- Smita Rakesh will lead The Earthshot Prize’s strategy, partnerships and engagement across India
- The appointment strengthens the Prize’s long-term presence in India ahead of the 2026 Earthshot Prize Summit and Awards Night in Mumbai
- India is home to more Earthshot Prize Winners and Finalists than any other country
New Delhi, Delhi, India, August 2026 — The Earthshot Prize, the world’s most prestigious environmental award, today announced the appointment of Smita Rakesh as Director of India. In her role, Smita will lead the Prize’s strategy, partnerships and engagement across the country, working with government, businesses, investors, philanthropists, environmental organisations and innovators to help identify, back and replicate solutions to the world’s most urgent environmental challenges.
Smita brings more than 15 years of experience across climate action, sustainable development and innovation in India and Asia. Her work has focused on building entrepreneurship and investment ecosystems that advance climate mitigation, adaptation and ecosystem restoration while supporting inclusive and equitable development.
Prior to joining The Earthshot Prize, Smita served as Vice President and Partner at Social Alpha, where she led the Climate and Sustainability practice. She built a full-stack innovation curation and venture development platform designed to accelerate high-impact science and technology-based climate solutions from the laboratory to markets and communities. She led the team that supported a portfolio of over 100 early-stage innovations spanning clean energy, circular economy, climate resilience and sustainable rural and urban transition, helping them grow and scale.
Smita has also worked with and advised leading global, multilateral and development organisations, including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Waverley Street Foundation, Tata Trusts, the International Center for Research on Women, Ashden and The Energy and Resources Institute.
Jason Knauf, CEO, The Earthshot Prize, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Smita to The Earthshot Prize team. India is home to more Earthshot Prize Winners and Finalists than any other country, reflecting the extraordinary innovation and leadership emerging across its environmental ecosystem. Smita’s experience building partnerships and supporting climate leaders will be invaluable as we deepen our engagement across India and help more breakthrough solutions scale their impact.’’
Smita Rakesh, Director of India, The Earthshot Prize, said: “India is demonstrating that environmental action and economic development can advance together. Across the country, innovators and communities are creating solutions rooted in science, entrepreneurship and lived experience, but many still need the right partnerships and capital to reach their full potential. I am honoured to join The Earthshot Prize and look forward to helping connect India’s environmental leaders with the networks, resources and global platforms they need to scale their impact.”
Smita’s appointment reflects The Earthshot Prize’s commitment to deepening its engagement with India’s environmental ecosystem and building a lasting platform to support solutions across its five Earthshots: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate.
The appointment comes ahead of The Earthshot Prize Summit and Awards Night in Mumbai in November 2026, marking the first time the Prize’s flagship annual event will take place in India. The event will bring together global leaders, innovators, funders, investors, philanthropists, businesses, communities and policymakers from India and around the world. Five Earthshot Prize Winners will each receive £1 million to help advance or replicate their work.
Founded by HRH Prince William and incubated in the The Royal Foundation in 2020 for a year before becoming an independent organisation, The Earthshot Prize is the world’s most prestigious award designed to identify, back and celebrate groundbreaking leadership in environmental action. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot, which united millions of people around the goal of reaching the moon, The Earthshot Prize is designed to mobilise a decade of action for the planet. The five challenges are: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean Our Air; Revive Our Oceans; Build a Waste-Free World; and Fix Our Climate.
The Earthshot Prize aims to turn the current pessimism surrounding environmental issues into optimism by championing inspiring leadership and helping to scale incredible cutting-edge solutions. It will discover 50 Winners over 10 years with the power to repair the planet. More than an award, The Earthshot Prize works in partnership with a Global Alliance of Partners to support the scaling of the solutions discovered and selected each year.
The Global Alliance Founding Partners are a group of leading global organisations and philanthropists, which act as strategic funding partners to the Prize, including Aga Khan Development Network, AL Philanthropies, Allen Family Philanthropies, Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Breakthrough Energy Foundation, Builders Vision, Coleman Family Ventures, DP World, Elaine and Eduardo Saverin Foundation, Eleven Eleven Foundation, Giving Grousbeck Fazzalari, Holch Povlsen Foundation, Rob Walton Foundation, Sandy and Paul Edgerley, Standard Chartered Bank, Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, Temasek Trust, and Uber.
Global Alliance Partners are non-profit environment and sustainable development organisations that bring expertise, global reach and serve as nominating organisations each year. For a full list of our Global Alliance Partners, visit: https://earthshotprize.org/people-partners/global-alliance/
Global Alliance Members are some of the world’s largest and most influential companies and brands that will support The Earthshot Prize, implement ambitious changes within their businesses and accelerate the advancement of the solutions of The Earthshot Prize Finalists and Winners. They are Arup, Bloomberg L.P., British Airways, Deloitte, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, Hitachi, Ingka Group (IKEA), Microsoft, The Multichoice Group, Natura &Co, Safaricom, Salesforce, Unilever, Vodacom Group, and Walmart.
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