#  Helping Create People-Centered Systems in the Global South 

 





**Rakesh Rajani, MTS ‘91,** the president of JustSystems, works to support societal leaders in the Global South to help public systems work better for people.



 

May 28, 2025

 

 

     ![Rakesh Rajani headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-06/Rakesh.jpg?itok=Coqb00RE) 

Rakesh Rajani, MTS ‘91



 



 

*Rakesh Rajani, MTS ‘91, President, JustSystems, Dar es Salaam (Tanzania and Cambridge, MA)*

*View* [*more stories*](/community-life/career-services/alumni-career-snapshots "Alumni Career Snapshots") *on HDS alumni and their career paths.*

## Describe the work you do today:

I work with JustSystems. We support leaders in government and civil society in the Global South to make public systems work better for people to help deliver meaningful outcomes, that are inclusive in who benefits and who decides, and that are dignity affirming. The idea is that 'government is us,' how people achieve collective wellbeing. And that it takes civic engagement, including empathy for public servants and politicians, to help us get the governments we deserve.

## How has your HDS degree experience influenced your career journey?

My years at HDS were equal part rigorous study and reflective activism. They taught me to connect thinking and action and showed me how some of the best ideas come from practice, not the ivory tower. I interacted with many people with diverse views and experiences, who helped me challenge and deepen my faith. I changed my mind on important things and continue to do so today. HDS taught me that values, purpose and outcomes matter more than tactics and positions, and that certainty and all manner of fundamentalisms, including progressive ones, often come in the way of human progress.

## What career advice would you offer to current HDS students?

Listen with true curiosity. Lead with purpose.



 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ Alumni News and Profiles ](/discover-stories-about/alumni-news-and-profiles)