Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way. 

Renee Barker

Director of Nonprofit Outreach, LiquiDonate

Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.

What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.

I connect nonprofits to our platform to receive free donations from businesses and individuals in their community. My team ensures our product serves the needs of organizations and schools who need free goods so that their funds can be used to fulfill their missions.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is “Embrace Equity.” What does this mean to you? How can we build workplaces that are more equitable and inclusive?

Equity starts with empowerment — we need to build workplaces that meet employee needs and contribute to their wellbeing. Workplaces benefit greatly from having a variety of perspectives from a diverse group of people, but those perspectives cannot be realized without a focus on the individual to make sure they have positive experiences at work. To build these spaces, workplaces should invest in training, mentorship, fair pay, and authenticity with their teams.

Do you have any mentors or role models who have helped you on your personal journey?

I appreciate being a part of a network of folks in my city that meet monthly to learn about new sustainability topics and environmental initiatives in my state. It is so helpful to learn from everyone involved, from new grads that are inspired to begin their careers to retirees that share their experiences and how they have witnessed changes (for the better in many cases!). It is helpful to see that everyone is on a journey, and that there are people who can help you along your way.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?

The strength of being adaptable — the world is constantly changing and we see new information and new challenges to overcome. It is important to be adaptable to stay resilient in your personal and professional journey.

The past few years have brought many new and unprecedented challenges. What keeps you motivated or inspires you to stay optimistic?

It may be easy to fall into doom-scrolling, but it is also easy to find stories of so many people trying to make the world better for others. I stay inspired by keeping in touch with people that I see doing innovative and interesting projects.

Pledge 1% helps companies of all sizes and stages leverage their assets for social good. Why do you think it’s important that companies prioritize social impact? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?

People want to work for companies that take opportunities to have a positive social impact. No matter the focus or size of a company, there are always opportunities to better your people and community. When companies prioritize social causes as a part of doing business, that impact can scale and be a force that really addresses injustices in our society.

If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?

Resourceful – I enjoy researching and finding new ways to overcome challenges

Do you have any unique or useful life hacks to help get through your day?

Not very unique, but taking time to play with my cat and dog brings a lot of enjoyment to my day.

Do you have any go-to apps or tools use love to use?

Slack — staying chatty on slack with each other outside of solely work conversations helps connect. I love seeing all of the outdoorsy photos of our team enjoying nature around the world.

What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?

I am very excited to complete my first full year at LiquiDonate — we have high ambitions to grow our marketplace and offerings, and I am excited to bring our resource to nonprofits around the world.

Pledge 1% and Austin Gives team up to help foster a culture of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and philanthropy among businesses in the Austin region

New partnership drives greater opportunities for Austin businesses to prioritize social impact

Austin, August 29, 2023 – Pledge 1%, the global movement that inspires, educates, and empowers every entrepreneur and company to be a force for good, and Austin Gives, a philanthropic initiative run out of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, announce today a new strategic collaboration to encourage business philanthropy in the Austin region. 

Both Pledge 1% and Austin Gives share a strong commitment to helping entrepreneurs and businesses develop corporate philanthropy and social impact programs. This new collaboration will leverage Pledge 1% and Austin Gives’ combined expertise, peer networks, and resources to provide more recognition and support to Austin companies interested in social impact.

“We are thrilled to work with the Austin Gives team and member community on creating new opportunities for businesses to have a positive social impact,” said Jan D’Alessandro, Chief Philanthropy Officer leading Pledge 1% equity pledge initiative. “This partnership will help Austin companies unlock new ways to engage their teams, customers, and community around their values and philanthropy, using Pledge 1% flexible framework of donating time, product, profit, and/or equity to causes they care about.”

“This collaboration reflects Austin Gives’ commitment to promoting a culture of corporate social responsibility in the regional business community and demonstrates the power of local businesses to drive positive change,” said Bethany Leffingwell, Senior Advisor for Social Impact at the Austin Chamber leading Austin Gives. “Data shows consumers and employees expect businesses to demonstrate a commitment to purpose in addition to profit. Austin Gives is leading the charge to empower corporate generosity in Central Texas.”

