Lt. Gen. S.M. Mehta, AVSM, SM, VSM and Bar to VSM has had a distinguished and checkered career spanning four decades in the army. A highly decorated soldier, he is known for his leadership qualities. A thinker and an eminent Engineer, he transitioned successfully to the social sector after his retirement in 2014. As CEO of The Hans Foundation, he led its operations with great vision and contributed to its phenomenal growth over the next seven years. With a PAN India approach, the General Officer funded and oversaw the operations of more than 200 NGOs partners covering 28 states in the core areas of education, health and disability. Under his visionary leadership, many MOUs were signed with state and central governments to expand the reach of The Hans Foundation to more than a million under privileged. The focus was to serve the remote rural areas and slums in India. He personally led The Hans Foundation Signature Programmes, the biggest Cochlear Implant and Little Hearts which transformed the lives of thousands of children.

He took over as CEO of The Banyan and Banyan Academy of Leadership for Mental Health (BALM) in 2021. For the next two years, the General Officer actively guided the expansion programme in seven new states as well as in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh before joining its Board as a member. He now heads Asian Townsville Farms Private Limited as a Chairman and is an active member of its newly formed VDFG KartikTrust.

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