A Well Known Social Entrepreneur, Dr Saundarya Rajesh

The founder and president of Avtar Group is an Indian social entrepreneur named Dr Saundarya Rajesh. She is credited for developing the idea of second careers for women in corporate India. She directs Project Puthri, a programme that gives disadvantaged girls jobs. SAGE Publishing released her first book, The 99 Day Diversity Challenge: Creating an Inclusive Workplace, in 2018.

Saundarya is the creator of successful social companies including Avtar Career Creators, Flexi Careers India, Bruhat Insights Global, and Avtar Human Capital Trust and is a tireless advocate for the potential of women in the workforce. MyAvtar.com, her most recent creation, is India’s first diversity employment marketplace for applicants from underrepresented categories including women, people with disabilities, those who identify as LGBTQ+, and veterans.

Her innovative and outstanding work in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion has made her a highly sought-after expert on the advantages of an inclusive workplace for a long number of businesses and leaders. She strongly supports balancing work and life and is a highly sought-after speaker at conferences on both a national and worldwide scale.

Saundarya has won several accolades and recognitions, and by bringing the ideas of “Career Intentionality” and “Career Re-entry” to Corporate India, she has forever transformed the playing field for Indian women professionals. In recognition of her efforts, the Minister of Women and Child Development named her one of India’s “100 Women Achievers” in 2016. In 2016, she was given the Women Transforming India Award by the NITI Aayog and the UN.