Kolkata-born woman becomes second Indian-origin inductee in National Women’s Hall of Fame

A Kolkata-born woman entered the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York, last week. She became only the second woman of Indian origin to receive the honor, following former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, in a journey that has included college, business and the campaign for women’s equality.

Sharmila Mona Sinha grew up in Calcutta as the third daughter in a family. As a child, she encountered the expectation that a son was more welcome than another daughter, an experience that prompted her to want the opportunities boys had.

Since 2022, Sinha has served as CEO of Equality Now, an international organization working to eliminate discriminatory laws affecting women and girls. Her work addresses child marriage, sexual violence and women’s economic rights. She has also been an executive producer of documentaries, including the Oscar-nominated To Kill a Tiger.

Sinha became a leader of Women Moving Millions, whose members have committed roughly $1 billion to organizations working for women and girls. She also co-founded Raising Change to help social-impact organizations strengthen fundraising and organizational capacity. As a Smith trustee, she helped lead the Women for the World campaign, which raised approximately $486 million.