Rotary’s story is always a story of continuity — of people who receive the responsibility to lead, carry it with humility, and pass it forward stronger. With the selection of Bharat Pandya, member of the Rotary Club of Borivli, Mumbai, India, as the choice of the Nominating Committee for Rotary International President 2028–29, Rotary looks ahead to another chapter of leadership rooted in professional excellence, service, stewardship and global understanding.
Pandya will officially become president-nominee on 15 September 2026, provided there are no challenging candidates.
A surgeon from Mumbai, Bharat Pandya brings to this role a life shaped by skill, discipline and care for others. After receiving undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from Seth G. S. Medical College and King Edward Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, he practised as a general and laparoscopic surgeon for 38 years. His professional journey includes recognition from the Association of Surgeons of India, the International College of Surgeons, the Borivli Medical Brotherhood, the Sanskriti Yuva Sanstha and the Indian Global Foundation.
Yet his story reaches beyond professional achievement. Pandya has also contributed to education, skills development and opportunity-building as a founding member of the Association of Minimal Access Surgeons of India and as a board member and vice chair of Jan Shikshan Sansthan, a government-sponsored vocational training and skill development institute.
Within Rotary, his leadership has been both broad and deeply rooted. He has served as an RI director and treasurer, and has contributed to several major committees, including the Finance Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee. His service to The Rotary Foundation includes the roles of trustee, vice chair, Executive Committee chair, and vice chair of the Finance and Stewardship committees. He currently serves as chair of the RI Programs Committee and vice chair of The Rotary Foundation Programs Committee.
His Rotary journey is also connected with one of Rotary’s greatest promises to humanity: the eradication of polio. Pandya served on the India PolioPlus Committee from 2011 to 2015, during the period in which India was certified polio-free. This part of his service reflects the power of long-term commitment — the kind of commitment that changes not only statistics, but futures.
Together with his wife, Madhavi, a past district chair of Inner Wheel District 314, Bharat Pandya is a Major Donor and Benefactor of The Rotary Foundation. Their shared commitment to Rotary reflects a belief that leadership is not only a position, but a way of living generosity, responsibility and trust.
For Rotary around the world, his selection is a reminder that strong leadership is built through experience, service, professional integrity and faith in what people can achieve together. It is also a moment to recognise the global nature of Rotary — an organisation where leadership rises from many cultures, communities and life stories, united by the same purpose: to create lasting positive change.
As Zone 21B joins Rotarians and Rotaractors around the world in congratulating Bharat Pandya, we look forward to the leadership, wisdom and commitment he will bring to Rotary International in 2028–29.
Rotary continues forward — one leader, one year, one shared mission at a time.
