Atalanta Diaries Breakthrough Women in Conversation with Enma Popli

This is a unique episode of Atalanta Diaries , where Enma’s musings take an insightful turn as she delves into another powerful success factor—self-awareness—through her conversation with Ellaeenah Niloufer. In her previous musings, Enma promised to explore self-awareness as a critical ingredient for success. Today, she delivers on that promise through a candid and thoughtful dialogue that bridges...

DR LORETTA CHEN is a multi-hyphenate: creative producer, theatre director, professor , entrepreneur and author. She is also Co-founder & CEO of Smobler Studios, a metaverse architecture firm and established the first Sandbox Academy in Singapore. Loretta’s personal tagline is People, Purpose, Possibilities. She is on a mission to use her 24 years of hard-won, diverse experience to educate and...

Anna-Kaisa Heikkinen has over two decades of experience in diplomacy and international relations. As Director General of the Department for Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, she is responsible for advancing Finland’s strategic interests and fostering partnerships across these regions. Her career includes ambassadorships in Mozambique and Palestine, as well as serving as Special Adviser t...

Marija Zivanovic-Smith is a seasoned technology executive with extensive experience across both Fortune 500 companies and startups. Her expertise spans international market access, digital transformation, and growth marketing strategies. Throughout her career, Marija has been instrumental in driving business growth by modernizing brands and increasing market influence. As a Chief Marketing Officer...

Merlia Shaukath, Founder and CEO of Madhi Foundation, is a passionate advocate for equity in education and is committed to eliminating the foundational learning crisis in India. She believes that access to quality early childhood education is the greatest leveler against social inequity.  Merlia holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from Stella Maris (Chennai, India), an MSc in Area Developme...

In this episode, Enma discusses how vulnerability has served as a success factor for her Atalantas, helping them build trust, foster meaningful connections, and create psychological safety within their teams. This episode highlights stories from five inspiring Atalantas who have embraced vulnerability as a leadership strength, cultivating authentic human connections along the way.  Kim Kirkconnell...

Dr. Linnie S. Carter is an educator, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She holds significant positions as the Vice President of College Advancement at HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College, and the Executive Director of the HACC Foundation. She also serves as the President and CEO of Linnie Carter & Associates LLC, a consulting firm specializing in public relations, marketing, fundrai...

(Hon) Dr. Vibha Bakshi is a critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning film director and producer and the recipient of four National Film Awards, the highest recognition in Indian cinema. She has also been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Boston University for her work as a filmmaker and journalist. Vibha's latest film, "Son Rise," is a multi-award-winning documentary that challenges gender injus...

Devika Bulchandani is a world-class marketer who leads with passion, purpose, and an uncompromising focus on creating impact. As Global CEO of Ogilvy, she is responsible for all aspects of the creative network's business, spanning Advertising, PR, Consulting, Relationship Design, and Health across over 120 offices in 90 countries. Under her leadership, Ogilvy has been recognized as the leading age...

In this episode, Enma shifts the focus to Mentorship and Allyship as critical success factors that have helped her Atalantas thrive in their personal and professional journeys. She also reflects on her own experiences with mentorship and shares how building strong alliances has been pivotal in her growth. The episode highlights the stories of four inspiring Atalantas across fields and their perspe...

Devita started her entrepreneurial journey at the age of 24 by founding the Vu Group in California, a leader in high-end consumer electronics. Vu Televisions has a revenue of Rs.1000 Cr ($130 Million) that has sold more than 3 million televisions to date. Her passion for technology, leadership and innovation has led Vu to become the highest-selling Indian-owned TV brand in the world, and her speec...

Nicky P. Kaur, a successful entrepreneur with over 21 years of leadership experience, shifted her focus from business to a cause close to her heart: standing up for those who can't. This passion led her to start Chandigarh Spinal Rehab, where she serves as founder and CEO. Her journey of faith has resulted in a unique and holistic rehabilitation center in India dedicated to improving the lives...

