Leadership

The founders of Active India Foundation are pioneers in the field of international CSR projects and independent non-government programs. Working with leading global organisations, our core members have conducted hundreds of trans-national projects in over 25 countries as the CSR movement spread across the world since the late 90's. This collective global experience has been harnessed to create a focussed and professionally structured non-profit organisation to pursue social objectives.

Major General (Retd) Mahendra Kumar Saxena AVSM

Founder and Settler of the Trust

Major General Mahendra Kumar Saxena is a disabled war veteran of the Indian Army. He was wounded in action during the 1962 Indo-China War. As a young Captain of the Sikh Light Infantry, he was part of battle action at Se'La in North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA), the region now known as Arunachal Pradesh. He lost all his toes and the use of both feet due to intense frost bite in the inhospitable high altitude region. Permanently disabled at the young age of 25 years, he tirelessly rebuilt his career in the Army as a technical specialist in Armaments and Quality Assurance.

In over three decades of military service, Major General Saxena headed several high security organisations under the Ministry of Defence and established himself as an authority in the highly specialized field of Armaments and Defence Quality Assurance. Major General Saxena retired from the Indian Army in July 1994 after 36 years of service. In January 1995, the President of India awarded the nation's second highest service medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal to Major General MK Saxena in honour of his distinguished service of the highest order.

After retirement from the Indian Army, despite his war injuries and disability, Major General Saxena led many philanthropic initiatives to help rural communities through benevolent social programs. To give a formal structure to his philanthropic works, Major General Saxena, acting as the Settler, founded the Active India Foundation as a public charitable trust in March 2007.

Mr Pradeep Lakhani CA

Founder Trustee

Mr Pradeep Lakhani is a highly accomplished Chartered Accountant, who has excelled in his professional practice for over 20 years. A graduate of MDU Rohtak (1986), Mr Lakhani leads an established professional firm based at Gurgaon, India and has been engaged with many of India's largest business groups, leading government organisations and NGOs, practicing his expertise in Financial Management, Taxation, Revenue Assessment, Regulatory Compliance and Accounting Practices.

Mr Lakhani is a specialist in financial and economic aspects of infrastructure projects and international funding norms, including economic assessments, financial viability and sustainability. He has worked on numerous large scale infrastructure projects all across India involving Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) contracts. He is deeply conversant with international funding norms and has worked on internationally funded projects of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Mr Pradeep Lakhani is widely respected by his peers and associates for his professionalism and integrity; and equally so for his spiritual knowledge, philanthropic work and compassionate outlook towards social issues. He has been associated with several philanthropic and humanitarian organisations from time to time. As a founder Trustee of Active India Foundation, Mr Pradeep Lakhani has brought great strength and resolve to the organisation with his professional commitment and enlightened compassionate approach to social issues.

Mr Sharad Saxena

Founder Trustee

Mr Sharad Saxena, a former Naval Officer, is a leading professional in the field of international Quality Assurance (QA) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Mr Saxena is a graduate of the National Defence Academy (1990). He is a qualified international Auditor for ISO 9000 Standards and for the ISM Code for Maritime Security. In 1991, as a young officer in the Indian Navy, he was awarded the Sword of Honour for being adjudged the Best Officer of his course. Subsequently in 1996, he was awarded the Chief of the Naval Staff's Commendation Medal for overall professional excellence.

Mr Sharad Saxena joined the corporate world in 1997 and has since worked with top international clients and business groups, directly supervising management projects in over 20 countries, across diverse industries like Textiles, Ready Made Garments, Food processing, Leather, Ceramics, Pharmaceuticals, Metal-ware and Sports-goods etc. He has successfully combined his military training and corporate experience to emerge as a business professional of impeccable credentials.

In addition to being a keen sportsman, Mr Sharad Saxena is also a professional MC, public speaker and a live-commentator, specialising in Polo, Equestrian sports, Military and State Functions. He has commentated at and anchored over 400 international and national events of the highest repute, including the Swearing-In Ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the new Council of Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhavan, India (May 2014).

Mr Sharad Saxena, as Managing Trustee, brings the highest level of commitment to the Foundation. As a former Naval Officer, he affirms integrity, professionalism and honourable conduct as the core values of the organisation.

Go Top