Rajendra Shende Chairman

Rajendra Shende, an alumnus of IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Bombay and former Director of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Paris. He presently serves as Senior Expert nominated by Government of India to United Nations Environment’s Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP).

Presently, Chairman of Green TERRE Foundation, a think-tank and action-platform on energy and food security, he serves as an Advisor to Paris Based ‘Media India’ agency and also Member of Governing Council of MIT-World Peace University of India.

Mr. Shende is one of the founders of ‘India-China Friendship Association for Environment and Y2Y (Youth to Youth) collaboration between India and China, along with Operation Earth and CBCGDF of China.

He is Hon. Chairman of International Advisory Council of Operation Earth-China, and member of Advisory Board of China Biodiversity Conservation Global Development Foundation (CBCGDF)-China and member of advisory board of Panda Guide, a CSR

off-shoot of Sinochem-China, one of the largest corporate companies in China.

As a Director in UNEP in Paris, he led the global programme to protect the stratospheric Ozone Layer under the international UN agreement of the Montreal Protocol. Considered as one of the most successful global environmental agreement, Montreal Protocol has achieved the total phase out of dangerous chemicals all over the world that depleted the Ozone layer. That success has avoided the global disaster due to depletion of life-saving ozone layer.

As Coordinating Lead Author of the special report of IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of United Nations) he contributed to set in motion, for the first time, a global understanding of the scientific linkages between the stratospheric Ozone Layer and Climate Change.

His numerous awards at international level included a Nobel Peace prize given to IPCC for which he was Coordinating lead author and is proud owner of Nobel Peace Prize citation.

Recipients of two awards from USA’s Environmental Protection Agency, first for his contribution to the successful protection of the Ozone Layer and second one for his efforts to stabilize climate change,

Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School of Governance awarded his programme for forging innovative partnership of the competing private sector companies for the common goal of global protection of environment.

His project called SolarChill won UK Industry award for convening global experts to develop the solar vaccine cooler. technology of which is not licensed and in public domain for the benefit of the society. Dr Abdul Kalam, late President of India has honoured Mr. Shende for his efforts, by hosting a special conference of select experts at his Presidential Estate ( Rashtrapati Bhavan) .

53 African countries and 12 Middle East countries gave citations to Mr. Shende for the advisory services that he provided in implementing the Montreal Protocol.

Former President of Maldives Dr Nasheed felicitated him for his work on the Ozone Layer Protection and Climate Change with Small Island Countries.

Amidst the numerous international and national awards, he considers the most close to his heart was the award given to him by people of Rahimatpur a small rural town in Taluka Koregaon in Satara district of state of Maharashtra where he did his schooling.

He was awarded Maharashtra Bhushan Award ( Of SME Association) by Hon. Governor of Maharashtra, Dr. Shankarnarayan, , Satara Bhushan and Satara Mitra Mandal Award by Hon. Dr.Shriniwas Patil, Governor of Sikkim , Koregaon Bhushan Award by Hon. Minister Chandrakant Dada Patil, and Rahimatpur Bhushan Award by Nagar Palika of Rahimatpur .

Mr. Shende is state-level rank holder in Secondary school examination. During his all college and IIT education he was a national merit scholar.

Before joining United Nations, Mr. Shende served the senior management positions in Private sector including Tatas and SRF.

He recently launched Smart Campus Cloud Network for bringing sustainability to educational campuses using the IoT and Cloud Networking. 60 universities including 5 from abroad are presently in the network.