Jagdeesh Rao Puppala is an Entrepreneur in Residence at Omidyar Network India. For the past 35 years, he has been at the forefront of thought leadership, systems thinking and on-the-ground efforts at the interface of ecology, society and economy. He was the CEO of the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) from 2001 to 2020, leading the organization to restore 11 million acres of land by accelerating grassroots efforts and elevating public discourse.

Currently, he is leading the design of the Common Ground initiative and promoting systems leadership for environmental governance and resilient rural livelihoods. As an engaged practitioner, Jagdeesh’s ideas and efforts have played an essential role in the growing recognition of local stewardship of the Commons to reduce poverty and reverse environmental degradation. Jagdeesh has been conferred with the prestigious ‘Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, is a Henry Arnhold Conservation Fellow (Mulago) and a Senior Ashoka Fellow.

An Agricultural Sciences graduate, Jagdeesh completed his postgraduate training in Rural Management at the Institute of Rural Management, Anand, India, followed by a postgraduate degree in Forestry for Rural Development from the International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences, the Netherlands.