Kehkashan Basu.

Kehkashan Basu, M.S.M., MBA is an iconic global influencer, educator, environmentalist, feminist, champion of women and children’s rights, TEDx speaker, Climate Reality Mentor, author, musician, peace and sustainability campaigner. She is the recipient of Canada's Meritorious Service Medal and the only Canadian to win the International Children’s Peace Prize. A Forbes 30 Under 30 and the first-ever Winner of the Voices Youth Gorbachev-Schultz Legacy Award for her work on nuclear disarmament, Kehkashan is a United Nations Human Rights Champion, a National Geographic Explorer, a UNCCD Land Hero, a UN Habitat Young City Champion, the Regional Organizing Partner for North America for the NGO Major Group and one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women.

Kehkashan is the Founder-President of global social innovation enterprise Green Hope Foundation, that works at a grassroots level in 28 countries, empowering over half a million young people and women, especially those from vulnerable communities, turning Education for Sustainable Development into ground-level action by harnessing clean energy technology for social good. She has spoken at over 500 United Nations and other global fora. She is a Trustee of the Parliament of the World's Religions, a Board Member of the International Leadership Association, Co-Lead of UN Women Generation Equality Forum's Action Coalition on Feminist Action for Climate Justice and a member of the World Humanitarian Forum Youth Council. She is the recipient of several awards that include the Spirit of the United Nations Award, World Literacy Award for Significant Contribution to Literacy by a Young Person, Canada's Global Energy Show Emerging Leader Award, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy's Emirates Energy Award and the Pax Christi Toronto Teacher of Peace Award. Kehkashan was listed as one of the Top 100 SDG Leaders in the world in 2019 and was named the 2019 Innovator of the Year at the HundrEd Innovation Summit for her global work on Sustainability Education. She was one of the Top 10 Finalists of the Global Student Prize 2021. Kehkashan holds an MBA from Cornell University and an Honours BA with High Distinction in Environmental Studies from the University of Toronto.

   “As an educator working at the intersection of clean energy and social impact, I firmly believe that innovative schools have the power to not only teach, but transform. By tackling energy poverty and educational inequality together, we can illuminate pathways to opportunity and empower our youngest minds to lead with purpose and resilience.”