Tell us a little about yourself – your early days, where you were born, your schooling, college, your major, when you moved to the US, and how you landed at your current role.

I was born and raised in South India. From a very early age, I have dreamed of living in a more equal society. Specifically, I have asked myself, what can I do in my lifetime to reduce poverty and support women (like those in my family) achieve our highest potential? I studied economics and public policy in India, Singapore, and the United States. I have been privileged to have worked both in government and the private sector in different roles and different countries over the last fifteen years. Today, I’m proud to be a Partner at Dalberg Advisors, which is a strategy consulting firm focused firmly on social impact. I advise and partner with governments, philanthropies, non-profits, and movement organizations to achieve my childhood dream of a more just, more equitable world – for my family and for all families. It’s not easy work and we are far from perfect, but it’s incredibly fulfilling. 

Have you drawn professional inspiration from others? Who/what inspired you to pursue your current career and why?

Absolutely. There is no shortage of inspiration for the work I do. From the women in my own family who are breaking barriers, to the leaders of women’s rights organizations and women’s movements, to world leaders who are shaping governments and multilateral institutions. I draw professional inspiration from dreamers and do-ers all over the world.  

Leadership is a broad term and can mean different things to different people. Describe your leadership style and how you “lead” others. 

My leadership style is rooted in optimism. I believe that people – especially people who show up to work at a firm like Dalberg – are fundamentally here to do the work, to get the learning, and to change the world. Leading them is a pleasure because I can paint a vision of our ultimate goal, and we work together to find the best path towards it. I also do think that sometimes leadership is about doing the work yourself and lighting up that path a bit. The key is to know when to ask questions and when to give answers. It’s not always self-evident or easy. I think that all leaders should work on continuously getting better at leadership.

How do you define success?

It’s sometimes easy for us in the social sector to focus on output metrics. Did we publish that article, host that convening, elevate our own brand, broker that deal? These are important, but I also try very hard to define success as outcomes: real changes in the real world that my team has demonstrably impacted. The outcomes I hold closest to my heart are the same two ones I mentioned above– reducing poverty and supporting women. 

What has been one of your biggest challenges as a leader?  

My biggest challenge as a leader – without question – is letting go of self-evaluation and focusing instead on understanding and honing my own judgment. A mentor told me early on that leadership is not about evaluating yourself, it’s about observing yourself ; to help you hone your judgment. So when you make a decision that goes bad (let’s admit we’ve all done it), the question isn’t why you made the “wrong” decision, but rather what prompted you to make that decision, what did you assume, and what should you test going forward in your own thinking.  Taking this “observation not evaluation” approach, I find, is a lifelong journey! But I have found that releasing myself from the constant cycle of self-evaluation really does help me be a better leader.  

How do you balance career, personal life and passions? Is there such a thing as balance?

This is a good question and one that women in particular get asked a lot. My perspective is that we need to first and foremost acknowledge that most workplaces are not designed to really accommodate working parents, especially women. Scholars have written whole books on why, so I won’t opine further, but I believe this is largely true regardless if you work on a farm, in a factory, or in a boardroom. So in some sense, this “balance” is out of any individual person’s control and those of us who lead organizations need to look first at the organizational structure and incentives before asking individual employees about their “balance”. That said, I do believe that every single person has some degree of agency to set their own priorities and it is our responsibility to exercise it. For me, I have decided to focus in the next five year period on work and my immediate family. This does come at the cost of some personal pleasures – like solo travel for its own sake, for example, or building deeper friendships with colleagues outside the work setting – but it’s a conscious choice because of how old our daughter is, and how precious these early years are for our family. 

How important is it to have a mentor and/or sponsor to grow as a leader?          

I would not be where I am today without mentors and sponsors. I don’t believe anyone can meaningfully advance in their career without them. I am lucky to work in an organization where there are some pathways to getting and being mentored, but I would say the first step is to ask for advice –take it – and tell your mentor that you took it.  

What advice would you give your 25-year-old self? What advice would you give to the next generation of young women entering the workforce?

The advice I would give is to follow your gut and hone your judgment. To be honest, I’ve found that young people are so incredibly brave. When I was young, I made some incredibly large and brave decisions ; decisions that I may hum and haw over today. So perhaps the question is what advice I should be taking from, not giving to, my 25-year old self!

If you could instantly become an expert in any skill or subject, what would that be? Why?

I would love to become an overnight expert in the media. It’s so fascinating to me what content we gravitate to as a society and what pulls in viewers versus doesn’t. I know very little about this today and would love to just know all about it somehow, without doing the work of course!

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

No is a complete sentence. 

What was the last book you read (or are reading)? 

Upside down by Eduardo Galeano.

If you had to eat one food every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Bhel puri. I’m South Indian but could eat it every day no question.

Who would you switch places with for a day?

My daughter, primarily to feel what it is like to be five, and free, and living so completely in the present. Also I would want to see myself through her eyes for a day.

Are you currently binge-watching any shows?

Person of Interest.

What’s one item you can’t live without?

My kajal.

What does Neythri mean to you? 

A beautiful community of inspiring South Asian leaders! I’ve literally never seen this many other South Asian women on a zoom call while living in North America, so it’s also a wonderful space where I can just be myself culturally.