Deepak Maheshwari is a policy professional and thought leader in the realm of digital ecosystem with more than three decades of experience across think tanks, industry, and associations. 

He is Senior Policy Advisor at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress, where he led the research Governing Digital India: A Report on Institutions and Instruments tracing the evolutions across telecom, broadcasting and IT since 1850s and proposing policy pathways for Viksit Bharat @2047.

He is consultant at ICRIER where he had supported Department of Telecommunications during India’s G20 Presidency in 2023; Advisor at the Indicus Centre for Financial Inclusion; and Advisory Board member of Software Freedom Law Centre; and, a contributor at the Centre for International Governance Innovation.

He has served on the government committees on AI and Accessibility. He has also volunteered as Global Chair of the IEEE Internet Initiative; Secretary of the ISP Association of India; and advisory board member of the IIM Ahmedabad–Idea Telecom Centre of Excellence. He co-founded National Internet Exchange of India and the ITU-APT Foundation of India.

His prior affiliations include CUTS, Centre for the Digital Future, Public Affairs Forum of India and Palo Alto Networks. Previously, he led public policy efforts at Sify, Microsoft, Mastercard and Symantec covering India, South Asia, ASEAN, and China regions.

A graduate in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, he also holds a law degree, providing him with a multidisciplinary lens with sharp insights across technology, governance, and inclusion.