Shailendra Patel | Trustee

Appointment date: March 2020

Shailendra is the Founder and Chairperson (Trustee) of Sophia Akash Foundation (SAF). Shailendra elected to step away from a successful 30 year professional career in 2010 in order to help facilitate the nurturing and development of sustainable Social Enterprises capable of empowering poor and unserved communities to progress sustainably out of poverty. With the benefit of important business development learnings across technology, financial services and investment banking, including the co-founding and international rollout of Saxo Bank, a global leader in online investment banking, Shailendra has sought to bring his and his network’s cumulative business acumen, extensive knowledge and experience of building sustainable business operating models, very often with built-in replicability, to the benefit of Social Enterprises and NGOs.

Since his establishment of Sophia Foundation in 2010, and more recently SAF, Shailendra has helped oversee the provision of appropriate guidance and assistance to over 60 such Social Enterprises who in turn have helped improve the lives of over 4m households across India, South-East Asia and Africa. Shailendra also contributes through his participation across a number of Advisory Boards and provides coaching and mentoring to a growing number of bright, passionate social entrepreneurs.

“It is with great pride and pleasure that I am able to continue lending further guidance and assistance to Shivia’s efforts in my capacity as Trustee.  Shivia has developed an outstanding programme of livelihood enhancement for poor and unserved village communities, which is helping to empower the women members of their households through the introduction of sustainable farming and important income generating practices. Shivia’s efforts have already benefitted thousands of women and our collective aspiration is to promote such life changing empowerment to thousands more.”