Suresh Prabhu
Former Union Minister of India; Chancellor, Rishihood University
Mr. Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu is a long-standing Parliamentarian in India. He has been in the Indian Parliament from 1996, first as a Member of Parliament in the Lower House (Lok Sabha) for four consecutive terms and later as an MP in the Upper House (Rajya Sabha). Under the Modi administration, he was the Railways and Civil Aviation and Commerce and Industry minister. He has also served as the Prime Minister’s Sherpa to the G7 & G20 and was involved in shaping the official agenda of India’s key issues. From 1998-2004, he held several appointments under Prime Minister Vajpayee, such as Minister of Industry, Minister of Environment and Forests, Minister of Fertilizers & Chemicals, Minister of Power, and Minister of Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises. On the international front, he has held several positions with global NGOs such as Chairman of the Asia Energy Foundation, South Asia Chair of Global Water Partnership, and President of the World Forum for Global Governance. He has also been a member of the United Nations Commission for Biodiversity and Land-use Change, and the Global Advisory Council of the World Economic Forum. His life has been devoted to social service, and he has engaged with various NGOs and Social Organizations, with a focus on building a holistic and replicable model for rural development in more than 2,000 villages. He is currently the Founding Chancellor of Rishihood University, Chairman of the drafting committee for India's National Cooperation Policy, and a guest professor at the London School of Economics.
