Bob Christian Alum of the Year Award
Amar Bhardwaj '16
The Bob Christian Alum of the Year Award was established in 2006 to recognize the tremendous service of Bob Christian, the first HKIS Head of School 1966-1977.
The award is presented annually to an Alum making a significant contribution to the school, local and broader community. They better the lives of those around them while living out the HKIS Mission Statement and Student Learning Results (SLRs).
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Amar Bhardwaj’s journey into climate and energy leadership began in an HKIS classroom. Inspired by his Grade 9 Humanities 1 in Action class, Amar took his first step into climate action by co-founding a student-led glass recycling initiative in Hong Kong—an effort that ultimately diverted more than five tones of glass from landfills.
That early spark has grown into a career dedicated to advancing climate, energy, and environmental policy at the highest levels of government. Amar currently serves as Senior Advisor for Energy to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Most recently, he was Assistant Chief of Infrastructure and Climate for San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. Prior to that, he worked in the White House under President Joe Biden, helping oversee the implementation of more than $150 billion in environmental infrastructure investments across six federal agencies.
Amar with fellow HKIS students in the Green Initiative circa 2016.
His experience also includes roles with the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, the International Energy Agency, Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, and the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Amar holds a BS in Chemical Engineering, summa cum laude, from Columbia University, as well as an MSc from the University of Edinburgh and an MPA in Energy Policy from University College London, where he was a Marshall Scholar.
We are proud to recognize Amar as our youngest recipient.
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ENJOY AMAR'S MESSAGE TO THE COMMUNITY
“One of the most influential moments for me was taken from Humanities in Action with Mr. Kersen. I learned that we have a fundamentally unsustainable relationship with the planet, and I decided in that moment to dedicate my career to advancing climate solutions.”
- Amar Bhardwaj '16
Watch his full speech to the HKIS community shared at the 2026 Dragon Spotlight Awards