Already nearly 300 companies in the Austin region have joined the Pledge 1% movement, committing to giving 1% of their assets to local causes and charities. Austin Gives has a base of more than 100 members, who will now be invited to join Pledge 1% and gain access to their tools, resources, and peer community. Together, Pledge 1% and Austin Gives will host special events and conversations with business leaders, IPO-prep and equity roundtables and sessions to explore new solutions to have an impact, and will provide Austin companies with access to an expanded knowledge center of resources and support.

Austin Gives members can find resources and information at https://www.austinchamber.com/austin-gives-member-resources. Companies are also invited to join Pledge 1% at https://info.pledge1percent.org/pledgenow.

“The Austin Gives program has experienced tremendous growth over the last few years as companies in our region seek to create and expand their social impact programs. This timely partnership will provide a powerful value-add to our member companies,” said Bobby Jenkins, Chair of Austin Gives. “Purpose-driven companies have a higher employee retention rate, enjoy a faster brand value growth rate, and are more appealing to current and future investors. We believe doing good is good for business and our community.”

Sara Rodell, CEO of Austin-based Pledge 1% member company Loop & Tie will keynote the Austin Gives luncheon today, discussing the power of impact-focused leadership and how joining Pledge 1% has positively impacted her business. By working together on collaborative events, community knowledge-sharing, and best practices, Pledge 1% and Austin Gives are creating a new partnership model that will equip and empower more businesses in Austin to leverage their assets to do good. 

About Pledge 1%

Pledge 1% is a force multiplier and global movement to inspire, educate, and empower every entrepreneur, company, and employee to be a force for good. Over 18,000 members in 100 countries around the world have used Pledge 1%’s flexible framework to ignite billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours in new philanthropy. To learn more about Pledge 1%, and how your company can get involved, visit https://pledge1percent.org/.  

About Austin Gives

Austin Gives™ is a program for the business community that recognizes and encourages business philanthropy in the Austin region. In April 2015, Austin Gives officially became a program of the Chamber in order to meet the demand for expansion and growth of the business community’s commitment to giving back. Members range from small family businesses to large corporations. To learn more about free membership, visit https://www.austinchamber.com/about/austin-gives. 

Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way. 

Jennifer Jeronimo

CEO, Gaingels

Brooklyn, NY, USA

What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.

I am the CEO of Gaingels Inc. Gaingels Inc is one of the most active venture networks supporting diversity, equity and inclusion

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is “Embrace Equity.” What does this mean to you? How can we build workplaces that are more equitable and inclusive?

For me, embracing equity is enthusiastically and intentionally creating opportunities for all people to be successful where and when you can. Creating a more inclusive and equitable environment within the workplace starts with understanding the different needs of the people and groups in your organization. By understanding those differences, you can provide the right feedback, tools and resources they need to be successful. Inclusivity should also be part of the company’s culture, and something regularly talked about and reviewed. The most inclusive companies are the ones that acknowledge what could be done better. Creating an inclusive environment takes constant nurturing.

Do you have any mentors or role models who have helped you on your personal journey?

I am lucky to have many mentors and sponsors in my life including former managers, colleagues, professors, and friends. For me, the most impactful relationships are the ones that have come organically as those mentors are the most honest with me. A mentor that helps you see your blind spots is just as important as one who cheers you on. I also believe that you can learn from everyone around you. Some of the best lessons I have learned are from people completely different from me, and not necessarily mentors.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?

You must create space for yourself to grow. Years ago, my manager gave me advice that I still apply today. She explained if I couldn’t figure out how to better manage my time, I would have hit my ceiling. It was at that moment that I realized I must be evolving the way I work to take on more. Working a 14-hour day meant I could not take on the next big project. I learned I needed to better delegate, find tools that gave me the information I needed to make better and faster decisions and to decide the things I needed to let go of.

The past few years have brought many new and unprecedented challenges. What keeps you motivated or inspires you to stay optimistic?

