Shrashtant Patara has been with the Development Alternatives Group since 1988, providing research expertise, management capability and strategic direction to teams working in the areas of Entrepreneurship Support Systems, Habitat, Renewable Energy and Waste-to-Wealth initiatives.

His current work is focussed on systems change, social innovation and entrepreneurship, resulting in the co-creation of multi-stakeholder based service delivery models that promote sustainability through local economic development, regeneration of the environment and greater social equity.

Over the last decade, Patara has been responsible for the management of initiatives aimed at creating triple bottom line benefits in rural areas of India, the most recent among these being the “la Caixa” Foundation and SBI Foundation supported, “Work4Progress” initiative, HSBC supported “Entrepreneurship for Empowerment” and “Energy Transitions for Economic Empowerment” program and Rockefeller Foundation supported “Smart Power for Rural Development” program.

Patara is a Fellow of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Global Program on Social Innovation, has been a member of the Indo-German Expert Group on Green and Inclusive Economy, a jury member for the international SEED Awards for Entrepreneurship in Sustainable Development and has completed a program on Leadership for System Change conducted by Harvard Kennedy School in conjunction with the Schwab Foundation.

He has been instrumental in the establishment of several social businesses within the DA Group and currently leads the Indian Micro Enterprises Development Foundation, a platform to deliver enterprise support services at scale and “TARAurja” - a renewable energy based micro-utility business.

Patara, or “Pat” as friends and colleagues call him, is an architect by training from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi and is currently pursuing an M.Phil. in Inclusive Innovation at the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town.