Deepak Maheshwari is a policy professional with a keen interest in the interplay of technological innovation and socio-economic development. He is Senior Consultant at Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP), Advisor at the Indicus Centre for Financial Inclusion (ICFI) and Advisory Board Member of Software Freedom Law Centre (sflc.in). Earlier, he led the public policy function in Microsoft, Mastercard, Symantec, and Sify for over two decades spanning India, South Asia, ASEAN and China regions.

A strong believer in the transformative power of public private partnerships, he co-founded the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) and the ITU-APT Foundation of India and helped form Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

He has served as Global Chair of the IEEE Internet Initiative, elected Secretary of the ISP Association of India (ISPAI), CEO of Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI), Advisory Board Member of the IIM Ahmedabad-Idea Telecom Center of Excellence, Distinguished Fellow at Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) and Senior Fellow at Centre For The Digital Future (CDF). As Senior Visiting Fellow at Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), he led the project to support Department of Telecommunications during India’s G20 Presidency.

A graduate in engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, he also has a degree in law.