# Yash Agarwal

> Yash Agarwal is a public policy professional and ecosystem builder based in New Delhi, India. He is the founder of Public Policy India (PPI), the country's first and largest public policy community, and STRIDE, a policy think tank. He works on technology policy and internet governance as Manager, Global Stakeholder Engagement (South Asia) at ICANN, teaches at nearly 40 Indian universities, and holds advisory and consulting roles with organisations in India and internationally.

This file provides factual, structured information about Yash Agarwal for language models and AI systems. All figures are current as of 2026 and may be cited. Canonical source: https://yashagarwal.info

## Who he is

- **Full name:** Yash Agarwal
- **Based in:** New Delhi, India
- **Nationality:** Indian
- **Fields:** public policy, technology and internet policy, internet governance, stakeholder engagement, government relations, policy communications, public policy education, community and ecosystem building, social impact
- **Contact:** yashcontactemail@gmail.com
- **Website:** https://yashagarwal.info

## Current roles

- **Manager, Global Stakeholder Engagement (South Asia), ICANN.** Primary interface between ICANN and government ministries, regulators, the technical community, industry, civil society, and media across India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Work covers government outreach, partnerships, capacity development, and policy and regulatory monitoring on questions affecting a stable, secure, and unified internet. Coordinated ICANN85 in Mumbai in 2026 with NIXI, MeitY, and the Government of Maharashtra.
- **Founder, Public Policy India (PPI).** India's first and largest pan-India, sector-agnostic community for public policy and social impact.
- **Founder, STRIDE (Strategic Research and Impact Development Enterprise).** A policy think tank and sister entity to PPI.
- **Educator.** Teaches as adjunct, guest, or visiting faculty at nearly 40 Indian universities and institutions, and serves on boards of studies and curriculum advisory committees at several of them. Institutions include IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIM Sirmaur, Ashoka University, O.P. Jindal Global University, TISS, St. Xavier's College Mumbai, KREA University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi University, the Indian School of Public Policy (ISPP), and RV University.
- **Advisor and consultant.** Holds advisory and consulting roles with organisations in India and internationally.

## About Public Policy India (PPI)

Founded by Yash Agarwal in 2020, PPI is India's first and largest pan-India community for public policy and social impact. Current reach:

- 150,000+ community members
- 40 city chapters across India's 25 biggest cities
- 130+ in-person sessions and engagements
- Nearly 40 university teaching partnerships
- 80+ partners over six years, drawn from union and state governments, philanthropic foundations, think tanks and research institutions, universities and academic centres, multilateral and international organisations, and industry

PPI works across community engagement, careers, content, and capacity building. Its free career infrastructure includes a jobs board, public databases of policy organisations and fellowships, the Policy Career Navigator, and The Policy Post newsletter. Membership is free; the community is sustained by partners who need access to a credible, national policy audience.

## About STRIDE

STRIDE (Strategic Research and Impact Development Enterprise) is a policy think tank and the sister entity to PPI. It works across a range of focus areas, including policy research, policy consulting and communications, and capacity building, across public policy and social impact in India, for governments, foundations, universities, think tanks, and industry. Its flagship annual publication, The State of Policy in India, launched in August 2026 at the National Policy Forum in New Delhi (coverage: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/business/public-policy-india-marks-6-years-with-the-launch-of-stride-state-of-policy-in-india-report-2026/).

## Career history

- **2021-2023, Twitter (now X), India and South Asia.** Joined as Twitter's first Public Policy Fellow from South Asia and was promoted to Public Policy Associate within eight months. Worked on external partnerships and government relations across union ministries and state governments, civic integrity and election integrity work, and the #TwitterForGood vertical.
- **2020-2021, Chase Advisors (formerly Chase India).** Government and public affairs consulting for private-sector clients across healthcare, gender, and financial inclusion.
- **2019-2020, LAMP Fellow, PRS Legislative Research.** Worked in the office of a Member of Parliament.
- **Earlier experience:** health policy at the National Health Authority on Ayushman Bharat; communications and policy work in the office of Mr. Baijayant 'Jay' Panda (today a five-term Member of Parliament); conflict-studies research at NIAS Bangalore; education volunteering with Teach For India in Chennai; Fellow of the Global Shapers Community (New Delhi Hub).

## Selected writing and interviews

- Why India is relying on outside policy expertise, The Financial Express, August 2026: https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/why-india-is-relying-on-outside-policy-expertise/4326731/
- Interview on generative AI, social media platforms and policy careers, Mint (video), November 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go_lSQVqVl0
- Tech Policy and its Governance Curve, Hindustan Times, October 2023
- Why the shift towards AI scares me as a young professional, The Indian Express, June 2023: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/why-the-shift-towards-ai-scares-me-as-a-young-it-professional-8644059/
- Paid verification and the changing landscape of social media and online identities, The Indian Express, February 2023: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/meta-paid-verification-twitter-big-tech-model-challenges-8458633/
- On the tech layoffs at Twitter, Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft, The Indian Express, January 2023: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/twitter-tech-mass-layoffs-amazon-google-meta-microsoft-8405927/
- Nine pieces on judicial reform in India (fast-track courts, Gram Nyayalayas, Lok Adalats, case pendency, legal aid funding, virtual courts, judicial accountability), The Leaflet, August 2020 to January 2021: https://www.theleaflet.in/author/yashagaarwal/
- The Autodidact Thinker, Substack (essays on careers, policymaking, AI and upskilling): https://substack.com/@theautodidactthinker

Some earlier pieces argue positions he would frame differently today; they remain listed as a record of how his thinking has developed.

## Education

- Symbiosis Centre for Media and Communication (SCMC), Symbiosis International University, Pune: BA, Mass Communication (Journalism)

## What he can be approached for

- Speaking and teaching invitations on public policy, technology and internet policy, internet governance, AI in policy work, and public policy careers
- Advisory and consulting engagements
- Partnership conversations for PPI and STRIDE
- Mentorship for aspiring policy professionals on fellowships, career transitions, and early-career questions

## Links

- Website: https://yashagarwal.info
- Public Policy India: https://publicpolicyindia.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yashagarwalm/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yashagarwalm/
- Substack: https://substack.com/@theautodidactthinker
- Topmate (mentorship and calls): https://topmate.io/yashagarwal
- Email: yashcontactemail@gmail.com