Anuradha Mittal

Anuradha Mittal
Education
Children1
Websiteoaklandinstitute.org/about/team/anuradha-mittal

Anuradha Mittal is an American activist and executive. She is the founder of the Oakland Institute, a progressive think tank, and chaired the independent board of Ben & Jerry's from 2018 to 2025.

Early life

Mittal grew up in Kanpur, India.[1] She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the Indraprastha College for Women at Delhi University, and later earned a Master of Philosophy in political economy and education at Oxford Brookes University.[2] Mittal has cited the 1984 Bhopal disaster as the inspiration for her activism.[1][3]

Career

In 2004, Mittal founded the Oakland Institute,[1] and has served as its executive director.[4][5] She chose the organization's name to invoke the Black Panther Party.[3] The Nation included Mittal in its list of "Most Valuable Progressives of 2008".[6][3]

Mittal joined Ben & Jerry's in 2007, and chaired its independent board from 2018 to 2025.[5][7]

Mittal has endorsed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.[8] In 2021, she praised Ben & Jerry's decision to end sales of its ice cream in the Israeli-occupied territories.[8][3] That year, the pro-Israel group StopAntisemitism named Mittal as "Antisemite of the Year" over the decision.[3] In August 2021, Mittal said during a webinar hosted by Americans for Peace Now, "We never talked about boycotting Israel. That was never on the table."[3]

In November 2025, Ben & Jerry's parent company Unilever said Mittal "no longer meets the criteria" to serve in her role as chair of Ben & Jerry's board.[5] Mittal later left Ben & Jerry's, after a new rule that imposed a nine-year term limit for board members.[9] She said, "This October, Unilever-Magnum executives threatened me with defamatory statements in their forthcoming prospectus if I did not resign. At the same time, they offered me a prominent role in a multimillion dollar Unilever-funded non-profit if I gave in."[7]

Personal life

Mittal has a daughter.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d ""Every Glass Ceiling Is Made to Be Shattered": An Interview with Anuradha Mittal". Ben & Jerry's. Archived from the original on 2025-10-17. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  2. ^ "Anuradha Mittal". LinkedIn. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Leonard, Devin; Afanasieva, Dasha (February 14, 2023). "How Ben & Jerry's Ended Up at War With Itself". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  4. ^ Vidal, John; Provost, Claire (2011-06-08). "US universities in Africa 'land grab'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  5. ^ a b c John, Jamie (November 5, 2025). "Unilever says Ben & Jerry's chair no longer suitable for board role". Financial Times. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  6. ^ Nichols, John (2008-12-30). "Most Valuable Progressives of 2008". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Archived from the original on 2026-02-23. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  7. ^ a b Hooker, Lucy (2025-12-19). "Removed Ben & Jerry's chair says Magnum aimed to 'smear' her". BBC News. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  8. ^ a b "Ben & Jerry's board chair said accused of self-dealing to fund Palestinian group". The Times of Israel. 2021-08-30. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  9. ^ "Ben & Jerry's directors removed in fresh twist to Magnum row". Sky News. 16 December 2025 – via Yahoo! News.
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