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Mahanthesha H K
Bidar, Karnataka, India
E-mail: mailmahanthesh@gmail.com
Mobile: +919742298477, +919481489015
Phone: +91482224377
Highly successful, accomplished Development Professional seeks a senior management position to leverage
multifaceted competencies and deliver outstanding results aligned to organizational goals & objectives
Core competencies include...
 Agriculture & Project Management  Water, Sanitation & Hygiene  Health and Education
 CSR management  NGO Management  Media Management & Campaigning
 Health and Education  Alternative Livelihoods  Agriculture Development
 Capacity Building  Development Research  Funds Mobilization
 Development Education  Academic Management  Training & Development
 Stakeholder Relations
 Advocacy and visibility
 Staff Management
 Movement for alternatives
 Team Building & Leadership
 Community Based Development
Executive Summary
 Versatile, enterprising, dynamic Development Professional with 17+ years of rich experience in NGO & CSR
management with reputable organizations making significant positive impact on the society.
 Extensive experience in planning, resourcing and managing large-scale development programs across
multiple domains in multiple states achieving sustainable livelihood solutions to people in the areas of
Agriculture, sanitation, water resources, education and healthcare.
 Deft in collaborating with multiple stakeholders and leading, mentoring & motivating professional teams
eliciting superior performances.
 Proactive, achievement driven professional with strong work ethic, integrity and excellent communication,
influencing, problem solving, decision making, planning and execution skills.
 Fluently speaks in English, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil.
Professional Experience
Reliance Foundation │Bidar India │September 2012 to date
Reliance Foundation’s flagship program, Bharat-India-Jodo works to bridge the developmental gap between rural & urban
India http://www.reliancefoundation.org/rural.html
Project Director – Bharat-India-Jodo Program
Reports to: Vice President Team: 28 professionals and 90+paraprofessionals
Responsibilities
 Head the implementation of Bharat-India-Jodo, a rural transformation initiative in South India, coordinating
with 90+ development professionals across multiple projects.
 Supervise the implementation of programs to support 16,000+ marginal rural families in reviving their
livelihood through agriculture, allied & village development activities at an investment of INR 45+ crore.
 Lead programs for empowering village women & youth by forming thrift groups & facilitating bank linkages
with more than 100 groups formed to date.
 Coordinate capacity building in agriculture & general project management by training senior management,
members and trainers of partner organizations.
 Lead visibility & convergence initiatives & events to build awareness and increase participation in the BIJ
programs across target audiences.
 Deal with general administration, human resources management and training covering BIJ operations across
the region.

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Highlights
 Initiated programs to promote Agriculture and allied activities, Nutrition Security – Reliance Nutrition
Gardens, health – Arogya Shala, education – Night School, participation – Masik Ektha Sabha,
communication – community radio & de-risking – community relief fund under the program’s Pancha Sutras.
 Established the Daan Mahotsav initiative to strengthen the rural transformation program.
 Implemented Taaza Sabzi which connected farmers directly to consumers through delivery of fresh vegetables
to the consumer’s doorsteps.
 Managed projects in 2 states – Karnataka & Tamil Nadu – and delivered all targets as per plan for 4
consecutive years.
 Conducted training & capacity building programs for BIJ team members across India based on the Outward
Mindset Model of the Arbinger Institute.
 Developed manuals in English & Kannada and trained 50+ social Engineers working for various VAs in
providing rural transformation support.
TMT – GFSPL │Bangalore India │May 2010 – May 2012
GrameenKoota Financial Services Pvt Ltd set up as a project under T Muniswamappa Trust (TMT) is a microfinance
organization targeting women in marginalized sections of the society. Navya Disha a registered charitable trust is a partner
of GFSPL in implementing CSR initiatives http://www.grameenkoota.org/
Project Manager – Navya Disha
Reported to: Managing Director Team: 67
Responsibilities
 Managed the planning, coordination & execution of projects related to water & sanitation, indoor air
pollution, healthcare & education.
 Monitored progress of ongoing projects, measured performance and maintained required documentation for
periodic reporting to stakeholders.
 Developed project plans and wrote proposals and reports to obtain required funding & clearances from
various national and international agencies.