I know it sounds cliché, but I do what I love so I don’t need to be motivated. My own personal journey has made me realize my happiness can only be created by me and the best use of my time is to work on things in my control. Each day, I remind myself of all the things I am grateful for and that challenges are the breeding ground for growth. We love the wins and the accolades, but those only come at the hands of the challenges we had faced and overcame.

Pledge 1% helps companies of all sizes and stages leverage their assets for social good. Why do you think it’s important that companies prioritize social impact? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?

Today, we can see the results inadequate social policies, regulations, and corporate practices has had on our environment and society. Now, information on this impact is at our fingertips and just a google (or chatbot) search away. Armed with this information, companies are being asked by their customers to think about their impact to greater society. By taking the 1% pledge companies can show their commitment to causes important to their customers and community. In addition, the 1% pledge can benefit non-profit organizations with financial assistance, expertise and exposure they need to be continue the work they do.

Here at Gaingels, we request the companies we invest consider taking the 1% pledge as part of our Gaingels letter.

If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?

Resilient. I have learned through experience things often do not go as planned. The people who are most successful are the ones who can manage through them successfully.

Do you have any unique or useful life hacks to help get through your day?

• 2-minute meditation before big meetings or events
• remembering to ask myself often- is this something I can control or do something about in a meaningful way? It helps me from worrying about things unnecessarily.
• Having a list of intentions for each day- the days I don’t are like the wild west!

Do you have any go-to apps or tools use love to use?

I have a few good meditation apps I use regularly. I still love writing in my daily journal my tasks and intentions.

What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?

Working on initiatives that speaks to my passion of helping women get seats at the table, either through their network, investing, or the work they do personally and professionally.

Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way. 

Shilpa Sharma

Co-founder and CEO, Flyte

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of Flyte. I oversee the entire business management including business development, investor discussions, hiring and product planning. At Flyte, we stand for equality and mental health so building the right culture and communicating with employees are my top priorities.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is “Embrace Equity.” What does this mean to you? How can we build workplaces that are more equitable and inclusive?

Being a female entrepreneur myself and having worked in male dominated workplaces, I have experienced the value of gender equality and inclusivity first-hand. I strongly believe in maintaining balance at the workplace so people can leverage each other’s perspectives and approaches for greater good.

We can build equitable and inclusive workplace by:

1) Communicating the vision: Every employee should know the business vision and how they can collaborate with each other to achieve that
2) Building inclusive culture: Leaders should build and communicate right culture in the company so their employees treat each other with respect
3) Adopting clear hiring process: Leaders should focus on hiring individuals based on their capabilities and perspective

Do you have any mentors or role models who have helped you on your personal journey?

Based on the stage of my personal journey, I have received mentorship from experienced professionals that helped me navigate through challenging situations. The one thing I learned through my journey, one should always celebrate success, be it small or big!

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?

Surround yourself with people who are invested in your growth and well-being

The past few years have brought many new and unprecedented challenges. What keeps you motivated or inspires you to stay optimistic?

Past few years have been challenging for so many people and we all adopted new ways of doing things including learning new technologies to support remote work.

The one thing that keeps me motivated is the passion for what I am doing. In addition to building my own business and helping our customers achieve their revenue growth through Flyte innovative technology, I helped many early stage startups through mentorship and guidance.

Recently I started mentoring women in sales & marketing through the Women in Revenue community. The President of the Women in Revenue community appreciated the effort and invited me to join their Speaker Bureau where I will further contribute through speaker sessions and webinars.

Pledge 1% helps companies of all sizes and stages leverage their assets for social good. Why do you think it’s important that companies prioritize social impact? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?

As an entrepreneur, you have a responsibility to contribute towards society and bring a positive change.

Today we are facing so many challenges, be it changing climate, mental health issues, access to healthcare, education, jobs etc. Companies should prioritize social impact and contribute towards building a better future for our next generation.

A lot of challenges can be solved by giving access to education and opportunities to everyone. Making people self-sufficient is the biggest gift. We promote education initiatives through our engagements with non-profit organizations.

If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?

Innovative! My innovative thinking and creative ways of doing things helped our business bring innovative technology to market. Customers loved our AI powered solution and referred us to their colleagues.

