Our Team

The people behind NexStep

People who have built, advised, studied and worked across very different worlds - now building NexStep together.

Ujjwal

Ujjwal

Founder & CEO

A believer in people and in building organisations that allow them to do their best work. At NexStep, he is building the instrument he kept wishing existed.

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Dharmakirti

Dharmakirti

CBO

A student of the unique, the meaningful and the simple. He works at the intersection of ideas, execution, business and wider organisational impact.

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Nitisha

Nitisha

CMO & Head of Impact

A community weaver and pattern seeker who brings creative instinct, analytical inquiry and a drive to find clarity in complexity.

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Raghava

Raghava

Head of International Growth

A builder of systems and navigator of complexity, focused on turning chaotic growth into scalable structure, operational clarity and sustainable growth.

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Sanika

Sanika

Founder’s Office

A little difficult to categorise. Curious, ambitious and easily excited, she works across strategy, execution and whatever needs figuring out next.

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Urdhva

Urdhva

Business Development

A curious learner building experience across business development, strategy, people and execution, with a focus on understanding how businesses grow.

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Ujjwal

Ujjwal

Founder & CEO

I am...

A believer in people and in building organisations that allow them to do their best work.

I have seen the same pattern across organisations: people are capable of far more than businesses often know how to recognise or unlock, yet critical people's decisions continue to rely largely on experience and intuition.

My Air Force years gave me a principle I still carry: “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.” Understand your people's architecture before growth, succession or transition exposes the gaps.

For me, good architecture begins with clarity and candour. When people understand what is expected, how decisions are made and where accountability sits, they perform better and what the organisation builds is far more likely to last.

At NexStep, I’m...

Building the instrument I kept wishing existed; one that reads what people and organisations are truly capable of, and what’s quietly holding them back.

Some chapters along the way...

Seven years as a Communications Specialist with the Indian Air Force. Twenty-five years in growth consulting and running start-ups across education, clean energy, organic farming and D2C retail. Building consulting practices and leading enterprise-scale talent functions across India, the Middle East and Africa including thousands of hires a year and a sustainable farming venture built from seed to supply chain.

I built NexStep to bring the rigour of top-tier consulting to growth-stage start-ups, delivered as a product.

You’ll find me...

Rarely anywhere near concrete when I can help it. Ideally on a farm or a boat off the Konkan coast, line in the water, waiting for a bite. Deep in something for five hours straight, then a free bird, with nothing of it left to carry over.

“How much of a person is still waiting to be met?”

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Dharmakirti

Dharmakirti

CBO

I am...

A student of the unique, the meaningful and the simple.

I’ve worked across very different worlds - PSUs, MNCs, ambitious start-ups, entrepreneurial ventures and hands-on agriculture. Much of that time has been spent navigating the messy space between ideas and execution; between profits and consciousness; between the immediate and the lasting.

Along the way, I have learnt, unlearnt and started from scratch. What strings it all together is the belief that meaningful work must be grounded in reality, seek wider impact, and solve for the system not just one variable.

What drives me...

Purposefully and persistently doing more with less. Restoring order to chaos and bringing clarity to ambiguity.

At NexStep, I’m...

Building the business, shaping the category and taking it through to customer adoption enabling organisations to create lasting value through their People Architecture.

Some chapters along the way...

An Engineering degree and an MBA from SPJIMR. Hands-on leadership experience with Indian Oil and Shell. International projects, including an exhaustive retail assignment in the Middle East. A stint in copywriting. Qualifying for the Indian Army. Entrepreneurial ventures across education and agriculture.

And a deeper-than-usual engagement with the questions: where does our food come from, and what should I eat?

You’ll find me...

Thinking about intrinsic value, downstream effects, worthy goals, simple solutions and wider implications. When out and about, playing badminton or snooker or cycling.

“How can health - both personal and organisational - be a goal as well as an outcome?”

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Nitisha

Nitisha

CMO & Head of Impact

I am...

A community weaver and a pattern seeker led by the heart, but equally drawn to ideas, structure and evidence.

My mind moves between creative instinct and analytical inquiry often without warning, and occasionally at the same time. One side sees possibilities; the other looks for the pattern beneath them.

For over 26 years, this instinct has taken me from leadership roles in MNCs and large Indian companies to building organisations of my own, and now to working alongside founders and changemakers. Different sectors. Different challenges. The same curiosity: what makes people and organisations truly thrive - or not?

What drives me

Finding clarity in complexity. Turning conversations into connections, ideas into insight, and insight into meaningful action and collaboration.

I thrive in moments of complexity and crisis staying calm, making sense of what is unfolding, and bringing a voice of balance when it is needed most.

