Catalyst Management Services Board appoints Dr. Amit Gupta as CEO

The Board of Directors of Catalyst Management Services (CMS) has appointed Dr. Amit Gupta as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The appointment marks a new phase for CMS, building on its three-decade legacy of social impact while strengthening its ambition to shape development solutions, influence systems change and scale impact across India and the Global South.

Established in 1995, CMS is a social impact advisory and enterprise working across public health, agriculture and food systems, livelihoods, climate and sustainability, worker wellbeing and ESG. It combines strategic consulting, research, technical expertise and implementation experience to address complex development challenges.

Gupta brings over 37 years of experience across the corporate sector, academia, social entrepreneurship and development. He began his career with Amul, known for its pioneering cooperative model, before moving to ITC, recognised for integrating societal value creation with business growth. He subsequently spent two decades in business school leadership, teaching and researching social entrepreneurship and management. This cross-sector journey gives him a rare ‘triple-strength’ perspective on connecting corporate priorities, social sector institutional capabilities and grassroots realities to advance sustainable social impact.

As CEO, Dr. Gupta’s focus will be on moving CMS further upstream to shape the systems, policies and capital flows that drive sustainable development. He will build on CMS's sectoral expertise by fostering entrepreneurial ways of working, expanding business networks and strengthening collaborative, long-term partnerships. This will involve connecting strategic consulting with frontline intelligence, technology, innovative finance and collaboration, while developing future-ready development solutions and products and deepening CMS's engagement with corporate, development financial institutions, foundations and international consulting partners.

Commenting on his appointment, Dr Amit Gupta, CEO, Catalyst Management Services, said “My journey across the corporate sector, academia, social entrepreneurship and development has reinforced my belief that lasting social impact requires us to connect strategy with the realities of implementation. CMS has built deep expertise and relationships across the development ecosystem. I see an opportunity to build on this foundation through our grounded Practice+ model, deeper partnerships with corporates and development institutions, and solutions that connect strategic thinking with frontline experience. Our focus will be on building a future-ready organisation that can respond to complex development challenges with agility and translate its expertise into scalable, lasting impact.”

CMS co-founders and Board Directors Shiv Kumar and Raghunathan N. will continue to provide strategic guidance, supporting the organisation's long-term vision and evolution.

In a joint statement, Shiv Kumar and Raghunathan N. said, “CMS was built on the conviction that lasting social impact requires solutions grounded in the realities of the communities and systems they serve. As the development landscape evolves, our opportunity to build on this legacy while strengthening our advisory capabilities, partnerships and solutions is immense. Amit Gupta brings a distinctive combination of corporate, academic and entrepreneurial development experience, along with a deep understanding of CMS.”