Avinash has served in different leadership positions in the social development sector for last 20 years. He has designed and managed programs on sustainable rural livelihoods; agriculture with a focus on agro-ecology and nutrition sensitive agriculture; maternal, Infant and adolescent health and overall nutrition programming; clean energy; enterprise development and market access. He has led programs in India as well as several other countries in South and South East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Avinash has sound understanding in the integration of Information and Communication Technology solutions in the development field. He has significantly contributed in designing and implementing programmes in community video, radio, Interactive Voice Response solutions and various other messaging and application platforms. He has familiarity with application of participatory methodologies along with technology in development practice.

Avinash has a master’s degree with specialization in Information Technology and Marketing and a Bachelors in Sociology. Prior to joining JSI as Project Director-Advancing Nutrition, he served various organizations like Digital Green as its Director of Programmes for India and South Asia and Mlinda Charitable Trust as its country head in India. He has led SPRING and Digital Green collaboration on ‘human-mediated digital learning approach’ for promotion of key maternal, infant, young child and hygiene related behaviors for two and half years in multiple countries in Francophone Sahel, West Africa and a year in Odisha, India. Some of the other projects he has actively contributed in agriculture and nutrition space are UPAVAN RCT trial in India, KISAN II in Nepal and USAID DLEC (Developing Local Extension Capacity) in multiple countries in South Asia.