Advisory Board

Advisory Board: Guiding CSGE with Experience, Integrity, and National Leadership

The Advisory Board comprises eminent professionals with deep expertise in law, governance, environmental policy, and sustainable development. Their guidance strengthens CSGE’s strategic direction, credibility, and impact.

Justice A. C. Sharma

Advisory Board Member

Former Allahabad High Court Judge and Uttarakhand SHRC member; chaired Ayodhya Temple excavations and major assignments.

Justice A. C. Sharma

Advisory Board Member

Justice A. C. Sharma is a former Judge of the Allahabad High Court and Member of the Uttarakhand State Human Rights Commission, with nearly four decades of distinguished service in the Indian judiciary. Beginning his career in 1985 as a Judicial Officer in Uttar Pradesh, he rose through the ranks to serve as District Judge and later as a High Court Judge, where he was known for judicial efficiency and integrity. He also supervised the Ayodhya excavation proceedings and has held key roles including Chief Legal Advisor, Presiding Officer of Labour Courts, and Commission Member.

Shri C. Achalender Reddy

Advisory Board Member

Former NBA Chairman; first Indian unanimously elected CBD SBI Chair; led successful National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.

Shri C. Achalender Reddy

Advisory Board Member

Shri C. Achalender Reddy , former Chairman ,National Biodiversity Authority(NBA) is a distinguished Indian Forest Service officer (1986 Batch, Union Territories Cadre) who retired at the level of Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Arunachal Pradesh. He hadalso served as Secretary of the NBA and played a pivotal role in strengthening India’s biodiversity governance framework. He contributed significantly to the successful organization of the 11th Conference of Parties (CoP-11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Hyderabad (2012) and conceptualized the establishment of the Biodiversity Park at Gachibowli, inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. His recent landmark achievement includes leading the preparation and successful release of India’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan at CoP-16 in Cali, Colombia (2024). Over his illustrious career, Shri Reddy held several senior leadership roles including Director, Centre for Innovations in Public Systems (Administrative Staff College of India), Managing Director, Goa Forest Development Corporation, Director, National Bamboo Mission (Goa), Additional Secretary (Tourism), Government of Andhra Pradesh, and Officer on Special Duty for the Buddha Purnima Project in Hyderabad. He represented India at multiple global biodiversity forums, including CoP-10 (Nagoya), CoP-15 (Montreal), and CoP-16 (Cali), and chaired sessions of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation under the CBD, becoming the first Indian to be unanimously elected to this position. A recipient of the Wildlife Service Award by Sanctuary Asia, he has also been recognized by state and central ministers for his exemplary service. As an Advisory Board Member of CSGE, he brings exceptional expertise in biodiversity policy, international environmental negotiations, institutional leadership, and innovative governance.

Sri Sundeep Nayak

Advisory Board Member

Former Secretary-rank DG of the National Productivity Council and retired 1988-batch IAS officer (J & K cadre).

Sri Sundeep Nayak

Advisory Board Member

Shri Sundeep Kumar Nayak is a distinguished former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer with over 42 years of leadership experience across government, public sector, and private enterprise. He retired as Secretary to the Government of India and Director General, National Productivity Council, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. A specialist in sustainability, ESG, BRSR, green productivity, and Net Zero strategies, he has advised and led initiatives across energy (hydro and solar), infrastructure finance, extractive industries, healthcare infrastructure, agro-processing, and arbitration. As CEO of a major pan-India infrastructure finance corporation, he delivered a sevenfold increase in profits, and as Board Chair of a private company, he drove unprecedented global growth. His distinguished career includes serving as District Magistrate of Srinagar and Budgam during the 1990s, a role in the National Security Council Secretariat, and earlier assignments with the Tatas and ONGC. He is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s First Prize (1996) and the Distinguished Alumnus Award of IIT Kharagpur (2023). Shri Nayak currently serves as Member, Board of Governors at the Indian Institute of Forest Management, Member of the Senate at IIT Goa, and Member of the Dispute Resolution Board at NHAI. He has held international leadership roles, including Chairman of UNFAO-promoted NEDAC Bangkok (twice elected) and 2nd Vice Chair of APO Tokyo. An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, the London School of Economics, and the Monterey Institute of International Studies, he has also undergone advanced training at globally reputed institutions such as UC Berkeley, ANZSOG Sydney, IIM Ahmedabad, and GRI. Presently, he is Professor of Practice at IIT Goa and a Net Zero Domain Expert at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, while also teaching ESG and BRSR to MBA students at IIFT Kolkata. As an Advisory Board Member of CSGE, he contributes deep expertise in governance, sustainability strategy, institutional reform, and responsible growth.

