Dr. Mahesh Kotbagi

A Doctor by profession, an Entrepreneur by nature, an adventurer by passion, and a Rotary

leader by achievement, RI Director-elect Dr. Mahesh Kotbagi presents a unique fusion of

capabilities and talents.

Dr. Mahesh was born into a family of freedom fighters and doctors. His father inspired him to

combine his professional life with social service. An M. D in Gynaecology from Pune University,

Dr. Kotbagi dedicated himself to the ideal of High-quality Health Care at Low-cost.

He set up a hospital in 1991, with ISO-9001-2000 certification. It is now a large multi-specialty

hospital. He went on to serve as a consultant for the development of many hospitals. He set

up the Chinmayi Charitable Trust to support low-cost health care services and education.

He continues to organize free health camps in slums and rural sectors.

He was invited to join the Rotary Club of Pune Sports City in 1995 and served as District

Governor of RI Dist.3130 in 2005-06. Dr.Mahesh has led more than 100 service projects

through Rotary including a Functional Literacy project focusing on adult women in 11 villages,

Training programs for thousands of Teachers, cow- banks, and dairy centers for under-

privileged women, more than 700 polio corrective surgeries, and rural eye surgery camps for

more than 20,000 beneficiaries. He has also been active in Rotary’s youth programs like RYE & Rotaract.

Since then his rise in Rotary has been meteoric. He has done justice to the full range of Rotary

assignments, including RI President’s Representative at several district conferences,

International Training Leader, Chairman South Asia Literacy Summit, Chairman Governor

Elect Training Seminar (GETS), Chairman Governor-Nominee Training seminar ( GNTS),

Chairman Technology - Rotary Institutes and Trustee, Rotary India Humanity Foundation.

Excellent presentation skills and a keen sense of humor have made him a much sought-after

speaker at various Rotary fora. He has researched and written on several Rotary subjects

and produced many audio-visual films on Rotary subjects. He was a trendsetter in organizing

technology-driven conferences.

He is a deserving recipient of Rotary’s ‘Service above self- Award’, TRF’s ‘Citation of

Meritorious Service’ and the ‘Polio Plus Appreciation Award.’

Dr. Mahesh is a staunch supporter and Benefactor of the The Rotary Foundation.

It has been a long and eventful journey, and Dr. Mahesh Kotbagi will now serve on Rotary

International’s Board of Directors for 2021-23. He will concurrently serve as:

1. Rotary International Executive Committee Member 2021-22

2. Rotary International TRF Trustee Liaison representative from RI Board 21-22

3. Rotary International District reorganization/bifurcation committee 2021-24

4. Chairman-Rotary News Trust (2021-22)

5. Advisor- Rotary India Literacy Mission

Dr. Mahesh is happily married to Dr. Amita, a physician. The couple is blessed with 2 daughters, Dr. Chinmayi, a Radiologist, and Sana, who is all set to follow in their footsteps.

An unusual facet of Dr. Mahesh is his willingness to take risks and walk on ‘The Road less traveled by’, as the poet Robert Frost called it. This has manifested in an abiding passion for adventure sports like flying, sailing, driving, and biking apart from wildlife conservation and environment protection.

RI Director Dr. Mahesh Kotbagi leads by example with a deep commitment to Rotary values.