About

Rita Roy Choudhury is presently Assistant Secretary General, FICCI, in-charge of six portfolios covering Environment, Climate Change, Renewable Energy, Power & Coal, Water, and Sanitation. She has over 23 years of professional experience.

Rita has led FICCI's expansion in the environment, climate change and renewable energy domains and has initiated FICCI's foray in areas such as sustainable waste management, clean energy, biodiversity, and sustainability with stronger focus on regulatory and policy feedback and thought leadership in these areas. She is the focal point for FICCI's Council on Sustainability, Energy and Water, the FICCI Renewable Energy CEOs Council and steers FICCI Committees on Environment, Climate Change, Solar, Wind, Bioenergy, Energy Storage and the FICCI Water Mission. She is the FICCI nodal point for the India Sanitation Coalition and a member of its steering committee. She initiated the formation of the Indian Green Bonds Council under FICCI.

Rita is a member of various expert committees of the government on waste management, environmental standards, biodiversity, and climate change. She is also a member of the Energy and Environment Commission of the International Chamber of Commerce, and the Environment and Climate Change Committee of the OECD's Business and Advisory Committee. She has handled projects and partnerships with various organizations including UNIDO, USAID, USEPA, DFID, The World Bank, Asian Development Bank, GIZ, UNEP and UNDP.

Under her charge, FICCI launched significant initiatives in the climate change and carbon market space, bringing climate change policy dialogue, awareness and outreach at the centre stage of industry engagement. India Carbon Market Conclave, re-designated as the India Climate Policy and Business Conclave, the only platform in India for industry and climate change, was launched under her initiative and has completed a decade this year.

Rita steered the work of the India Advisory Council for UNEP Inquiry into Design of a Sustainable Financial System in India and has been instrumental in the formation of the Indian Green Bonds Council. In climate change related committees, Rita represents FICCI in the NDC Implementation Committee set up under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, and the steering committee of the Interim Administrative Cell of International Solar Alliance (ISA). She is the nodal point for FICCI?s role as Convenor and Secretariat of two of ISA?s Task Forces ? the Global Leadership Task Force of Corporates on Innovation, and the Global Task Force of Foundations. She has also initiated FICCI?s engagement in the sustainable mobility space through a partnership with the Paris Process on Mobility and Climate, Michelin and WWF India.

She obtained her undergraduate (Bachelor's) degree in Economics from Miranda House College, University of Delhi, and her postgraduate (Master's) degree in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.