SALUTE | South Asian Leaders Unite to Empower’s Post

Join us for our upcoming event, “Women Who Serve: South Asian Women Leading the Way” on Thursday, June 27 at 7 pm ET, hosted by SALUTE in partnership with Indian American Impact. This empowering virtual event will feature four inspiring South Asian women leaders in public service.   •⁠ ⁠Dimple Ajmera (Charlotte City Council Member) •⁠ ⁠Dr. Aditi Srivastav Bussells, PhD, MPH (Columbia City Council Member) •⁠ ⁠Dr. Darshana Patel, Ph.D. (Poway Unified School District Board Member, President of San Diego School Boards Association, & Candidate for California State Assembly) •⁠ ⁠Nabilah Islam Parkes (Georgia State Senator) This nonpartisan discussion will highlight the journeys of these leaders and explore how South Asian women can get involved in their communities to make a meaningful difference, especially during an election year.   Discover why local and state government matters and learn practical strategies for civic engagement beyond elected positions. Hear from these leaders as they share their experiences, challenges, and successes, and learn how to become a catalyst for positive change in your community! SALUTE members: Please RSVP using the link sent to you via email for this event. Thank you! #SouthAsianWomen #WomenWhoServe #SouthAsianLeadership #PublicService #CivicEngagement #WomenInPolitics #SouthAsianWomenLeaders #Empowerment #CommunityImpact #SALUTEWomen #InspiringLeaders #SALUTE

Join us on Tuesday, June 4, at 6:30 PM ET for an exclusive Behind the Book session with Neelu Kaur, author of "Be Your Own Cheerleader." This exclusive event for SALUTE members will begin with an introduction to Neelu's background and the inspiration behind her book, followed by an interactive session where attendees will engage in deliberate practices and share reflections. The session will conclude with a live Q&A with Neelu. For those of you who attended the #SALUTESummit last year, Neelu's book was in your attendee gift bag! If you're interested in learning more or purchasing the book ahead of the session, please go to: https://www.neelukaur.com/. *About Neelu Kaur* Neelu Kaur is the author of Be Your Own Cheerleader, which focuses on self-advocacy for Asian & South Asian Women. The practical tips and advice in the book can benefit anyone who struggles with self-advocacy, including underrepresented voices, introverts, and neurodivergent people. Neelu is a highly sought-after keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and executive coach focusing on leadership development, self-advocacy, and holistic health and burnout management for Fortune 500 Enterprises. She holds a bachelor's from NYU Stern School of Business, a master's degree in social & organizational psychology from Columbia University, and she is a certified NLP Master Practitioner and Coach from the NLP Center of New York. Neelu has been teaching hatha vinyasa yoga for over 15 years and is a lifelong student and practitioner of Ayurveda. #SALUTE #BehindTheBook #NeeluKaur #BeYourOwnCheerleader #SelfAdvocacy #LeadershipDevelopment

The SALUTE Consumer & Retail Collective, in partnership with Coefficient Capital, is excited to host its in-person SALUTE Visionary Series featuring Anish Melwani, Chairman & CEO of LVMH for North America, on Tuesday, June 18 from 6 - 8 PM ET in New York City. Join us for an exclusive, industry-focused fireside chat to hear about Anish's personal journey, uncover market trends, and gain valuable insights from one of the leading voices in the field. note that we have limited capacity for this event. We will first prioritize SALUTE members and South Asian female professionals in the consumer and retail industry for attendance. Please register your interest here: https://lnkd.in/eMGXKSAq *About Anish Melwani* Anish Melwani is the Chairman & CEO, LVMH for North America. In this role, he oversees and coordinates the activities of the LVMH Group across 75+ Maisons as well as 22 Montaigne Entertainment. He sits on the board of directors for Fresh, Marc Jacobs, Colgin Cellars, Starboard Cruise Services, Tiffany & Co, and Lotus Tech. *About the SALUTE Consumer & Retail Collective* The SALUTE Consumer & Retail Collective is a member-led cohort within SALUTE empowering South Asian women in retail, fashion, beauty, and consumer packaged goods (CPG) through industry-specific networking, mentorship, and professional development. *About Coefficient Capital* Coefficient Capital leads investments in high-growth consumer brands that align the physical world with the digital universe. It partners with entrepreneurs to build brands, tell stories, and engage consumers across the digital and physical worlds. It offers capital, expertise, connections, and its brand tool kit to help businesses grow. #southasianinconsumer #southasiansincpg #lvmh #anishmelwani

Save the date on Thursday, October 3 in NYC for the SALUTE Empower Forum, an inspiring gathering of leaders and innovators! This end-of-year event, in lieu of our SALUTE Summit, will be a fantastic opportunity to network with fellow South Asian women professionals, celebrate our members’ successes, and engage in empowering programming designed to inspire and motivate. Stay tuned for more details on the #SALUTEEmpowerForum.

