Kolkata-born Equality Now CEO becomes only the second woman of Indian origin to receive the honour after Indra Nooyi
Indian-American philanthropist and women’s rights advocate Sharmila Mona Sinha has been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in the United States, recognising more than four decades of work in gender equality, philanthropy and social impact.
Sinha, chief executive officer of international organisation Equality Now, was inducted on September 24 in Rochester, New York. She is only the second woman of Indian origin to enter the Hall of Fame, after former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi. The National Women’s Hall of Fame, based in Seneca Falls, New York, is the US’ first organisation and museum dedicated to recognising the achievements of American women.
Born in Kolkata, Sinha moved to the US at the age of 18 to study at Smith College in Massachusetts, where she earned degrees in economics and art history. She later completed an MBA at Columbia Business School.
-
Mona Sinha’s professional career began on Wall Street as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley
-
She subsequently held corporate roles at Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Elizabeth Arden before moving into philanthropy and social-impact work
Sinha became a leader of Women Moving Millions, a network of women philanthropists whose members have committed about USD 1 billion to organisations supporting women and girls. She also co-founded Raising Change, which helps social-impact organisations strengthen fundraising and organisational capacity.
As CEO of Equality Now, Sinha has worked to advance legal reforms and strengthen women’s rights movements globally. She also serves as vice chair of the Executive Council of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.
At the induction ceremony, Sinha spoke about sharing power and opportunities, saying the recognition represented a responsibility to pass forward what she had received from others.
