A room of builders.
The leaders, founders, policymakers, and practitioners turning ideas into action
Reinu Shah is the founder of STEP, a leading incubator and accelerator in India supporting over 1,000 women-led startups. Her work empowers women entrepreneurs across India with her latest focus being women in climate action and rural women entrepreneurs. A Mason and John Galbraith Fellow from Harvard Kennedy School, Reinu has received multiple awards for her contributions to diversity and inclusion. Through STEP, she continues to shape India’s startup ecosystem and champion innovation in emerging markets.
Rekha Balakrishnan is a journalist and Editor at YourStory, with over 26 years of experience in storytelling that drives social impact. With a career spanning two geographies, she brings a unique cross-cultural perspective to her work, focusing on gender, equity, and social change.
She leads HerStory and SocialStory—platforms that spotlight changemakers, entrepreneurs, and voices from the margins. Known for her empathetic and authentic approach, her work spans in-depth interviews, sharp editorial features, and meaningful on-ground engagement.
As a moderator and speaker, she creates spaces for thoughtful dialogue on leadership, equity, and purpose.
A firm believer in the power of stories to shape culture and policy, she continues to champion narratives that matter—especially those that are often overlooked.
As Partnerships Lead at The Udaiti Foundation, she builds high-impact collaborations across government, industry, and philanthropy to advance women’s economic empowerment and expand workforce participation nationwide. She drives strategic partnerships and multi-stakeholder engagement to scale Udaiti’s flagship platforms—the Close the Gender Gap (CGG) 30×30 Initiative and the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Index—positioning gender parity as a core driver of India’s $30-trillion Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.
Rhea is also the Founder, Ecoware, India’s first sustainable packaging company, recognised for replacing single-use plastic with biodegradable alternatives. Her pioneering efforts have influenced both policy and consumer behaviour, positioning Ecoware as a leader in circular economy innovation.
Her achievements include receiving the Nari Shakti Puraskar, India’s highest civilian honour for women, being named a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, an Asia 21 Young Leader of the Asia Society, and an Impact Hero 2021 of the Earth Company. She served as Chairperson of the Indian Women Network (Northern Region) and is a member of several national committees promoting clean air and gender inclusion.
A graduate of the University of Bristol, Oxford, and Harvard University, Rhea’s career spans global pharmaceuticals, sustainable manufacturing, and social impact. Across all her roles, she continues to champion the intersection of sustainability, policy, and inclusion driving India’s transition toward a greener and more equitable future.
Ridhima is a versatile business leader with experience across engineering, banking, product, and global technology. At Google Pay India, she leads multiple businesses, driving strategic partnerships and new product initiatives, taking ideas from concept to scale. Her career spans roles at Indifi Technologies, YES Bank and Infosys; blending entrepreneurial grit with financial rigor, strategic product vision, and engineering logic. An alumna of IIM Mumbai and NIT Nagpur, she is passionate about inclusive leadership and purpose-led growth.
Rishabh is a Principal at The Bridgespan Group’s Mumbai office. He has worked extensively with leading donors and NGOs in India and globally on strategy, program design, impact evaluation, and operating model development. His experience spans across diverse sectors including education and ed-tech, skilling and livelihoods, rural development, urban governance, and climate change.
Rishabh also brings significant expertise in capacity building for NGOs and impact investing. Commitment to advance equity and inclusion, he has co-authored Pathways to Greater Social Mobility for India's Dalit and Adivasi Communities and Building Climate Resilience and Prosperity in India: Six Bold Bets for Smallholder Farmers and Farm Workers.
Prior to Bridgespan, Rishabh worked at Deloitte, on the design and implementation of human capital and financial management systems. Rishabh holds a Master in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and a Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Warangal.
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With over two decades of experience in the development sector, Ritikaa Khunnah has played a pivotal role in advancing youth development initiatives. Serving as the CEO of Pravah since 2008, she has demonstrated exceptional leadership and dedication to empowering youth. Ritika's contributions extend beyond organisational leadership; she has been an influential member of the UNWomen multi-country civil society advisory group, advocating for gender equality on a global scale.
Ritika's expertise lies in gender equality, youth development, curriculum design, and facilitation, coupled with a deep understanding of self-awareness. Her commitment to capacity-building interventions has empowered countless youth leaders and youth-led organisations. With a Master's in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and a post-graduate diploma in human rights and international humanitarian laws, Ritikaa brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her work.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Ritikaa is known for her approachable demeanour and collaborative spirit. She fosters an environment of inclusivity and mutual respect, enabling effective collaboration and meaningful impact in the field of youth development.
With over 15 years of experience in research and impact assessment, Ritika leads the Research unit at CMS, where she focuses on gender, women’s livelihoods, and empowerment. She has led evaluations of large-scale programmes such as the NRLP–NRETP and gender-transformative livelihood initiatives with tribal women, including a national skilling programme helping women enter the workforce. A postgraduate in financial management, Ritika brings together data, evidence, and community voices to rethink how impact is understood — not just in outcomes, but in shifts in power, confidence, and lived experiences.
