Divya Patel

Divya is the CEO of Ishk Tolaram Foundation, a philanthropic organization that provides access to quality education, employment, and healthcare to underserved individuals in Singapore, Indonesia, and Nigeria. As CEO, she steers the strategy and design of Ishk’s program and grantmaking approach, while building global partnerships. She is also championing innovation in impact financing and the use of alternate financial instruments to fund social change projects and bring greater participation from the private sector in funding solutions.

Previously, Divya worked with IBM in their management consulting division in London and Singapore and after doing this for close to a decade, she switched career paths to grow Singapore’s entrepreneurship ecosystem by building accelerator programs to develop social entrepreneurs, first with Impact Hub and then with Ashoka.

She has a MBA from Manchester Business School and B.A. Hons degree from Delhi University. 

When not working, she can be found seeking out new places to enjoy a meal or a drink, meeting up with and hosting friends, exercising, going for cultural performances, pursuing spiritual studies, reading a good book, or planning the next holiday to explore new places and experiences.