Standard Chartered Foundation has appointed Nalini Tarakeshwar as its Global Head, Corporate Philanthropy and the Foundation. The appointment comes as the Foundation scales its global efforts to improve access to quality jobs and opportunities for young people amid a widening youth employability gap.
In her new role, Tarakeshwar will lead the Foundation’s global strategy as well as Standard Chartered’s broader corporate philanthropy agenda. Her mandate includes addressing barriers to employability and entrepreneurship through targeted programmes, strategic partnerships, and innovative financing solutions aimed at unlocking opportunities for youth.
She brings over two decades of experience in the impact and philanthropy space, having most recently served as Deputy CEO of UBS Optimus Foundation. In her new position, she is expected to strengthen the Foundation’s global reach and enhance the impact of its philanthropic capital.
Tanuj Kapilashrami, Chief Strategy and Talent Officer, Standard Chartered and Trustee, Standard Chartered Foundation, said: “Today’s world has the largest generation of young people in history, making them a critical driver of future growth and stability. Yet globally, one in five young people are not in employment, education or training.”
He also added, “Corporate philanthropy has a critical role to play in addressing this challenge and through the Foundation, we’ve to date enabled over 100,000 jobs, impacting over 700,000 lives. As we scale and leverage our role as a global ‘super-connector’ to deliver transformational outcomes across our markets, Nalini’s experience will be a catalyst for further impact.”
Commenting on her appointment, Nalini Tarakeshwar, said, “Standard Chartered is a powerful global bank and purpose-led brand. The Standard Chartered Foundation has already had a significant impact, enabling jobs for under-served young people, especially young women. We now have an opportunity to build on this success to achieve impact at scale, working with our networks across the business and others who are committed to this goal. I’m proud to join the Foundation at this unique juncture to unlock opportunities that will help young people shape their own futures and generate an outsized impact on communities and markets globally.”
