Ananth is the Chief Executive Officer of Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives (APPI), a grant making arm of Azim Premji Foundation. Ananth, a Electrical Engineering graduate from IIT Madras, has held various important positions such as Head of Teacher Education at the Azim Premji Foundation, CEO of Greenpeace India, Chief Executive of Amnesty International in India. During his tenure as a teacher in The School – Krishnamurti Foundation India, he developed the curriculum for ISC (Class XII) Environmental Studies Course.