Kunalika is the Youth Engagement Lead at The Council, where she steers the organisation's efforts to position youth engagement as a strategic enabler of sustainable development. She is responsible for shaping CEEW's long-term youth engagement strategy, designing programmes that build talent pipelines for the green economy, and forging partnerships for pathways for young people to contribute to sustainability and public policy.

In addition to leading CEEW's youth engagement portfolio, Kunalika co-leads the development of The Greenprint, CEEW's flagship global convening, from the Global South, for the Global Future. She also serves on the working group for Women Leading on Climate (WLOC) India, where she contributes to the development of the chapter's governance structure, strategy, partnerships, and flagship initiatives to strengthen women's leadership in the climate ecosystem.

Prior to her current role, Kunalika led the UN Foundation-CEEW Next Generation India Fellowship. She oversaw the design and delivery of the two-year programme, delivering over 200 hours of leadership development and mentorship and facilitating more than 70 high-level engagements for the Fellowship cohort. She also led the development of Our Future India—a youth-led report informed by over 2,000 Indians through a national survey, expert interviews, and youth consultations—which was presented at global platforms including UNGA80, COP30 and the 2026 AI Impact Summit. 

Before joining CEEW, Kunalika worked with Girl Up, the UN Foundation's global leadership development initiative for young girls globally. She played a key role in expanding Girl Up's presence in India and strengthening a national network of more than 25,000 members across over 760 clubs.

Kunalika holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Political Science from the University of Delhi. She has also completed the Management for Emerging Leaders executive programme at Harvard University.