Dr. Bharat Kakade is a sustainable development professional with a Ph.D. from IIT Bombay and Fellow of the LEAD International. He is President and Managing Trustee of BAIF, the organisation engaged for six decades in sustainable rural livelihoods and climate action across 18 states, impacting over four million rural families annually. He has served on several national and international committees and boards, including NITI Aayog, MoEFCC, and CGIAR-led initiatives, and has authored nearly 30 publications on sustainability and rural development.