 Coordinated human resources management activities including recruitment, training, development and
performance management of staff.
 Administered project budgets and ensured proper allocation and on time utilization as per guidelines of
funding agencies and the organization’s procedures.
 Managed all aspects of improving visibility, convergence, capacity building and event management to
contribute to the achievement of overall program objectives.
Highlights
 Developed information education & communication (IEC) materials & a thematic documentary on all
functional areas and ensured effective utilization in awareness & capacity building programs, reaching
160,000 members across Karnataka & Maharashtra states.
 Improved community outreach & communication in the rural areas by forming a folk arts team and
organizing folk events including street plays & folk songs.
 Collaborated with GFSPL and provided financial assistance through 15, 000 no. of loans for construction of
toilets & access to water reaching a total of 60,000 beneficiaries.
 Facilitated construction of low cost & durable toilets with required quality standards by training 3000
masons in the construction of WATSAN modular units.
 Brought the project back on track by addressing & resolving issues and ensured achievement of all project
milestones & objectives.
 Managed project funds of over INR 5 crore ensuring on time & optimum utilization.
 Designed an album on water & sanitation showcasing issues, needs, challenges and usage modes.
 Secured license under the Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Act – FCRA – for the Navya Disha Trust
enabling mobilization of foreign funding for projects.
 Wrote & submitted proposals for projects to Water.org and received sanctions for 5-year projects.
 Built water & sanitation structures that benefited 10,000+ families in a period of 2 years. Conducted
management development programs for project managers working with FINISH on promotion of community
institutions.

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DHAN Foundation │Madurai India │June 2002 – April 2010
Development of Humane Action (DHAN) Foundation is a professional development organization http://www.dhan.org/
Faculty – Tata-Dhan Academy, Madurai, June 2008 – April 2010
Responsibilities
 Taught courses on Communication for Development (CODE), Motivation values & ethics (MOVE), Mutual
Insurance, Livelihoods and Marketing of Development Concepts (MODE) to students of various programs.
 Provided guidance to students in conducting field work and research studies as part of the curriculum.
 Wrote case studies on various topics for use in teaching and training programs.
 Designed, coordinated & conducted training programs including executive development programs &
management development programs for Development Professionals working with NGOs
Highlights
 Designed, coordinated & conducted training programs on Water resource conservation, Mutual Insurance
microfinance, disaster risk reduction & gender issues.
 Conducted & taught in programs related to microfinance & tank-based watersheds covering 100+ personnel
working on related projects
 Designed & taught 3 courses on communication & environmental topics for postgraduate students.
 Conducted management development programs on promotion of people institutions for project managers
working with Jala Samvardhane Yojana Sangha (JSYS) – the nodal agency for community based tank
management in Karnataka
 Provided guidance on field work & research for 6 students of the Postgraduate Program on Development
Management (PGDM) in the areas of natural resource conservation & program management
 Taught Marketing of Development concepts (MODE) to professionals of DHAN Foundation under DHAN
Development Professionals Program (DDPP)
 Documented & prepared 100+ case studies on project implementation process, rural transformation initiatives,
transformation of marginal families and mutual insurance
 Coordinated activities of the Academy’s Advanced Centre for Skill and Knowledge on Mutual Insurance,
ASKMI and designed & conducted training programs on aspects of Micro Insurance, Mutuals and social
security.
 Participated in the in-house editing of publications of DHAN Foundation
 Participated in 20+ research, action & pilot studies on areas like livelihood promotion, marketing, impact
studies, disaster risk reduction, village inception documents and participatory rural appraisals (PRA) for
government institutions, NGOs and academic institutions
Senior Project Executive, June 2002 – June 2008
Reported to: Executive Director Team: 32
Responsibilities
 Worked in the Pavagada block of Tumkur district of Karnataka state implementing community based tank
rehabilitation project of government of Karnataka (JSYS), India.
 Promoted & enabled civil society organizations working in the area including networks of tank associations,
federation of farmers groups and women’s groups.
 Coordinated tank rehabilitation & development projects focusing on development of watershed & tank fed
agriculture and dry-land agriculture.
