Gourang Wakade

Gourang Wakade is the Director of Policy for the Council on Competitiveness. Wakade also works closely with the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils, which is a new global network of leaders from competitiveness councils around the world.  This Council seeks to create a forum for the exchange of information and ideas among its members, and to promote global economic growth through collaboration in innovation.

In his previous role at the Council, Wakade was a project management associate for the Energy and Sustainability initiative and a special assistant to the Council's President & CEO Deborah L. Wince-Smith. Wakade wrote and edited program reports and managed the administrative aspects of the ESIS initiative including budget management and event planning for initiative meetings. He was instrumental in planning and executing the 2009 National Energy Summit & International Dialogue.

Prior to joining the Council, Wakade worked at the US Hydropower Council for International Development, where he managed two critical programs aimed at promoting the U.S. hydropower industry’s interests in developing and rehabilitating hydro projects in Guatemala, India and Mexico.

Wakade has six years of experience researching and assisting on licensing proceedings and on compliance matters arising under the Federal Power Act and environmental statutes. In the area of electric power regulation, Wakade has an extensive research background on electric rate and tariff proceedings and on compliance matters related to market-based rates before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Wakade holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science with a focus on international relations from the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. His undergraduate research on women’s movements for political and economic empowerment has been published in two major women’s policy journals.