In this special edition of South Asian Trailblazers, Simi Shah hosts a LIVE podcast with Gurbir S. Grewal — the Director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement and former Attorney General of New Jersey — at the law offices of Morrison Foerster in New York City. WATCH this episode on YouTube. This event was proudly hosted in partnership with global la…

For our Season 7 Finale, we catch up with Amol Shah from OpenAI, one of the world's leading artificial intelligence companies and the creator of ChatGPT. Amol's career spans roles at tech giants like Facebook and TikTok, and more recently, he served as the Chief Revenue Officer for blockchain startup QuickNode. Before his foray into the tech c-suit…

In this episode, we meet Nishant Roy, Chief Communications and Impact Officer at Chobani. Chobani is one of the fastest-growing food companies in the world and has been a pioneer in the natural food movement for the last decade. Nishant has an incredibly variegated career to date. He began his career with distinguished service in the United States …

In this episode, Simi welcomes our first-ever sibling founder duo: Akash and Nikita Mehta, Co-Founders of Fable & Mane. Fable & Mane is an Ayurveda-inspired hair wellness brand. Akash is a British entrepreneur and influencer. He graduated from Imperial College London with a degree in electrical engineering. His professional journey spans roles at B…

Simi speaks with the revered RAJA KUMARI. Born Svetha Rao, Raja Kumari is a Grammy-nominated, international singer, songwriter, and rapper. With over 43 million monthly Spotify streams, she has launched multiple hit singles and albums and collaborated with John Legend, AR Rahman, Iggy Azalea, and Fall Out Boy. Drawing from her Indian roots, she is …

Joining us on South Asian Trailblazers is Actor and Broadway Star, Nikhil Saboo. Most recently, Nikhil played the iconic Connor Murphy in the National Tour of Dear Evan Hansen, becoming the first South Asian to ever take on the Tony-nominated role. He also performed in the 1st National Tour of Hamilton: An American Musical and in the original Broad…

For our mid-season finale, Simi is joined by Priya Singh — Chief Strategy Officer, Senior Associate Dean, & Vice President of Stanford Medicine. Stanford Medicine encompasses a $13 billion preeminent academic health center comprised of the Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford Health Care, and Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. Priya first began …

Simi is joined by Nora Ali, the CEO and Co-Founder of Mason Media, a full-service production company and brand studio, which she co-founded alongside MLB all-star Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod) and tech billionaire Marc Lore. With a degree in Statistics and Quantitative Finance from Harvard, Nora began her career by building a foundation in capital markets…

In a first for South Asian Trailblazers, we welcome Global Influencer and Entrepreneur Diipa Büller-Khosla. Diipa is not only one of the first Indian influencers to have gained international renown, but is also breaking barriers as a founder, model, public speaker, and activist. At age 18, Diipa moved from India to Amsterdam and eventually London …

Simi sits down with Ruchi Bhowmik, Vice President of Public Policy at Netflix. In this role, Ruchi strategizes around the streaming giant's relationships with key stakeholders: regulators, non-governmental organizations, and elected leaders in the United States and Canada. Prior to joining Netflix, Ruchi was Global Vice Chair of Public Policy at EY…

To kick off South Asian Trailblazers Season 7, power duo Dr. Vas Narasimhan (CEO of Novartis) and Dr. Srishti Gupta Narasimhan (Physician Leader in Health & Education) join Simi all the way from Basel, Switzerland for a LIVE recording at Novartis Headquarters in Cambridge, MA. WATCH this episode on YouTube. South Asian Trailblazers is dedicated to …

For our Season 6 Finale, Simi invites Shruti Rya Ganguly: award-winning Filmmaker, Producer, and Writer to the podcast. In 2017, Shruti started honto88, a production company that works in a variety of formats — from narrative and doc features to series and branded content. She launched it with a narrative feature produced by Keanu Reeves. She has d…

