Pinaki Halder leads Landesa programs in West Bengal including two of the organization’s most innovative projects: the Girls Project, and the micro-plot work. Halder joined Landesa West Bengal as senior manager in July 2011 and was primarily responsible for forging strong partnership with the government for micro-plot distribution to rural poor of the state. Prior to joining Landesa, Pinaki was working within the government of West Bengal as deputy secretary. He was a civil servant with more than 23 years of experience in rural development, urban governance, disaster management and community development. He served as associate professor at the Administrative Training Institute, Kolkata for over four years where he gained experience in capacity development of government officials, NGOs and local self government functionaries on nuances of community development. Mr. Halder also worked with UNICEF India for more than six years in the area of Communication for Development with a focus on community-led behavior and social change for inclusive access to services provided through national flagship programs.