About Kalyan Banerjee
Kalyan Banerjee, from the Rotary Club of Vapi, Gujarat, India took over as President of Rotary International (one of the largest humanitarian service organizations in the world – www.rotary.org ) on July 1, 2011. As President, for the Rotary year July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012, Kalyan leads a global network of 1.2 million business and professional leaders from more than 200 countries and geographical regions who, through volunteer service, help meet the needs of communities worldwide.
Kalyan, a member of Rotary since 1972, is Rotary’s 101st President and its third President from India. Kalyan believes that Rotary’s strengths include its ability to attract leaders from different vocations around the world as well as its role in promoting peace. “My goal is for Rotary to become the preferred organization for today’s generation to join and participate in to make the world better, safer and happier” he said in a recent interview. “Rotary, it is said, has the strength of a government and the tenderness of a parent,” he added.
Kalyan has served Rotary as a Director, Rotary Foundation Trustee, Committee and Task Force Chair, International Assembly Group Discussion Leader, President’s Representative, and District Governor.
Kalyan has served as a member of the International PolioPlus Committee for many years and has attended international meetings with the World Health Organization and UNICEF in that capacity. As the past Chair of the Southeast Asia Regional PolioPlus Committee and member of Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee, Kalyan spearheaded many of Rotary’s novel initiatives, which have given a new push to the polio eradication program in India.
To learn more about polio eradication, visit www.rotary.org/endpolio or www.polioeradication.org.
Kalyan is a Major Donor, Benefactor, and Bequest Society member, and has been awarded the Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and its Distinguished Service Award.
Driven by Kalyan’s vision, the Rotary Club of Vapi, through its Educational and Medical Trusts has transformed the social infrastructure of Vapi.
Kalyan is a Director of United Phosphorous Limited, the largest Indian agrochemical manufacturer, and Chair of United Phosphorous (Bangladesh) Limited. He is a member of the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers and the American Chemical Society, a Past President of Vapi Industries Association, and former Chair of the Gujarat chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry. He earned a degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.
Kalyan’s wife, Binota, is a social worker and Inner Wheel club member. They have two children and four grandchildren.