Amitav is the Founder and CEO of The Education Alliance, a non-profit organization focused on Public Private Partnerships in Education. TEA works with state governments in Delhi and Tamil Nadu. 

Prior to founding The Education Alliance, Amitav was Country Director, ARK India, a UK based NGO. As their head, Amitav was responsible for launching several programmes around school leadership, english literacy, school vouchers and school quality assesments. 

Amitav worked for Bristol Myers Squibb based in Princeton for 5 years. He has been involved with his family-run business in Punjab since 1994. 

Amitav was educated at the Doon School and went on to study Economics at St. Stephens College, Delhi University. He has an MBA from UNC Chapel Hill, USA. He sits on the board of AVPN India, CAPED, Childrens Book Trust, Virmani Education Trust and several other non/for-profit organisations in India. Amitav is a member of the CII-Northern Region Education Task Force and also a member of the International Board of Advisors for Kenan Flagler Business School, UNC, Chapel Hill. 

In 2010, he became an Aspen Fellow, in 2015 he became an Ashoka Fellow and 2017 an N/Core Fellow.