The founding CEO of a breakout biotech company AND a Grammy Award winner? Gaurav Shah is no stranger to dualities. In this episode, Simi speaks with the Co-Founder and CEO of Rocket Pharmaceuticals, a company developing first-in-class gene-modified cell therapies to treat rare diseases. Prior to his role as founding CEO, Gaurav was a Global Program…

In this special edition of South Asian Trailblazers, Simi hosts a LIVE podcast with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal — the first South Asian woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives — to kick off Indian American Impact's 2023 Summit in Washington D.C. WATCH this episode on YouTube. In addition to elevating the stories of South Asian leaders,…

You’ve likely seen Zarna Garg — the Indian immigrant mom and comedy sensation cracking mom jokes on Instagram, opening for Tina Fey, or most recently, making headlines for her comedy special, Zarna Garg: One in a Billion, which premiered on Amazon Prime in May. But do you know what came before? Born and raised in India, Zarna Garg immigrated to the…

In this episode, we meet Pooja Goyal: Partner and the Chief Investment Officer of Carlyle Global Infrastructure, Co-Head of the Carlyle Global Infrastructure Opportunity Fund (CGI), and Carlyle’s Head of Renewable and Sustainable Energy. With over $381 billion assets under management (AUM), Carlyle is one of the world’s largest investment firms — a…

In this episode, Simi speaks with Medha Gargeya: Associate Counsel to Vice President Kamala Harris, reservist with the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps, and Adjunct Professor of Law. As Associate Counsel at the White House, Medha helps manage ethics and oversight for the Vice President's office and works on policy areas ranging fro…

In this special edition of South Asian Trailblazers, Simi speaks with trailblazer Anjula Acharia in front of a LIVE audience in New York City. WATCH this episode on YouTube. In addition to elevating the stories of South Asian leaders, South Asian Trailblazers is also dedicated to convening them. If you're interested in attending future community ev…

Meet Pooja Bavishi, Founder and CEO of Malai, a trailblazer who is sure to pique your interest and... your sweet tooth. Malai is an artisanal ice cream company, with flavors inspired by the nostalgic, aromatic spices and ingredients of South Asian culture. Pooja had always wanted to be in the business of delivering happiness, AKA desserts, and in 2…

In this special episode, we mark our first-ever foray into Bollywood and the land of Indian cinema. Trailblazers Host, Simi Shah, joins some of Bollywood’s biggest stars on the Red Carpet as they kick off a U.S. show tour entitled, The Entertainers. The Entertainers is led by Bollywood icon Akshay Kumar, and also welcomes Nora Fatehi, Mouni Roy, Di…

To kick of Season 6, Simi speaks with Anita Chatterjee, Founder and CEO of A-Game Public Relations. A-Game Public Relations is a bicoastal firm representing celebrities, business leaders, venture capital firms, and innovative technology and consumer packaged goods companies. Anita has built the profiles of several high profile individuals, includin…

In this very special edition of South Asian Trailblazers, we celebrate our 50th episode. To mark this exciting milestone, we wanted to do something a little bit different. In the 50 episodes, 50 stories we’ve shared thus far, we’ve met some phenomenal individuals — visionary entrepreneurs, seasoned executives, next gen creatives... all the way from…

Joining us for this episode is Ulta Beauty's first-ever Chief Digital Officer, Prama Bhatt. Prama brings 20 years of digital expertise to this role, having brought to life innovative experiences and initiatives like Virtual Beauty Advisor, Skin Analysis, GLAMLab, real-time recommendations and more to meaningfully disrupt and drive the industry forw…

At 23-years-old, Ziad Ahmed is our youngest trailblazer to date. In this episode, Simi catches up with the CEO/Co-Founder of JUV Consulting, a purpose-driven Generation Z consultancy that works with clients (small businesses, non-profits, and major corporations) to help them authentically reach young people. To date, the company has worked with 20+…

Simi speaks with Megha Desai, President of the Desai Foundation. The Desai Foundation empowers women and children through community programming that elevates health, livelihood and menstrual health, primarily in India. Initially established by her parents 25+ years ago, the public foundation has impacted 5 million+ lives across 2500 communities to …