Do you have any unique or useful life hacks to help get through your day?

Celebrating success and staying calm during challenging situations have been my hacks to be productive throughout the day.

Do you have any go-to apps or tools use love to use?

LinkediIn, Health, Zoom.

What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?

Growing business with high profitability in mind. Personally, looking forward to expanding my network further through conferences & community engagements. 

Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way. 

Lisa Jordan

Vice President of Delivery, CG Infinity

Dallas, Texas, USA

What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.

I am a member of the leadership team at a technology consulting and services firm. Most of the work I do fills the space between business and technology in the form of CIO advisory, product owner, and project management office services. I work closely with several practice areas, including our Salesforce practice.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is “Embrace Equity.” What does this mean to you? How can we build workplaces that are more equitable and inclusive?

I think the technology field has reached a stage where most people appreciate difference more than same-ness. What remains to be addressed are assumptions that lead to hidden barriers. Equity to me means that we dispel assumptions and remove the hidden barriers to success. We can’t assume that a coworker appreciates our jokes, or that a single parent would prefer a lighter work assignment, or that an older colleague wouldn’t enjoy a rowdy after-work happy hour. We just need to open the conversation. Fostering an environment that promotes communication and curiosity will lead to a more equitable and inclusive environment.

Do you have any mentors or role models who have helped you on your personal journey?

When I started my career in technology, there were so few women working in tech that it was hard to find someone who could relate to my experience. Cindy Shirk was one of my first mentors at Deloitte and later at Perot Systems. Ann Michele Bowlin has been a long-term mentor/friend/role model. I owe a lot of my leadership style and professional growth to both of these remarkable women.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?

Don’t listen just to be ready to reply — listen in order to understand.

The past few years have brought many new and unprecedented challenges. What keeps you motivated or inspires you to stay optimistic?

I’m sort of a perpetual optimist by nature. When I find it hard to keep going, though, I think about the thrill of learning something new, the joy of building something good, and a sense of purpose in my community.

Pledge 1% helps companies of all sizes and stages leverage their assets for social good. Why do you think it’s important that companies prioritize social impact? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?

Companies have influence and power — they cannot avoid having a social impact. By choosing to prioritize social impact, they can intentionally focus the energy of their company towards social changes that align with their values. Our organization has chosen to focus our energy on addressing hunger. I love the personal happiness that volunteering brings, but the collective “feel good” that we get from volunteering together is multiplied joy.

If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?

Positive — I try to find the good and I don’t give up easily.

Do you have any unique or useful life hacks to help get through your day?

It’s not fancy, but I use a paper planner so I can sit quietly without digital distractions and lay out priorities and goals each day.

Do you have any go-to apps or tools use love to use?

Mural was a life saver during the pandemic for facilitating virtual discussions and I continue to use it now.

What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?

I really missed being able to travel during the pandemic. I’m so happy to be travelling again, both for work and for fun. This year, I’m planning several short trips with my husband to get back out and explore.

Each year, Bessemer Venture Partners, Salesforce Ventures, and Forbes release the Cloud 100 List, a ranking of the top 100 cloud companies. We are delighted to announce that nearly 30% of the companies on this year’s Cloud 100 List are Pledge 1% members.

These companies are not just leading with their products and business; they’re changing communities and having a real impact via their Pledge 1% programs. The 28 Pledge 1% members on this year’s list include: 6sense, ActiveCampaign, Algolia, AppsFlyer, Arctic Wolf, Automation Anywhere, Automattic, Canva, Celonis, Checkr, Collibra, Contentful, Dialpad, Guild Education, Harness, Kong, LaunchDarkly, Mambu, Notion, OwnBackup, Personio, Rubrik, Sentry, ServiceTitan, Snyk, Talkdesk, Workato, and Yotpo. 

To celebrate, we are highlighting these members live on the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square on August 8, 2023. In particular, we are spotlighting 6 companies on this year’s list who are not only creating a positive social impact today, but also setting aside equity for ongoing impact in the future. We are proud to work with Canva, Contentful, Checkr, Guild, Personio, and Snyk on harnessing a new model for businesses to make a difference. Learn more about what it means to pledge equity.  

