Ritoja is program Head- Food Loss and Food Waste, Food Land and Water at WRI India She is an economist with 14 years of experience in policy analysis, evidence-based research and program management. Her focus is on strategies to reduce food loss and food waste towards minimizing impact on climate, livelihoods and equity. She is also responsible for supporting fundraising, developing partnerships, leadership, research, and program management at WRI India.

Prior to joining WRI India, Ritoja was Director-Special Projects at CII’s Food and Agriculture Center of Excellence (CII-FACE). In this role, she worked closely with several Ministries for Scheme development in the Agri-Food space including the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare and various state departments; and led the research vertical. Her work around Food System Transformation led to several policy papers around sustainability, enabling food donation towards reducing waste, and the India Food System Vision 2030 report. She also strategized and delivered the Global Dialogue on Food System Transformation as a B20 under India’s G20 presidency.

Ritoja has a master’s degree in economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She is an active member of the bengali theatre circuit in Delhi and enjoys travelling and reading in her spare time.