Expertise: Political Economy Analysis; Social Accountability; Subnational Governance, Civil Society Strengthening; Public Interest Technology

With over 30 years of international experience, Gopa Kumar Thampi has served as a consultant and governance advisor in 25 countries across Africa, Central, East, South, and West Asia, as well as Eastern Europe. He has worked closely with development partners, government institutions, public agencies, and civil society organizations to drive governance reform, strengthen institutional capacity, and promote public accountability.

From 2013 to 2024, Gopa was the Director for Economic Governance and Senior Advisor at The Asia Foundation in Sri Lanka. Prior to that, from 2009 to 2011, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Global and South Asia hubs of the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability (ANSA), a World Bank–funded initiative hosted at the Institute of Governance Studies, BRAC University in Dhaka. He has also held key leadership roles, including Head of the Asia Desk at the Transparency International Secretariat in Berlin and Executive Director of the Public Affairs Centre in Bangalore.

Gopa holds a PhD in Entrepreneurial Studies from the University of Kerala and postgraduate degrees in Economics and Journalism & Mass Communication.