Jahanzeb Akhtar

Keynote Address: “Women's Leadership: Indian Roots and Global Reach”

Jahanzeb believes that learning is a fun journey that cannot be stopped just because the hair is turning salt and pepper or the bones are starting to creak a bit! Along with her duties as a tax administrator, therefore, she has been returning to the classroom periodically – to IIM Bangalore, NALSAR Hyderabad, Utkal University and the National Law School(NLS)for degrees in law and public policy. She is currently pursuing her PhD at NLS. She has returned only last monthafter successfully completing the Hubert H Humphrey Fellowship – a Fulbright program of one academic year at the No 1 ranked public administration school in the US - the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Academic learning, professional networking and active community engagement were part of her life in this program.

Public policy, gender, minority and development issues are at the center of Jahanzeb’s interest and she speaks, writes, presents papers and encourages critical thinking in these areas.

Jahanzeb is an out and out people’s person and claims that it keeps her learning curve constantly steep. She interacts regularly with citizens, especially students and professionals, urging them to dream big for India,but include every Indian in that dream, especially those who have got left behind.

Jahanzeb Akhtar, Commissioner of Income Tax, is an officer of the 1989 batch of the Indian Revenue Service with more than 25 years of experience with the Government of India. She finds her roots in Orissa, the state where she was born, her wings in her identity as ‘Indian’ and her vision as a global citizen.