With over half of the global population living in urban areas, cities and urban local governments have been at the forefront of the pandemic. Cities have been left with an indelible mark, thereby making us rethink various social, cultural, economic and institutional aspects of urban development. In the wake of COVID-19, our cities have demonstrated the immense ability and capacity to adapt to any crisis ranging from developing creative urban responses to immediate locally relevant solutions. At the same time, the pandemic has also exposed certain fundamental issues of equality, access, disparities and development.
M.K. Padma Kumar is involved in developing strategies and managing operations for the IPE Global Group.
He has over 25 years of experience in the development sector, working in civil society organisations and international development agencies like DANIDA and DFID. As the Head of State Partnerships at the DFID India, he was responsible for developing partnerships, programme design, management and strategic oversight of all programmes implemented in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. He has managed various development programmes. His expertise lies in driving operational, financial and programmatic transformations. Before DFID, he was associated with Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), Help Age and World Wildlife Fund.
He holds a Master’s degree in Business Management with specialisation in Human Resource Management and Finance. He is extensively trained in Project Cycle Management, Grant Management, Performance Management, Leadership Skills and Change Management.
