Col. Chris Rego, Founder CEO, Sunbird Trust

“The integration and building of a country did not happen at the stroke of midnight in 1947. It is work in progress.”- Colonel Chris Rego

In this episode, Ashutosh Garg engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Col. Chris Rego, CEO of ‘Sunbird Trust’, a non-denominational, not-for-profit Civil Society Organisation (CSO) that helps to educate and empower children from North East India. He has a keen interest in social entrepreneurship, particularly in the context of conflict resolution in North East India.  Col. Chris talks about the three key milestones in his illustrious life. He talks about the startup he founded post-retirement, Sunbird Trust, and explains how the organization works. The colonel tells what motivated him to venture into social entrepreneurship and name the areas where the trust operates. He shares the challenges he faced while managing people from multiple ethnicities. Col. Chris opines about how the central government can bring small ethnic communities in Northeast India to the mainstream. He elaborates on how Indian’s should be taught to be more culturally inclusive. He examines the receptivity of the people of North-East India to integrate with the other parts of India.  Later in the episode, Col. Chris analyzes the influence of neighboring countries, and especially China, on the North-Eastern states. The army veteran turned CEO explains the core values of his organization and defines his leadership style.