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American India Foundation founder Victor Menezes no more
Victor Menezes' leadership in finance and philanthropy empowered millions through AIF, fostering education, healthcare, and livelihoods across India.
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Tara and Victor Menezes / Image - MIT School of Science
Victor Menezes, a distinguished Indian origin community leader, philanthropist, and banker, passed away in Florida on Feb. 3 at the age of 77.
A visionary in finance and social impact, Menezes co-founded the American India Foundation (AIF) in 2001 following the Bhuj earthquake. The foundation, supported by prominent Indian Americans is dedicated to empowering women, children, and youth through healthcare, education, and livelihood initiatives in India, and has impacted nearly 19 million people.
Celebrating his legacy and leadership, AIF leadership said in a statement, “As we mourn his loss, we celebrate and salute him as a leader, mentor, friend, and true champion of the American India Foundation (AIF). His indelible legacy, built on a foundation of unwavering dedication to service and social change will continue to inspire and guide us for generations to come.”
Born in Pune, India, to a civil servant, Menezes pursued electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay after which he went to the United States to pursue higher studies from the Sloan School of Management of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology majoring in finance.
Menezes retired from Citigroup as senior vice chairman after a 32-year career at the firm spanning multiple global markets. Beyond his corporate career, he was deeply involved in philanthropy and education, serving on the boards of the MIT Corporation, Catholic Charities, Eisenhower Fellowships, and Educational Testing Service (ETS). He also held advisory roles at IIT Bombay and the non-profit business school Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires (INSEAD).
In 2011, he donated US$ 3 million to IIT-Bombay to help set up a convention centre in the premier tech school in Mumbai. The institute’s alumni association in a tribute on his passing said, “His generosity, commitment to education, and pioneering spirit continue to resonate through the halls of IIT Bombay and beyond, inspiring new generations to pursue excellence and create positive change in the world.”
Menezes celebrated his 75th birthday at AIF’s New York Gala. AIF leaders, including co-founder and global board co-chair Lata Krishnan and CEO Nishant Pandey, recalled his leadership, empathy, and commitment to human dignity.
“Victor made sure we retained the ethos of an organization that never forgets human dignity. He was clear that what we were doing was not charity, but an opportunity to make a difference,” they said in a statement.
Menezes is survived by his wife, Tara, former Miss India from Bangalore and the second Indian to be crowned Miss Asia-Pacific in 1973, and his four children.
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