We are proud to see so many Pledge 1% members recognized on this year’s Cloud 100 List and look forward to honoring these members and announcing the 2023 Pledge 1% Impact Award Winner at this October’s Cloud 100 event!

Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way. 

Amanda Lenaghan

Director, Social Impact, Cruise

San Francisco, CA, USA

What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.

In my current role as director of social impact at all-electric, autonomous vehicle company Cruise, I’m responsible for the overarching vision for Cruise for Good, our signature social impact program, and building this function from the ground up. My role is centered on a product-forward and community-centered approach — bringing what we do best in the world to address social needs, in close partnership with innovative community organizations and Cruise’s internal business units.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is “Embrace Equity.” What does this mean to you? How can we build workplaces that are more equitable and inclusive?

To embrace equity, it helps to look at the data. Multiple studies have shown that more women leaders in top corporate management positions correlate with increased profitability for these companies – who wouldn’t want that?

To build equitable companies, we need to recruit, promote and celebrate leaders with diverse perspectives and lived experiences. At Cruise, I’m inspired by my colleague Michele Lee, who leads our accessibility efforts and is also a wheelchair user. In addition to bringing her personal experience, she strategically and systematically pulls in others in the community to ensure our product and future offerings increase access and connection for individuals with disabilities as well.

Do you have any mentors or role models who have helped you on your personal journey?

Many women in my life inspire me, especially my mom and sister. They have navigated many opportunities and obstacles in life with grace all while maintaining a focus on being present for the people around them. I am reminded of Maya Angelou’s quote: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

The past few years have brought many new and unprecedented challenges. What keeps you motivated or inspires you to stay optimistic?

People inspire me. Whether listening to fellow board members, work colleagues, community leaders, or even my two young sons – the human spirit is possible of overcoming so many challenges. Even in the worst situations, there are examples of people stepping up to serve and help others. When I lived and volunteered in an impoverished town in Ecuador early in my career, I often saw women in one-room cane houses cooking food for others in need, running fundraisers for neighbors needing medical care, or simply looking out for each other. This keeps me optimistic.

Pledge 1% helps companies of all sizes and stages leverage their assets for social good. Why do you think it’s important that companies prioritize social impact? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?

Every company has a choice to make in how they will impact communities, particularly when building something new. From the beginning at Cruise, we’ve been intentional in our approach and vocal about encouraging others in the corporate world – and specifically in the AV industry – to make social impact and sustainability a priority.

Companies that recognize social impact as an asset have a business advantage. When social impact is built into a company – instead of bolted on later – it can directly advance company goals, innovation, and ultimately profitability.

——–

In terms of stories, I recently launched a LinkedIn newsletter called Driving Communities Forward to highlight different social impact and nonprofit leaders. It’s been such a privilege to speak with so many passionate visionaries who are all focused on melding business and impact, as well as hearing about how we can support their endeavors.

My first feature profiled the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program Associate Director of Leadership Programs, Danielle Holly. Her vision for the future captures why I wanted to start this newsletter to begin with – to shine a light on these important perspectives:

“My hope for the future of philanthropy is that it works in partnership with business, and brings to bear its community knowledge and partnerships to ensure that the individuals whose lives we’re trying to make better are leading the design of the solutions.”

What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?

This year, I’m looking forward to expanding our Cruise for Good program in line with Cruise’s driverless expansion. As we grow our driverless service in new markets like Austin and Phoenix, our Pledge 1% commitment means that at least 1% of our fleet will serve local communities everywhere we go. We’ve seen so much impact through our meal delivery partnership in San Francisco — providing 2.3 million meals to neighbors in need and I’m eager to see this impact expanded. Because our approach is grounded in deep community partnership, we’re bringing a community-centered approach to our work, forming trusting partnerships, and continuously improving as we grow. That’s what motivates me – the opportunity to increase our impact for local communities across the country and to innovate while we’re at it.

Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way. 

