Page 45 - MASALA Magazine Vol.15 Issue 8 | December - January 2025

The focus and passion for the child After graduating with a degree in on public partnerships and innovative

rights mandate is key,” says Arun Nair, the Management and Economics, in nance across East Asia and the Paci c
Regional Partnerships Manager at UNICEF, Massachusetts, he moved to New York, region, while also serving as the lead in
as we speak between his meetings. “Growing where he spent a decade in banking, China for innovative nance and China-

up in India, I witnessed signi cant child structured nance and venture debt at based nancial institutions. “It’s been a

poverty, which deeply impacted me. I saw entities like JP Morgan and Citigroup. long, winding professional road, which has
children without access to necessities— Eventually, Arun made the drastic shift resulted in doing partnerships for UNICEF,

education, healthcare, housing, and food from the private sector into the international which at this time is an incredibly ful lling
security. These disparities left a lasting development sector seeking work that made role” he says.
impression on me, which is why UNICEF’s more meaningful social impact.
mission resonates so profoundly.” PARTNERSHIPS AT UNICEF
A PATH TO UNICEF
Eloquent and passionate, Arun embodies When asked what his role entails, Arun
the values of an international development “UNICEF has always been an entity I explains his work simply: “UNICEF always
professional dedicated to making a difference. had known, given its strong footprint and seeks to serve the needs of its ultimate
His life journey has been shaped by rich impactful work in India which had left a stakeholder – the child. Our role involves
and diverse cultural experiences, having strong impression” Arun shares. So, when addressing the range of areas impacting a
grown up in India, then Oman, and later UNICEF offered me a role to join their child’s well-being, areas such as but not
spending more than two decades in New Treasury & Structured Investments team in restricted to - Education, Climate, Water &
York. “Each place shaped my perspective,” New York, I opted to take the chance to work Sanitation, Nutrition, Health, Social Policy,
he re ects. “India’s diversity exposed me to for them over other banking opportunities Gender, Child Protection, and many more.

varied cultures, languages, and viewpoints. that I had at the time. UNICEF’s mandate is My role is to serve as the bridge between
Kerala, where I am from in India, is one very aligned with my values, and that feeling the programmatic needs into opportunities
of the most socially progressive states in has only grown with the time I have served for resource mobilisation, advocacy and
India, which informed my worldview as part of the organization.” mandate progression.”
from an early stage. In Oman, I was at a
critical stage of the teenage years, where In 2019, Arun was provided the opportunity A recent example is the Today & Tomorrow
I was provided the safety and validation, to move to China to establish partnerships initiative that was launched at COP28,

surrounded by a circle of amazing people, with the China-based nancial institutions piloted in the Paci c Islands to address
who I still consider my closest friends, in and multilateral development banks and climate events. “We convened partners

addition to being in a wonderful academic explore innovative nance in China. With like the World Bank, private insurance
institution. And then there is New York, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Arun companies and governments with
the city that I connect with the most and I started to support UNICEF’s Headquarter technical expertise from UNICEF to create
consider the place I know best – it taught in New York and Geneva in addition to the sustainable, system-strengthening measures.

me to appreciate different approaches, Regional Of ce in Bangkok in innovative This reduced the impacts of the climate
ideas, mindsets constantly challenging me finance and partnership building with event and reduced risks for insurers and

and exposing me to more, and was in all international nancial institutions. This led provided critical protection for vulnerable
accounts transformative.” to his current role, which involves leading populations.”
“While I consider myself very lucky for the
opportunities I have been accorded, I am
very grateful for the work ethic and mindset
that were instilled in me, which I credit to my
experiences and to my close circle around
me who has consistently championed me,
supported me and pushed me to excel and
achieve my goals,” he continues. “Re ecting

on my life, I understand the value of
opportunity and how life-changing it can
be. This perspective fuels my commitment
to ensuring every child has access to basic
opportunities. A child on the street might
not have the same privileges as one in a
private school, but with access to education,
they have the opportunity to change their
circumstances —and perhaps their story
entirely.”

While social impact was always an aspiration,
Arun’s professional journey began not in the
international development sector but in the
private sector.