Shankar Maruwada
Shankar Maruwada is the Co-Founder and CEO at EkStep Foundation, where he focuses on scaling impact in education and social innovation. With a career spanning corporate, entrepreneurial, government, and development sectors, Shankar brings a unique blend of strategic insight, execution experience, and a problem-solving mindset to his work. He has contributed to transformative initiatives like Aadhaar and DIKSHA.
Systems Leadership
Education
Agnostic
Areas of Expertise / Domains of Work
Systems leadership and strategic clarity
Innovation and problem-solving in complex social contexts
Education technology and societal platforms
Public policy and governance engagement
Mentorship and capacity building for social entrepreneurs
Experience Highlights
Brand management at Procter & Gamble, learning influence without authority
Key roles in Aadhaar, including strategic planning and operational leadership
Election campaign management for Nandan Nilekani
Collaboration with Rohini Nilekani’s Care for Education initiative
Driving Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 of EkStep focused on expanding educational impact without heavy operational involvement
Mentoring Approach & Philosophy
Shankar adopts a Socratic style of mentorship, prioritizing dialogue and critical reflection. He mentors individuals who are keen learners, willing to challenge assumptions, and prepared with context and questions. He views mentorship as a continuation of dialogue rather than discrete conversations, emphasizing learning through discussion rather than instruction.
Possible Mentoring Topics
Leadership and influence without formal authority
Strategic problem-solving in complex environments
Systems thinking and societal platform creation
Scaling social impact initiatives
Innovation in education and technology for social good
Designing meaningful mentorship engagements
Signature Insights or Beliefs
Leadership is a performing art, requiring adaptability and strategic clarity
Complex problems should be wrestled with to understand their layers before attempting solutions
Reimagination can turn conventional tools into powerful societal solutions (e.g., QR codes in textbooks, leveraging diversity as strength)
Mentorship success is measured by the mutual inspiration exchanged between mentor and mentee
Select Past Work / Roles / Ventures
Procter & Gamble, Brand Manager
Aadhaar project, Strategic Leadership
Nandan Nilekani election campaign manager
Care for Education initiative with Rohini Nilekani
EkStep initiatives, multiple chapters focusing on societal impact
Center for Exponential Change (C4EC), founding and leadership
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