The People and Purpose Behind RigVed
RigVed Business Solutions helps organizations turn social and environmental commitments into on-the-ground results.
Founded in 2021, we work with non-profits, social enterprises, and companies around the world - from those entering the Indian market for the first time to established global organizations executing field projects on the ground. Our work spans program assessment, field research, impact storytelling, and hands-on consulting, helping clients understand what's actually happening in the communities they serve, and what's working.
Our approach is built on a collective four decades plus of experience across corporate operations and grassroots social impact, from clean energy programs across 15+ Indian states to community health and livelihood work rooted in rural India. We don't chase trends - we build what's needed, test it in the field, and adjust based on what we find.
Our Founder’s Note
SHARMISTA SHANKARANARAYANA
I started this work young - long before RigVed existed as a company. What began as grassroots community work in health, education, and rural livelihoods eventually grew into a career spanning corporate operations, clean energy, and social impact across India and beyond.
RigVed exists because I kept seeing the same gap: organizations with good intentions and real resources, but no clear picture of what's actually happening on the ground. My work - whether in a boardroom or a village - has always come back to the same question: is this actually working, and for whom?
That's what we bring to every project. Not polished frameworks borrowed from elsewhere, but solutions built from what the field actually tells us.
Our Team
Sharmista Shankaranarayana
Founder - Director
Sharmista is an impact entrepreneur and field operations leader specializing in clean cooking, community energy, rural livelihoods, and sustainable development. With over 20 years of cross-sector leadership, she brings corporate operational rigor directly into grassroots execution.
Having built and scaled multi-state delivery models across 15+ Indian states - alongside field experience in East Africa -Sharmista specializes in zero-to-one operational architecture. She bridges high-level institutional intent with ground-truth execution, managing field delivery teams of 150+ personnel and designing governance frameworks that empower rural and tribal communities.
Rob Tholenaars
Head - Global Implementation
Rob brings over 40 years of management experience in port operations and solid waste management, with a specialist track record in Design, Build, Implement and Training (DBIT) waste management projects across South East Asia and Africa. At RigVed, he will oversee implementation across all of RigVed's projects globally, ensuring execution stays on track from planning through delivery. He also leads Ecoro Management, and has led consultancy and change-management mandates for large enterprises overseeing mergers, reorganisations and business process restructuring. A Dutch national based in India since 2018, Rob currently serves as President of the India Netherlands Business Circle Bangalore (INBCB) and previously led the Building Experiences Foundation Netherlands. He holds a Bachelor's in Logistics and is a certified National and International Licensed Entrepreneur in Cargo Logistics.