Events

In celebration of International Women's Day and Neythri's sixth anniversary, this fireside chat featured Anu Bhardwaj, former President of Atlassian and Board Director at Toast, in conversation with Neythri Co-Founder and Board Chair Mythili Sankaran. Anu reflected on her journey from India to senior leadership in global technology, sharing the inflection points, mentors, and growth edges that shaped her path and what she is most energized by in her next chapter.

This session created a supportive space for Neythri Founding and Leadership Circle members navigating today's competitive job market. Led by executive coach and Leadership Circle member Niha Wunnava, it covered how to handle rejection with resilience and offered practical strategies for managing a job search. Small breakout rooms gave members space to share strategies, exchange peer support, and identify accountability partners.

This session took a grounded look at what an AI-enabled future of work means in practice for senior leaders. It explored how to integrate human and digital workforces, move beyond AI experimentation toward measurable productivity gains, and design skills-based talent systems that evolve over time. The conversation was jargon-free and focused on real-world application, with actionable takeaways on organizational design and leadership in an AI-driven environment.

This virtual Mix and Mingle brought together Neythri Leadership and Founding Circle members for an evening of conversation and peer connection. Members connected in small-group breakouts on thought-provoking topics, shared updates from across the network, and engaged in the candid, community-driven exchange that has become a hallmark of this recurring Neythri gathering for senior South Asian professional women.

Metabolic health is a critical yet often under-recognized risk area for South Asian women. This session, led by Dr. Varalakshmi Niranjan, an obesity and lifestyle medicine specialist, combined evidence-based guidance with culturally informed strategies tailored for South Asian women across all age groups. It covered screening guidance, nutrition approaches that honor traditional flavors, time-efficient physical activity, sleep hygiene, stress management, and digital tools for habit change.

A clear sense of personal purpose — a guiding why — shapes how leaders make decisions, tell their story, and sustain motivation over time. This interactive workshop, led by Maggie Schear and Dolly Meese of BCG BrightHouse, gave participants a framework for reflecting on their super strengths, exploring the broader impact they want to make, and articulating a clear, authentic purpose statement through guided prompts and real-time reflection.

This Holiday Cocktails and Connections session brought together South Asian professional women for a festive end-of-year gathering. Members reflected on moments of gratitude and growth from the year, connected in self-moderated small-group breakouts filled with holiday cheer and authentic conversation, and celebrated the close of 2025 with the Neythri community in a warm and joyful Neythri-style format.

This virtual Mix and Mingle brought together Neythri Leadership and Founding Circle members for a high-energy community celebration. Members connected in small-group discussions on thought-provoking topics, shared inspiration and laughter, and celebrated the collective leadership that powers the Neythri network — in a warm, welcoming format that has become a recurring fixture in the Neythri calendar.

Leading authentically in spaces not built for you requires more than resilience — it requires the right mirrors. This session featured Dr. Sheila Gujrathi, biotech entrepreneur and author of The Mirror Effect, drawing from 25 years of experience and co-founding the Biotech CEO Sisterhood. She shared her framework for dismantling fear, insecurity, and self-doubt, building a Personal Board of Directors, and navigating toxic workplaces and negotiations with clarity and strategy.

This workshop, hosted in partnership with Poker Power, used poker as a lens for leadership and strategic thinking. An expert instructor guided participants through the basics — hand strength, bet sizing, when to hold and when to fold — while drawing direct connections to decision-making, risk tolerance, and competitive strategy in professional life. The session concluded with live gameplay among participants to put the skills into practice.

This session created a supportive space for Neythri Founding and Leadership Circle members navigating competitive job searches. Leadership Circle member Lakshmi Mandyam opened with reflections from her own career journey. Small breakout rooms gave members space to share job search strategies, offer peer encouragement, gain insights from others on similar paths, and identify accountability partners.

This session, led by certified Energy Leadership Coach Zaina Orbai, explored the different types and levels of human energy and how awareness of those patterns shapes leadership effectiveness. With 20 years of experience working with accomplished women in high-impact roles, Orbai introduced tools for shifting energy from self-limiting to self-expanding — covering clarity, influence, self-awareness, and breaking through narratives that hold leaders back from greater business impact.