Mr. C Pal Singh has been president of CWD since 2006.A post-graduate in English Literature, Mr. C Pal Singh rose to the rank of Inspector General in the Indian Police Service. In his long and illustrious career, he has fought terrorism in Punjab, West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, and in the Northeast. He also helped set up India’s first Rapid Action Force, to combat terrorism.
Mr. Pal Singh headed the Internal Security Academy constituted by the Government of India.
Mr. Singh has been honoured with the President’s Police Medal, Indian Police Medal, Police Special Duty Medal (with bar), and the Sena Medal for distinguished service to the Nation. He is widely acknowledged to be a ‘security expert’ and his views are much sought after by the media, the security industry, and many academic institutions. Since retirement, Mr. Singh has devoted his time to various social causes and philanthropic activities.
Mr. Tarun Kumar Kapoor (IRS Retd.) is a former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax with a distinguished career spanning 28 years in public policy and governance. As a civil servant, he specialized in the financial analysis of corporates, non-corporates, NGOs, and trusts; impact assessment of tax policies; and the socio-economic implications of taxation. His expertise also extends to sectoral tax implications and procedural nuances of taxation.
In addition, Mr. Kapoor has extensive experience in transparency, governance, and disclosure matters under the Right to Information Act, 2005. He has served as Joint Secretary and Additional Registrar at the Central Information Commission.
A passionate reader and prolific writer, he has contributed op-eds to leading newspapers on historical, political, and social issues.
An alumnus of Hindu College, Delhi University, and Modern School, Mr. Kapoor has an outstanding academic record. He holds an M.Phil. in the Global Impact of Information Technology and a Master’s degree (First Class First) in Politics and Public Administration from Delhi University.
Rakesh Khanna is a post-graduate in Social Work from the Delhi School of Social Work, Delhi University. He has been a Board Member with Children of the World Delhi since its inception in 1991.
He has over 30 years’ advertising experience as copywriter, creative director, brand manager, and All India Management Association (AIMA) accredited faculty.
He has worked in ad agencies like Lowe (Lintas), Contract and The Edge. He has worked as a Marketing & Communications Adviser for the launch of BML Munjal University – a Hero Group initiative.
Besides running his own creative consultancy, he has taught advertising at the Symbiosis School of Media & Communication, Bengaluru; Symbiosis Centre for Management Studies, Noida; Institute of Apparel Management, Gurgaon; IILM, Gurgaon; The Design Village, Noida; Pearl Academy, Delhi; Pioneer Media School, Delhi and NIA, Delhi as Visiting Faculty.
Rakesh Khanna is a post-graduate in Social Work from the Delhi School of Social Work, Delhi University. He has been a Board Member with Children of the World Delhi since its inception in 1991.
He has over 30 years’ advertising experience as copywriter, creative director, brand manager, and All India Management Association (AIMA) accredited faculty.
He has worked in ad agencies like Lowe (Lintas), Contract and The Edge. He has worked as a Marketing & Communications Adviser for the launch of BML Munjal University – a Hero Group initiative.
Besides running his own creative consultancy, he has taught advertising at the Symbiosis School of Media & Communication, Bengaluru; Symbiosis Centre for Management Studies, Noida; Institute of Apparel Management, Gurgaon; IILM, Gurgaon; The Design Village, Noida; Pearl Academy, Delhi; Pioneer Media School, Delhi and NIA, Delhi as Visiting Faculty.
Mr. Sanjay Rawat has a B.Sc. degree from Delhi University, and post-graduate diploma in Leather Garment Design & Technology from NIFT, Delhi. He has over 24 years’ experience, having worked in pivotal positions in the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Civil Aviation, and Ministry of Development for North East Region, Government of India. His domain expertise is policy implementation, human resource management, and infrastructure development.
Sanjay was nominated for an Airport Design course at IATA, Rome. He was also nominated for mid-a career programme to visit Telangana state, gaining insights into the implementation of government schemes at the local level and interacting extensively with members of Self-Help Groups (SHGs).
Ms. Francesca Barolo is an accomplished professional in the development sector with a career spanning over 25 years, transitioning seamlessly from academic research (Center for Gender Studies, University of Turin) to impactful roles with national and international NGOs (Population Foundation of India, International Planned Parenthood Federation, MAMTA, Vishakha), and the United Nations (UNESCO and International Finance Corporation). With a strong academic foundation in International Relations from the University of Turin and two Master’s degrees— one in Peacekeeping (University of Turin), and another in Sociology (Delhi School of Economics) —Francesca has dedicated her career to advancing human rights and sexual and reproductive health. Her expertise lies in advocacy, project management, operations, and fundraising.
Having moved to India over 20 years ago as a student, Francesca has fully embraced the country as her home. She built a life and family with her husband, Simran, an Arjuna Award- winning polo player. Together, they are proud parents to two children: Veer, their 9-year-old biological son, and Nimrit, their 3-year-old daughter, whom they joyfully adopted in March 2024. Francesca’s personal and professional journey reflects her commitment to making a meaningful impact while celebrating the richness of family and cultural integration.
Dr. Nidhi Kataria is a passionate and dedicated social work professional with over more than a decade of experience in child welfare, adoption and surrogacy. With an M.Phil and Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Delhi, her academic and professional journey reflects a deep commitment to ethical policy development, research, and field interventions for vulnerable children. She has served at the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India where she played a key role in coordinating the adoption program in India, shaping national adoption policies, handling legal cases, and conducting training programmes. Her research has been widely recognized, with publications on child adoption and surrogacy in reputed journals. Nidhi brings together extensive field experience, legal expertise, and a strong academic foundation to advocate for child rights and family welfare.