My Journey
I was born and raised in New Delhi — a city that never truly sleeps. If you’ve lived there, you know what I mean: the traffic, the chaos, the constant hum of democracy in motion. It’s a place where protests appear overnight, where every chai break turns into a political debate, and where the air itself feels charged with ideas and arguments. I grew up right in the middle of that, with Parliament visits being my favourite childhood memories and dinner-table family conversations my earliest lessons that politics isn't an abstract idea but a lived reality, a reality that shapes many people's lives, often in disproportionate ways. Today, working in the policy space, I carry that understanding with me. My experience in the third sector has given me valuable insight into how policy is experienced on the ground, and in my work with the government, I bring those perspectives, contributing to policies that are equitable and responsive to people's needs.
Biography
Born and raised in New Delhi, Riya Mohan grew up in the midst of India’s evolving social and political landscape. Her young adulthood unfolded alongside some of the country’s most defining moments — when the Sabarimala judgment allowed women to enter the temple for the first time, when Kashmir’s special status was revoked, when homosexuality was decriminalised, and when the Three Farm Laws sparked mass protests. She witnessed the abortion law evolve to finally include unmarried women and saw the healthcare system collapse during the pandemic.
Riya began her professional journey in India’s publishing and editorial sector, contributing articles and opinion pieces on social and political issues to online magazines. Her early engagement was with Itisaras, a non-profit youth-led organisation, where she served as Editorial Head, proofreading articles on national issues from contributing writers. With a group of 12 people from the legal literacy and governance division, she also conducted fieldwork research in Adbar village of Nuh District, Haryana, to assess the reasons for low female literacy in that region. Engaging directly with community workers and women beneficiaries of various government schemes, she explored the intersection of policy, gender, and grassroots development, which continues to define her work today.
Riya holds an undergraduate degree in English from Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR), one of India’s leading institutions known for its feminist ethos and academic excellence. She has pursued Spanish language training at Instituto Cervantes, a cultural institution founded by the Government of Spain. Later, she completed a master's in International Relations of the Americas from UK's University College London (UCL). At UCL, her training centred on international relations, foreign policy with an additional focus on gender, politics, and public policy. Her dissertation, supported by a UCL grant, involved fieldwork research in Montevideo, Uruguay, examining the impact of a conditional cash transfer programme Family Allowances - Equity Plan (AFAM-PE) on women’s empowerment. Riya has also completed an Executive Education certificate course LokNeeti: Policy, Data & Behaviour Change Programme with the Indian School of Public Policy (ISPP), a programme that equips professionals with tools in design thinking, data analysis, and monitoring and evaluation to create evidence-based interventions across corporate, government, and non-profit spaces.
Professionally, Riya has held leadership roles in the refugee / migration and the violence against women and girls (VAWG) sectors, where she has led fundraising, project management, policy advocacy, and strategic communications work. Her experience with Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA) and Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse (STADA) spans designing and delivering refugee initiatives, advocating for systemic reform in VAWG, and building partnerships that drive investment into key initiatives. She has contributed to calls for evidence, government inquiries, and Treasury representations, and has spoken at strategic platforms including the Houses of Parliament, local councils, and universities. Riya has organised peace conferences, policy roundtables, and advocacy events highlighting issues such as Afghan girls’ education under the Taliban, human rights abuses, refugee employment, asylum system reform, and humanitarian aid. She has mobilised UK media around key refugee and gender-based violence initiatives, contributing to press releases, policy briefs, and public statements on behalf of charity organisations, featured across major media outlets.
Riya has also supported Aapka Sahara Foundation in advancing mental health initiatives for the elderly, helping recruit and build capacity for fundraising teams. Her passion for this cause is deeply personal — inspired by her late grandmother, whose love and guidance profoundly shaped her values and who passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2024, Riya served as an Accredited Independent Election Observer for the UK General Elections, conducting election observation across fifteen polling stations in London to ensure fairness, transparency, and adherence to democratic standards. Previously, she got selected as a UN Women UK Delegate for the 66th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
Currently, she is serving as a Policy Fellow under the Embark India Development Fellowship, working in the ADP / ABP division at NITI Aayog, Government of India.
Beyond her professional commitments, Riya mentors individuals affected by violence, conflict, war, political instability, and displacement, guiding them to access education and global opportunities. Drawing on her lived experiences and professional insight, she is driven by the belief that privilege is most powerful when it opens doors for others. She has been invited by University College London to speak as a panellist, sharing insights on strategic career journeys, the value of volunteering, and building careers in the policy and development space, inspiring the next generation of social change professionals.
RECOGNITIONS
In 2024, Riya was recognised as a Rising Leaders Fellow (Aspen Institute UK), nominated to be among the finest high-potential leaders navigating an increasingly complex and polarised global landscape.