The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced on December 16, 2025, the appointment of Archna Vyas as its new Country Director for India, marking her as the first woman to lead the organisation's operations in one of its largest and most significant global partnerships. Vyas succeeds Hari Menon, who has served in the role since 2019 and will transition to a global leadership position in January 2026. In her new capacity, she will oversee collaborations with central and state governments, philanthropists, civil society, academia, and the private sector on priorities including healthcare, sanitation, gender equality, agriculture, digital public infrastructure, nutrition, education, and financial inclusion.

Vyas, who joined the foundation in 2014, brings over a decade of internal experience, having held multiple leadership roles in the India office and most recently serving as Global Director for Program Advocacy and Communications in the Global Growth & Opportunity and Gender Equality divisions. Her work has focused on strategic policy, high-impact partnerships, and communications across development themes, contributing to the foundation's efforts in health and poverty alleviation in India.

Prior to the Gates Foundation, Vyas spent nearly a decade at Reckitt (formerly Reckitt Benckiser), leading media relations, communications, and digital marketing across South and Southeast Asia while supporting Middle East and North Africa markets. She also held senior positions in India's advertising industry, supporting brand launches and growth for major consumer goods companies.

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Educated with a master's degree in physics from the University of Delhi and a postgraduate diploma in business administration from the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, Vyas has emphasised India's role as the foundation's "most significant country partnership". She highlighted the nation's innovation-driven progress and aims to support the government's Viksit Bharat vision for a developed economy by 2047.

Chief Strategy Officer Ankur Vora praised Vyas's deep understanding of India's development landscape and partnership-building record, noting the timeliness of her leadership amid India's growing global influence in research and innovation. The appointment reinforces the Gates Foundation's long-standing commitment to India since 2003, positioning Vyas to drive scalable solutions with worldwide relevance.

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