Kailash Bhatt is the Chief Learning Officer at Karmayogi Bharat, with over 16 years of experience across the EdTech and learning ecosystem. He works at the intersection of learning strategy, digital transformation, and capacity building, with a strong focus on building scalable, future-ready learning systems. He believes learning is a…
Read moreImpact Accelerated: Data and AI Capacity Building Showcase
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
12:00PM – 2:30pm IST
The Claridges, Viceroy Hall12, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Rd, Tees January Road Area,
Motilal Nehru Marg AreaNew Delhi, Delhi 110011, India
About the Event
Join data.org with special guests from the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, for a data and AI capacity-building showcase. This in-person gathering will convene global leaders, practitioners, and partners from data.org’s capacity building initiatives, including the Capacity Accelerator Network (CAN), to highlight how data and AI skilling is improving the lives of millions. Through spotlight presentations, panel discussions, and student presentations, this event will explore practical approaches and innovative solutions accelerating the field of data and AI for social impact—and the people making that progress possible.
Speakers
Partha Pratim Das, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Computer Science and Director, Center for Data Science and Analytics
Ashoka University
Dr. Partha Pratim Das is a Visiting Professor at the Department of Computer Science and the Director of the Center of Data Science and Analytics at Ashoka University.
Read moreGaurav Godhwani is co-founder and executive director of CivicDataLab – a research lab harnessing data & responsible AI innovations to enable millions of changemakers and enhance civic engagements in India & other countries, especially in the Asia-Pacific. Over the years, he has been instrumental in shaping data initiatives like DataKind…
Read moreChief Strategy Officer Perry Hewitt joined data.org in 2020 with deep experience in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. She oversees the global data.org brand and how it connects to partners and funders around the world.
Read morePritika Hingorani is CEO (India) at Artha Global. She also leads Artha’s work on cities and sustainability.
Read morePriyank Hirani is the Director of Capacity Building at data.org, where he strategizes and implements initiatives to democratize data skills and enable social impact organizations to be data-driven
Read moreSuhani Jalota is the Founder and CEO of Myna Mahila Foundation, an organization working on women’s health and employment in slum communities in India for the last six years that has a reach of 1 million+ women.
Read moreAmrita Kapoor is the CEO of Swadhaar FinAccess. With 25+ years of experience in industry and academia, she brings expertise in strategy, training, innovation, and women’s empowerment.
Read moreVarun Kashyap is Co-founder of Humble Bee, an Indian government–recognized climate-tech social enterprise building a scientific, AI-enabled beekeeping ecosystem to empower 1 million smallholder, marginal, and tribal farmers, especially women, by 2030.
Read moreZeel is a product strategist and technologist with an MSc in Machine Learning & AI, specializing in building scalable solutions across enterprise technology, B2B SaaS, and social impact.
Read moreYash Rawal is a Consultant – Data and Product at SEEDS.
Read moreFor more than 20 years, Shamina Singh has been on the frontlines of developing and implementing solutions to make the global economy work for everyone, everywhere. Shamina is the Founder & President of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, the philanthropic hub of Mastercard. She also serves as Executive Vice President of Corporate Sustainability.
Read moreShivam Shukla is the Lead for Programs and Capacity Building at data.org, where he partners with the Director of Capacity Building to shape and deliver global initiatives aimed at cultivating 1 million purpose-driven data and AI practitioners by 2032.
Read moreAnuja Venkatachalam is a Data Capacity Accelerator Network Fellow working with Khushi Baby.
Read moreCormekki Whitley is the Chief Operating Officer at data.org. As a member of the Executive team, Cormekki provides high-level fiscal oversight, oversees contract administration, and streamlines both in-house personnel and resource systems.
Read moreAgenda
| Arrival, Registration & Lunch 12:00pm – 12:30pm | |
| Opening Remarks 12:30pm – 12:35pm | Cormekki Whitley, Interim President and CEO at data.org |
| The Capacity Accelerator Network: Powering a Global Workforce 12:35pm – 12:40pm | Priyank Hirani, Director of Capacity Building at data.org |
| Training for Impact: Lessons from Ashoka University 12:40pm – 12:45pm | Dr. Partha Pratim Das, Professor, Department of Computer Science and Director, Center for Data Science and Analytics at Ashoka University |
| Skilling at Scale Through Government Partnerships 12:45pm – 12:50pm | Kailash Bhatt, Chief Learning Officer at Karmayogi Bharat |
| From Training to Transformation: Building Capacity in India 12:50pm – 1:10pm | – Priyank Hirani, Director of Capacity Building at data.org (moderator) – Gaurav Godhwani, Co-founder and Executive Director, at CivicDataLab – Pritika Hingorani, Chief Executive Officer at Artha Global – Yash Rawal, India CAN Fellow at SEEDS – Anuja Venkatachalam, India CAN Fellow, Khushi Baby |
| Experiential Learning and Community 1:10pm – 1:15pm | Shivam Shukla, Lead, Programs and Capacity Building at data.org |
| Break & Student Showcase 1:15pm – 1:35pm | 20-minute break for coffee, networking, and student presentation gallery. |
| Innovation Challenges: Scaling Skills and Impact 1:35pm – 1:45pm | – Varun Kashyap, Chief Strategy Officer at Buzzworthy Ventures – Zeel Mehta, Product Lead (Myna Bolo) at Myna Mahila Foundation – Perry Hewitt, Chief Strategy Officer at data.org |
| Tools for Transformation: data.org’s DMA and Finverse 1:45pm – 1:55pm | – Cormekki Whitley, Interim President and CEO at data.org – Amrita Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer at Swadhaar FinAccess |
| Closing Remarks 1:55pm – 2:00pm | Shamina Singh, Founder and President of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth |
More information
Contact us if you have any questions about this event.