The Iesha Team brings together specialized expertise in educational pedagogy and workshop facilitation, psychology, sociology, gender studies, and communication – the specialized mix of skills necessary to tackle the difficult topics of adolescent education.
Rima Shah, Advisor
Rima Shah is clinical psychologist currently practicing at Surya Hospital, Lifepoint Hospital, and Umarji Hospital in Pune. In the last fifteen years, Ms. Shah has practiced across Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad with families and individuals, with a particular focus on adolescent health, women’s health, sexuality, and social impact. Previously, she worked at the Child Development Clinic at Hinduja Hospital with Dr. Vrajesh Udani, co-founded the Alf Centre for Education Research Counselling and Training, worked with trafficked sex workers through NGO Prerana, and worked alongside Dr. Harish Shetty for an Oxfam study on the Kandla cyclone in 1999. Ms. Shah holds an M.A. from Mumbai University in Clinical Psychology, and a T.Y.B.A. with Honours from St. Xavier’s College. She was also the winner of the President’s Award at the Indian Association of Mental Health.
Dr. Chinmay Umarji, Advisor
Dr. Umarji brings a decade of experience in obstetrics and gynaecology, right from the rural interiors of Maharashtra to a university hospital in Ireland, to Apollo Hospitals Delhi, and most recently, his own Umarji Hospital in Pune. Umarji is passionate about women’s health, and has conducted workshops on sex education and family planning for adolescents and young women. Umarji is a member of the Royal College of Obs-Gyn, London, UK and Royal College of Physicians, Ireland, and has been published in the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India journal and Irish Medical Journal. He also writes a weekly column in the Marathi daily “Prabhat,” about women’s health.
Nilima Achwal, Founder and CEO
Nilima has extensive experience in leadership roles that lie in the intersection of entrepreneurship and social impact, as well in developing educational pedagogy and workshop facilitation. Previously, she launched and ran social enterprise incubation program SEED at Villgro Innovations Foundation in Chennai, developed business case studies for faculty at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, and worked closely with microfinance borrowers in Bolivia as a Kiva Fellow. She has taught in Princeton Review classrooms and developed curriculum at both ends of the income spectrum. Nilima graduated with distinction in Economics and Spanish from the University of Michigan. Learn more: www.nilimaachwal.com
Gauravi Lobo, Partner
Born and bred in Mumbai, Gauravi returned to India from Singapore to focus on the intersection of business, psychology, and gender. Previously at TNS Singapore, one of the largest market research agencies worldwide, Gauravi managed multi-national research projects focused specifically on qualitative research across the Asia-Pacific region, in industries including tourism, healthcare, technology, and retail. Gauravi graduated with honors in degrees in Psychology and Gender Communication from the State University of New York, University at Buffalo, during which she led publicity campaigns targeted at the entire student body.
Kejal Shah, Project Manager
Kejal is an educator and feminist. From 2014-2016, she was a Teach For India Fellow in Ahmedabad, where she launched and spearheaded Udaan, the largest Teach for India student festival in the country, attracting 400 students in its initial year, growing to more than 800 in its second year. During her Fellowship, she also realized that comprehensive sexuality education was key to the development of youth. Kejal graduated in English Literature with an emphasis on arts from KC College, Mumbai. She has written and presented papers on sexuality in films, gender representation in cinema, and the importance of sex education in India, at various conferences across India.
