Megha is President of the Desai Foundation, a public non-profit that elevates the health, livelihood and menstrual equity of women and children through community programs in rural India. Prior to her work in impact and community development, Desai spent 15+ years in traditional advertising at some of the most prestigious firms in the world. Her work has been awarded five Cannes Lions, along with several other distinguished awards, and was a pioneer in the branded entertainment space.
She also founded Marketing. Strategy. Dharma, a strategic branding firm working with brands that wanted to integrate social responsibility into their businesses. These brands included HP, Coca-Cola, NPR, ONE.ORG, 1 Hotels, award-winning musicians, and more.
Desai became involved in the Desai Foundation in 2010 – then a small family foundation. She helped to transform the organization’s mission, work, and message leading to its pivot into a robust public programmatic organization. Under her leadership, the Desai Foundation has grown from working in 250 villages in 1 State to over 3,500 villages across 8 States.
Desai Foundation focuses on sustainable development with programs focused on livelihood paired with entrepreneurship, health camps, and the most comprehensive menstrual equity program in India, called Asani Sanitary Napkins. The organization, to date, has impacted over 10 million lives in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Their work has been awarded prestigious awards including CSR Universe’s India’s Top 20 Most Trusted NGOs and was highlighted at the 2022 & 2023 Clinton Global Initiative Meeting. In 2023 Secretary Hillary R. Clinton visited the programming of the Desai Foundation in India, celebrating their innovative approach to empowering women. She also pioneered ground breaking events across the U.S. but especially in New York City, launching the first public Diwali party, Diwali on the Hudson, which was recently featured on ABC’s Good Morning America!
Desai is currently on the board of directors for TIE-Boston (a non-profit focused on fostering entrepreneurships), Take Two Media Initiative (a media literacy non-profit.)
She also sits on the advisory boards of several start-ups and non-profits, her current favorite is Spicewell. She is something of a curator of people, content, and experiences.
She is also a contributor to The Boston Globe, MSNBC, Fast Company, The Huffington Post, Thrive, and Entrepreneur Magazine and has delivered a TEDx Talk featured on TED.com.
Megha holds a B.A. in Economics from Barnard College of Columbia University. She attended Stanford Business School’s Executive Program in Social Entrepreneurship.
Megha is a lifelong singer and performs with her band, Cobalt Collective, and the Resistance Revival Chorus (Righteous Babe Records). They have performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub, The Newport Folk Festival, and more with musicians like Philip Glass, Natalie Merchant, Allison Russell, Patti Smith, Bon Iver, Angelique Kojo, Falu, Chaka Khan and more! Raised in Boston, she channels her New England upbringing as a New England Patriots fan. Megha enjoys cooking, podcasts and her nephews.
Featured In
Speaking
Megha Desai has spoken at many conferences, schools and companies about social impact, the urban/rural divide that polarizes resources and access for many communities in India, the intersection of branding and impact, and injecting social good into the DNA of your company, community development, and India. She is the spokesperson for the Desai Foundation.
To book Megha to speak at your conference or company please email INFO@thedesaifoundation.org.
100% of proceeds from any speaking fees go directly to the the Desai Foundation.
Speaker Topics
On Dharma & Dignity: A keynote that bridges two ideas – dharma and dignity – to explore how they relate to community development and social change for women and children.
Power of the Pad: Solving Health, Stigma & Livelihood A keynote that highlights a unique sanitary napkins program as a case study for cultivating long-term health, dignity and employment for women and girls in rural India.
Women & Girls and the GDP: A panel or keynote around how health, livelihood and dignity can transform not just the lives of Women & Girls, but of the economies in which they live.
Innovation in the Social Sector: A panel or keynote on how the social sector must innovate with technology, funding, partnerships and the way it approaches measurement and metrics to grow and thrive in today’s landscape.
Trust: The ingredient missing from moving forward to the social sector in India and beyond. And your role in perpetuating that barrier.
Business & Impact: Your business’ role in the social sector that can help to lead to profits.
Previous Speaking Engagements
Awards
Cannes Lions, Consulate General of India – New York’s Women’s Day Award Recipient, Columbia University’s King’s Crown Leadership Awards, India New England’s Woman of the Year (nominated), ONE Show Entertainment Pencil, Jay Chiat Award, The Public Advocate For the City of New York
Affiliations
Take Two Academy (Board Member); TIE Boston (Board Member); Civic Nation (Advisor); Fitsi Health (Advisor); Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), Indiaspora, Centre for Social Innovation; Summit Series; Nexus Global Youth Summit; The Impact Center; Barnard College; Columbia University; Stanford Business School; NPR Generation Listen (Past – Board Member); South Asians in Marketing, Media + Entertainment Association (SAMMA); Columbia’s Community Impact; SPARK Camp: Giving; Mashable Social Good; United State of Women; Women in the World, South Asians for Kerry (Steering Committee)
Singing
Megha Desai began studying music and singing at the age of 5 and has since continued her passion for music. Megha is an original member of the Resistance Revival Chorus, a collective of more than 60 people who identify as women who come together to sing protest songs in the spirit of collective joy and resistance. Spurred by the momentum from the Women’s March in 2017, they formed to inspire others to take action and continue the long history of singing within protest movements. The group has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub and dozens of other incredible music halls with musicians like Philip Glass, Natalie Merchant, Angélique Kojo, Chaka Khan, Carly Simon, Patti Smith, Ani Difranco, Bon Iver, and many more! The Chorus is signed to Righteous Babe Records and released its first album called “This Joy!” in 2020.
