Vikram K. Akula

• Social Entrepreneur, India
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BA, Tufts University; MA, Yale University; PhD, University of Chicago; Fulbright Scholar. Formerly: Management Consultant, McKinsey; Research Assistant, Worldwatch Institute; community organizer, Deccan Development Society, India. Founder and former Chairperson, SKS Microfinance, a company that provides millions of poor women in India with access to micro-loans and micro-insurance; launched SKS Microfinance on for-profit model to overcome flaw with inability of microfinance to scale to large numbers. Founder and Director, SKS NGO, which provides livelihood support to thousands of ultra poor families, including tribal and lower caste families. Founder, Bodhi Educational Society, which provides schooling for more than 3,000 underprivileged children in India. Director, Agsri, a global sustainable agriculture initiative working on sugarcane. Member, Next Generation Leadership Board, Indian School of Business. Author, A Fistful of Rice; My Unexpected Quest to End Poverty Through Profitability (2010). Profiled in media including CNN, Wall Street Journal. Recipient of honours and awards, including: Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year, India; Ernst & Young Start Up Entrepreneur of the Year, India; India Today Power List, India Today (2007).