Previously, Kandukuri served as a Fellow at Lever for Change, an affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, where he played a critical role in improving the scoring methodology for large-scale philanthropy challenges and competitions. He was instrumental in driving initiatives focused on leveraging data and technology to enhance philanthropic impact. He also helped develop internal data management and data privacy policies, upholding the organization’s data integrity values.

Before his role at Lever for Change, Kandukuri served as a consultant at the Office of the Prime Minister of Kurdistan, where he provided strategic advice on the MyAccount initiative in digital banking and e-payments. Kandukuri started his career at Oracle, where he specialized in technology consulting for banks and financial institutions in the Japan and Asia-Pacific region, gaining a deep understanding of the intersection between technology and business. He further worked as a short-term consultant at The World Bank, contributing to development projects focusing on data-driven analysis for the Data and Justice Reform Initiative.

A native of India, Kandukuri holds a master of Public Policy degree specializing in Analytics and Data Science from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from BITS Pilani India. His unique blend of technical skills, policy expertise, and experience across various sectors positions him as a versatile individual capable of contributing effectively to the advancement of Press Forward. 

Outside of professional work, Kandukuri also served as the president of the Technology Policy Student Association at the University of Chicago and as the president of the Center for Technical Education at BITS Pilani India.