Mumbai, June 4th, 2025 – Kotak Education Foundation (KEF), the primary implementing agency for the CSR initiatives of Kotak Mahindra Group in Education is proud to announce the appointment of Ms. Kavita Sanghvi as its new Director of Education, bringing with her a distinguished legacy in educational leadership, innovation, and advocacy for STEM and sustainability in education.
A National Awardee (2022), Ms. Sanghvi brings decades of experience to Kotak Education Foundation, having most recently served as the Principal of SVKM’s CNM School, Mumbai. Her academic credentials include a Master’s in Physics, Education, and Philosophy of Education, along with a Certificate in Advanced Educational Leadership from Harvard University. Her career reflects a lifelong commitment to academic excellence, progressive pedagogy, and inclusive education.
Ms. Sanghvi has been recognized globally for her contributions to education, including the prestigious Derozio Award (2024) from the CISCE Council and induction into the National Mission for Mentoring by the Ministry of Education (2023). She has also been a Teach SDG’s Ambassador, Climate Action Ambassador, Scientix Ambassador for India, and a Global Teacher Accreditation recipient by the British Council.
In her new role at KEF, Ms. Sanghvi will spearhead strategic educational programs, curriculum development, teacher training, and innovations aimed at empowering under-resourced communities through quality education. Her groundbreaking work—such as the Global Outlook STEAM curriculum and the internationally accessed Build Your STEM Competency course—demonstrates her ability to drive systemic educational change.
Dr. Ganesh Raja, CEO of Kotak Education Foundation said “We are delighted to welcome Ms. Kavita Sanghvi to the Kotak Education Foundation family. Her exemplary track record and deep-rooted passion for education will be instrumental in advancing our mission to foster equity and excellence in learning. With her leadership, we aim to accelerate impactful change in the communities we serve and redefine what’s possible in education.”
Commenting on her appointment, Ms. Sanghvi said, “I am deeply honored to join Kotak Education Foundation, whose mission aligns with my lifelong vision of making education equitable, empowering, and future-ready. I look forward to working with passionate educators and leaders to create transformative learning opportunities for every child.”
Kotak Education Foundation welcomes Ms. Sanghvi’s visionary leadership and is confident that her presence will significantly amplify the foundation’s impact in shaping inclusive and sustainable education pathways.
Kotak Education Foundation
It has been a rewarding seventeen years since we embarked on our mission to equip children and youth from underserved communities with education and 21st-century skills, galvanising them towards a better future. Our ‘Inch Wide Mile Deep’ approach, home-grown projects focussed on quality education for the low-income segment have been instrumental in shaping the success of our projects across India. KEF’s approach is primarily three-pronged –
- Holistic interventions with children and educators in school,
- Equitable scholarships for higher studies, and
- Vocational education and skills training for livelihood.
Strengthening school leadership and teacher capacity building, upskilling primary schoolteachers to provide Foundational Literacy & Numeracy skills, creating a digital ecosystem and a safe, positive learning environment, equipping middle and secondary school students with confidence and Communicative English and Future Readiness skills, supporting disAtricts in running Model Schools – these are key interventions run by KEF in Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Andra Pradesh. Integrally, the aim is to build systemic capacity of educators and scalability of student learning outcomes in collaboration with the government and key stakeholders.
KEF launched Kotak Kanya Scholarship, PAN-India, in 2021 to offer financial and academic support to meritorious girl students for the pursuit of higher education at premier institutes. Kotak Junior Scholarship, a leading scholarship in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, supports meritorious students in pursuing 11th and 12th Standards. Kotak Graduate Scholarship helps high achievers in Class 12 pursue professional courses and supports them until graduation. These and other groundbreaking scholarships provide timely aid and play a crucial role in making education accessible to students who are talented but financially constrained.
KEF’s Vocational Education & Livelihood Project upskills unemployed youth from economically weaker sections of society and coaches them in domain know-how, IT basics and spoken English, life skills and personality development. It ensures placements for all eligible participants so they can stride with confidence into any professional sphere.
KEF is now at the cusp of change as it prepares for the next chapter in its journey toward empowering children and youth with quality education and livelihood skills. Armed with vast experience and expertise, the organisation aims to scale the depth and breadth of its reach. KEF’s philosophy is evolving from ‘school as a unit’ to working toward district/state-level education transformation. As KEF expands its ambit, it will help drive systemic reform and state education transformation to create long-term Impact at Scale.
