S. Mona Sinha ’93

S. Mona Sinha is the global executive director of Equality Now, a global organization that campaigns for legal and systemic change to address violence and discrimination against women and girls. She has been described as “a powerful force who brings women and the world together.”

For 25 years, Mona has leveraged her corporate experience to launch, lead, or advise over 90 mission-aligned organizations to create a gender-equal world. She serves on the executive council of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum and the GUCCI Chime for Change board and is the former board chair of Women Moving Millions. Creating and resourcing inclusive communities is at the center of her strategic approach, which she believes is the key to unlocking sustainable organizational growth. To date, she has catalyzed over $1 billion for social change.

Mona also serves on the advisory board and the investment committee of the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change at Columbia University. She is the founder of the Asian Women’s Leadership University project in Asia. Most recently, she served as the board chair of the Equal Rights Amendment Fund for Women’s Equality. Mona is a trustee emerita of Smith College, where she was vice chair of the board. She co-led the $486 million Women for the World Campaign and recommended the adoption of a trans-inclusive admissions policy. In addition, she has served on the boards of Connected Women Leaders, Apne Aap Worldwide, Columbia Global Mental Health Program, Breakthrough USA, the Center for High Impact Philanthropy, and Full Steam Forward.

Mona is the 2024 Oscar-nominated Executive Producer of To Kill A Tiger. She is the executive producer of Disclosure, Sell.Buy.Date, and My Name is Andrea, and an executive producer of the 73rd Tony Awards nominee for best play and finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for drama, What the Constitution Means to Me (2019).

As a financial investor and advisor to women-led businesses, she mentors several hundred future leaders. She has a BA in economics and art history (magna cum laude, phi beta kappa honor society) from Smith College and an MBA in finance and marketing (beta gamma sigma honor society) from Columbia University. She is a published contributor to What I Told My Daughter - Lessons from Leaders on Raising the Next Generation of Empowered Women, edited by Nina Tassler and Cynthia Middleton. Her story is featured in She is Me - How Women will Save the World by Lori Sokol. She is also featured in the 2022 Whitney Biennial as part of Adam Pendleton’s video portrait of civil rights leader Ruby Nell Sales, whom she greatly admires.

Mona has been widely recognized with many awards including the NY Women’s Foundation, A Call to Men “Visionary Award,” Grace Institute “Inspiring Woman Award,” New York Bar Association “Epiq Award” Columbia Business School “Horton Award for Excellence in Social Enterprise,” Forbes: 50 over 50 Impact, the 2021 Smith College Medal, Children’s Hope India “Distinguished Woman of the Year Award,” CARE USA “Impact Award,” Modern High School’s “Exceptional Alumni Award,” Women’s eNews 21 Leaders for the 21st Century, Breakthrough’s “Lifetime Inspiration Award,” 2018 “Exemplary Leadership in Development Award “ from Smith College, and “Last Girl Champion Award” by Gloria Steinem and Apne Aap. In 2015, she received the "Ellis Island Medal of Honor," an award presented annually to US citizens whose accomplishments and service in their field are cause for celebration.