Rutvi Ashar has over nine years of experience working in education, architecture and design journalism with start-ups, international organisations and large-scale universities.

She is the Director for Strategic Development at Anant National University, India’s first DesignX University, which focuses on interdisciplinary design education. Her role comprises identifying important projects, ventures and partnership opportunities for the strategic growth of the University. Additionally, she establishes metrics and performance indicators to assess progress. In her role as Chief of Staff to the Provost, she aids in the development, communication, execution and sustainability of various initiatives.

Rutvi has completed her Master of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania, USA, was awarded a full scholarship to pursue Anant Fellowship, a postgraduate programme focusing on the built environment at Anant National University and holds an undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Pune, India.

Prior to joining Anant, Rutvi served as the Associate Director for Communications and Operations within Penn Medicine’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine. There she was engaged in end-to-end planning, communication and marketing, and execution of 20+ seminars, symposia, award ceremonies and board meetings, often with partner units within Penn, donors and sponsors; attracted 300+ in-person and 1000+ virtual attendees.

She has also worked as an intern in the Quality Learning Ecosystems Programme at the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning in the Summer of 2022.

During her leisure time, Rutvi enjoys spending time in nature, teaching herself the piano and testing her semi-successful baking projects, which she shares with friends and family.