Kusum Kanwar

Kusum Kanwar is an established K-12 educationist, social entrepreneur and advocate of child, youth and women development programs particularly designed for social inclusion. She is noted for her exceptional efforts and acumen in running and launching of some of the most acclaimed international schools and preschools in the city, run by the country’s premier and renowned K-12 education corporate chain, Kangaroo Kids Education Ltd. This includes her dedicated efforts in developing top-notch special needs programs and units along with relevant holistic developmental and educative and sports & performing arts programs for children, youth and women, over a span of three decades.

Kusum is currently the Managing Director and Owner of one of the largest and most prominent preschools in Mumbai, Kangaroo Kids, Kandivali, under KK Kids Learning Systems (KKLS); Founder of AddUpSkill a SEL training & development company for school stakeholders. The President of Mumbai, WEE under CIMSME. As a Cluster Director – Pathshala impacting the K12 segment of schooling. National Core Committee Member of APER- Association of Primary Education & Research. Joint Secretary at the Global Youth Parliamant, India.

Kusum is also the Chairperson of ‘Shield Yourself Foundation’ (SYF), a self-defence and empowerment organisation for women and girls from ages 5 to 60 years, across socio-economic backgrounds.

Kusum is the Mumbai Convenor of ‘Chuppi Todo’ – a leading organisation actively involved in spreading awareness and fighting against child abuse.

Encapsulating her life’s mission as ‘Co-creating Education’, she constantly strives to initiate and create 360-degree community education programmes centred on social inclusion. Some of the key projects include educating young tribal children from Aarey Milk colony and teaching of street children in association with Teresa Humanity Foundation.

She is also working as an external consultant and advisor with NGOs and other reputed education trusts for developing sustained development programs to foster community-led growth for women and children from the marginally deprived communities.

In the last two decades of her association with one of the largest Indian K-12 education chains, heading one of the most critical functions of the firm – the Operations and subsequently pivotal in restructuring the processes and operations at BHIS Malad, now known as among the top schools in the vicinity. Kusum is renowned to have established and successfully integrated one of the city’s first and most intensive special needs education programs within the organisation framework of schools, including Teacher training and empowerment programs, Quality review and assessment programs, Curriculum Planning & Implementation, Development and Integration of Sports & performing arts programs.

Kusum’s cross functional expertise also includes Strategy Development, Resource Allocation, Revenue generation, Multi-location operations management, Team and Relationship management, Low cost high impact marketing, Unit location direction & Start-up execution.