Education is empowering
Our mission is to support children & youth from underprivileged families through different education based interventions to rise above the poverty line & lead a life of dignity through sustainable processes.
Uday Kotak, Founder and Managing Director & CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank, has led the group in a broad range of financial services for over 30 years. Uday believes that the true measure of performance is value creation. The Group's vision for equitable prosperity extends beyond financial services. The Kotak Education Foundation works with some of India's most economically underprivileged communities, attempting to alleviate poverty through education and livelihood programs.
Shivaji was the first employee of Kotak Mahindra Bank. He was instrumental in making the group a leading financial services organisation. He is responsible for establishing KEF which is now a large part of the group’s CSR vision.
Paul has been with the Kotak Mahindra Group since 1991. He joined Kotak Mahindra Finance Limited in the leasing business, and was the head of the business prior to his transfer to the international business in 1995. Paul headed the international business till May 2012. Thereafter he was Head – Group Strategy for the Kotak Mahindra Group. It was during this period that the bank acquired ING Vysya Bank Limited. Paul was part of the core team involved in merging the two banks. Thereafter, he headed credit for the Consumer and Commercial Bank of Kotak from May 2016 to October 2019. Paul assumed his present role on November 1st 2019.
Prior to joining Kotak, Paul had worked with Hindustan Lever Limited (now Hindustan Unilever Limited). Paul is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (1989) and the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (1987).
Chetan is a Chartered Accountant and has been with the Kotak Mahindra Group since 2002. As part of the Corporate Centre, he heads the Group Tax function and has led many tax planning and implementation initiatives across the Group, apart from ensuring the Group’s tax compliance.
Rekha started her career with Bombay Dyeing as a management trainee. After that she worked with the Kotak Mahindra Group for over a decade. She has been with KEF since its inception.
Bayjool’s KEF journey began well before the foundation’s incorporation in 2007. She is a part of the founding team and a member of the Managing Committee since inception. She handles multiple projects and departments at KEF.
A thorough social worker at heart, Anuradha joined KEF in 2006 and headed three interventions. After that, she went on to head many different interventions and teams. She has contributed immensely to KEF’s journey.
Ph.D. in Management from University of Mumbai and Strategic Non Profit Management India from Harvard Business School, Dr. Ganesh Raja, in a career spanning three decades worked with ITC Hotels, Dun & Bradstreet, Bahrain Economic Development Board and Financial Technologies. His last engagement was with ITM Group as Group Director for Business Schools. As the CEO at KEF, he is responsible to continually grow the portfolio of urban slum schools in Mumbai and create outreaches that would impact beneficiaries in multidimensional ways.
Parag is the Chief Financial Officer at KEF. He is a Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary by profession. Before joining KEF, he worked with Reliance Energy and Tata Teleservices Limited.
With over 24 years of experience into Insurance sector and Vocational training domain, Sumeet Lal has worked with reputed MNCs like Axa and MetLife. An MMS Finance from NMIMS (1994-96) with a Business Leadership Programme from Melbourne Business School (2009), Sumeet is currently Chief Operating Officer for vocational skilling and HR at Kotak Education Foundation. Before joining KEF, he was the Managing Director of a private limited company he founded in 2010.
Ph.D. in Management from University of Mumbai and Strategic Non Profit Management India from Harvard Business School , Dr. Ganesh Raja, in a career spanning three decades As the CEO at KEF, he is responsible to continually grow the portfolio of urban slum schools in Mumbai and create outreaches that would impact beneficiaries in multidimensional ways.
Fulbright Scholar in International leadership in Education from Arizona State University and a Master's in English literature, from Madras University Jayasree has 25 years of experience as an innovative educator, teacher mentor and administrator. She is Project Head for Education Programs at Kotak Education Foundation. In past, she has been associated with reputed educational institutions like Bombay Scottish School, Northern High School, Phoenix, Arya Vidya Mandir Group of Institutions and Vissanji Academy.
With over 24 years of experience into Insurance sector and Vocational training domain, Sumeet Lal has worked with reputed MNCs like Axa and MetLife. An MMS Finance from NMIMS (1994-96) with a Business Leadership Programme from Melbourne Business School (2009), Sumeet is currently Chief Operating Officer for vocational skilling at Kotak Education Foundation. Before joining KEF, he was the Managing Director of a private limited company he founded in 2010.
By volunteering with us, you'd be doing your bit to support children and youth who are struggling to break free from the vicious cycle of poverty and generational disadvantages. In sharing your time, skills and knowledge, you can make a positive change, help children and youth get an education, have a healthy upbringing and empower them to build better futures for themselves.
We believe in growth that goes beyond numbers. The kind of growth that includes everyone is the only kind that lasts. We focus on doing what’s right, for our stakeholders, for the planet, and for society at large. KEF was founded as a part of the group’s vision to positively contribute towards economic, environmental and social well-being of communities.
Join us