Shaping the future for young women

EMBA – Executive Management Degree – IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland

BA in Economics, Political Science and Law (India)

Diploma in Fashion Design – Parsons School of Fashion – NYC

Languages spoken: English, German, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi.

As a young girl, growing up in India, Smita was influenced by her mother, HEMLATA, an ardent believer in the power of quality education, on whom the organisation is named. Over two decades of active philanthropy in India have given Smita an in-depth understanding on how quality education along with sustainable support can impact the lives of the most vulnerable in India, especially young girls. She is committed to creating opportunities for this vulnerable group, to break their cycles of inter-generational poverty, to enjoy a life of dignity and purpose and to act as changemakers in their communities.

Smita’s professional education and her experience as a serial entrepreneur reflects in her structured, collaborative and impact-oriented approach to philanthropy. Her travels across India to meet and engage with local communities and to identify, evaluate and connect one on one with beneficiaries, has led her to create the H-Impact program, a social innovation project.

Monita Singh works in direct contact with our Scholars, building weekly and monthly touchpoints with Scholars through inter-disciplinary webinars and community calls. Monita is a global citizen with broad ranging entrepreneurial and professional experience in USA, India and Europe and has worked extensively in the pedagogical environment, including being Head of Admissions at an International School in Switzerland. Monita’s core-values on women’s education and development in India are closely aligned with that of HEMLATA’s mission. Monita earned her BA and MBA in the US and speaks English, Hindi, and German.

Career Skills fall under the purview of Gayatri Dogra, a human resource professional with a depth of experience across organization development and people management. Having grown up in India and worked in multi-cultural teams in India, Middle East, Africa and Europe, Gayatri believes that every woman must have the opportunity to live a fulfilling life with dignity, become financially independent and shape their own destiny, beliefs deeply connected with the purpose of HEMLATA. Gayatri holds a masters in human resources from XLRI, India and speaks English, Hindi, Punjabi.

Darija Barrech ensures that agreements with new Scholars are in line with criteria laid down by HEMLATA.  As a HR professional with 20+ years of experience and having lived in Germany, Croatia & Asia, before settling in Switzerland, Darija is a strong believer and supporter of HEMLATA and its core values and is passionate about helping girls become strong women. Darija holds an MA in Leading Innovation and Change from St. John, York UK and speaks English, German, Croatian, French, Urdu, Pashto.

Sabine Vicenti – With years of national and international management responsibility in finance and accounting, Sabine has worked in the successful development and expansion of finance and accounting systems in SMEs and corporates in Switzerland. Currently working as CFO at a company in Lausanne, Sabine takes care of our incoming and outgoing payments in Switzerland and is also responsible for the necessary documentation with our Auditor. Sabine speaks English, German and Italian.

Jaromir Fuoli supports HEMLATA with the design, graphic and technical details on the website, for print, and across all presentations. From designing logos, imagery, and typography, to final web design, Jaromir feels at home in all disciplines and his support at HEMLATA keeps our information up to date on all fronts. Being the father of a young girl himself, Jaromir, believes in and whole-heartedly supports the cause for gender equality for girls. Jaromir speaks English and German.

Aayushi Kukreja supports HEMLATA’s partnerships with schools and donors to define the India strategy. As an Investment Professional with experience in the financial inclusion space, Aayushi who hails from a family invested in the teaching sector, strongly believes that education is the pathway to broaden horizons and the key to a fulfilling life, a belief that resonates with HEMLATA’s mission to empower young girls and create sustainable impact. Aaysuhi holds a MA Economics (Hons.) from the Delhi School of Economics, and speaks English, Hind and Punjabi.

Vipasha Jain supports HEMLATA with fund raising and payback model for Scholars. As an Investment Professional who lost her father early in life, Vipasha says it was her education that helped her to provide for her family and support her brother’s education. Vipasha believes that higher education for young girls has a ripple effect, creating impact that is self-sustaining, a belief that deeply resonates with HEMLATA’s mission to empower young girls. Vipasha holds an Integrated MSc. In Economics from IIT Kharagpur and speaks English and Hindi.

Unnishankar Jayaprakash is an Investment Professional and has worked with companies focussing on companies in education and financial inclusion impacting the lower income population and is aware of the importance of education, believing in HEMLATA’s mission to generate significant impact for the scholars. Unni has a degree in BTech in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and speaks English, Hindi, Malayalam, and French.

Diksha Sundarka Diksha is also an Investment Professional and has worked with companies focussed on cross border tech. Having worked at an NGO throughout college, Diksha saw the impact of education on lives of under-privileged girls and women at the grass root level. She strongly resonates with HEMLATA’s mission to create sustainable impact. Diksha holds a BA Economics (Hons.) from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi, and speaks English, Hindi, Gujarati and Marwari.

Doris Merz Nardone is the founder and owner of the distribution company PM Care Systems AG, supplying professional hair salons with exclusive hair care products in Switzerland and Liechtenstein for more than 28 years. An entrepreneur, with core strengths in business development and a strong hands-on mentality with customer focus, Doris is also a Mentor at H-Impact. She is immensely grateful for what she has received and believes it is important to give back. Her motto: Sharing is caring!