Prime Highlights-
- Sharmila Mona Sinha becomes only the second woman of Indian origin inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
- Indian American philanthropist Sinha joins about 300 honorees, including Madeleine Albright, Maya Angelou, Janet Yellen, Rosa Parks and Michelle Obama.
Key Facts-
- Sinha began her career at Morgan Stanley before moving into philanthropy and social impact leadership.
- Induction took place in Seneca Falls, New York, a birthplace of America’s women’s rights movement.
Background-
Equality Now CEO and Indian American philanthropist Sharmila Mona Sinha has joined the National Women’s Hall of Fame, becoming only the second woman of Indian origin to earn the honor after former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi.
The induction took place in Seneca Falls, New York, widely seen as a birthplace of the American women’s rights movement. Sinha now joins about 300 women who have shaped American history, including Madeleine Albright, Maya Angelou, Janet Yellen, Rosa Parks and Michelle Obama.
In her induction speech, Sinha said power grows when people share it. She said she has seen power at work on Wall Street, in business, in philanthropy and in the push for women’s equality, and she credited the people who shared their power with her.
Sinha traced her approach to giving back to Kolkata, where her mother set aside a fistful of rice every morning for someone in need. She left India at 18 to study in the United States.
She earned degrees in economics and art history at Smith College and an MBA from Columbia Business School. She started as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley, then held leadership roles at Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Elizabeth Arden.
Sinha later moved into philanthropy, leading Women Moving Millions, a network whose members have committed around $1 billion to women and girls. She leads Equality Now and serves as vice chair of the Executive Council of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.
