South Asian Trailblazers

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 events, including our live podcasts, subscribe to our newsletter at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Youtube.

Anjula Acharia is a legendary investor, entrepreneur, and manager/business partner to Priyanka Chopra Jonas. She is the CEO and Founder of A-series Investments and Management. Today, she works as a talent manager and strategic investor/advisor to a host of startups, including two early stage investments which eventually grew into unicorns: ClassPass and Bumble. Her extensive portfolio includes: The Muse, Hooked, Thrive Causemetics, Olipop, Gobble, and The Well. She also sits on BuzzFeed’s Board of Directors.

A serial entrepreneur herself, Anjula previously co-founded DesiHits!, a digital entertainment platform through which she pioneered the merging of global cultures by introducing artists like Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, and 50 Cent to India. She eventually returned the favor by launching esteemed actress, Priyanka Chopra Jonas' career in America, and who she continues to represent today. Tune in to hear Anjula candidly discuss the adversity she faced growing up as South Asian woman in England, her journey to tech and Hollywood, and the wins and losses she faced along the way.

This episode and event was hosted in partnership with Free Agency, DesiGalli,  Kahani Digital, Junglee, Rupee Beer, Tinto Amorio, Artist Lakshmi Sarkar, Shaz & Kiks, Wander Beauty, LŪVIH, Mudita Earth, Golden Hour Candle Co, and Silk & Sonder. Editing by Ravi Ray Audio. Photo and video by MishMedia+ and Sanjida Ahmed.

South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.

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 2015, she founded Malai following her graduation from the NYU Stern School of Business. She is incredibly hands-on in the everyday of Malai's operations, including in the creation of their ice cream flavors (from Kheer to Lemon Cardamom), managing their brick and mortar scoop shop in Brooklyn, and expanding their presence through nationwide shipping in both grocery stores and on Goldbelly.

Pooja previously claimed the title of champion after winning a battle on the Food Network's Chopped Sweets and was named one of Inc. Magazine's Female Founders 100 in October 2020. And prior to her full force foray into food, Pooja spent time in the world of urban planning, civil rights, and the broader universe of nonprofit and social impact work. She holds a B.A. from UNC Chapel Hill, an M.S. from the London School of Economics, and an MBA from NYU. Tune in as Simi digs into Pooja's experience building at the intersection of food and culture, a journey that will absolutely leave you hungry for more.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with McKinsey & Co. Discover McKinsey's latest business insights through their Insights App. For more episodes, visit us at southasiantrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes in your inbox and follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Youtube. 

South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.

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, Disha Patani, Aparshakti Khurana, Zahrah  Khan, Sonam Bajwa, Stebin Ben, and Jasleen Royal to the stage. 

As the stars walk the red carpet on their way to the tour's official launch party, Simi speaks with each of them about their journeys to stardom, advice they have for aspiring creatives, and of course, their highly-anticipated tour around the U.S.  Join us for a live glimpse into this star-studded evening, with guests all the way from the hallowed halls of Hindi cinema.

This episode was made possible by the evening's hosts: Anip Patel, Jack Singh, the Garg Group, and Anand Entertainment. It is also brought to you in partnership with, McKinsey & Co.  For more episodes, visit us at southasiantrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes in your inbox and follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Youtube. 

South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.

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, including Rohan Oza, Guest Shark on ABC's Shark Tank and Grammy Award-winning artist Ne-Yo. She has also worked with CAVU Venture Partners; Bai antioxidant drinks, which was acquired by Dr. Pepper for $1.7 billion; Gobble, the originator of the 15-minute gourmet dinner kit; and our former guest, ClassPass Founder, Payal Kadakia.

Prior to founding A-Game PR, Anita orchestrated PR campaigns for several celebrities, including Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Rihanna while serving as an executive at Desi Hits, a multimedia startup founded by famed investor and manager Anjula Acharia. Anita holds a degree in communications from DePaul University and a graduate degree in PR from Georgetown. To date, we've seen Anita around every corner... elevating so many of the very trailblazers we've had on this podcast. In this episode, we finally talk to the woman behind the curtain, learning how she makes the magic happen.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with McKinsey & Co. Discover McKinsey's latest business insights through their Insights App.

South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.

To kick off Season 6, we welcome Simron Chopra, Chief Financial Officer of Patek Phillipe US.

Patek Phillipe is the last family-owned Genevan luxury watch manufacturer and one of the most preeminent watchmaking brands in the world. Simron joined the company as CFO in May of 2021 to oversee all accounting and financial operations. She also works closely with the president of the U.S. market and is responsible for strategizing around U.S. business operations and managing both IT and HR functions.

A veteran in the luxury retail and jewelry space, Simron previously held senior roles at Bertelsmann, David Yurman, and Lord & Taylor.  At Bertelsmann, she was part of the executive leadership team and served as the Director of FP&A (Financial Planning and Analysis). Simron is originally from Canada and holds a degree in accounting and a minor in computer science from the University of Windsor. She obtained her certified general accountant certification in Canada and after moving to the U.S. also became a certified CPA in order to continue her career in a new country. Tune in to hear more about Simron's consequential rise up the corporate ladder and present role as the CFO at one the most distinguished brands in the world.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with, McKinsey & Co. Discover McKinsey's latest business insights through their Insights App. For more episodes, visit us at southasiantrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes in your inbox and follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Youtube. 

