ABOUT
Who I Am
I was born and bred in a suburb of northeast London called Hornchurch. My parents are from Sualkuchi, Assam, and brought my brother and I up to have strong Assamese roots, while embracing British values. My parents instilled the principles of showing respect and giving back to others from an early age, and it’s this philosophy that I live by today.
Coming from a South Asian background, education was important in our household, but equally so was music and dance. After all my father is a retired cardiologist and mother a classical Indian singer and dance choreographer, so it was only natural to develop an affinity for both disciplines. I played the electronic organ when I was younger and trained in the classical Indian dance forms of Bharata Natyam and Xattriya. I love to paint, and travel, and enjoy immersing myself in different cultures and customs.
Life and career brought me across the pond to New York City, where I live with my husband, children, and puppy.
How it Began
My Career Journey
I am an award-winning, gender, diversity, inclusion and career strategist, speaker, mentor and advisor to Fortune 500 companies, and founded Uma in response to my personal journey of motherhood, transitioning careers and entrepreneurship. Uma Global was founded as a leadership development platform to connect students globally with the land of my heritage, Assam. I am passionate about empowering youth, women, and minorities around the world. Prior to Uma, I oversaw Business Development globally in CNS healthcare, and following a pivot from medicine, began my professional career at Goldman Sachs in London, where I was awarded the prestigious Excellence in Citizenship and Diversity Award. I am also a Distinguished Alumna of King’s College London, served on the Advisory Council of King’s Business School, and am the inaugural Executive President of the King’s Business School International Alumni Council. I am also an honoree of the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award from US President Joe Biden and recipient of the Mahatma Gandhi Samman Award at the Houses of Parliament in London. I am also a three-time winner of the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and judge for the Middle East Awards. It’s truly humbling and an honour to be recognized with multiple international awards and accolades for my work in furthering gender equality, inclusion, youth and women empowerment. I have also hosted a TV show, am a frequent media contributor, and have authored books and papers on leadership development, educational pedagogy, entrepreneurship, business and empowerment. My book The Goddess of Go-Getting, became a best-seller across multiple categories!
