Recognitions for Ramya’s work in education include:
– Among 30 ‘Women Transforming India’ by NITI Aayog and United Nations.
– Part of Economic Times’ Women Ahead list recognizing 26 business and social leaders.
– Selected as Ashoka Fellow (global network of social entrepreneurs and the foremost global recognition in the social sector), 2016.
– Researched by a Professor from the Institute of Education, UK and profiled in the Peabody Journal of Education in the U.S. as an example of ‘how the network impact catalyzed by an individual can drive system level impact’, 2015.
– Global entrepreneurship award in McKinsey for her contributions to education in India, 2014.
– Invited to author a chapter in ‘World Class’ published by Routledge Education in 2017;
– Profiled by Education World, 2017; quoted by various other media from time to time.
– Profiled by Omidyar Network, as part of ‘honouring, during women’s history month, 25 women entrepreneurs changing education globally’; 2018.
– Several recognitions for CENTA as an organization including ‘Top 60 social enterprise in Asia’,‘Knowledge Partner to NITI Aayog’, member of ‘Global Alliance on Teachers’, etc.
Prior to founding CENTA, Ramya was with McKinsey & Company for 15+ years, including as Leader of Education Practice for the last 5 years. As part of building this practice, Ramya is known for driving pioneering on-the-ground reform efforts in both school education and skills in India:
– Large scale school system reform through public-private partnership (e.g. in Mumbai);
– Helping set up significant national level institutions (e.g. NSDC);
– Supporting the development of several leading foundations and private organizations (e.g. Teach for India, Azim Premji Foundation, etc.)
– Contributing to significant policies especially on public-private partnership.
– Contributor to seminal global publications of McKinsey such as its school systems report in 2010 and employment report in 2013.
Beyond India, Ramya has played smaller roles in education and skills efforts in Bhutan, South East Asia, Middle East and North Africa.
In the first 10 years of her career (1999-2009), Ramya has worked in other industry sectors, especially manufacturing and infrastructure, and several geographies – India, North America, Europe, Asia – and she continues to bring that broad professional experience to bear in her education work.
Ramya holds a B.Tech. from IIT Delhi and an MBA from IIM Calcutta, and has received prestigious awards for leadership at both institutes as well as a Distinguished Alum award from her high school.