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 fashion to medicine. These leaders affirmed a lot of the early hypotheses we came in with: that success is rarely linear and that it has no singular definition. That representation matters because it’s hard to be what you can’t see. That our community is not just setting, but breaking precedents.

But in addition to confirming some of these early theories, Founder and Host Simi Shah has also uncovered some unexpected themes as we've gone 50 episodes and 52 trailblazers deep. So in this episode, she journeys back through our most thought-provoking and inspired moments to explore four of these motifs. We’ll talk about the internal and external forces that factor into success; the truth about the trials of leadership; and the non-linear paths and pivots that can be attributed to the fact that passions come in packs. Plus, there's a few of our favorite, awe-inspiring moments.

If you're new here, we hope this episode gives you a chance to get to know what we're all about: diving deep into the journeys of trailblazing South Asians. If you've been along for the ride, we hope our reflections inspire your own. To everyone out there, thank you for reminding us day in and day out why we do what we do. We are so thrilled to celebrate 50 episodes with you all, 50 instances in which we got to share the stories of the South Asian leaders and dreamers lighting the way across the diaspora and beyond. We can't wait to hear what you think!

This episode is brought to you in partnership with, McKinsey & Co. Discover McKinsey's latest business insights through their Insights App.

South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.

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 forward.

Before serving as CDO, Prama was senior vice president and vice president of digital and e-commerce at Ulta Beauty. Prior to that, she led teams at Toys R Us and Kenneth Cole and held several roles across product strategy, design and development at Ford Motor Company. Prama holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Oakland University, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Wayne State University, and an M.B.A. in corporate strategy from the University of Michigan. She also serves on Hormel Foods Board of Directors and the Advisory Board for Shoptalk. A true trailblazer who exists at the cross-section of digital, e-comm, and consumer businesses, Prama shares deep insights into the evolution of beauty and retail in this episode.

This episode is sponsored by McKinsey & Co. Discover McKinsey's latest business insights through their Insights App.

South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.

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+ Fortune 500 companies (Unilever, VF Group), has been profiled by the New York Times, and has established full-time offices around the U.S. 

A recent graduate of Yale, Ziad began JUV consulting in 2016, while still in high school. He previously founded a non-profit, Redefy, committed to furthering equality. Ziad has done significant work in progressive politics, having worked for the US Department of State, Hillary Clinton's 2016 Campaign, Martin O'Malley's 2016 Campaign, and Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman. He is also an active speaker as well as leader and advisor for Women's March Youth Empower, Yara Shahidi's EighteenX18, and various other campaigns and movements that focus on encouraging young people to become more civically engaged. ​ In this episode, Simi and Ziad engage in a passionate discourse on the state of entrepreneurship, JUV's value proposition, and what's next for the young leader.

This episode is sponsored by McKinsey & Co. Discover McKinsey's latest business insights through their Insights App.

South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.

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 date.

Before pivoting to the nonprofit world, Megha had a formative, decade-long career in the advertising industry. She previously founded MSD (Marketing. Strategy. Dharma.), a marketing shop for emerging impact brands. She served clients around the world during her time at top advertising agencies like BBH, Wieden and Kennedy, and Ogilvy. Today, Megha sits on the advisory boards of several startups and nonprofits including Spicewell and TakeTwo Film Academy. She is an active contributor to the Boston Globe and Huffington Post, and is also an avid singer as a member of the Resistance Revival Chorus, a collective of 60+ women that has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center. In this episode, Megha delves into her unexpected foray into the social sector, insights from the advertising industry, and what the leadership of a public foundation truly entails.

This episode is sponsored by McKinsey & Co. Discover McKinsey's latest business insights through their Insights App.

South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.

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 1994, he was recruited to the Wall Street Journal, where he climbed the ranks, becoming Deputy Managing Editor of the Wall Street Journal Global and Editor of the WSJ Europe. After 12 years at the preeminent outlet, Raju left the Journal to found Mint, a first-of-its kind business media company in India. He then spent a number of years leading digital transformation and strategy across pre-eminent news organizations including the Washington Post, Dow Jones & Co., and News Corp. 

In 2016, Raju was tapped to become CEO of the Gizmodo Group, home to brands like Jezebel and Lifehacker. When Univision exited the business in 2018, he decided to pay his vast experience in media forward, leading the Knight Bagehot Fellowships in Economics and Business Journalism at Columbia University and serving as a Professor at the School of Journalism. In January 2020, he joined McKinsey, the world-renowned management consulting firm to spearhead their global publishing efforts. With a career in media that spans 3+ decades at some of the most prestigious organizations in the world, Raju digs into his various career pivots and the future of the media industry in this episode.

South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.