 Managed all activities related to preparation of project proposals & plans, project planning & management and
project monitoring & reporting
 Planned and coordinated mobilization of resources for programs including microfinance through self help
groups (SHG)
 Conducted a wide range of capacity building programs covering women’s groups, farmers’ groups, rural
development/management graduates/professionals, NGO practitioners & government officials.
 Mobilized resources for SHGs for livelihood development of the poor through liaison with banks and district
government authorities.
 Designed new training programs and courses to meet requirements of various stakeholders
 Developed required systems & MIS and dealt with development, writing, executing & archiving all proposals.

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Highlights
 Successfully promoted 42 tank based community institutions and developed 42 community resource persons
as part of capacity building.
 Established a federation of farmers, linked it to the National Seed Program of UAS Bangalore and enabled
them in making a profit of INR 30 lacs in one year
 Promoted microfinance institutions to assist marginal families in practicing alternative livelihoods and
arranged linkages with financial institutions like Vijaya Bank, SBM, KGB & KDFS
 Guided & trained team members on planning, implementation & innovations to address development
issues through community banking program
 Conducted training programs/workshops on tank based watersheds, self help movement, participatory
methods for development intervention, micro credit & micro enterprise development for personnel of NGOs,
banks and government agencies at the state & national level
 Organized 150+ training programs – principles of microfinance, perspectives & practices and gender issues –
covering 500+ participants from groups promoted in Pavagada
 Mobilized funds of more than INR 15 million for microfinance groups from banks and resources of INR 35
million for 35 tank associations in Pavagada
 Wrote proposals for starting tank fed agriculture at 4 new locations and got them sanctioned
 Promoted mainstreaming of gender into the tank based agriculture program, mobilized revolving funds for
women groups and successfully motivated women members to take up & complete physical works on tanks
 Introduced systems for office administration, tank rehabilitation works and activities of the Federation
 Presented a paper on community based tank rehabilitation at the Madurai Symposium on 24 September 2007
 Successfully mobilized & enrolled people for life, animal, crop & health insurance in Pavagada
 Served as the Secretary of the Tank Farmers Federation – Pavagada Taluk Keregala Jalasamvardhane Okkuta
University of Agricultural Sciences │Bangalore India │May 2000 – April 2002
UAS Bangalore is a premier institution of agricultural education & research in India http://www.uasbangalore.edu.in/
Research Associate
Reported to: Professor of Agricultural Extension
Responsibilities
 Conducted studies on various topics including awareness of farmers on GATT/WTO, rehabilitation of tribal
families from Nagarahole Forest, Food for Thought – indigenous technologies & practices in agriculture.
 Dealt with all project documentation and report writing including preparation of outcome reports for the
Government of Karnataka
Highlights
 Completed a project assigned by the Government of Karnataka on the awareness level of the farmers of
Tumkur & Kolar districts on GATT/WTO
 Identified & documented 60+ indigenous practices in sericulture & mulberry cultivation
 Submitted a project report to the Department of Forests on rehabilitation of tribal families from Nagarahole
Forest
 Organized a successful seminar on Farmer Suicides – Implications & Remedies
Education
 PhD (Scholar), Agricultural Extension, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, 2000 – 2003, 91% -
Topper Scholarship
 M.Sc. Agricultural Extension, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, 1998 – 2000, 92% - Topper
Scholarship
 B.Sc. Agricultural Sciences – Sericulture, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, 1994 – 1998, 84%
Languages
Fluently speaks in English, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil.

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Professional Development
Training Programs
 Outward Mindset Model, Series of trainings, Arbinger Institute, 2015-16.
 Team Building workshop,2016
 Vision Building and Future Search exercises for Sustainable People Institutions, 2016
 Inward and outward mindset by Arbinger Institute, Singapore, 2015
 Project management design and tools by PRAXIS, 2015
 Management development program for Leadership and Innovation in Agriculture, IIM Lucknow, 2010
 Community Organization Project Planning, WASTE Netherlands, Attended/Designed/Conducted, 2009
 7-day Technical Training on Sanitation & Waste Disposal, WASTE Netherlands, Conducted 2012
 7-day Refresher TOT, WASTE Netherlands, Participated 2012
 Case Writing Workshop, Tata-DHAN Academy, Attended as a resource person, 2009
 Training on Mutual Insurance, Micro Insurance and Indigenous Risk Management, 2009
 Social Development Research Capacity Building (SDRC) training, Leadership Development (LEAD)training,
Future Search for NGOs, Advanced Reflective Training on upscaling Microfinance (ART), Micro insurance
and Development Management Appreciation Programme (DMAP) for the NGO staff, academicians,
researchers and government agencies, Attended/Designed/Conducted these trainings, TataDhan Academy
Madurai.