In this episode, Simi is joined by a legend in the media business: Raju Narisetti, Global Publishing Leader at McKinsey. Raju grew up in India where he studied business and journalism. He immigrated to the U.S. in the 1990s, earning his Masters in Journalism from Indiana University. Here he kickstarted his career in local news in Dayton, Ohio. In 1…

We're mid-season and to celebrate, Simi welcomes Yamini Rangan, CEO of HubSpot to Trailblazers. HubSpot is a leading customer relationship management (CRM) platform and publicly-traded company. Prior to becoming CEO, Yamini served as the company's first-ever Chief Customer Officer. In September 2021, she succeeded CEO Brian Halligan, the co-founder…

Beck, Paul McCartney, Troye Sivan, Maggie Rogers, Katy Perry, Sam Smith, Halsey, Masego, Doechii, Norah Jones — just a few of the greats on Arjun Pulijal’s star-powered artist roster. In our latest episode, Simi speaks with the esteemed President of Capitol Music Group. Capitol Music Group is a premier American front line umbrella label owned by Un…

In this episode, Simi catches up with a legend in the League, Sean Desai, Associate Head Coach-Defense for the Seattle Seahawks. Sean has over a decade of experience as a coach at the NFL and collegiate levels. When he became defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears in 2021, he became the first Indian-American NFL coordinator in U.S. history. Se…

In this episode, Simi sits down with a familiar face, Seema Mody, CNBC Global Markets Reporter. A leading business journalist, Seema is CNBC’s FIRST South Asian on-air personality. She joined the network in 2011 and currently focuses on the intersection of foreign policy and Wall Street, as well as the travel industry. She also hosts European Close…

To kick off Season 5, Simi sits down with Kal Penn, esteemed Actor, Author, and former White House Staffer. Kal jumpstarted his acting career in the early 2000s, with performances in The Namesake and Harold & Kumar franchise. He has also starred in a host of other fan favorites: Designated Survivor, House, and How I Met Your Mother to name a few. I…

For our Season 4 finale, Simi sits down with Megha Rao, Fashion Designer and Founder of holiCHIC. A renowned global fashion brand, holiChic offers South Asian-inspired fashion ensembles with a Western twist. Megha’s brand made its runway premiere at New York Fashion Week in 2021, and was also featured in the iconic Jalebi Baby remix video with Tesh…

Simi sits down with Dr. Sreekanth Chaguturu, Chief Medical Officer at CVS Health. Shortly after this episode was recorded, Sree ascended to this role, becoming CMO for all of CVS Health. He previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for CVS Caremark — the patient benefits arm of CVS Health that ensures that patients have a…

Simi welcomes our first trailblazer in fitness, Aditi Shah, Instructor at Peloton and Global Ambassador for PUMA. Aditi joined Peloton in 2018, having been recruited to help launch their Yoga and Meditation practice. She first discovered her love of yoga while living in Mumbai after graduating from Rutgers University, where she studied math. While …

In our latest episode, Simi is joined by Maneesh Goyal, Founder & Partner of NY-based restaurant SONA. Maneesh is a serial entrepreneur. In 2003, he launched his own event marketing company called MKG, where he worked with the likes of Google, Target, Delta, and other high-profile clients before selling the company in 2019. He’s since founded 3 oth…

In this special edition of South Asian Trailblazers, Simi sits down with Aparna Shewakramani in front of a live audience, hosting our first-ever live podcast at the World Trade Center in New York City. Aparna is the breakout star of Netflix’s hit series Indian Matchmaking — where she went from controversial character to overnight ambassador for wom…

Simi catches up with Shilpa Shah, Co-Founder and Chief Experience Officer of Cuyana. Founded in 2011, Cuyana is a direct-to-consumer luxury fashion brand founded on the philosophy of “fewer, better” to encourage customers to invest in fewer, but higher-quality essentials. Over the past decade, the brand has become a favorite among celebrities like …

