Sharmila Mona Sinha Inducted Into National Women’s Hall of Fame
Indian-American philanthropist Sharmila Mona Sinha has been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, becoming the second woman of Indian origin to receive the honour after former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi.
Sinha, CEO of Equality Now, was inducted on September 24, 2026, during a ceremony in New York. The National Women’s Hall of Fame recognises women whose achievements have shaped American life, and Sinha joins more than 300 women in its ranks.
The Sharmila Mona Sinha National Women’s Hall of Fame recognition comes after more than four decades of work spanning finance, corporate leadership, philanthropy and women’s rights.
Sinha began her career on Wall Street as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley before working with companies including Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Elizabeth Arden. She later moved into philanthropy and social-impact work.
She became a leader of Women Moving Millions, whose members have committed around $1 billion to organisations supporting women and girls. Sinha also co-founded Raising Change, which helps social-impact organisations strengthen their fundraising and organisational capacity.
As CEO of Equality Now, Sinha works on advancing legal and policy protections for women and girls worldwide. Equality Now said her induction recognised more than 40 years of leadership in gender equality, philanthropy, advocacy and social enterprise.
During her induction speech, Sinha reflected on the influence of her family and recalled how her mother in Kolkata would set aside a fistful of rice each morning for someone who needed it.
She also spoke about the idea of shared power, saying, “Power shared is power supercharged.” Her remarks connected the lesson from her childhood with her work in philanthropy and women’s equality.
The Sharmila Mona Sinha National Women’s Hall of Fame honour also places her alongside figures including Janet Yellen, Maya Angelou, Rosa Parks and Michelle Obama.
Sinha continues to lead Equality Now while serving on several nonprofit boards. She is also vice chair of the Executive Council of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum and serves on the advisory board of Columbia University’s Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise.
Her induction adds another chapter to the career of an Indian-American philanthropist whose work has moved across finance, business and global advocacy for women’s rights.