Founders

As one of the Co-founders of NEDAR Foundation Thilakam Rajendran brings a vast experience of working with Persons with Disabilities, their families, rehab professionals, NGO's and industry members advocating for convergence and bringing major changes in the mindsets of people by showcasing the abilities of People with Disabilities and creating innovative employment opportunities which are inclusive and makes business sense.

She started her career as a special educator in AADI and has over 30 years of experience in the area of disability, particularly focused on finding employment and livelihood solutions for adults with mild to severe disabilities both in urban and rural areas. Later as the Managing Director of ARUNIM an initiative of National Trust, under MSJE, she laid a road map for more than 200 producer Groups with Disabilities across the country by providing skills in product innovation, enterprise management, and market intelligence that gave them the dignity as Artisans and Entrepreneurs.

She was a recipient of the NCPEDP-SHELL Helen Keller Award in 2011 for promoting the employment of Persons with Disabilities.

She was also selected for Unreasonable Fellow2011, Boulder in Colorado as ARUNIM got selected as one of the world's best Social Enterprise and got mentored by the best industrialists (www.unreasonableinstitute.org)
ARUNIM also was awarded as Most Innovative Project in the World in 2013 by ZERO PROJECT, Vienna (www.zeroproject.org)

While Mr. K. V. Rajendran Partner & Co-Founder of NEDAR Foundation is a senior management professional who has been in the corporate sector for more than 40 years working in both Public Sectors and Multinational companies in India and abroad (like SAIL, NTPC, ABB, ALSTOM, Vedanta Group, Dalmia Group and also the International group in Africa ) leading & heading as Director in the areas of HR, Business Development and supporting foundations in CSR activities. He brings Corporate experience to the NEDAR Foundation in Sustainability of business, Capacity Audits, and guidance on Strategic management to organizations.