Draft:Sacha Deshmukh

{{AFC submission|d|bio|u=2A00:23C8:9C7C:FB01:4507:CF9:B83F:A5E0|ns=118|decliner=SafariScribe|declinets=20250611093048|ts=20250428113705}}

{{Short description|British human rights advocate}}

{{Draft topics|biography|internet-culture|media}}

{{AfC topic|blp}}

{{Infobox person

| image = Sacha Deshmukh.jpg

| caption = Deshmukh in 2022.

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1974|7|23}}

| education = Corpus Christi College (BA)

University of Law (GDL)

}}

Sacha Shisheer Bhaskar (“Sacha”) Deshmukh (born 23 July 1974){{Cite web |title=Sacha Shisheer DESHMUKH personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/jmqX1IOdr_XHihGbUVLICkX2l3Y/appointments#:~:text=Sacha%20Shisheer%20DESHMUKH%20personal%20appointments,update%20company%20information%20-%20GOV.UK |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk |language=en}} is a British human rights advocate and the Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK.{{Cite web |title=Amnesty International UK - The Senior Management Team |url=https://www.amnesty.org.uk/senior-management-team#:~:text=Sacha%20Deshmukh%20(Chief%20Executive)&text=He%20spent%20six%20years%20as,of%20Citizens%20Advice%20England%20%26%20Wales. |website=amnesty.org.uk}} He is the main spokesperson for Amnesty International UK and makes regular media appearances, including doing broadcast interviews.{{Cite web |title=Amnesty UK spokespeople |url=https://www.amnesty.org.uk/amnesty-uk-spokespeople |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=www.amnesty.org.uk |language=en}}

Early life and education

Deshmukh was born in London; his mother was born in Mumbai, India, and his father born in Karachi (now in Pakistan) and both had migrated to the United Kingdom in the 1960s.{{Cite web |title=Sacha Deshmukh becomes permanent Amnesty Chief Executive |url=https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/amnesty-uk-announces-appointment-sacha-deshmukh-permanent-chief-executive |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.amnesty.org.uk |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Indian-Origin UNICEF UK Chief Quits After Raising Bullying Concerns |url=https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/indian-origin-unicef-uk-chief-quits-after-raising-bullying-concerns-2300671 |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=www.ndtv.com |language=en}} His father’s family moved from Karachi to Mumbai in early 1948, as part of the mass migration after the partition of India in summer 1947.{{Cite web |title=Sacha Deshmukh becomes permanent Amnesty Chief Executive |url=https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/amnesty-uk-announces-appointment-sacha-deshmukh-permanent-chief-executive |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.amnesty.org.uk |language=en}}

Deshmukh attended Corpus Christi College at Cambridge University in 1993.{{Cite web |title=Sacha Deshmukh - Chief Executive at Amnesty International UK |url=https://theorg.com/org/amnesty-international-uk/org-chart/sacha-deshmukh |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=THE ORG |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Sacha Deshmukh becomes permanent Amnesty Chief Executive |url=https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/amnesty-uk-announces-appointment-sacha-deshmukh-permanent-chief-executive |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.amnesty.org.uk |language=en}} He received his BA in Social & Political Sciences in 1996 and an M.Phil in International Relations in 1997.{{Cite web |title=Sacha Deshmukh becomes permanent Amnesty Chief Executive |url=https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/amnesty-uk-announces-appointment-sacha-deshmukh-permanent-chief-executive |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.amnesty.org.uk |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Sacha Deshmukh - Chief Executive (director) at Amnesty International UK |url=https://theorg.com/org/amnesty-international-uk/org-chart/sacha-deshmukh |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=THE ORG |language=en}}  In 2007 he graduated from the University of Law (then the College of Law of England & Wales) with a Graduate Diploma in Law.{{Cite web |title=Sacha Deshmukh becomes permanent Amnesty Chief Executive |url=https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/amnesty-uk-announces-appointment-sacha-deshmukh-permanent-chief-executive |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.amnesty.org.uk |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Sacha Deshmukh - Chief Executive (director) at Amnesty International UK |url=https://theorg.com/org/amnesty-international-uk/org-chart/sacha-deshmukh |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=THE ORG |language=en}}

