Dr. Radha Rajkotia is an experienced humanitarian and economic development professional, who combines expertise in strategy, operations, management, research, policy, and partnership development.
Before joining Building Markets as Chief Executive Officer, she served on the Board of Directors for two years. Most recently, Dr Rajkotia held the position of Chief Research and Policy Officer at Innovations for Poverty Action, where she led the development and implementation of IPA’s strategy to translate evidence into practice and policy across 22 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Previously she served as the Senior Director of Economic Recovery and Development at the International Rescue Committee, where she worked for eleven years.
Dr. Rajkotia’s career to date has enabled her to think creatively about how to make tangible improvements in the way that aid is delivered and test new ideas on the ground, whether in delivering cash-based relief or creating jobs for people living in conflict settings. She has been able to deliver programs directly, but also use research to answer questions that can help influence global-level policies. Dr. Rajkotia has written and commissioned a number of papers on financial sector strengthening, employment creation, and cash transfer programming. She sits on the boards of the Cash Learning Partnership (CALP), the Center for Economic Opportunity (a US-based CDFI focused on refugees and migrants), and Asphaleia (a UK-based charity focused on education and employment programming for young migrants).
Dr. Rajkotia completed her postgraduate education at the University of Sussex, with a Ph.D. in Refugee Studies (Geography), an MA in Migration Studies, and an MSc in Social Research Methods. She completed her Bachelor of Social Science in Political Science from the University of Birmingham. She is a Senior Policy Fellow at the Henry Leir Institute for Human Security at Tufts University and an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, where she teaches a junior professional course on Refugees and Economic Opportunity.
