Preyansi Mani’s multifaceted career spans social impact, academia, research, entrepreneurship, and advisory roles. Her unwavering focus has been on harnessing skill development initiatives and digital innovations to empower the youth. Presently, she is Education and Youths Advisor and India lead for the transformative Digital Skills2 Succeed in Asia project at the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). This visionary endeavor seeks to propel digital innovations and capacity development within higher education institutions across India, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.
Preyansi is a member among a select group of global higher education leaders of the ‘Future of Learning Collaborative,’ initiated by UPenn and Anant University. This collaborative aspires to address pressing challenges in education, steering the creation of pragmatic solutions for delivering top-tier education within university campuses worldwide.
In her role as the Academic Head at Delhi Skill & Entrepreneurship University (DSEU), Preyansi orchestrated the introduction of innovative academic programs and spearheaded comprehensive academic reform initiatives. Her strategic leadership played a pivotal role in transforming the university’s academic landscape. Preyansi’s commitment to social transformation and education’s catalytic role led her to establish the School of Dignity—a grassroots not-for-profit organization. This endeavor empowered disadvantaged tribal youths in Jharkhand, India, through education, training, and digital skill development within the commercial cleaning industry. Her commitment to formalizing education and dignity in the cleaning industry led her to conceive and launch India’s pioneering bachelor’s program in Facilities and Hygiene Management at DSEU.
As a German Chancellor Fellow, Preyansi delved into intensive research on school-to-work transitions and apprenticeship models in Germany, sponsored by the esteemed Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. She is from the founding cohort of the Gandhi Fellowship – a grassroots youth leadership initiative dedicated to instigating systemic and social transformation.