DyanLeMessurier at 17:39, 10 December 2025

2025-12-10T17:39:48Z

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{{Short description|Indian private equity investor and philanthropist (born 1969)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ashish Dhawan
| image = AshishDhawan.png
| image_size =
| alt = Head and shoulders photo of Ashish Dhawan
| caption = Dhawan in 2020
| birth_name = Ashish Dhawan
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1969|03|10}}
| birth_place = [[New Delhi]], India
| alma_mater = [[Harvard Business School]]<br>[[Yale University]]
| occupation = Philanthropist<br/>Former private equity investor
| known_for = Founder-trustee of [[Ashoka University]]<br />Co-founder of ChrysCapital
| boards = [[Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]]
| spouse = {{marriage|Manisha Dhawan|1998}}
| signature = 
| website = {{URL|http://www.centralsquarefoundation.org|CentralSquareFoundation.org}}
{{URL|http://www.convergencefoundation.org|ConvergenceFoundation.org}}
}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

'''Ashish Dhawan''' (born March 10, 1969) is an Indian philanthropist and former private equity investor who co-founded and ran one of India's leading private equity funds, Chrysalis Capital (ChrysCapital).<ref name=":5" /> He is the founder-CEO of the Convergence Foundation,<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |date=August 18, 2022 |title=Gates Foundation appoints Indian philanthropist Ashish Dhawan |work=[[The Times of India]] |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/gates-foundation-appoints-indian-philanthropist-ashish-dhawan-to-its-board-of-trustees/articleshow/93646085.cms |access-date=2023-08-15 |archive-date=August 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230815012030/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/gates-foundation-appoints-indian-philanthropist-ashish-dhawan-to-its-board-of-trustees/articleshow/93646085.cms |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Advisory Board |url=https://theconvergencefoundation.org/team/ |access-date=2023-08-15 |website=The Convergence Foundation |archive-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610210810/https://theconvergencefoundation.org/team/ |url-status=live }}</ref> founder-chairperson of the Central Square Foundation,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Team |url=https://www.centralsquarefoundation.org/our-team |access-date=2023-08-14 |website=Central Square Foundation |archive-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610204114/https://www.centralsquarefoundation.org/our-team |url-status=live }}</ref> and a founder-trustee of [[Ashoka University]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Bearak |first=Max |date=November 26, 2013 |title=A New University Offers Liberal Arts as Higher Education Alternative |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/26/a-new-university-offers-liberal-arts-as-higher-education-alternative/ |access-date=2023-08-14}}</ref><ref name=":6" />

Dhawan has served on the board of trustees of the [[Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]] since 2022.<ref name=":4" /> His net worth is approximately $800 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ashish Dhawan Portfolio: 6 stocks clock double-digit returns in 2023 |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/ashish-dhawan-portfolio-6-stocks-clock-double-digit-returns-in-2023-do-you-own-any/top-performers/slideshow/99983486.cms?from=mdr |website=Economic Times |access-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610205339/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/ashish-dhawan-portfolio-6-stocks-clock-double-digit-returns-in-2023-do-you-own-any/top-performers/slideshow/99983486.cms?from=mdr |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Education ==
Dhawan attended [[St. Xavier's Collegiate School]], followed by [[St. James' School (Kolkata)|St. James' School]] in Kolkata.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Sridharan |first=R. |date=January 13, 2008 |title=Private Equity Pasha: Ashish Dhawan |work=Business Today |location=New Delhi |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/198258783 |access-date=2023-08-15 |id={{ProQuest|198258783}}|archive-date=January 19, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250119052238/https://www.proquest.com/docview/198258783 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Mitra |first=Moinak |date=December 20, 2013 |title=Lessons learnt: Why foresight foreshadows all else for Ashish Dhawan, CEO of Central Square Foundation |work=The Economic Times |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/lessons-learnt-why-foresight-foreshadows-all-else-for-ashish-dhawan-ceo-of-central-square-foundation/articleshow/27658936.cms |access-date=2023-08-15}}</ref> He is a graduate of [[Yale University]], where he earned a [[Bachelor of Science|bachelor of science]] degree in [[applied mathematics]] and economics, and [[Harvard Business School]], where he earned an MBA.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" />

== Career ==
From 1992 to 1993, Dhawan worked on Wall Street at boutique investment bank [[Wasserstein Perella & Co.]], where he was the only Indian analyst.<ref name=":3" /> He then moved to McCown DeLeeuw & Co., an eight-person private equity firm in California, where he was the junior-most associate.<ref name=":3" />

