar Constructions, an affordable housing development company.

Ramesh works closely with government on urban issues in a pro-bono capacity. His current positions include being the National Technical Advisor, Government of India for the Jawarharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, the largest urban initiative in the country’s history, besides being a member of several government committees on urban matters.

Ramesh has co-authored a book titled, Urban Poverty Alleviation in India and writes regularly about public governance issues in leading national publications. He was nominated as one of the Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum in 2007.

After graduating with an MSc (Hons.) degree in physics from the Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) in Pilani, India, and doing odd jobs, including running a small specialty steel trading firm, Ramesh got an MBA from the Yale School of Management. He also has a certified financial analyst (CFA) degree from the Association for Investment Management and Research.

Married to Swati, they have two children — Shunori and Rishab.