NEW DELHI: The India International Centre (IIC) on Monday announced appointments of two new life trustees of its Board of Trustees — Meenakshi Gopinath and Shailesh Nayak.
The two trustees have been appointed against the vacancies arising after the demise of former attorney general Soli J Sorabjee and the resignation of Justice (retired) Bellur Narayanaswamy Srikrishna.
Gopinath is an eminent educationist and the founder-director of Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP), an initiative that seeks to promote the leadership of South Asian women in the areas of peace, security and regional cooperation.
She is also chair, board of governors, Centre for Policy Research (CPR), and principal emerita of Lady Shri Ram College, where she has served as the principal for 26 years (1988-2014). She has been a member of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Gopinath was the first woman to be nominated to the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) of India.
“In recognition of her contribution to the field of women’s education and empowerment, she has received several awards, including the Padma Shri, among other prestigious awards. Gopinath at present serves on the governing boards of several research institutes, NGOs, educational institutions and corporate bodies,” said a press statement by the IIC.
The second new life trustee — Nayak — is director of National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) in Bengaluru and chancellor, TERI School of Advanced Studies (TERSAS).
“Nayak has made unparalleled and substantive contributions towards the application of geophysical methods for societal benefits. His R&D projects and programmes have focused on multidisciplinary research output towards sustainable development, and conceptualising and developing a policy framework for a ‘Blue Economy’,” said the statement.