Sita Kapadia is Professor Emeritus of English, Asian Literature, and World Literature at the City University of New York. Born and raised in India, Sita grew up in a progressive and humanitarian family deeply rooted in Gandhian values, with her father's principles and her mother's extraordinary artistic talent shaping her worldview. Sita's journey has taken her from India to Singapore...

In this episode, Enma highlights Perseverance as the first key success factor to emerge from the stories of the Atalanta’s on the podcast. She reflects on how Perseverance has influenced her life and the journeys of the remarkable women she's interviewed, revisiting some of the impactful moments from past episodes. Through the lens of Perseverance, the episode highlights the stories of four in...

Rina Singh's roots are in rural North India, where she was raised within a culture of family and community craftsmanship, which continues to influence her. She has experience researching and developing indigenous Indian textile techniques with NIFT Gandhinagar, where she worked as an assistant professor. She gained international fashion insight through her travels and work with an internationa...

Vinita Gursahani Singh is the Founder and Managing Trustee of We, The People Abhiyan, and she has dedicated over 28 years to advancing social development in India, with a focus on livelihoods, human rights, and active citizenship. Her work is grounded in the belief that empowering individuals with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to address their own challenges is crucial for societa...

Monica has been a technology entrepreneur since 1999 and a social entrepreneur since 2015. As a founding board member of Nisum Latam, she played a crucial role in its growth and international expansion, transforming it from a Chilean startup into a global firm with 100 employees from over 25 countries, specializing in complex software development for the U.S. market. Currently, Monica serves as th...

With over 20 years of international experience spanning Asia, North America, and Europe, Simran has been at the forefront of delivering transformative technology solutions across various industry verticals, including Education, Non-Profits, Retail, Real Estate, Media, and Shipping & Logistics. Her career has been dedicated to driving business operations towards a "digital first" appr...

Vennesa Van Ameyde serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Kasasa, an award-winning fintech and marketing services company that provides reward checking accounts people love, the first-ever loan with Take-Backs™, and ongoing expert consulting services to more than 600 community financial institutions nationwide. As COO, Vennesa manages the day-to-day operations, marketing, creative services, clie...

Diane Schwarz is Johnson Controls' chief information officer and the global leader in smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings. She is responsible for leading a global, business-aligned information technology organization. Schwarz develops and executes enterprise-wide I.T. strategy to ensure a strong digital core for Johnson Controls to scale and achieve its global growth objectives. A senior...

Alina Alam, founder of Mitti Cafe at the age of 23, embarked on a mission to showcase the magic of abilities to the world. She believes that compassion and courage are powerful tools in tackling global challenges, advocating strongly for inclusive development and empowering vulnerable communities. Mitti Cafe, initiated during her university years, provides sustainable livelihood opportunities for...

Anoushka Jolly is the 15-year-old founder of Kavach who embarked on her journey as a response to distressing childhood experiences with bullying.  Her mission began at just nine years old when she founded the Anti-Bullying Squad (www.antibullyingsquad.com), an impact enterprise that worked on creating awareness against bullying amongst children; she's since impacted over 2 million people in 20...

NASA’s first South Asian female flight director, Pooja Jesrani has a unique lens on building inclusive environments in high stakes circumstances.   As one of the 24 NASA Flight Directors, apart from guiding mission control Pooja is responsible for managing operations for all human spaceflight programs including the International Space Station (ISS), a habitable artificial satellite and microgravit...

Vedika Bhandarkar, Chief Operating Officer for Water.org, is responsible for the operating efficiency and effectiveness of Water.org and for the attainment of strategic objectives and annual organizational goals. She works closely with the CEO, the executive team, and the President of WaterEquity to support the mission and vision of Water.org. She previously served as Water.org's Chief Global...

Brenda Soya is the Public Affairs Officer at the Consulate General in Mumbai. She directs public diplomacy and outreach efforts to reach 400 million people in western India, further U.S. policy, and strengthen people-to-people relations.  She leads Consulate General Mumbai's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility organization and is committed to the aspirational goal of women's ec...