Abhinav is passionate about creating equitable, lasting and tangible outcomes for India’s smallholders and the landscapes they depend upon. He is particularly interested to explore and work in regions situated at the intersection of high biodiversity and poverty.
Abhinav strongly believes in the power of convening multi-actor platforms and establishing polycentric governance mechanisms to drive development and conservation priorities in a landscape. He has worked extensively in the Central Indian Highlands and in his present role at IDH, contributes to the Regenerative Production Landscape Collaborative Program being implemented in Madhya Pradesh.
Abhinav grew up in Jabalpur and lives in Gurgaon with his wife, daughter and two dogs. He is an amateur birder, loves to cook and play/watch football.
Linkedin: Abhinav Sen
Q. How has been your journey from IIFM to this role?
A. IIFM has been a game changer for me. It has not just been a foundation but also a steppingstone for all my career progressions. It has given me a sense of purpose and belonging.
While my start at IIFM was slightly bumpy (got the last seat of my batch, and missed orientation and around two weeks of classes), thanks to my batchmates, seniors, and professors it turned out to be an extremely fulfilling journey.
From surveying core areas of Kanha Tiger Reserve on foot as an intern, to getting grants approved from a board of seasoned bankers at Royal Bank of Scotland, to then moving from a CSR to NGO space and codeveloping forest restoration plans with communities/ grassroots NGOs at The Nature Conservancy, and lastly in my new role at IDH of leading a landscape level collaborative of NGOs, businesses, government, and donors, it has been a journey full of new experiences and learning.
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. My key learning is that to create impact in a landscape, one needs to work together with all constituents. I strongly resonate with the saying that if you want to travel fast walk alone, but if you want to travel far, walk together. I try to imbibe this approach strongly in my present work.
One milestone that I am particularly proud of is to drive a rural livelihood and ecological restoration project in the Kanha-Pench Tiger Reserve Corridor Landscape during 2015-2019. I codeveloped this project with NGOs and Forest Department and raised funds from UN Climate Adaptation Fund for its implementation. The process of trying to work together and create synergies between ideologically strong civil society organizations working in the region was a great learning experience for me, even though the project could not achieve all the desired outcomes.
Q.What is the most satisfying part of your current role?
A.I have just joined IDH in August so I am still transitioning into my role. But the most satisfying part has been the culture here and getting an opportunity to work with the wonderful set of team members. My previous roles at RBS (~7 years) and TNC (~3 years) have been equally fulfilling.
Q.Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. IIFM has not only influenced me as a professional but as a person too. I feel that my sense of inclusivity and spirit of working together comes from being at IIFM. Besides the other aspects that IIFM offers, to me it also offered a space to understand people and develop my skillset of being able to work together in diverse settings with people from diverse backgrounds.
Q. Who (or what) are the biggest influences or drivers in your careers? What would be your advice to freshers and IIFM graduates who are looking to choose similar sectors/roles.
A. My drivers have obviously been my parents, wife, and mentors and my exposure and affinity to natural landscapes has been a major influencer in my career. Growing up in Jabalpur gave me the opportunity to visit some of the most iconic natural and wildlife strongholds from a young age. This was my trigger and I have been lucky to be able to work in some of these areas for nearly a decade now, although with different organizations and mandates.
I have also been lucky to work closely with some leaders in the conservation/ livelihood space. Starting my career in the donor space gave me better access to these professionals. Their experience and perspectives have been an inspiration and guiding light for me.
My advice to freshers and IIFM graduates will be to find your own trigger and go with it. Peer pressure is real but try to find your own path and keep developing. In the end it’s the process/ journey that matters.
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. I miss playing football with my batchmates, senior and juniors the most. Other favorite memories include field trips, impromptu parties and music nights.
Q. In hindsight, what was the biggest contribution (courses, faculty, library, friends, alumni.. Anything else!!) or take away from IIFM that you think played a critical role in shaping you as an individual or professional?
A. I made friends for life at IIFM, so that’s the biggest take away for me. IIFM also gave me a sense of belonging and purpose that gives me motivation to contribute to the development/ conservation sector.
Q. The best buddies / seniors /faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share?
A. One fine afternoon, my batchmate and close friend found a snake in the football ground that he thought was a Wolf Snake (non-poisonous and docile). He then decided to have a little show-off and brought it to our Nilgiri Hostel, where most other present batchmates started touching the snake and some even put it across their necks for fun.
Only to find a few minutes later that the snake was a Krait – one of the big fours and not the docile non-poisonous one they thought it to be. My friend was in shock for a few days and vowed to not catch/ touch snakes from that day onwards.
Best buddies are many – to name a few – Swapnil, Vamsi,Arvind, Vaibhav, Parashar, Ram, Shakti, Shitiz, Ankit, Aditya & Sumit.
Q. What is your typical day at the office?
A. I have joined IDH recently, so at present it involves a lot of handover and introductory calls and meetings. From next week, I will be going to the field to co-develop on-ground projects with partner NGOs, visiting FPOs, and interacting with local government staff.
Q.And how about weekends, Hobbies, Family and anything else you want to add
A. Most of my free time goes spending time with my family. My daughter Tara is just around 15 months so weekend is play time with her.
Q. Favorite Books, movies, authors
A. Favorite Books: To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee Harper), Sea of Poppies and The Hungry Tide (Amitav Ghosh), Kane and Abel (Jeffery Archer), The Aquitaine Progression (Robert Ludlam), Harry Potter (J K Rowling).
Movies – Shawshank, Departed, Snatch
Authors – named above
Q. IIFM is driven by alumni’s passion and commitments towards its goal. How would you like to contribute to IIFM or IIFM alumni, students? Your engagement with IIFM Placement or OT/SI?
A. In any manner the alumni, students and professors want my help. I am happy to contribute. I have helped with internships and taking sessions in the past.
Q. What do you think is different at IIFM now vs when you studied there? What do you think is a positive change and what is not?
A. Positive change – IIFM Alumni have become active. Connect with junior batches has improved due to linkedin and other social media platforms.
Negative change – Excessive infra development in campus, without a need and good planning.
Q. Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A. If not already covered – Narendra Mohan, Kapil Patil and Ram Krishna Atre from 2013 batch.