Action Against Hunger Network elects Ashwini Kakkar as International President

Indian businessman and philanthropist Ashwini Kakkar has been elected as the International President of Action Against Hunger Network. He succeeds Raymond Debbane. For years, Kakkar has been involved in the fight against hunger. He has been the President of Action Against Hunger in India since 2012. Previously, he served as an Executive Director on the global board of Thomas Cook, was co-founder and Chairman of via.com and turned around the fortunes of Mercury Travels Ltd before accomplishing its sale to Nasdaq listed EBix Corp in 2018. Kakkar was awarded one of the highest civilian awards, Chevalier de l'Ordre de Merite, by the French President Jacques Chirac in 2006, which is equivalent to India’s Padma Vibhushan.

Kakkar’s election comes at a time when the number of people suffering from hunger and malnutrition has been increasing for the last few years. Today, more than 811 million people are suffering from hunger worldwide. In India, the situation is even more intense and the prevalence of child malnutrition remains one of the biggest concerns for the country. “The Covid-19 pandemic has pushed more people towards food insecurity and it is more important than ever that we come together to fight this scourge and live in a better world,” said Kakkar.