Mahima Khanna

Mahima Khanna, (born March 3, 1988), is the third Indian to receive the Stevenson Prize from University of Cambridge in 2011, after Dr. Amartya Sen and Sir Partha Dasgupta. She become the youngest economist and the only female India to receive the prestigious award from University of Cambridge. She was born in Kolkata, India. Mahima is being seen as a role model for girl child and female education in India. Daughter of a leading gynecologist Dr. Gouri Kumra, Mahima chose to return to India after winning the Stevenson Prize, leaving the lucrative world of U.K. and Europe that was calling her talents. She is perhaps the first renowned international scholar after Sam Pitroda to have embraced her homeland despite options abroad.

She is currently working in The International Finance Corporation, The World Bank Group, where she looks after the assessment and management of development impact for IFC's investments in South Asia. She is also a guest lecturer in various institutes and forums in India - The World Confluence on Humanity, Power and Spirituality, International Youth Forum for Policy, Change and Development, Rotary International, University of Mumbai. In 2012, she was conferred the title of "Youth Icon" and awarded the "Young Achiever's Award" by Rotary International District 3291. She has previously worked in Cambridge Judge Business School and Planning Commission (India).

Research

In International Finance Corporation she has published a report titled "Estimating the Employment effects of IFC's investment in Powerlinks Transmission System: A project in India and Bhutan" and provided valuable inputs to "Assessing private sector contribution to job creation" and "CBC: Micro case study on job creation effects in Sri Lanka". The results of these studies feed into IFC's Job Study Report and the World Development Report 2013.

Her 2011 award winning work analyses the issue of Trade liberalization and informality in The INDIAN Manufacturing sector. While at Planning Commission, Government of India she worked on the causality between Indian Fiscal Deficits and Interest rates.

Education

Ms Khanna completed her schooling from Loreto House and La Martiniere for Girls in Kolkata. She did her undergraduate studies in Economics at St. Xavier's College, Kolkata graduating in 2009 with First Class honours. She then completed a diploma in Economics from the University of Cambridge in 2010, receiving a distinction and finishing as one of the top students in her class. She completed an Mphil in Economic Research from the University of Cambridge in 2011 and was awarded The Stevenson Prize for the best overall performances. She also co-founded the Marshall Society Economics Research Group.