Riti Mohapatra is a partner at Bridgespan’s India office, based in Mumbai. She has extensive experience in developing and implementing long-term government initiatives and has worked with several government agencies across India and Asia. She co-authored the article "Why Gender Matters for Funders in Any Issue Area" published on Bridgespan.org in 2024.
Before joining Bridgespan, Riti worked at McKinsey & Company, where she led strategy and implementation for large-scale government projects, including school transformation programs in Mumbai and Hyderabad in partnership with local governments and NGOs. She also helped operationalize the Performance Facilitation Unit for Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Commission and led the literacy and numeracy improvement program for Qatar’s Supreme Education Council.
Riti holds a Dual Degree (B.Tech and M.Tech) in Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur.
Rizwan Koita is the Co-founder of the Koita Foundation, a philanthropic initiative that supports digital health transformation and NGO capacity building in India. Through partnerships with institutions such as IIT Bombay, Ashoka University, Tata Memorial/National Cancer Grid, the Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI), and Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS), the Foundation is enabling systemic change in healthcare and the social sector.
He also serves as Chairperson of the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH), which oversees quality standards for over 25,000 healthcare facilities across India.
A serial entrepreneur and business leader, Mr. Koita co-founded CitiusTech in 2005 and served as its CEO for 16 years, building it into a global leader in healthcare technology with over 8,500 professionals and revenues of nearly USD 500 million. Earlier, he co-founded and led TransWorks, one of India’s pioneering BPO firms, and began his career at McKinsey & Co. His contributions have been widely recognized with awards including TiE’s Hall of Fame (2022), IIT Bombay’s Distinguished Alumni Award (2019), and EY Entrepreneur of the Year (2013). He holds a B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering from IIT Bombay and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT.
Romit Sen in Senior Vice President, Sustainability at HSBC India. As part of his role, Romit manages the community investment initiatives for at HSBC India mainly in areas of climate change and skill development. In addition, he engages with cross-functional teams to support HSBCs climate transition and sustainability initiatives.
Romit leads partnership efforts to advance multi-stakeholder engagement with government, think tanks, research institutions and not for profit organisations. He is an environment and sustainability professional with 20 years of experience in programme development and implementation, action research and evidence-based advocacy across development sector organizations, international NGOs and industry chambers.
His areas of expertise include climate change mitigation and adaptation, rural livelihoods and natural resource conservation. Romit is an Advisory Council Member of the People’s World Commission on Drought and Flood. He was a member of Ministry of Jal Shakti’s committee on Water Use Efficiency and a Technical Committee Member of Alliance for Water Stewardship. Romit has a Master Degree in Natural Resources from TERI School of Advance Studies and a Bachelor Degree in Botany from University of Delhi.
As the Senior Director of Talent and Learning Solutions at LinkedIn India, Ruchee Anand embodies the essence of a visionary leader in the talent and learning landscape. At LinkedIn, her transformative journey has been marked by scaling the Talent Solutions business into a vital consultancy for India's top enterprises. Her mission is clear: To revolutionize how companies hire, develop, and engage talent, fueling their growth in innovative ways.
Ruchee's impact extends beyond business growth; she's a fervent advocate for diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. Her dedication to women's advancement in their careers shines through her initiatives and leadership roles, particularly in the "Women at LinkedIn" group and the "Women in Sales" community, which she co-founded with People Connect. As a certified coach, she's committed to empowering individuals to reach their full potential, creating a workplace environment where talent and skill bridge the gap to opportunities.
With a career spanning over two decades, Ruchee's expertise in the talent economy is backed by diverse leadership roles at organisations like Info Edge-Naukri.com, AuthBridge, and GTL Limited. Her approach is unique – a blend of strategic business acumen and a people-first philosophy, driving growth while nurturing diverse and dynamic teams.
Ruchee's influence also radiates beyond the corporate world. She's passionately involved in social causes, notably in educating and empowering young girls, ensuring they possess the skills needed for a successful future. She also serves as a regional council member (Mumbai) at Nasscom, contributing to the development of the IT industry in Western India.
Ruchee is a strategic thinker, a compassionate leader, and an inspiring change-maker – making her a true role model for aspiring professionals.
Rukmini Banerji is Chief Executive Officer of Pratham Education Foundation. She has extensive field experience working directly with rural and urban communities as well as in designing and implementing large scale partnerships with governments for improving learning of elementary school age children. From 2005 to 2014, she led Pratham’s research and assessment efforts including the well-known ASER initiative (Annual Status of Education Report). Rukmini is the 2021 recipient of the Yidan Prize for education development.
There’s a lot happening at charcha 2025
Exciting programming in play - marquee speakers, extensive CSR and CSO network participation, thought-provoking panels and workshops, curated networking, and more.