Rajiv Subhash Joshi is an economist, community organiser, and instigator of business transformation and social change. As the Founder of Bridging Ventures, he is forging a new approach to drive radical collaboration in service to a regenerative future for all.
Rajiv is currently the Associate Dean for Climate Action with The Climate School at Columbia University in New York. He joined The B Team at its inception in 2012 having served as the organisation’s CEO and first Managing Director until 2019, as part of a Collective Partnership, where he led the Executive Team. In that position, he worked closely with Co-Founders Sir Richard Branson and Jochen Zeitz, to redefine the role of business in society – alongside a global group of committed global Leaders, advisors, and supporters. He was also instrumental in advancing Principles of Responsible Tax Practice and driving corporate ownership transparency to end illicit flows of capital. In 2014, as a founding Board Member of the We Mean Business coalition, he supported efforts to mobilise corporate leadership and secure a universal commitment to phase out greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement.
In 2019, Rajiv was appointed as an Executive-in-Residence at Oxford University Säid Business School to explore the future of the corporation, investigate innovative forms of education, and help businesses address environment, social, and governance (ESG) risk. That year, he was commissioned by Christiana Figures – Chief Architect of the Paris Climate Agreement and Convenor of the Mission 2020 Campaign – to serve as the Lead Author of the Decisive Decade Inquiry into the Future of Climate Action, entitle: “Organising Climate Action: Catalytic Collaboration for Systemic Change”.
Prior to The B-team, Rajiv was Executive Director of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), the world’s largest civil society alliance working to end poverty and inequality launched by Nelson Mandela, Kumi Naidoo, and other civic leaders in 2005. He was a Trustee of Oxfam Great Britain and a Board Member of CIVICUS, based in Johannesburg. As part of the anti-poverty movement, he co-chaired the UN-Civil Society Steering Group for the World We Want, playing a pivotal role in the design of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), building on his involvement in the UN Millennium Campaign, established by Kofi Annan in 2000.
Raj received a Bachelors of Arts with a First Class Honours in Economics from Strathclyde University Business School, and was awarded the Mahbub Al Haq Prize for Development Economics in 2008. After completing his degree, he was a Senior Consultant at CapGemini. In 2011, he completed a Masters in Public Policy and Administration (MPA) at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where he is a part-time Research Scholar.
In 2008, he was publicly appointed by the UK Government to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, where he helped to strengthen community relations, building on his experience working on race relations, community policing, equal opportunity and youth participation in Scotland, the UK, the EU and the Commonwealth. Raj was also an Advisor to the Scottish Commissioner for Children and Young People and a Member of the Glasgow Anti-Racist Alliance.
From 2005-2007, Raj was twice elected as Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament and was Vice-Chair of Young Scot, he successfully campaigned to introduce transport subsidies and abolish tuition fees and worked closely with the United Kingdom Financial Services Authority (FSA) to drive financial literacy and provide access to banking services amongst young people aged 16-18. He continues to serve as a Director of the Centre for Scottish Public Policy, on the Council of the International Anti-Corruption Convention (IACC) and as a Judge of the Thomson Reuters
‘Stop Slavery Enterprise Award”.
Rajiv originates from Gujarat, India and Kisumu, Kenya, and was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland. He currently lives between the UK and the US with his wife Shalini and their son Avi.
