Akhil is Asia Pacific Program Associate at Access Now, supporting the regional advocacy team (policy and international programs) with programmatic operations and strategy across Asia-Pacific. Prior to joining Access Now, Akhil undertook a Masters in Global Corporations and Policy from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, where his dissertation focussed on the rise of digital authoritarianism in Sub-Saharan Africa. After completing his Bachelors in Economics from Loyola College, University of Madras, Akhil briefly volunteered as a school teacher with the non-profit Teach for India. He started his professional pursuit as an intern with the United Nations (Dept of Public Information) at the headquarters in New York City; after which, he worked as a project officer with the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), an intergovernmental organisation based in Singapore.