Sravanthi Aitha

Principal Architect, Solunus Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Hyderabad, Telangana, India

What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.

As the Principal Architect at Solunus, I have technical oversight of the deliverables across multiple projects on the Salesforce platform and actively mentor other Salesforce developers/architects. I also engage in presales activities to understand our customer’s business goals and help them get the maximum from their investments in the Salesforce platform.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is “Embrace Equity.” What does this mean to you? How can we build workplaces that are more equitable and inclusive?

I feel that creating an inclusive and equitable workplace is an ongoing process that requires continuous effort and commitment from everyone in the organizations we work at, the communities we live in, and even inside our homes. Here are some of my thoughts on how we can embrace equity:
• At the workplace, we can create a diverse and inclusive workplace, ensuring that the company’s hiring policies and practices are inclusive and free from discrimination. We can also provide regular diversity and inclusion training to employees.
• Encourage employees to speak up about any issues or concerns and make sure that management listens and takes appropriate action.
• Foster an environment where all employees feel valued, respected, and included. This can be achieved by promoting diversity and inclusion initiatives, celebrating cultural and religious holidays, and creating safe spaces for employees to share their experiences and perspectives.

Do you have any mentors or role models who have helped you on your personal journey?

My mother and my mother-in-law are whom I look up to in my personal life. I get inspiration from their persistence to learn and grow by overcoming challenges. They constantly demonstrate their resourcefulness in solving problems by coming up with solutions with limited means. They motivate me to come up with innovative solutions for whatever problems I encounter in different situations.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?

The best advice I have ever received is – The passage of time is inevitable and unstoppable, constantly bringing change, which is the only constant element in life. So, I adapt to changes and am agile in my approach to various things in life.

The past few years have brought many new and unprecedented challenges. What keeps you motivated or inspires you to stay optimistic?

I’m self-disciplined and always ensure that I am healthy and practice healthy habits. Also, the support from my family always keeps me going and helps me remain optimistic.

Pledge 1% helps companies of all sizes and stages leverage their assets for social good. Why do you think it’s important that companies prioritize social impact? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?

Giving back to society helps us build stronger communities and spreads humanity. By giving back, individuals and organizations can create a sense of community, connection, and empathy and build a more just and equitable society for everyone. Especially during this era where technology is leading, it is essential to remember the ethical values that underpin our society.

I am very proud of the outcomes enabled by the “Pennam foundation,” an organization that our CEO has founded. We provided over 200,000+ meals to the needy and 150 days of food to 100 blind and special needs children at Nethra Vidyalaya (School for Blind children) in Visakhapatnam, India in 2022. Also, we ensured that Nethra Vidyalaya was backed up with a 100% power supply by installing a UPS infrastructure.

The foundation provides free medical treatment and healthy organic food in many underserved communities. We also help improve the quality of life for women through an initiative that provided sanitary pads to 10,000 unprivileged women and by building awareness to combat myths and stigma around sensitive sexual health topics while improving hygiene. I am grateful to be associated with a company that invests in causes that uplifts society.

If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?

One word that best describes me is Go-Getter/Highflyer. The reason being, I set goals professionally and personally, and I’m keen on accomplishing them by giving my 100%.

Do you have any unique or useful life hacks to help get through your day?

I find simple ways to finish tasks quickly and relax. Also, if there are any other tasks I can complete parallelly on the go, I ensure to finish them, as it helps me get through my day effortlessly.

Do you have any go-to apps or tools use love to use?

Google/ChatGPT

What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?

Professionally, I’m working towards becoming a Salesforce Certified Technical Architect (CTA). It is great to be working at a place that supports me in this journey. On the personal front, I want to reduce my body age through physical fitness.

I’m also excited to see my daughter achieve greater heights. She represented Telangana state in the National Track Cycling Championship 2022, held in Assam. I am thrilled to see her confidence level as she strives for a national medal this year. I am an excited and proud parent.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I am glad to be involved in this year’s #WomenWhoLead campaign, and I always anticipate witnessing women becoming more independent, empowered and source of inspiration.

Zumzum Helped Broadstones School To Save £30,000