Abhinaya Shankar

Dynamic CSR and social impact professional with 3+ years of experience bridging corporate philanthropy and grassroots change. Proven track record in designing and executing CSR programmes, mobilizing corporate partnerships, and driving measurable outcomes aligned with SDGs. Recognized leader in global youth forums with deep expertise in stakeholder engagement, fundraising, and community development across education, sustainability, and livelihood sectors.

Sr. Associate - Partnerships & Corporate Relations - United Way of Chennai NGO - Chennai

(2024-04)

• Building and Managing Relationships: Establishing and nurturing relationships with corporate partners, government bodies, and other non-profit organizations to support various social initiatives.
• Fundraising - Developing strategies to secure funding from corporate partners, grants, and other sources to support United Way's programs and projects.
• Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives: Assisting corporate partners in designing and executing their CSR initiatives, aligning them with United Way's projects to maximize impact.
• Monitoring & Evaluation through Due diligence, Conduct Volunteering Events where engage employees and Awareness on various social issues.

Ambassador - One Young World, UK (United Way Worldwide) - UK

(2025-11)

• Selected as a One Young World Ambassador 2025 representing India, a global forum convening 2,000 youth leaders from 190+ countries.
• Invited panel speaker on 'Unlocking Brighter Futures with United Way: Expanding Access to Education for Every Child', sharing insights on educational equity for underserved communities.

Curator - Global Shapers Community, Chennai Hub (World Economic Forum) - Chennai

(2026-07 - 2027-06)

Lead Hub governance, distributed leadership, member engagement, and safe-space initiatives in alignment with the Global Shapers Charter and WEF Official Guides.

• Oversee recruitment, elections, annual review processes, and curatorship transitions to ensure transparent leadership continuity.
• Spearhead the Paper Bag Project & Envision Envelope — engaging marginalised communities in producing eco-friendly paper bags, reducing plastic dependency.
• Organised Thrift Drive workshops and mobilised resources to raise environmental conservation awareness and promote the circular economy.
• Directed inter-Hub partnerships, Forum Spaces administration, membership tracking, and communications; represented the Hub at the Global Shapers Annual Summit.
• Collaborated with regional Community Champions to execute and report high-impact community development projects.

Project Lead - Sustainability - Global Shapers Community, Chennai Hub (World Economic Forum) - Chennai

(2024-04 - 2026-06)

Programme Associate – School Transformation Programme - BHUMI NGO - Chennai

(2023-01 - 2024-03)

• Led the implementation and evaluation of a Holistic School Education Programme, using data-driven assessments to monitor student progress across multiple schools.
• Coordinated with the Tamil Nadu Education Department to organise a State-Level Quiz Competition engaging 17,000 government schools, sending 150 students on a study tour to Europe.
• Delivered career counselling and exam readiness interventions supporting students' academic and personal development.
• Managed end-to-end scholarship programme — from eligibility identification to handover — alongside STEM Fest inter-school competitions and impact assessments.
• Supported planning, promotion, and execution of 3 major industry summits and conferences (Autoserve Aftermarket 2022, Automotive Electrical & Electronics Summit 2022, 5th Edition of Energizing South).
• Liaised with delegates, speakers, and corporate sponsors, managing multi-tier sponsorship outreach and stakeholder communications.
• Built relationships with leading sector companies to generate business opportunities and manage event budgets.

Intern – Major Events Executive - Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) - Chennai

(2022-11 - 2023-01)

• Supported planning, promotion, and execution of 3 major industry summits and conferences (Autoserve Aftermarket 2022, Automotive Electrical & Electronics Summit 2022, 5th Edition of Energizing South).
• Liaised with delegates, speakers, and corporate sponsors, managing multi-tier sponsorship outreach and stakeholder communications.
• Built relationships with leading sector companies to generate business opportunities and manage event budgets.
• Coordinated with volunteers, conducted telephone interviews, and reached out to colleges and schools to improve volunteerism for the STEM programme.
• Led volunteer and teacher training; collaborated with corporates, colleges, and schools to identify and execute STEM volunteering opportunities.

Intern – Project Management - BHUMI NGO - Chennai

(2022-08 - 2022-09)

• Coordinated with volunteers, conducted telephone interviews, and reached out to colleges and schools to improve volunteerism for the STEM programme.
• Led volunteer and teacher training; collaborated with corporates, colleges, and schools to identify and execute STEM volunteering opportunities.

Masters - Sociology - University of Madras (2019-06 - 2021-04)

Bachelor's - Sociology - Stella Maris College (2015-06 - 2018-04)