The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced the appointment of Archna Vyas as its new Country Director for India, marking a significant leadership transition for one of the world’s most influential philanthropic organisations. Vyas will succeed Hari Menon, who has led the Gates Foundation’s India Country Office since 2019 and will move into a global leadership role from January 2026. This appointment comes at a pivotal moment, as India accelerates its development agenda under the government’s long-term vision of Viksit Bharat @2047, aiming for inclusive, sustainable, and equitable growth.
Archna Vyas currently oversees advocacy and communications for two critical divisions of the Gates Foundation Global Growth & Opportunity and Gender Equality. In this role, she has been instrumental in advancing the foundation’s work across diverse sectors including financial inclusion, agricultural productivity, urban sanitation, nutrition, global education, women’s economic empowerment, and women in leadership. Her work has consistently focused on strengthening the connection between evidence, policy, and public engagement ensuring that development interventions are not only effective but also widely understood and adopted by communities and institutions.
Since joining the Gates Foundation in 2014, Archna has held multiple leadership roles within the India Country Office, working closely with central and state governments, nonprofits, community organisations, academic institutions, and the private sector. Her ability to operate at the intersection of policy, research, and communications has helped shape some of India’s most forward-looking development initiatives. One of her most notable contributions was her role in the creation of the Behavioural Insights Unit within NITI Aayog, India’s premier policy think tank. Developed in collaboration with Ashoka University’s Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, the initiative marked a major step in embedding behavioural science into public policy design and implementation an approach now increasingly used in health, sanitation, nutrition, and social protection programmes.
Before entering the development sector, Archna Vyas spent nearly a decade at Reckitt, leading media relations, communications, and digital marketing across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Working with a portfolio of over 30 health, hygiene, and home brands, she gained deep experience in large-scale behaviour change campaigns skills that later proved invaluable in public health and social development contexts. Her earlier career in the advertising industry, where she held senior leadership positions and supported the launch and growth of major consumer goods brands in India, further strengthened her expertise in strategic storytelling, audience engagement, and brand building.
Archna’s academic background reflects a rare blend of science, management, and communications. She holds a master’s degree in physics from the University of Delhi, a diploma in public relations and mass communications from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, and a postgraduate diploma in business administration from the Institute of Management Technology (IMT). She has also pursued advanced studies in behavioural insights in policy decisions at the Harvard Kennedy School. Her global standing is underscored by her role on the World Health Organization’s Technical Advisory Group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health, as well as her position on the governing body of the South Asia Learning Collaborative, an initiative hosted by Georgetown University’s Institute for Reproductive Health that focuses on influencing social norms across the region.
As Country Director for India, Archna Vyas will lead the foundation’s work in close partnership with governments, philanthropists, civil society organisations, academia, and the private sector. Her mandate will focus on advancing the Gates Foundation’s priorities in alignment with India’s national development goals, particularly those linked to health, gender equality, economic opportunity, and human capital development. With India playing an increasingly central role in global development outcomes, her leadership is expected to strengthen evidence-based policymaking, foster innovation, and scale solutions that can have both national and global impact.
Archna Vyas’s appointment signals continuity as well as renewed momentum for the Gates Foundation in India bringing together deep local understanding, global perspective, and a strong commitment to inclusive growth as the country moves toward 2047.
Clear Cut Awards & Events Desk
New Delhi, UPDATED: Dec 16, 2025 03:40 IST
Written By: Ayushman Meena