Madhu Verma

Advisory Board Member

Chief Economist and Senior Environmental Economist with nearly four decades’ expertise in ecosystem valuation, green accounting, conservation finance, and nature-based policy research

Madhu Verma

Advisory Board Member

Dr. Madhu Verma is an eminent Environmental Economist and Policy Analyst with over four decades of experience in ecosystem valuation, green accounting, conservation finance, and payment for ecosystem services. She currently serves as Senior Economic Adviser and Chief Environmental Economist at IORA Ecological Solutions, New Delhi. Previously, she was Chief Economist at World Resources Institute (WRI) India and Professor at the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. A Fulbright Nehru Environmental Leadership Fellow and World Bank Post-Doctoral Fellow, she has held leadership roles with global institutions including UNEP, IPBES, ISEE, the Capitals Coalition, and the Global Tiger Forum, and has contributed extensively to national committees of NITI Aayog, MoEFCC, NTCA, CAMPA, MoSPI, and the Wetland Authority of Delhi. Dr. Verma has led high-impact projects across biodiversity, forests, wetlands, wildlife conservation, climate change, and environmental markets, collaborating with leading universities such as Stanford, Cambridge, UCL, and international organizations including the World Bank, UNDP, UNESCO, ADB, and GIZ. She has authored and co-authored numerous international reports, books, peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, and op-eds, and has delivered over 75 training programs globally. As an Advisory Board Member of CSGE, she brings strategic insight, global experience, and deep domain expertise to advance evidence-based environmental governance and sustainable development initiatives.

Shri Manoj Pant

Advisory Board Member

Former PCCF of Forests with extensive leadership across environment, public health, vigilance, youth affairs, and social governance, currently serving as MoEFCC Expert Member and IEM.

Shri Manoj Pant

Advisory Board Member

Shri Manoj Pant, an Indian Forest Service (1986, J&K Cadre) officer, retired as Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Government of Jammu & Kashmir With over 22 years of distinguished experience in environment and forestry, he has led initiatives in forest administration, climate change mitigation, natural resource management, wildlife habitat conservation, eco-tourism, medicinal plants promotion, and forestry research. He has also served as Expert Member in the Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India, and is currently appointed as Independent External Monitor (IEM) by the Central Vigilance Commission for Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Ltd. and the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India. Beyond the environment sector, Shri Pant has held key leadership roles across public administration and governance. As Joint Secretary and Director in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, he contributed to strengthening health research infrastructure, viral diagnostic laboratories, and public health systems, including oversight of ICMR and BMHRC. He served as Chief Vigilance Officer at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) with additional charge of HPCL and Numaligarh Refineries, driving transparency, procurement reforms, and dispute resolution. He also led the Department of Youth Services and Sports in Jammu & Kashmir during a critical period, expanding sports infrastructure and participation. Post-retirement, he served as Secretary of the National Foundation for Communal Harmony under the Ministry of Home Affairs. As an Advisory Board Member of CSGE, he brings extensive experience in environmental governance, institutional leadership, public policy, and ethical administration tools.

Abhay Jauhari

Advisory Board Member

Seasoned environmental leader driving large-scale forest restoration, biodiversity governance, and climate strategy, strengthening CSGE’s mission to align conservation with economic value.

Abhay Jauhari

Advisory Board Member

Abhay Jauhari is a seasoned environmental leader with over three decades of experience in forest governance, biodiversity conservation, and climate strategy. He has held senior leadership roles, including Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Biodiversity & Climate Change), Assam, where he led large-scale ecological restoration initiatives, notably restoring over 21,000 hectares under the Assam Project on Forest & Biodiversity Conservation. He has also contributed at the national level through key roles in the Ministry of Environment and Forests, alongside institutional leadership in biodiversity and climate governance bodies. Post-retirement, he continues to shape environmental policy and enforcement through high-level committees and strategic assignments. His expertise strengthens CSGE’s vision of integrating ecological sustainability with economic value creation.