At NexStep, I’m...

Building our Marketing function and leading the Impact vertical, exploring the invisible patterns that shape purpose-driven organisations and the people within them.

Some chapters along the way...

Brand and communications across Lowe Lintas, Kaya Skin Clinic (Marico), Škoda Auto, Volkswagen and the World Gold Council. Founding a non-profit. Co-founding a social enterprise. Working alongside communities, founders and changemakers.

Godrej Design Lab Fellow for Social Impact. Clean Cooking Alliance Mentor. Part of the inaugural Mumbai Climate Week team. Bioleadership Global Fellow 2026.

You’ll find me...

With a book or somewhere outdoors my two most reliable companions. Listening deeply. Filling notebooks. Talking to my plants or finding my rhythm at the gym. A closet writer who occasionally comes out of hiding to publish. Asking one more question. Connecting dots that don’t seem connected until they are.

“What’s the story beneath the story?”

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Raghava

Raghava

Head of International Growth

I am…

A builder of systems and navigator of complexity.

For over 20 years, my career has spanned oil tankers, tech start-ups, large enterprises, corporate strategy and education. I’ve led international expansion across new geographies, scaled P&Ls over ₹30M, and integrated thousands of employees across locations.

Different industries. Different stakes. The same drive: creating robust systems, operational clarity and sustainable growth.

What drives me

Turning chaotic growth into scalable structure, bringing clarity to complex operations, and building processes that empower teams to thrive.

At NexStep, I’m…

Driving international growth strategies across global markets while architecting the shared services, processes and systems that enable us to expand seamlessly.

Some chapters along the way…

Deck Officer on deep-sea oil tankers. ISB Torchbearer. Athlete. Experience across Xceedance, Ola, BP and Mitsui OSK working at the intersection of corporate strategy, growth and scalable systems.

You’ll find me…

Optimising workflows. Connecting data points. Building tools to simplify operations. Solving intricate structural puzzles. Always finding a smarter way forward.

“How do we build this so it scales effortlessly?”

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Sanika

Sanika

Founder’s Office

I am…

A little difficult to categorise.

I like having a plan, but I also like abandoning it. Very particular about little things, very spontaneous about big ones. Ambitious, curious, easily excited and occasionally far too interested in things I have nothing to do with.

I’ve worked across consumer brands, climate initiatives, research and business development. I like people, learning and not knowing exactly what comes next.

Still figuring out how all the pieces fit together. For now, I’m enjoying having a lot of pieces-and hopefully becoming someone I’ll be proud of.

What drives me

Curiosity, challenges and the urge to figure things out.

At NexStep, I’m…

Part of the Founder’s Office, which mostly means working across strategy, execution and whatever needs figuring out next.

Some chapters along the way…

A PGDM from GIM. A stint at Kellogg’s. Early exposure to entrepreneurship. Being part of the inaugural Mumbai Climate Week. Different experiences, different environments, and a lot of learning in between.

You’ll find me…

Somewhere between a good conversation, a new obsession, a half-made plan, a long walk, a great meal-or completely absorbed in some new thing I’ve decided to know everything about.

Question I keep coming back to

“Is the world really my oyster?”

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Urdhva

Urdhva

Business Development

I am...

A curious learner and someone who enjoys understanding how things work.

I am building my experience at the intersection of business development, strategy, people and execution. My journey so far has taken me through business education, research, internships, early entrepreneurial projects and now NexStep.

Different experiences. Different environments. The same curiosity: understanding how businesses grow, how people make decisions, and what turns an idea into something real.

What drives me

Learning by doing, meeting people, understanding businesses and finding opportunities where I can add value. I enjoy breaking down unfamiliar problems, connecting ideas, asking questions and turning conversations into meaningful opportunities.

At NexStep, I’m…

Working in Business Development-identifying opportunities, building relationships and creating meaningful partnerships. My role gives me exposure to founders, companies and different parts of the business ecosystem while helping me develop a practical understanding of sales, research, outreach and growth.

Some chapters along the way...

International Business at NMIMS and Kingston University in the UK. Research and internship experience across finance, consumer markets and social impact, including a stint at Jefferies. Early exposure to entrepreneurship through college projects.

I was also part of the Sports Club at NMIMS, with bartball remaining a consistent part of my life - both on and off the pitch.

You’ll find me...

Exploring new businesses and ideas. Meeting people. Following bartball and keeping up with the world of sports. Learning how companies grow. Asking questions. Trying things out. And usually looking for a better way to understand or solve something.

“How does this actually work?”

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Building something that needs a closer look at its people?

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