First time with Leadership Talk having a special chapter for Women Leaders – initiated by Cohort – 17. Distinguished and esteemed women from various industries who have made significant contributions to their fields are invited for an interactive session with the students where they share their valuable experience and insights from their respective industries

Table 2: The special She Ascends Leadership speaker series coordinated by the She Ascends team members, had the following eminent personalities sharing their knowledge with the cohort as catalogued in Table 2.

Name Designation Description
Mitali Pattnaik Investor & Advisor (Various Startup) Mitali Pattnaik is a seasoned product leader with over two decades of experience building and scaling technology products at global companies including LinkedIn, Google, Twitter, Microsoft, and Yahoo. She is known for driving user-centric product innovation and leading high-performing teams across Silicon Valley’s technology ecosystem. At LinkedIn, she led the AI-driven transformation of LinkedIn Sales Navigator, reshaping how enterprise sales teams identify customer intent, prioritize accounts, and engage buyers. Today, she works closely with founders as a fractional or interim Chief Product Officer, helping startups navigate critical product inflection points—from early product-market fit to post-Series B scaling.Beyond her operating roles, Mitali is an active angel investor, startup advisor, and Limited Partner in multiple seed-stage venture capital funds, supporting the growth of emerging technology ventures.
Bhanurekha Condur Associate Vice President Sutherland Global Services) Bhanurekha Condur is an accomplished operations and risk management leader currently serving as Associate Vice President at Sutherland Global Services. She leads the Global Operational Risk Management (ORM) team and also serves as the Ethics Officer, ensuring strong governance, compliance, and ethical standards across the organization. Known for her people-centric and collaborative leadership style, Bhanu is recognized for leading from the front, valuing diverse perspectives, and making thoughtful, well-supported decisions. She is admired for her high energy, strong team spirit, and ability to support and empower colleagues, fostering a positive and high-performing work environment.
Janet Nair Head of Consumer Insights (Netflix India) Janet Nair is a senior consumer insights and strategy leader with over 20 years of global experience across media, technology, FMCG, and construction sectors. She most recently served as Head of Consumer Insights at Netflix India, where she played a key role in shaping content and audience strategy during the platform’s growth phase in the country. Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles at Nielsen, Kantar, Amazon, and Lafarge, working across areas such as audience insights, brand strategy, market intelligence, and innovation. Known for translating complex consumer data into actionable business strategies, she has worked closely with CXOs and cross-functional teams across global markets. Currently an independent strategy and insights consultant, Janet partners with organizations to provide strategic guidance and specialized research expertise. 
Iti Malik Manager (Google) Iti Malik is a seasoned business and operations leader with 16 years of experience, currently serving as a Manager at Google, where she leads high-performing teams driving growth for major clients in the American market. She began her career as a Design Engineer at Freescale Semiconductor, building a strong technical foundation before transitioning into business leadership after completing her MBA from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS). Since joining Google in 2013, she has held diverse regional and global roles across go-to-market strategy and business operations, leading large-scale initiatives such as business planning, organizational restructuring, and operational standardization. Known for combining engineering-driven analytical thinking with strategic business execution, Iti has developed expertise in vendor operations, change management, business strategy, and digital advertising. 
Dr. Ashwini Rakhame Director (PwC) Dr. Ashwini Rakhame is a healthcare and life sciences leader with around 14 years of experience in strategy, transformation, and leadership development across pharmaceuticals, biopharma, MedTech, and public health systems. She currently serves as Director – Pharma Commercial Strategy at PwC India, where she advises CXOs, startups, and public-sector leaders on growth strategy, market access, product launches, and healthcare transformation. A medical doctor with an MBA from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, she combines clinical insight with business strategy to address complex challenges across the healthcare value chain. Her work spans biopharma commercialization, rare disease access strategies, international market entry, and health system strengthening initiatives.Dr. Rakhame is also a strong advocate for inclusive leadership and women’s advancement, actively mentoring professionals and contributing to diversity and inclusion initiatives while promoting authentic, purpose-driven leadership.
Kalpana Jain Partner (Deloitte) Kalpana Jain is a senior consulting leader and Partner at Deloitte, where she leads the SheXO Program and manages key client accounts across the Energy & Resources and Consumer sectors. With over 30 years of experience, she has advised multinational, private sector, and public sector organizations across the value chain. She brings deep expertise in corporate finance, investment banking, mergers & acquisitions, private equity, valuation, and strategic business planning. Kalpana has also been a member of the Deloitte South Asia Coordinating Board, contributing to regional governance and strategic initiatives.  A strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, she leads women leadership development initiatives and mentors young entrepreneurs through The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE). She previously served as Chairperson of the Private Equity & Venture Capital Association of India (IVCA) and has been recognized among India’s Top 25 Most Talented Women Professionals by CMO Asia, and as “Superwoman of Delhi” by Radio One.