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Charu Adesnik

Manager

Corporate Affairs

Charu Adesnik leads the economic empowerment investment portfolio for Cisco Public Benefit Investment and the Cisco Foundation, bringing more than 15 years of experience in socio-economic development experience to Cisco’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts. Cisco’s approach is to invest in nonprofit organizations that develop technology-based solutions to support underserved populations, with the potential for replication, scale, and sustainability.

Charu began her career in the East Asia and Pacific Region of the World Bank, where she provided policy advice to national governments and led technical assistance programs in areas of economic and financial sector development. Prior to joining Cisco, she was part of the management team of the financial sector development practice in the Emerging Markets Group of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. There, she provided technical assistance on client engagements, managed diverse project teams, and oversaw relationships with key corporate and public sector clients in more than 20 developing countries around the world.

Articles

Dispatch from the field: how a mobile app in East Africa empowers women while saving lives

Living Goods combines game-changing technology, quality products, and vital health services to empower community health workers (CHWs) to deliver on-call care to their neighbors’ doorsteps. And, they earn a livelihood while doing it.  Cisco was an early supporter of Living Goods’ work to leverage te…

Non-profit spotlight: The high-touch, high-tech approach to digital financial services in India

According to the World Bank, 1.7 billion adults globally lack access to financial services like loans, insurance, and savings accounts, making it difficult for them to start their own businesses, protect their crops, save for their children’s education, or invest in their family’s health.  At the sa…

Empowering New Orleans’ Youth with Digital Skills

As Deputy Director of the Cisco Foundation, I am fortunate to be at the center of investing our technology, expertise, and cash grants to empower global problem solvers that make a positive impact on our world. Last year alone, our investments in innovative digital solutions positively impacted 154…

Recognizing Programs that Empower Girls and Women

As we prepare to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, I am reflecting on so many factors that led to where I am today. My mother grew up in India when the path for most women was not one of higher education and a professional life. Yet, with the support of her family, she pursued an advan…

Internet-Powered Jobs Transform Impoverished Youth into Lifelong Workers

This blog was originally published on the Huffington Post I recently spent two weeks in Uganda and Kenya, meeting with nonprofit organizations that are applying technology-based solutions to help underserved populations access the knowledge, skills, and financial products and services they need to b…

How Mobile Phones Are Driving Business and Social Impact

If you look around and think everyone has a mobile phone, you’re right. There are almost as many mobile subscriptions (6.8 billion) as there are people in the world (7.1 billion), according to the International Telecommunication Union. Even in developing countries, the mobile penetration rate (the n…

Cisco Partners Recognized as Social Entrepreneurs by Schwab Foundation

Each year the Schwab Foundation presents Social Entrepreneur of the Year awards to people who apply innovative, practical approaches to resolving social and environmental challenges. Three of the 24 awardees announced on February 15 lead nonprofit organizations that Cisco partners with to promote ed…