Ashok Alexander is the Founder and Chairman of The Antara Foundation and a pivotal figure in global public health, whose career is defined by successfully driving large-scale, transformative health initiatives. His expertise is rooted in his high-level executive roles, notably as a former Director at McKinsey & Company and the founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s India office.
At the Gates Foundation, Alexander led Avahan, which became the world’s largest private HIV prevention program. This provided him with the crucial experience of successfully implementing public health at scale, a core idea he brought to The Antara Foundation when he established it in 2013. His work has shifted the paradigm of health delivery in India by applying strategic management principles to systemic social issues.
Alexander is an accomplished academic, educated at St. Stephen’s College, the Delhi School of Economics, and IIM Ahmedabad. He was also a Menschel Senior Fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health. His work in the social sector is complemented by his life as a renaissance man, with passions in chess, art, and writing.
As an insightful speaker, Alexander is the author of A Stranger Truth: Lessons in Love, Leadership and Courage from India’s Sex Workers. His presentations offer unique, powerful insights into leadership, courage, and driving systemic change by leveraging the strategic rigor learned at McKinsey and the practical lessons learned from scaling up the world's largest private HIV prevention program.