 Community Health Promotion, CAWST Canada, Attended/Designed/Conducted, 2009
 Project Planning, CAWST Canada, Attended/Designed/Conducted, 2009
 Development Management Program, Tata-DHAN Academy Madurai, Attended/Designed/Conducted, 2009
 Linkage Building Workshop, JSYS Bangalore, Attended, 2006
 PRA, DHAN Foundation, JSYS Bangalore, Attended/Designed/Conducted, 2002 – 2007
 Technical Training on Tank based Watersheds, DHAN Foundation, Attended/Designed/Conducted, 2002 –
2007
 EDP, DHAN Foundation, Attended/Designed/Conducted, 2006
 Team Building, BIRD K, Attended, 2006
 Vision Building, DHAN Foundation, Attended/Designed/Conducted, 2003
 Training of Trainers, Srijan/DHAN Foundation, Attended/Conducted, 2003
 Institution Building, DHAN Foundation, Attended/Designed/Conducted, 2002
 Poverty Workshop, DHAN Foundation, Attended, 2002
 Process Documentation, Srijan, Attended, 2002
Publications
Articles
 Empirical research paper on Sanitation Inclusion
 Beyond Sanitation
 Contract farming: boon or bane to the Indian economy?
 Broad-basing leaders for better cause
 Seed village – Why is it advantageous to farmers?
 Importance of regional language in India
 Lead paper on Indigenous system of risk management
 Lead paper on Research for Development
 Beyond tank renovation
 Turfing on tank bunds
 Community based tank renovation & management
 Food for thought – Rural transformation using community institutions
Case Studies
 A series of caselets on water & sanitation
 Brick kiln as an income generating activity (IGA)
 Conflict resolution through tank renovation program
 People institution for sustainability
 Booklets

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 IEC booklet on water & sanitation
 Conflict resolution strategies for rural development
 Communication Matters
 Inception document for community development at Pravagada block of Tumkur District Karnataka State.
Research Studies & Project Proposals
Research Studies
 Impact study on water & sanitation program
 A study on knowledge & adoption of indigenous practices among sericulture farmers of Kolar & Ramanagara
districts of Karnataka.
 A study on suitability of Raitha Samparka Kendras (RSK) in delivering agricultural services to farmers in
Tumkur & Bangalore Rural districts of Karnataka
 A study on indigenous system of risk management in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu
Proposals
 Water & sanitation benefits to deprived families through credit – submitter to Water.org USA
 Urban Sanitation – submitted to MSDF New Delhi
 Sanitation Park cum Training Centre – submitted to World Toilet Organization (WTO) Singapore
 Sanitation Inclusion – submitted to CKGB Tumkur
 Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) Control – submitted to Shell Foundation USA
 Micro pension for the poor – submitted to ILO UK, 2009
 Micro insurance for the poor – submitted to UNDP, 2009
 Gender & agriculture development – submitted to UAS Bangalore, 2007
Conferences & Conventions
 19 national & 7 international events on various topics – Microfinance, Micro insurance, Micro pension,
Water, Sanitation, Livelihood development and Rural & urban development organized by national &
international institutions like FWWB, WASTE Netherlands, Water.org, Shell Foundation, INAFI India, GTZ,
BRS, JSYS, DHAN Foundation and UAS Bangalore
Personal Information
 Date of Birth: 31st December 1977
 Languages: English, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu & Tamil
 Nationality & Passport: Indian
 Address: 1st Floor Above Branch Moon Public School, Air Force Road, Near Petrol Bunk, Shiva Nagar South,
Bidar, 585401
 Software: Moodle Open-source Learning Platform, MS Office – Word, Excel, PowerPoint
 Preferred Job Locations: Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad
 References: Available on request.
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