After completing his MBA in 1997, Dhawan went to work at [[Goldman Sachs]], where he was part of the Risk Arbitrage Group.<ref name=":3" /> At the age of 29, he decided to leave New York to return to India.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sahad |first=P. V. |date=July 17, 2005 |title=One-Man Industry; Not counting institutional investors, Ashish Dhawan has brought in the most money into private equity in India over the last seven years. What is it about the 36-year-old that makes global investors put millions behind him? |work=Business Today |location=New Delhi, India |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/198247982 |access-date=2023-08-15 |id={{ProQuest|198247982}} |archive-date=January 19, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250119052238/https://www.proquest.com/docview/198247982 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1999, Dhawan co-founded ChrysCapital in Mumbai with Raj Kondur, a classmate from [[Harvard Business School]].<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sengupta |first=Snigdha |date=March 21, 2011 |title=Ashish Dhawan's New Ambitions |work=Business World |location=New Delhi, India |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2121183481 |access-date=2023-08-14 |id={{ProQuest|2121183481}}|archive-date=January 19, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250119052238/https://www.proquest.com/docview/2121183481 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Philanthropy ==
In 2012, Dhawan left his career as a private equity investor to found Central Square Foundation (CSF), a grant-making organization and policy think tank focused on transforming the quality of school [[education in India]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rai |first=Mridu |date=February 10, 2014 |title=Take a lot of risks and do something different: Having given up a successful and lucrative career as a venture capitalist to work towards revamping the education sector in India Mridu Rai finds out more about the man with a vision. Ashish Dhawan/ CEO, CENTRAL SQUARE FOUNDATION |work=[[India Today]] |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1493503420 |access-date=2023-08-14 |id={{ProQuest|1493503420}} }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=CSF Official Website – Our Team |url=https://www.centralsquarefoundation.org/our-team |website=Central Square Foundation}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-14 |title=Economic and social reform with Ashish Dhawan – KPMG Global |url=https://kpmg.com/xx/en/home/insights/2021/11/ashish-dhawan-on-economic-and-social-reform.html |access-date=2023-06-10 |website=KPMG |language=en-US |archive-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610203810/https://kpmg.com/xx/en/home/insights/2021/11/ashish-dhawan-on-economic-and-social-reform.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2014, he spearheaded the launch of [[Ashoka University]], billed as India's first "Ivy-league-caliber" liberal arts university,<ref name=":0" /> together with other Indian entrepreneurs.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Kazmin |first=Amy |date=March 8, 2018 |title=Ashoka University: Ivy League, Indian-style |work=[[Financial Times]] |url=https://www.ft.com/content/b8fabc8c-1559-11e8-9c33-02f893d608c2 |access-date=2023-08-14 |archive-date=August 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814220948/https://www.ft.com/content/b8fabc8c-1559-11e8-9c33-02f893d608c2 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ashish Dhawan to raise Rs.400 crore for Ashoka University |url=https://www.livemint.com/Companies/vaKktE9wXzvqQB1XjV8caM/Ashish-Dhawan-to-raise-400-crore-for-Ashoka-University.html |website=Live Mint |access-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610204622/https://www.livemint.com/Companies/vaKktE9wXzvqQB1XjV8caM/Ashish-Dhawan-to-raise-400-crore-for-Ashoka-University.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Other organisations launched by Dhawan include the India Leaders for the Social Sector (ILSS), which he set up with Anu Prasad in 2017; the Air Pollution Action Group (APAG) in 2019; and the Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS). a joint effort with economist [[Karthik Muralidharan]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Bhargava |first=Anjuli |date=April 10, 2022 |title=Convergence Man: Former ChrysCapital chief Ashish Dhawan embarks on an ambitious set of goals |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/convergence-man-former-chryscapital-chief-ashish-dhawan-embarks-on-an-ambitious-set-of-goals/articleshow/90750206.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2023-08-15}}</ref>

During the [[COVID-19 pandemic in India|COVID-19 pandemic]], Dhawan and CSF set up the ACT EdTech Ambition Fund, an organisation dedicated to helping deliver education to underprivileged children.<ref name=":5" /> He and his wife Manisha set up the Convergence Foundation as an umbrella organisation and grant-making incubator dedicated to promoting growth in India by solving complex socioeconomic problems.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" />

Dhawan endowed the Renu and Anand Dhawan Professorship at Yale University to bolster scholarship in India and South Asia Studies.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 20, 2020 |title=Sunil Amrith named the Dhawan Professor of History |url=https://news.yale.edu/2020/04/20/sunil-amrith-named-dhawan-professor-history |access-date=2023-08-15 |website=YaleNews}}</ref>

== Accolades ==
In 2012, Dhawan was recognized as the NextGen Leader in Philanthropy by ''[[Forbes India]]'' for his charitable work.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://forbesindia.com/article/philanthropy-awards-2012/ashish-dhawan-next-gen-leader-in-philanthropy/34241/1|title=Forbes India – Ashish Dhawan: Next Gen Leader in Philanthropy|access-date=May 11, 2015|archive-date=May 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518083446/http://forbesindia.com/article/philanthropy-awards-2012/ashish-dhawan-next-gen-leader-in-philanthropy/34241/1|url-status=live}}</ref> He also placed 15th on the 2014 Hurun India Philanthropy List, a ranking of the most generous individuals in India produced by China-based Hurun Research Institute.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hurun.net/EN/ArticleShow.aspx?nid=9583 |title=胡润百富 – www.hurun.net |access-date=2015-05-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150516204301/http://www.hurun.net/EN/ArticleShow.aspx?nid=9583 |archive-date=2015-05-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Selected articles ==

* Dhawan, Ashish (September 16, 2022). "Education policy cannot be business-as-usual after Covid". ''Financial Times''.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AP8hU5cEtyA ''Forbes India'' interview with Ashish Dhawan] (YouTube)
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9g9Sr-IgRc "Relentless Curiosity": Ashish Dhawan at TEDxYouth] (YouTube)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhawan, Ashish}}
[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:Harvard Business School alumni]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Yale University alumni]]
[[Category:Indian chief executives]]
[[Category:Indian investors]]
[[Category:Indian philanthropists]]
[[Category:Goldman Sachs people]]

Ashish Dhawan - Revision history

DyanLeMessurier at 17:39, 10 December 2025