South Asian Women's Leadership Forum (SAWLF) is the first not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of South Asian women and girls (U.S.).

SAWLF participants are public and private sector professionals that number over 4,000 across the U.S. Through a combination of events, mentoring, and education, SAWLF serves as a platform for professional women to meet and assist one another with individual, professional and business objectives and, ultimately, leave a network and legacy for the women that follow us to utilize and build upon. The SAWLF mentoring initiative partners SAWLF members with school age girls from diverse communities within the City of New York.

Through our bi-annual conference, Congress, SAWLF is committed to providing women professionals a forum in which to interact and learn from successful women leaders from around the world. The visibility of prominent individuals who are willing to share their personal experiences of challenge and achievement is critical to the success of this program.

SAWLF Distinguished Speakers and Alumni Include:

• Ms. Indra Nooyi, Chairman & CEO, PepsiCo., Inc.
• Ms. Vanita Gupta, Esq., NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
• Ms. Fawzia Naqvi, Vice President, Soros Economic Development Fund
• Ms. Sara Mathew, President and COO, The Dun and Bradstreet Corporation
• Film Director and Producer, Ms. Mira Nair
• Ms. Prabha Sipi Bhandari, Former VP Senior Counsel, Mergers & Acquisitions, Viacom, Inc.
• Ms. Sheila Hooda, Senior Managing Director and Head of Strategy, TIAA-CREF
• Ms. Padma Lakshmi, Host, Top Chef (Bravo!)

SAWLF’s success can be contributed to its many volunteers and speakers. They devote their time, and, in the true spirit of our organization, share their network and resources in order to support our events and programs. Since its inception, SAWLF has hosted or collaborated in over 150 distinct programs. While the majority of SAWLF events have been held in New York, in November 2005, with the support of the United Nations Foundation, SAWLF launched a new program initiative in Washington DC. More recently, SAWLF expanded its programming to the greater Chicago area.

Thank you for your interest in the South Asian Women's Leadership Forum (SAWLF). Our website is in the process of being updated. Please visit again soon for up-to-date information on our upcoming events and programs. To reach SAWLF by e-mail, contact us at info@southasianwomen.org or visit our Congress (annual conference)
website: www.southasianwomen.org/congress

Thank you for your interest in the South Asian Women's Leadership Forum (SAWLF). Our website is in the process of being updated. Please visit again soon for up-to-date information on our upcoming events and programs. To reach SAWLF by e-mail, contact us at info@southasianwomen.org or visit our Congress (annual conference)
website: www.southasianwomen.org/congress

November 2, 2009: Follow South Asian Women's Leadership Forum (SAWLF) on Twitter

On Tuesday, February 23, SAWLF will bring together leading women writers, journalists and industry professionals for a dynamic conversation on the Who, What, Where, Why, When and How of writing for print and publication.

Publishing and Media: Breaking In
featuring

• Sarita Varma, Director of Publicity, Farrar Straus and Giroux
  
• Sarah Ellison, Journalist and Author, War at the Wall Street Journal
  
• Richa Gulati, Freelance Writer, Dancer, and Lawyer
  
• Kirsten Neuhaus Literacy Agency
• Megan Deem, Fashion Features Editor, InStyle
• Saira Rao, Author, Chambermaid

6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday, February 23, 2010

This special SAWLF event will take place at the downtown Manhattan offices of
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, LLP

Limited seating available. Advance on-line registration required:
http://www.ersvp.com/r/event7778

For additional information, please contact SAWLF: info@southasianwomen.org

SAVE-THE-DATE
South Asian Women’s Leadership Forum (SAWLF)
Presents
Non-Traditional Careers in Finance
Thursday, April 1, 2010
6:30 – 8:30 PM

This special event is made possible by
JPMorgan Private Bank
Click for details

Join SAWLF for Publishing and Media - Breaking In on Tuesday, February 23 - Click for details

On November 13, 2009, SAWLF launched Women in Fashion (WIF) with panelists Rosena Sammi (Rosena Sammi Jewelry); Rakhee Mirchandani (New York Post) and Mili Dutt Reddy (Louis Vuitton NA). WIF will offer quarterly networking and career development opportunities for women professionals in New York City's dynamic Fashion industry.

Special Guest Panelists
Sarita Gupta, Vice President, Global Resources & Communications, Women’s World Banking (WWB)

Sarita Gupta joined WWB in July 2007. She is responsible for ensuring that WWB meets its annual fundraising goals, is positioned for strategic growth, and remains a thought leader in the sector through its publications and speaking engagements.

Sarita has a 25-year career in the non-profit sector, encompassing program development, fundraising, communications, marketing and management. Just prior to joining WWB, she headed the fundraising and communications efforts at Acumen Fund, which seeks entrepreneurial approaches to alleviate global poverty; and before that held successively higher fundraising and management positions at CARE, a leading humanitarian organization. Sarita has also worked for the American Friends Service Committee, the Asia Society, and a U.S. State Department-funded project on refugee resettlement.

Sarita holds a Masters degree from the School of International & Public Affairs at Columbia University, and a Bachelors degree from Miranda College, Delhi University, India.

Kausar Hamdani, PhD, Senior Vice President and Community Affairs Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of New York

It is the special responsibility of the Community Affairs Office to gather grass-roots intelligence and analyze emerging issues affecting low to moderate income communities in the Second Federal Reserve District. Additionally, the Community Affairs Office convenes stakeholders to provide information and technical assistance related to community and economic development.

Ms. Hamdani joined the Bank in 1982 as an economist in the Monetary Research Department and has served in several areas, including the Bank Supervision Group. She also led the Buffalo Branch of the New York Fed and has served on several community, business and academic advisory boards in Upstate New York. Prior to that, she taught economics at Columbia University and New York University.

Ms. Hamdani holds a doctorate and two master’s degrees from Columbia University. Her bachelor’s degree is from Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio.

Additional speakers will be announced.

On-line registration will open on Thursday, March 11, 2010.

For additional information, please contact SAWLF: info@southasianwomen.org