Simi speaks with Usman Ahmed, Head of Global Public Policy and Research at PayPal. Usman began his career in public service at non-profits focused on voting rights and good governance. Eventually, he decided to pursue his law degree at the University of Michigan. While there, he pursued a legal fellowship at eBay, quickly ascending to the role of P…

In this episode, Simi catches up with Sushma Dwivedi, Head of Communications and Brand Marketing at Daily Harvest and Founder of the Purple Pundit Project. Sushma spent the early innings of her career with major global communications firms including Edelman and Fleishman Hillard. Focused on food and beverage space early on, she worked closely with …

Simi speaks with Saeed Ahmed, Director of Digital News at NPR. Prior to joining NPR in 2021, Saeed served as Assistant Managing Editor of CNN Digital. He began his 13-year career at CNN as a news desk editor for The CNN Wire, and went on to spearhead content diversity efforts and create the top two newsletters in CNN's portfolio: 5 Things and The G…

To kick off Season 4, Simi welcomes Payal Kadakia, Founder of ClassPass, Artist, and Author. ClassPass is a subscription-based platform that enables people to book a variety of fitness classes without paying for individual memberships. After founding the company in 2013, Payal served as CEO of the company until 2017, at which point she became Execu…

For our Season 3 finale, Simi catches up with Sunayna Tuteja, the first-ever Chief Innovation Officer of the Federal Reserve. Prior to joining the Fed in February of 2021, Sunayna served as the Global Head of Emerging Tech & Strategic Partnerships at TD Ameritrade. She spent a number of years building out their cryptocurrency and blockchain practic…

In this episode, Simi speaks with Paraag Marathe, President of 49ers Enterprises & Executive Vice President of Football Operations. Paraag is no stranger to football — he is in his 21st year with the 49ers. And previously, he served as team president and Chief Operating Officer. On the football side, Paraag serves as the team’s chief contract negot…

Simi welcomes a founder trio to the podcast. Mythili Sankaran, Chitra Nayak, and Sruthi Ramaswami are the co-founders of Neythri, an organization dedicated to creating a network of South Asian professional women. Most recently, they launched the Neythri Futures Fund, a startup investment fund with an investor base of primarily South Asian women. No…

Simi catches up with Dhanusha Sivajee, Chief Marketing Officer at Angi. In her role, Dhanusha is responsible for brand and marketing strategy. Angi, previously known as Angie’s List, is an online resource for finding vetted, local providers for various home services. Prior to Angi, Dhanusha served as Chief Marketing Officer of The Knot, a platform …

Simi welcomes Brinda Adhikari, Executive Producer and Showrunner of The Problem with Jon Stewart. This new AppleTV show marks the famed Jon Stewart’s return to television as he tackles a new societal issue in every episode. And Brinda — she's at the helm. Brinda joined The Problem from CBS News, where she was a senior broadcast producer for segment…

Simi sits down with Reshma Saujani — Founder of Girls Who Code. Reshma is also an international bestselling author, attorney, and activist. The daughter of Indian refugees, Reshma studied political science and eventually went on to pursue her Masters in Public Policy and J.D. After graduating from Yale Law, Reshma worked as a corporate attorney on …

Simi welcomes Sruthi Lanka, Chief Financial Officer at Public.com. Public is a platform that makes investing easy, accessible, and social. The Robinhood rival launched in September 2019, and has since acquired 1 million users, achieving a valuation of $1.2 billion. Before joining Public, Sruthi served as Head of Strategic Finance at MoneyLion, anot…

Simi sits down with Nik Sharma of Sharma Brands. Nik got his start in one of the most unique ways we’ve yet to see on this podcast: by managing social media for influential celebrities like Priyanka Chopra and Pitbull when he was just 15 years old. With that as his start, Nik decided to forgo college to make his mark in advertising and marketing. H…

In this episode, Simi welcomes Geetha Murali, CEO at Room to Read. Dr. Geetha Murali is the first non-founder CEO of Room to Read, an international education nonprofit that seeks to transform millions of children’s lives through the power of education. In her 12 years with them, Geetha has expanded Room to Read’s presence to 20 countries and reache…