Join us on Tuesday, May 7 at 6 PM ET for our SALUTE Fireside Chat featuring Megha Tolia, President & COO of Shondaland, the television production company founded by renowned Hollywood storyteller and writer Shonda Rhimes, creator of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, Bridgerton, and Inventing Anna. From her early days in consumer goods to leading a premier production company, Megha will share her journey of transition and innovation in entertainment. We're excited to dive into discussions about her pivotal career moments, leadership strategies, and her personal story. Megha has spent the last twenty years building and operating mission-driven, innovative consumer brands. Prior to Shondaland, Megha spent eight years managing several businesses for SC Johnson, including Method, Ecover, Mrs. Meyers, and Babyganics. She began her career as a brand manager for Neutrogena. Megha holds a BA from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is originally from Los Angeles and recently spent two years living in Florence, Italy. To learn more about Megha, listen to her latest podcast interview with Ami Thakkar Raval, host of @tuckeredoutpodcast and valued SALUTE member: https://lnkd.in/ey--VVAH #SALUTEFiresideChat #WomenInLeadership #SouthAsianWomenInMedia #LeadershipExcellence #SouthAsianWomen #Shondaland

Reminder for SALUTE members: Join us tomorrow, April 24 at 6 PM ET for our SALUTE Talks event, “Exploring Emerging Markets and Real Estate Investment Strategies,” with TOWRE - The Organization by Women in Real Estate co-founders, Candice Milano & Malessa Rambarran. Candice Milano and Malessa Rambarran bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table, offering insights into inflation-proof strategies and other essential topics in real estate investing. Recognized for their forward-thinking real estate approach, Malessa and Candice have been honored as Forbes “The New Millennial Power Brokers,” lauded as “NYC’s Real Estate Experts” by 6sqft, ranked Top 1% Nationwide by RealTrends, and named Real Estate Newsmakers by RISMedia. They are also the hosts of the #TheBuildUpPodcast. Discover the keys to identifying emerging real estate markets and investment opportunities, and learn how to navigate the ever-changing landscape of real estate with confidence. Whether you’re a seasoned investor or just starting, this event is your gateway to mastering the art of strategic investing. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to elevate your investment game and secure your financial future! You can RSVP using the calendar invite sent to your email address. Please note that this event is exclusively open only to SALUTE members. #southasianwomen #realestate #realestateinvesting #realestatestrategies #AskTOWRE

Congratulations to Bijal Shah on her appointment as the new CEO of Guild, succeeding Rachel Romer. Bijal has played a pivotal role in the company’s growth over the past six years, initially joining as the Chief Product Officer and later serving as the Chief Experience Officer. Her leadership has been instrumental in expanding Guild's Career Opportunity Platform™, enhancing educational and career opportunities for millions. We look forward to her continued success in her new role! https://lnkd.in/g2Cy3UBJ Prior to Guild, Bijal held executive and leadership roles at Ibotta and in corporate strategy at Visa. She has been recognized as a Denver Business Journal 40 Under 40 award recipient for her contributions to the technology industry in Denver and the broader community, including her work on the Board of Directors of Girls, Inc. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Sloan School of Management. She lives in Denver with her husband and children. #WomenOnTheMove #Leadership #Inspiration #SouthAsianCEOs #SouthAsianLeaders

The TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2024 list has been released and we're proud to see five remarkable South Asian women celebrated for their achievements:⁠ ⁠  ➡️ Alia Bhatt — a renowned actor and the innovative founder of Ed-a-Mamma, who has made her mark in both the creative and business worlds⁠ ⁠ ➡️ Priyamvada Natarajan — an astrophysicist and Yale University professor, pioneering our understanding of the cosmos⁠ ⁠ ➡️ Marina Tabassum — a leading Bangladeshi architect known for her sustainable and context-conscious designs⁠ ⁠ ➡️ Asma Khan — chef and owner of Darjeeling Express, who also serves as a UN World Food Programme advocate, championing culinary traditions and humanitarian causes⁠ ⁠ ➡️ Sakshi Malik — an Indian Olympic Wrestler and Bronze Medalist, recognized with the Khel Ratna & Padma Shri for her achievements in sports⁠ ⁠ Their presence on this prestigious list underscores the impact of South Asian women across global platforms. Share your thoughts on these women below in the comments! ⁠ ⁠ #TIME100 #MostInfluential #WomenLeaders #SouthAsianExcellence #WomenInScience #WomenInSports #WomenInArchitecture #WomenInCulinary #WomenInFilm #InspiringWomen #GlobalInfluencers #BarrierBreakers⁠

Noor Siddiqui is the founder of Orchid, a reproductive technology company, offering the world's first whole genome screening for embryos, so people can “have healthy babies.” Now, she’s using the company’s gene technology on herself — and talking about it for the first time. Redefining the future one gene at a time Noor's journey offers a glimpse into a world where the lines between nature and science blur. Read more in her latest interview with WIRED. https://lnkd.in/efwJbH5i Today, over 100 million Americans suffer from at least one chronic disease. With no cure, friends and families many times turn to treatments that address symptoms rather than root causes. Orchid aims to slash the incidence rates of disease in the next generation. They detect risk at the earliest stages, and give couples the ability to tilt the odds toward extending their children's health span — the number of years of life uninterrupted by disease. Before Orchid, Noor taught a class at Stanford University on Reproductive Technology where she did AI and genomics research with Anshul Kundaje (deep learning for genomics) and Sebastian Thrun (computer vision). She also started a speaker series called #nofilter, cofounded Stanford’s Center for Distributed Trust, ran a translational group for entrepreneurial researchers in the Stanford AI Lab, and earned my M.S/B.S in Computer Science from Stanford. Before her academic career, Noor was selected as a teenage Thiel fellow. She also started a digital health company called Remedy, which helped doctors get instant answers from specialists. They deployed our product to doctors and nurses at Harvard-affiliated hospitals. #Genetics #FutureOfFertility #Orchid #NoorSiddiqui #SouthAsianFounders #SALUTE

We’re excited to have delicious desserts from Swaadish By Neelma at our D.C. SALUTE Social on Friday, April 19 at 7 pm ET. Founded by Neelma Kohli, Swaadish By Neelma is a premium Maryland bakery specializing in luxurious Indian desserts with a contemporary twist. They cater locally and ship desserts nationwide from Rasmalai Tres Leches cupcakes/cakes and Eggless Jeera Cookies to Chandni Coconut Ladoos to Chai Crème Brûlée. If you haven’t already submitted your RSVP for our D.C. Social, “Glowing Through the Decades,” with Dr. Noreen Galaria, MD FAAD board-certified dermatologist and Founder & CEO of Inner Glow Vitamins, please do so ASAP: https://lnkd.in/eUxkqEbw ⁠ This event is free for SALUTE members, but an RSVP is required. Limited tickets are available to non-SALUTE members for $25, including a gift from Inner Glow Vitamins. Food and beverages will be provided by SALUTE. ********* About Swaadish by Neelma Founded by Neelma Kohli, Swaadish By Neelma is a premium Maryland bakery specializing in luxurious Indian desserts with a contemporary twist. Starting in 2018 with a food blog in 2018, Neelma originally started to teach people about simple, homemade Punjabi cooking. The blog quickly gained popularity with recipes that were easy, delicious, and could be prepared in under 30 minutes. However, the onset of the pandemic in 2021 led Neelma to start baking extensively, experimenting with South Asian flavors. This culinary exploration culminated in the launch of her dessert business. Through her desserts, Neelma offers a chance to indulge in homemade desserts featuring indulgent flavors inspired by a kaleidoscope of South Asian cuisines. Baked fresh using family recipes, these gourmet goodies reflect her Indian heritage and pay homage to her birthplace of Iran. All of Neelma’s batters are meticulously blended with love, incorporating aromatic herbs, rare spices, and pure premium-grade extracts. #SouthAsianWomen #SouthAsianDesserts #SouthAsianFounders #SALUTESocial