GautamNarasimhan’s move from New York to Bengaluru highlights how global work has become increasingly location-independent, even as local realities reshape his perspective on climate resilience.
Former UNICEF executive and entrepreneur GautamNarasimhan, after over 12 years in New York, has returned to Bengaluru, India. While the move has brought significant changes to his personal surroundings, he says his professional routine has remained surprisingly familiar.
Narasimhan, who spent more than seven years as a senior adviser at UNICEF, moved back to Bengaluru last month. His decision reportedly was influenced by a combination of family, personal, and professional considerations. In January 2026, he also launched Verdera, a startup focused on climate adaptation.
Narasimhan’s work continues on an international scale.
Despite changing continents, Narasimhan said much of his work continues to operate on an international scale. His teams are spread across Europe, while projects involve stakeholders and markets in the United States, Africa and Asia. The biggest practical adjustment has been the timing of meetings rather than the nature of the work itself. Calls that were once scheduled at convenient hours in New York may now take place early in the morning or later in the evening from Bengaluru.
His experience reflects a broader shift in how professionals and businesses operate across borders. Digital communication and distributed teams have made it possible for certain forms of knowledge-based work to continue with relatively little disruption when employees or founders relocate.
Bengaluru offers a different climate perspective.
The move has also changed how Narasimhan encounters conversations about climate change. He observed that climate adaptation and resilience were common subjects of discussion in New York, whereas people in Bengaluru may not always use the same terminology in everyday conversations. Yet the underlying issues are familiar.
Flooding, extreme heat, unpredictable weather and disruptions to infrastructure are increasingly visible in urban life. Narasimhan pointed to Bengaluru’s monsoon rains and resulting traffic congestion as everyday examples of why climate resilience matters. For Narasimhan, returning to Bengaluru has therefore provided a different way of looking at climate adaptation.
His observations also underline an important aspect of climate resilience: it’s not limited to large environmental policies or international discussions. It can involve how cities manage rainfall, transport, infrastructure and business continuity when weather patterns become less predictable.
The return to Bengaluru has consequently given Narasimhan a new local context without substantially altering the international nature of his work.
