Business & Government Professional Interest Council


A Student-run Organization at Harvard Kennedy School

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Mission: The Business & Government Professional Interest Council serves as the forum for HKS students and fellows interested in the thought-leadership, partnerships, careers and innovations at the intersection of business and government.

B&G PIC Leadership for 2023-24

Iris Mensah photo with yellow top

Iris Mensah Co-chair

Iris is a Mid-Career MPA candidate. She is a robust leader with analytical skills and expertise in public-sector consulting. Most recently, she has consulted for the Ministry of Finance of Ghana, facilitating the disbursement of over $100M to MSMEs in Ghana. She also consults as Chief Impact and Gender Investment officer for Zinari Capital, Ghana’s 1st female-focused VC.

Tushar Kanade wearing black T-shirt

Tushar Kanade Co-chair

Tushar Kanade is pursuing an MPA at Harvard as a J.N. Tata and Aga Khan Scholar. Over nearly a decade, Tushar’s career spanned technology deployment, business strategy, and government policy, most notably founding and negotiating the world’s first hyperloop routes in South Asia. He served as a Public Policy Advisor for Virgin Hyperloop. Previously, he held several advisory roles in various levels of government in India, and worked with NITI Aayog, India’s Principal Scientific Advisor, & India’s Prime Minister’s Office to draft regulatory and policy frameworks for emerging technologies. An urban economics researcher and 2-time entrepreneur, he was also the 2022-23 Curator for Mumbai's Global Shapers Community and is a Summer Investor at Voyager Ventures (an SF/NYC-based early-stage venture capital firm), focusing on investments in ClimateTech, AgTech, & MobilityTech. At the B&G PIC, he hopes to stitch together communities across the umbrella of institutions throughout Harvard and MIT - focusing on interdisciplinary issues across AI, climate change, and the geopolitical imbalances between the West and the Global South.