Sujata Saunik

About

Sujata Saunik is a senior civil servant from the 1987 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Maharashtra cadre, with 38 years of service in public administration. She has led key departments in Maharashtra including Public Health, Finance, Skill Development, General Administration (Services and AIEGG) and Home. She also served as the 48th Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, becoming the first woman to hold this position since the state’s formation 65 years ago.

In the Government of India, she worked in the Ministry of Women in Child and Disaster Management wing of Home Affairs as Director and later Advisor and Joint Secretary at the National Disaster Management Authority, contributing to disaster preparedness and resilience-building strategies. Internationally, she served with the United Nations in Cambodia and Kosovo as Civil Affairs Officer in governance and humanitarian missions.

Her academic and research interests focus on the intersections of climate change, public health, and governance. She is Takemi Fellow (2018) at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she published research on Maharashtra’s health insurance program. She is currently pursuing her PhD at Keio University, Japan, examining the impact of heat on public health and livelihoods in urban areas.

She also conceptualized SANGAM (Summit of Academia Networking with Government, Allied Health Workers & Medical Professionals), a platform that bridges research and practice in health systems through partnerships with IIT Bombay and the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences. The objective is to bring research and policy making closer for evidence based interventions.

A seasoned administrator and reform oriented leader, Sujata Saunik combines experience in governance, global engagement, and academic research to contribute to inclusive and sustainable development.