International Women's Day Interview: Suhani Mohan, Co-founder and CEO, Saral Designs

Name: Suhani Mohan

Age: 28

City: Mumbai

Occupation: Co-founder and CEO, Saral Designs

ST: Please tell us briefly about you.

Suhani: I am the
co-founder and CEO of Saral Designs, a Mumbai-based start-up providing access
to quality affordable menstrual hygiene products to low-income women in India
using smart and decentralized manufacturing technology developed in-house.

I am an Acumen India Fellow, recipient of India Africa
Young Visionary award from Ministry of External Affairs, India, recipient of
‘Top woman entrepreneur’ at Empower, by Department of Science and Technology
& Zone Start-ups, winner of Women Entrepreneur Quest by Anita Borg
Institute and winner of the National Entrepreneurship Award 2016 by Ministry of
Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

With three years of investment banking experience at
Deutsche Bank, I hold a bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering and
Materials Science with a minor in Electrical Engineering from IIT Bombay and I
am a CFA (Level I).

I have been a guest lecturer at Vivekanand Education
Society’s Institute of Management Studies and Research. I have also been a
speaker at forums like UBS Philanthropy Forum at Switzerland, Acumen Plus at
San Francisco, Start-up Saturday Mumbai, Jagriti Yatra, Abhyuday IIT Bombay on
topics of social entrepreneurship, women in entrepreneurship and social impact.
I have also volunteered for several non-profits like Teach for India, Habitat
for Humanity, Project Chirag among others.

ST: Who is a
woman that inspires you the most and why?

Suhani: My mother. She is a renowned Nuclear Scientist and a Chemical Engineer
from IIT Roorkee from the time when there was not a single girl in her batch.
Despite coming from a conservative part of UP, she has fought odds to pursue
her love for science and contribute to the society.

ST: How are you celebrating this
year’s International Women’s Day?

Suhani: We are having a menstrual
hygiene session with women from the tribal belt in Jawahar, Maharashtra with
the aim of creating more awareness about safe periods.

ST: What is the most important message you want to
send out to all the women around the world on this occasion?

Suhani: I feel we grossly underestimate our abilities as it has been instilled
over generations that we are the weaker sex. Through our work, we have seen
amazing women with unbelievable courage and potential, stories of survival that
make you realize the strength in believing in your own self and being there for
each other.

ST: What according to you is ‘women empowerment’?

Suhani: Freedom to choose is empowerment. Freedom to have a choice to continue
education, choice to marry (when and with whom), choice to make economic
decisions.

ST: What would you say are the main challenges facing
women at present in India?

We have 3 Indias – metros,
towns and villages with very different socio-economic conditions. In every
India though women are fighting for equal rights in different aspects – right
to safety, right to equal pay, right to marry without dowry, right to make
decisions. I really hope our collective movement on social media finds a way to
all the 3 Indias and empower all women to get their voices heard.

ST: Where do you want to see yourself in next 5 years?

Suhani: I hope in the next 5 years our work expands to all districts of India
and every developing country wherever there is an unmet need for low-cost and
high quality menstrual health.