Sudarsana Kundu

Managing Trustee, Gender at Work India

Sudarsana Kundu is the Managing Trustee of Gender at Work India. ... She is an experienced gender equality specialist with a demonstrated history of working in both the development sector and the private sector. Through her work leading UN Women’s programmes on gender and governance, she has worked with governments and CSOs across the globe, providing recommendations on enhancing service delivery for women. She is also an active Board Member of Nayi Disha, a not-for-profit focused on empowering parents who have children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Priyanka Samy

Member, National Federation of Dalit Women

Priyanka Samy (she/her) is a Dalit feminist activist based in Bangalore. ... She is a member of the National Federation of Dalit Women (NFDW), a grassroots network of Dalit women-led community-based organisations. Priyanka's body of work has focussed on unpacking and addressing intersectional issues, gender and caste-based violence, access to essential services and strengthening the feminist movement at the grassroots.

Priyanka is a part of several social justice movements and networks from the local to the global level. She is a Board member of the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN). Priyanka is also on the Board of a grassroot organisation called Service Society, working with the urban poor and informal workers. She is the co-chair of the International Budget Partnership's Feminist Advisory Group. She is also a member of UN Women's Steering Committee for the Beijing+30 Process in India.

Priyanka is currently also a Guest Practitioner at the University of London for a long-distance course on Human Rights. She has also previously served on boards such as FRIDA | The Young Feminist Fund and been a National Gender Youth Advocate for UN Women's Generation Equality Campaign. Priyanka's areas of interest and expertise are on gender and intersectionality, strengthening feminist movements and rights-based advocacy across various national and international fora.

Swati Singh

Director & Founder, Muheem Ek Sarthak Prayas

Swati Singh, a dedicated development professional and freelance journalist, ... holds a master's degree from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and a PG Diploma in Human Rights from the Indian Institute of Human Rights (IIHR). As the director and founder of Muheem Ek Sarthak Prayas, she brings over eight years of experience in driving impactful community-based initiatives. Swati's exceptional journalism has earned her the prestigious Ladli Media Award, supported by UNFPA-India, three times and a feature in UN Women India’s coffee table book. She was also a panelist for UN Women India's Women's Day special event. She has worked as a gender professional consultant with CREA, Jagori, ICRW, Vishakha, and Gender at Work, among others. Swati founded Muheem to champion the rights of women, girls, and young people. The organization focuses on education, skill development, and feminist leadership at the grassroots level. Despite facing backlash due to her caste status, Swati remained undeterred in her mission to empower women. Muheem's achievements include the Period Mantra project, acknowledged by the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, and features in UN Women India's publication, "Hum: When Women Lead." The Muheem Leader Fellowship, launched with TFIx, aims to provide excellent education to the Musahars. Recently, Swati joined the ILSS emerging women leadership program. Through Muheem, Swati is transforming lives and fostering a more equitable society.

Swati Bharadwaj

Business Editor, TOI, Hyderabad (Moderator)