Along with being a Fellow of Aspen Global Leadership Network’s Kamalnayan Bajaj Fellowship (Class 8), she is a Rolex Laureate, Eisenhower Fellow, WINGS Fellow, World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, National Geographic Emerging Explorer, and INK Fellow. In July 2025, she was named a McNulty Prize Winner for her bold impact and commitment to values-driven leadership, especially in times of global uncertainty. 

We caught up with Krithi at the 2025 Resnick Aspen Action Forum to learn more about her leadership journey, the lessons she’s carried forward, and how she stays rooted in purpose while pursuing a global vision for conservation.

Answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What’s the problem you’re committed to solving, and what actions are you taking to make progress?

I run a 41-year-old organization called the Centre for Wildlife Studies in India. Our mission is to save wildlife and wild places. We work around wildlife parks and do research on animals like tigers and elephants, but we also do research on human problems like human-wildlife conflict, opportunities from wildlife tourism, and changing agroforestry and land use practices. More importantly, we run six conservation programs on the ground today that serve 7,500 villages and reach several million people, enabling them to cope with challenges posed by wildlife. 

Tell us about your leadership journey and any lessons you’ve learned along the way. 

I’ve been a Kamalnayan Bajaj Fellow since 2021. I found this Fellowship very helpful because when you run an organization, you face so many challenges on a day-to-day basis. It’s really helped ground me, center me, and give me a place to go to every time something tough happens. I think I’m much more resilient and gritty because of the Aspen Fellowship. 

What’s something you wish more people knew about leadership?

I think leadership has to be very adaptable, and often you don’t get a lot of time to make decisions. When you’re not at the top of an organization, it can sometimes be hard to see the reasoning behind certain decisions, which may lead to questioning leadership. But from the perspective of being on the leadership team, you recognize that those choices, even if not immediately understood, are ultimately made for the greater good of the organization. 

What keeps you going?

I love my job. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in this world. My happiest moments are still when I’m in the jungle and I get to watch animals. It’s not the money, it’s not the fame, it’s not any of this other stuff…it is literally watching animals. And I think everybody needs to find that single thing that drives them. 

If you were to write a letter to your younger self, what would you write?

I would advise myself to be a little more patient. I just want to run at super high speed all the time, but I think as I’ve gotten older, I have gotten more patient and now really invest time in building relationships. I don’t think it has to be transactional. You may just get to know somebody and then five, 10, 20 years later, something new and wonderful may come up as a result.

About the Aspen Global Leadership Network

The Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN) is a dynamic, worldwide community of nearly 4,000 entrepreneurial leaders from over 60 countries. Spanning business, government, and the nonprofit sector, these leaders share a commitment to enlightened leadership and the drive to tackle the most pressing challenges of our times. Through transformative Fellowship programs and  gatherings like the Resnick Aspen Action Forum, AGLN Fellows have the unique opportunity to connect, collaborate, and challenge each other to grow and commit to a lifelong journey of impact.

More from 2025 Resnick Aspen Action Forum

In July 2025, over 500 leaders across the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN) community gathered for our largest Action Forum to date. Joined by nearly 100 young leaders, AGLN Fellows from more than 30 countries returned to the enduring questions first posed at at the founding of the Aspen Institute 75 years go: What does it mean to lead with purpose in times of profound uncertainty?

Explore more inspiring content on leadership and change-making from the 2025 Action Forum here.