Washington: Arvind Sanger, an Indian American with a B. Tech degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B), has been appointed chairman of Pratham USA, which helps underprivileged children in India to learn reading and writing skills.

The National Board of Directors of Pratham USA appointed Sanger as chairman of the board Oct 19. His predecessor and co-board member Vijay Goradia, who held the position since Pratham USA's founding in 1999, nominated him, the institution announced.

In 2007, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded Pratham a $9.1 million grant to scale its innovating learning techniques across the country in a campaign known as "Read India". To date, the campaign has reached over 34 million children in 21 Indian states.

Arvind Sanger founded Geosphere Capital Management, a global long-short equity hedge fund, in 2007. This fund focuses on natural resources and industrial companies globally with offices in New York and Singapore.

Between 2002 and 2007, he was a portfolio manager at SAC Capital, and was one of the most senior equity portfolio managers, managing a team of six investment professionals in New York and Singapore.

Prior to his tenure at SAC, he had a 15-year career as a top-ranked sellside oil services and equipment analyst at a number of firms, including Deutsche Bank, DLJ (1995-2000), and Kidder Peabody.

Arvind graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, with a B.Tech in 1984 and received his MBA from Tulane University in 1987.

In addition to his service on the Board of Pratham USA, he is a member of the Business School Council at The A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University.

"Having been closely involved with Pratham USA for several years, I am excited by its growth and inspired by the tremendous impact that Pratham's programmes are having in India. I am honoured by the opportunity to serve as chairperson of the Pratham USA board," said Sanger.

"I look forward to working closely with the rest of the team as we continue to build and strengthen the organisation, thereby allowing us to reach and impact more children." IANS