CHAMPIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY

THREE WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN THE ESG SPACE TALK ABOUT THEIR INSPIRATION, CHALLENGES AND WHAT MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE

- AABHA BAKAYA

From rural-focussed e-commerce platform Frontier Markets' Founder and CEO Ajaita Shah to Tanya Singhal, an entrepreneur who successfully built and sold a 500 MW solar power plant, to Mahua Acharya, former MD & CEO of Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL), these women have defied all the odds to emerge as successful entrepreneurs in the environment, social and governance (ESG) space. Sectors that are usually considered as a preserve of men have benefitted immensely from the work done by these women in terms of the businesses and models they have created and their impact on society. Here's a look at their journeys in their own voices:

Q: How did you begin your journey in sustainability?

AJAITA SHAH: While working in microfinance, I learnt about the difficulties rural women face in gaining access to quality resources, including power, telecommunications, clean water, etc. This prompted me to work on tackling women's social and empowerment issues.

TANYA SINGHAL: While at BCG, I attended a presentation that showed how covering 7.5 per cent of India's deserts with solar panels could power the whole country. Then I joined a solar engineering firm in 2010 to understand how solar could work in India. I started SolarArise with a vision to bring solar energy prices on a par or lower than conventional power.

MAHUA ACHARYA: I wanted to work with the government as I wanted to create impact at scale. For large countries such as ours, I wanted to do something that would make a difference in people's lives.

Q: What is the area you ventured into? What was the desired outcome?