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Ravi Venkatesan, former chairman of Microsoft India, has been appointed to the Board of Trustees of The Rockefeller Foundation, a New York-based philanthropic organisation.
Venkatesan, who is currently the founder and chairman of Social Venture Partners India, a network of philanthropists addressing social problems and a venture partner at Unitus Seed Fund was appointed yesterday for his commitment to philanthropy and innovation.
"Ravi, with his commitment to philanthropy along with his eye for solutions and relentless drive for innovation, will provide essential guidance to our work in the years ahead," said Dr Judith Rodin, President of the foundation.
Board Chair David Rockefeller, Jr. Said, "His experience will be invaluable in advancing the Foundation's commitment to scaling innovations that expand opportunity, realise shared prosperity, and create jobs for more people globally."
Expressing delight over his appointment, Venkatesan said, "I am thrilled and honoured to be joining The Rockefeller Foundation Board of Trustees."
As the chairman of Microsoft India between 2004 and 2011, he helped build India into Microsoft's second-largest presence in the world and one of its fastest growing markets.
He also played an instrumental role in creating Microsoft India's Project Shiksha, a computer literacy program which has so far trained over 40 million school children in India.
Before joining Microsoft, Venkatesan was the Chairman of Cummins India and has authored an acclaimed book "Conquering the Chaos: Win in India, Win Everywhere," published by Harvard Business Review.
