The Gates Foundation announced the appointment of Archna Vyas as its Country Director for India on Tuesday — the first woman to assume the role. She will take over the reins from Hari Menon and lead the foundation efforts within the country. Vyas had joined the Gates Foundation in 2014 and worked across its health and poverty alleviation programs before taking over as global director for Global Policy and Advocacy.
“She will now lead the foundation’s work in close collaboration with the central and state governments, philanthropists, civil society, academia, and the private sector to advance the foundation’s priorities in India, aligned with the Government of India’s vision of Viksit Bharat,” an official press note reiterated.
Who is Archna Vyas?
Vyas holds a master’s degree in physics from the University of Delhi and a postgraduate diploma in business administration from the Institute of Management Technology. She has acquired nearly three decades of expertise in communications and media strategy — with leadership roles at Reckitt and stints at agencies such as Ogilvy & Mather, FCB Global, and Mindshare.
She joined the Gates Foundation in 2014 and served as the Global Director for the foundation’s Global Policy and Advocacy division until very recently. Vyas had also worked across the foundation’s health and poverty alleviation portfolio to drive impact across the country.
“She brings extensive experience in both country-level and global engagements – driving strategic policy efforts, cultivating high-impact partnerships, and shaping external communications across key development priorities, including digital public infrastructure, agricultural development, sanitation, nutrition, global education, and women’s economic empowerment,” the foundation said.
Longstanding partnership in India
The foundation has worked in India since 2003, in collaboration with the Indian government and other partners on various issues, from healthcare and sanitation to gender equality, agricultural development, digital public infrastructure, education, and financial empowerment. In the last two decades, India has made significant progress in improving the health and economic progress of its citizens, lifting millions out of poverty. India’s domestically driven model of innovation and progress demonstrates to the world how transformative and sustainable change can uplift millions.
“India is our most significant country partnership, and her domestically driven model of innovation and progress shows how sustainable, transformative change can uplift millions. The strength of India’s talent and intellect, spanning world-class research, science, and technology, has made the country a global engine of R&D and innovation. Solutions pioneered here are already shaping development outcomes far beyond India’s borders. I look forward to working closely with governments, communities, philanthropists, and our partners to support the Government of India’s vision of becoming a developed economy by 2047, and to help bring India’s insights and innovations to the world,” said Vyas.