Meet the Team

Founders

Deepa Pullanikkatil (PhD)
Founder & President of Abundance
Brought up in Tanzania and Lesotho, and having attended university in India and South Africa, Deepa has lived and worked with people from various cultures and nationalities. She has embraced all of humanity as her own and believes that differences should be celebrated and not cause division. She is a Civil Engineer turned Environmentalist, with a PhD in Environmental Science from South Africa and is currently based in Swaziland. She undertakes consultancy work on climate change adaptation for Government of Swaziland through UNEP-DTU project. She has been involved in climate change related work for Government of Malawi, SADC, GIZ, UNDP and others. Deepa has completed a Post Doctoral Research Fellowship from Rhodes University and undertaken consultancy work for the University of Glasgow in 2018. Deepa is LEAD Fellow (Cohort 19) and granddaughter of award winning Malayalam writer Tatapuram Sukumaran.  www.deepapullanikkatil.com
​How it all Began
​Abundance began as a "wish", "dream" and "vision" of Deepa Pullanikkatil, who was touched by the suffering she saw in Malawi where she spent five years of her life between 2009-2015.   Read more......
Cyril Anand Bakianathan
​ Co-Founder &  Vice President
Cyril is a Harvard Alumni with over 15 years of experience across Technology, Media & Telecom. He is based in Qatar and works as Director of Ooredoo Qatar managing a team of senior managers responsible for business development of Mega Projects contributing to the QNV 2030. He is an accomplished public speaker, has delivered speeches at GSMA, World Stadium Congress, Soccerex, Arab Future Cites and a TEDx Speech on entrepreneurship.
Cyril lives in Doha, Qatar. 
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Read Cyril Anand's article at Harvard University website where he talks about what inspired him to start Abundance:
​ https://www.exed.hbs.edu/assets/testimonials/Pages/program-for-leadership-development-cyril-anand.aspx
​Thangam Pillai
      Co-Founder &  Vice President
​Thangam Pillai is a successful Entrepreneur cum writer, running automobile maintenance workshop in Dubai, UAE for more than eleven years. She is President of Manifest Humanity a non-profit organization supporting girls education in India, where she plays the role of executive leadership and is responsible for leading organizational operation collaborating with partners and donors for their transformative experience. She was active with Toastmasters club in UAE and has helped many with public speaking skills and providing encouragement and skills for entrepreneurship. 
Thangam lives in Dubai, UAE.

Strategic Advisors                             

We have a team of dedicated advisers from around the globe who advise on policy and operational matters for Abundance. Click here to learn more about them.
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Director: Ruth Mumba
​Ruth Mumba is Director of Abundance and the champion that leads most activities of Abundance. Based in Zomba, she works as a Geologist at the Geological Surveys and has a BSc in Earth Sciences and Geography from University of Malawi. Ruth has been looking for a place to volunteer and do her part in community development and we are fortunate to have her on board at Abundance. She has received training in Finland and France and represented her department in meetings in South Africa and elsewhere. A reliable and trustworthy person, Ruth is the backbone of Abundance and she works with ease with communities at Mbando village, the village adopted by Abundance. 
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Secretary: Stewart Paul
​Stewart Paul is Secretary for Abundance and is based in Lilongwe. In March 2017, he represented the organization during the first official meeting for Sustainable Futures in Africa network, which was facilitated by University of Glasgow at the University of Botswana in Gaborone. He works as a PhD Research Assistant at Parent And Child Health Initiative (PACHI), a local NGO in Malawi which works on improving maternal and child health through sustainable, innovative and evidence based programs and interventions, capacity building and research. A University of Malawi alumnus, Stewart completed his Bachelor of Social Science (Majoring in Psychology) from Chancellor College in Malawi and is interested in community development and youth empowerment. 

Board of Trustees


​Learn more about the Board of Trustees of ABUNDANCE

​Click here
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