Career

Deshmukh started his career in 1997 as part of the founding team in communications agency A.S. Biss & Co.{{Cite web |title=MHP looks overseas as Sacha Deshmukh exits |url=https://www.prweek.co.uk/article/1128541/mhp-looks-overseas-sacha-deshmukh-exits |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=www.prweek.co.uk |language=en}}  In 2001 he moved to Stonewall where as Director of Parliamentary Affairs he led successful campaigns to equalise adoption laws, reform historic sexual offences laws, abolish Section 28 (which had banned the discussion of sexuality in schools) and started the debate that led to the introduction of civil partnerships and equal marriage laws in the UK.{{Cite web |title=Stonewall looking to fill its PA post as Deshmukh leaves |url=https://www.prweek.co.uk/article/181814/stonewall-looking-fill-its-pa-post-deshmukh-leaves |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=www.prweek.co.uk |language=en}}  In 2003 he returned to A.S. Biss & Co as Managing Director, to lead its trade sale to advertising company W.C.R.S Limited in 2005, forming the Engine Group.  He led the corporate communications agencies in the Engine Group for seven years until 2012.{{Cite web |title=MHP looks overseas as Sacha Deshmukh exits |url=https://www.prweek.co.uk/article/1128541/mhp-looks-overseas-sacha-deshmukh-exits |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=www.prweek.co.uk |language=en}}

In 2013, Deshmukh became Executive Director (Strategy) of the United Kingdom Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman.{{Cite web |last=Ricketts |first=Andy |title=Unicef UK appoints new chief executive |url=https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/unicef-uk-appoints-new-chief-executive/management/article/1670247 |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=www.thirdsector.co.uk |language=en}} In late 2013, he became founding Chief Executive of the campaign supporting the rollout of smart meters across Great Britain, Smart Energy GB.{{Cite web |last=May |first=Melanie |date=2022-06-24 |title=Sacha Deshmukh appointed as permanent Amnesty chief, & other mover news |url=https://fundraising.co.uk/2022/06/24/sacha-deshmukh-appointed-as-permanent-amnesty-chief-other-mover-news/ |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=UK Fundraising |language=en}}  In 2020, he became Chief Executive of Unicef UK{{Cite web |title=Unicef UK appoints new chief executive |url=https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/unicef-uk-nominates-new-chief-executive.html |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=www.civilsociety.co.uk}} and in May 2021, Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK.{{Cite web |title=Sacha Deshmukh becomes permanent Amnesty Chief Executive |url=https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/amnesty-uk-announces-appointment-sacha-deshmukh-permanent-chief-executive |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=www.amnesty.org.uk |language=en}}

From 2010 to 2015 Deshmukh was a board trustee and Vice chair of Citizens Advice England & Wales.{{Cite web |title=Sacha Shisheer DESHMUKH personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/jmqX1IOdr_XHihGbUVLICkX2l3Y/appointments |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk |language=en}} From 2014 to 2020, he was Chair of Trustees of War Child UK.{{Cite web |title=Sacha Shisheer DESHMUKH personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/jmqX1IOdr_XHihGbUVLICkX2l3Y/appointments#:~:text=Sacha%20Shisheer%20DESHMUKH%20personal%20appointments,update%20company%20information%20-%20GOV.UK |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk |language=en}}  Since 2016, he has been a non-executive Director of the Fundraising Regulator, the regulator of charity marketing and marketing activity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.{{Cite web |title=Our Board {{!}} Fundraising Regulator |url=https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/more-from-us/our-team/our-board |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk |language=en}}

Personal life

Described as a 'courageous leader' Deshmukh spends time sharing his philosophy of leadership in media interviews.{{Cite web |title=S2 Ep 3 - Sacha Deshmukh |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/s2-ep-3-sacha-deshmukh/id1548681342?i=1000653281523 |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=Apple Podcasts |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |title=Sacha Deshmukh: 'Charities sleepwalk through their growth' |url=https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/sacha-deshmukh-charities-sleepwalk-through-their-growth.html |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=www.civilsociety.co.uk}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z75ANgFLT8 |title=How to lead a global NGO {{!}} Lesson by CEO of Amnesty International UK, Sacha Deshmukh |date=2023-10-04 |last=School of Social Justice |access-date=2025-02-20 |via=YouTube}} An avid cinema enthusiast and a fan of cooking, he believes you should try to “do something that makes you happy every day".{{Cite web |last=Ricketts |first=Andy |title=Sacha Deshmukh: 'Charities can drift into negative cultures' |url=https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/sacha-deshmukh-charities-drift-negative-cultures/management/article/1862610 |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=www.thirdsector.co.uk |language=en}}

References