Harish & Bina Shah Foundation (HBSF)
The Harish & Bina Shah Foundation (HBSF) is a private charitable foundation based in Mumbai, established in 2002 by Harish and Bina Shah of Signet Excipients Pvt. Ltd., a pharmaceutical raw materials business. The Foundation works on several mainstream social issues such as education, health, and livelihoods, as well as emerging areas including gender equity and arts and culture.
Harish Shah, B.E. (Mech.), D.M.S. (Bombay University), is the Founder and Managing Director of Signet Excipients Pvt. Ltd. Established in 1986, Signet is India’s leading pharmaceutical raw materials distribution company. In 2020, Signet became part of IMCD N.V., a large multinational company headquartered in the Netherlands. Harish Shah also leads Signet Capital Pvt. Ltd., the Shah family’s investment office, which invests across diverse asset classes.
HBSF has made the single largest contribution received by Ashoka University in its ten-year history. The unrestricted grant is focused on driving teaching and research excellence in the humanities disciplines, including languages, literature, history, and philosophy, and on supporting interdisciplinary research initiatives in the social and natural sciences. The grant will be deployed in tranches over a period of five years to accelerate the University’s growth. Through this contribution, HBSF seeks to invest in India’s future at both a student and institutional level.
Varun Sahni
Dean, Harish and Bina Shah School of Humanities
Dean, School of Social Sciences
Professor, International Relations
Professor Sahni joined Ashoka University in August 2025 as Professor of International Relations after three decades at Jawaharlal Nehru University. He has served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jammu (2008–2012) and Goa University (2016–2021), bringing extensive experience in academic governance and institution-building. His scholarship covers IR theory, nuclear policy, security studies, emerging powers, and Latin American affairs. He has authored 92 research articles, participated in over 230 conferences, and held visiting professorships across three continents. Professor Sahni studied at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, and later at Oxford University as an Inlaks Scholar, where his doctoral dissertation examined the Argentine Navy’s role in politics.
Ira Rajeev
Director, Harish and Bina Shah School of Humanities
Post Graduation in Liberal Education, Young India Fellowship, Ashoka University
Bachelors in Commerce (Honours), Delhi University
Ira holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the University of Delhi and is an alumna of the Young India Fellowship at Ashoka University (Batch of 2014). With over 12 years of experience, she has built a career at the intersection of education, strategy, and operational excellence. Before joining Ashoka, Ira played a founding role in establishing the India operations of Khan Academy and the College Board, where she built core functions across operations, finance, HR, marketing, and events, and led large-scale outreach initiatives to expand access for students and educators. Most recently, she was part of the founding team at Tetr College of Business, where she contributed to establishing campuses across Dubai, India, Singapore, Malaysia, and Ghana, while leading academic delivery, campus operations, experiential learning, and global immersion initiatives. Deeply committed to community building, Ira is the Founding President of the Sanskriti School Alumni Association, where she has played a key role in nurturing a vibrant alumni network over the years.
Ira brings a unique combination of creativity, empathy, and structured execution to her work. Outside of work, she is a passionate dancer, saree enthusiast, curious traveller, and enjoys cooking and experimenting.
