Sudhanshu Kaushik

About Sudhanshu Kaushik

For over a decade, I’ve dedicated my career to the intersection of youth civic engagement, government relations, political campaigns, and transformative communication across the United States and India. Through strategic initiatives and partnerships, my work has connected citizens, government leaders, and major global stakeholders, impacting nearly 120 million people and engaging communities in over 40 states and 80 cities.As a leader and advocate, I’ve been privileged to work on initiatives that foster meaningful change: from constitutional amendments and policy innovations to collaborations with brands like Meta, The Body Shop, Google, and Qatar Airways. My journey has brought me from engagements with the White House to the Youth Affairs ministry in a variety of countries to the offices of the Lieutenant Governor of Montana, and even the United Nations. Alongside these efforts, I’m passionate about building lasting communities of young leaders worldwide, providing them with the tools and support they need to effect change locally and globally, helping over 35 candidates stand for local and state-wide office. Academically and professionally, my interests lie in civic technology, youth demographics, political communications, AI’s role in political campaigns, the economic impacts of elections, diaspora relations, and the interplay between media and politics. These themes not only shape my work but also my writing; my book, The Future is Ours, published by HarperCollins India, dives deep into these topics and the future of youth-led change.If you’re interested in discussing civic innovation, political campaigns, communications, government affairs, or the broader impacts of technology on governance, I’d be delighted to connect. You can reach me at s••••••••@gmail.com or follow me on Instagram (@sudhanshukaushik) and Twitter (@sudhikaushik) for insights and updates on my work.

Experience

1. Founder

   Young India Foundation

   Aug 2016 — Present · New Delhi, IN

   Founded and led India’s first youth-centric advocacy organization and political action committee, initiating programs to increase youth participation in politics. Over five million voters registered and a 30% increase in youth political engagement. Conceptualized a nation-wide campaign to decrease the age of candidacy to encourage more young people into politics through a Constitutional Amendment, over one million signatures, 1200 workshops events, and over 60 advertisement campaigns that directly led to the introduction of a bill to amend the constitution in parliament. Executed large-scale partnerships with Meta, The Body Shop, and MTV to drive civic engagement campaigns, managing cross-functional coordination that resulted in a 40% increase in platform engagement from youth audiences and improved reporting metrics for stakeholder impact analysis.Led a team of 12 employees and over 600 volunteers across 25 cities, recruiting and training 52 marginalized political candidates over six years, with 31 successfully elected across all levels, including Jagbir from Haryana, Sneha from Sonipat, Haryana; Inderpreet and Hashpreet from Punjab, Abida from Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir. Built a membership of over working with affiliate chapters in over 70 colleges to foster an engaged grassroots and digital community. Fundraised over annually to sustain and expand initiatives.Managed all electoral campaign operations for recruited candidates, specializing in digital presence, privacy, and content moderation. Increased candidate visibility by 30% through strategic digital safety and campaign tactics, including stakeholder correspondence and legal oversight.Collaborated with policymakers with environmental, digital, and voting issues. Organized campaigns in partnership with state officials, achieving a 20% enhancement in youth-friendly policy adoption at the state level.

Education

• Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)

  Doctorate of International Affairs, Political Communication

• New York University

  Bachelor's degree, International Relations and Civic-Tech Engagement

• University of Oxford

  MSc, Modern South Asia

• The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

  Master of Business Administration - MBA, Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies

• University of Alabama at Birmingham

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), International Political Economy

Skills

• Entrepreneurship
• Public Speaking
• Strategy
• Strategic Planning
• Management Consulting
• English
• Spanish
• Foreign Policy
• Analysis
• Program Management
• International Business
• Leadership
• Social Media
• Public Relations
• Foreign Policy Analysis
• Management
• Business Development
• Written & Oral Presentation Skills
• Political Campaigns
• Organizational Development
• Political Consulting
• International Relations
• Political Strategy