New Delhi, Delhi, India, August 2026 — Athena Infonomics today named Nakul Jain Chief Executive Officer of APLYD, which helps governments build the systems, capabilities, and governance to put AI to work across public services.Jain co-founded APLYD and also joins Athena Infonomics as a Partner.
The appointment marks the next chapter in Athena Infonomics’ sixteen-year journey of working with governments to strengthen public institutions through data, digital transformation and artificial intelligence. APLYD brings together the firm’s AI work under a dedicated identity, building on years of implementation experience across government while deepening its focus on helping governments build institutional intelligence through the responsible adoption of AI.
Nakul’s appointment comes at a time when governments are shifting their focus from exploring AI’s potential to making it work within public institutions. Success now depends less on the technology itself and more on the policies, capabilities, and delivery systems needed to use AI responsibly and at scale.
“For fifteen years I’ve worked with ministries and public institutions, and I’ve watched technology change people’s lives when it’s built to be accessible and to serve the public,” Nakul said. “At APLYD, I want AI to reach beyond early adopters to every ministry, every district, and every citizen who stands to benefit. The team has the expertise and the ambition to do it, backed by Athena Infonomics’ long record with governments. I’m looking forward to the work ahead.”
Jain brings fifteen years of experience building digital systems and AI for the public sector. He was previously CEO and Managing Director of Wadhwani AI Global, where he led the organisation’s expansion across Latin America and Africa. Before that, as Vice President of Products & Solutions for Wadhwani AI India, he oversaw more than 25+ AI deployments across India.
Vijay Bhalaki, Co-Founder, Athena Infonomics and APLYD, said, “Nakul has spent his career doing the hard part of AI, making it work inside government institutions, under real constraints and at a meaningful scale. That experience is rare, and it’s exactly what APLYD was built for. As we bring together Athena Infonomics’ AI work under APLYD, there is no one better placed to lead its next chapter.”
“For years, we’ve helped governments make better decisions with evidence and data,” added Deepa Karthykeyan, Co-Founder of Athena Infonomics and APLYD. “AI gives us the opportunity to take that work further, helping governments build the capability to use these systems independently and at scale. With Nakul leading APLYD, we’re excited to help shape that next chapter.”
Under Nakul’s leadership, APLYD will deepen Athena Infonomics’ AI work with governments, helping public institutions build institutional intelligence that strengthens decision-making, public systems and service delivery. Backed by experience from more than 430 engagements for 259 unique clients across 69 countries, APLYD will continue expanding its work with governments, foundations, multilateral organisations and impact-focused enterprises worldwide.
APLYD is Athena Infonomics’ dedicated AI company, bringing together years of experience delivering AI programmes for governments under a single identity. It helps governments and public institutions design, build, and adopt AI solutions, spanning strategy, field data and delivery, engineering, and independent evaluation, with a focus on public systems across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Built on Athena’s fifteen years of delivery, APLYD works alongside governments, foundations, multilaterals, and impact-driven enterprises to close the gap between capable AI models and lasting institutional adoption.
Athena Infonomics is a global research, data, and technology firm founded in India in 2010, with offices in the US, UK, Kenya, and Bangladesh, and delivery hubs across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Its multidisciplinary team includes economists, engineers, statisticians, data scientists, and other specialists working across more than a dozen domains and has delivered over 430 engagements for more than 259 clients globally. Athena Infonomics is part of a group that also includes TolaData, a measurement infrastructure company, with APLYD applying AI capabilities across both.
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