Emversity appoints former UGC vice-chairman Deepak Kumar Srivastava as president-higher education policy

Emversity has appointed former vice-chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Deepak Kumar Srivastava as president-Higher education & policy, the higher-education embedded training and employability platform announced on September 1, 2026. Srivastava will also chair the company's internal governance council.

Srivastava also served as deputy director at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and brings more than four decades of experience in higher education and academic administration.

In his role, Deepak Srivastava will lead Emversity's relationships with partner universities, advise on the architecture of programmes supported by the platform and their alignment with national credit and qualifications frameworks. He will also represent the company in public policy forums.

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Deepak to lead university partnerships

Deepak Srivastava will work towards strengthening its university partnerships and institutional governance as the company expands its higher-education network. He will also contribute to academic quality and engagement with the higher-education ecosystem.

Emversity works with universities across India to combine academic programmes with industry-relevant skills. The platform currently supports more than 40 higher education campuses and over 7,000 active learners, primarily through healthcare and travel and hospitality-focused tracks.

Former UGC vice-chairman joins Emversity

Deepak served as vice-chairman of the UGC from 2022 to 2025. During his tenure, he also held additional charge as chairman of the Indian Council of Social Science Research.

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His previous roles include deputy director at TISS and director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri institute of management, New Delhi. His work in skilling has also included engagements with the Uttar Pradesh skill development mission and the national skill development corporation.

Governance Council to focus on compliance

Commenting on the appointment, Vivek Sinha, Founder and CEO, Emversity said, "Prof. Srivastava brings a rare combination of experience across academia, institutional leadership, regulation and skilling. His judgement will strengthen how we work with universities and what students ultimately gain from our programmes."

Deepak Kumar Srivastava said, "India’s skilling ambitions depend on programmes that combine academic rigour with clear pathways to employment. Emversity is building at the intersection of universities, industry and student outcomes. I look forward to strengthening that connection."

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