BW Social Impact Leader Award: Odisha’s Santanu Mishra Spreads ‘Smile’ & ‘Footprints’

New Delhi: Santanu Mishra, the Odisha-born co-founder and executive trustee of Smile Foundation, was conferred with Business World Social Impact Leader Award during the inaugural edition of Social Impact Summit & Awards 2022 in New Delhi in New Delhi on Thursday.

He has been a pioneer in applying successful management practices in the social sector for the last 20 years.

“The award will act as a motivation for me and an encouragement for our people in the endeavour to create a meaningful impact in the lives of children and their families. Active participation of the civil society is imperative in the mission to create an equitable future for our children, besides building an empathetic society and a happier planet,” said Mishra, while dedicating it to the 2600 people of Smile Foundation who work relentlessly on the ground round-the-year.

Management and legal consultant by profession, a company secretary by qualification, and an entrepreneur by passion, Mishra is also an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Born and brought up in Sambalpur, Odisha, he made his way up the corporate ladder before dedicating himself full-time and voluntarily to nurturing Smile Foundation, which he had founded along with a group of friends two decades ago. His single-minded effort has made Smile Foundation impact the lives of 1.5 million children and their families directly across 26 states of India, every year through the life-cycle approach to development.

He is the producer of the national-award-winning film ‘I Am Kalam’ and also the chairman of Smile International Film Festival for Children and Youth.