An engineer by education, marketing man by profession and policy activist by passion, Akhilesh has worn many hats in his career. Born in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh grew up in Prayagraj (then Allahabad) where he spent his schooling years.

After obtaining a B.Tech degree from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Dhanbad, Akhilesh worked in many multinational companies in various sales and marketing roles. The decade long professional experience from the management trainee level to senior management positions has given Akhilesh a unique perspective in marketing and brand communication.

A keen observer of policy and political space, and the interplay between the two, Akhilesh has been active in the opinion writing space on his own blog and on various online and digital platforms for over a decade now. Akhilesh is also an active voice on various social media platforms, on both policy and political issues.

Towards the end of 2012, Akhilesh gave up his professional career to volunteer full time for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi 2014 election campaign. In February 2015, Akhilesh joined MyGov, Government of India’s online citizen engagement platform, as its first Director (Content) and set up the platform. He conceptualized and led many of the initiatives of MyGov as it established itself as the principal interface between the government and citizens. During this period, MyGov established many benchmarks, including conducting the largest ever citizen consultation process during the Smart Cities Challenge and for Panchayat level consultation for framing NEP, and conceiving and organizing the first ever town hall with Prime Minister of India.

Akhilesh is the founding CEO of BlueKraft Digital Foundation.

Akhilesh writes regular OpEds in national and international newspapers such as The Indian Express, Gulf News, News18, and a host of other well known platforms.

X: @amishra77