Archana is Lead, Strategic Communications at the IDFC Institute. She began her career in advertising as a Copywriter at Rediffusion DY&R and subsequently moved to the development sector where she handled communication portfolios across themes of health, disaster risk reduction and biodiversity conservation. She has worked on national and regional campaigns to enhance awareness levels and conceptualised toolkits to aid outreach efforts that promote behaviour change.

Prior to joining IDFC Institute, Archana was with WWF-India where she held two roles. She was initially with the Rivers, Wetlands and Water Policy team where she worked primarily on the HSBC Water programme anchored by WWF, WaterAid and Earthwatch in five priority river basins including Ganga, Mara, Mekong, Pantanal and Yangtze. Her role included developing and implementing a communication strategy that engaged multiple stakeholders in WWF’s river conservation initiatives. She subsequently moved to the Marketing and Communications team where she looked at fundraising and donor communication across WWF’s divisions.

Archana completed her BA at Mount Carmel College, Bangalore in Communication Studies, Psychology and English Literature. She holds a Masters in Dalit and Tribe Centered Social Work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.