Dr. Ashok Khosla is a globally recognised environmentalist and Chairman of the Development Alternatives Group; a consortium of social enterprises in India focused on creating sustainable livelihoods through technologies, businesses and markets. He has previously served as Director of the Office of Environment, Government of India and Director of Infoterra at the United Nations Environment Programme.
Dr. Khosla was President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Club of Rome, and Co-Chair of the International Resource Panel (IRP). He has also held roles in the governing bodies of prominent organisations, including the World Economic Forum, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). He was also a Special Advisor to the Brundtland Commission and Chairman of the NGO Forum at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
In India, he has served on various government, industry and non-governmental boards, including the National Security Advisory Board, the Science Advisory Committee to the Cabinet and the National Environment Council. Educated at the Universities of Cambridge and Harvard, Dr. Khosla has received several prestigious awards, including the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from the UK Government, Sheikh Zayed International Environment Prize, UN Sasakawa Environment Prize, WWF’s Duke of Edinburgh Medal for Conservation, UNEP’s Award for Lifetime Contributions to the Science-Policy Interface and the Schwab Foundation’s Award for Outstanding Social Entrepreneur.
