about
At Kula Applied Research Institute, we are grounded by three interconnected principles: belonging, regeneration, and resilience. Through conscious design and multidisciplinary research, we seek to embody these principles as we become a support system for all those in service of Earth.
Kiran Topiwala
Executive Director
Kiran is an artist, a designer of regeneration, and a seeker of the right way to be humans together on Earth. He spends his time meditating, making breakfast tacos, and taking photos.
Rajan Topiwala
Head of Research
Rajan is an economist and purveyor of deep ecology. By challenging societal norms and innovating against them, he hopes to influence change that aligns all livelihoods with natural laws.
Rohit Topiwala
Director of Finance
Rohit fully believes that the simplest things in life, like food and sharing it with those he loves, truly matter. He joins us on a journey to build a legacy of harmony with nature for future generations.
Ranjit Nair, Ph.D.
Director of Development
Ranjit is a global business expert, advisor, speaker, and educator. He is here to make sure we will never walk alone on our mission to regenerate communities and landscapes.
our team
Lamia Anwar Shama
Head of Labs
Lamia Anwar is a sustainable development professional with experience in grassroots and market systems programming. Her focus is on improving livelihoods, income, and gender equity.
Sandeep Chaudhary
CEO, PeopleStrong
In a career spanning over two decades, Sandeep spent 17 years at Aon (formerly, Hewitt Associates) and was the CEO for their India & South Asia region and served on the Global Executive Committee of the company. In his consulting career, he worked extensively with CEOs, CHROs and boards to build and execute on a value creation plan focused on Talent and Organisation transformation.
Randy Martin
Principal, Randy Martin LLC
Randy Martin is a seasoned professional with more than 40 years of experience in business and management consulting. Randy works primarily with non-profit organizations undertaking complex transformation initiatives and brings his expertise to coach C-level executives and their teams to improve organizational performance and accelerate achievement of strategic goals and desired impacts.
Clare Atwell
Co-Administrator, Regenerate Cascadia
Clare is a community artist, using the arts in imaginative ways to help community groups explore complex issues such as cultural and spiritual identity, including community visioning. She is a co-administrator of Regenerate Cascadia, the world's foremost bioregionalist movement, and is devoted to regenerating the landscapes she belongs to.