The Wheeler Institute is delighted to host two panels as part of the Dharma Life Labs initiative on entrepreneurship and integrated care solutions. The discussion will spotlight entrepreneurial spirit, how innovation drives change, how technology empowers small businesses, bringing sustainability to traditional industries, and championing women in rural India. Building on a long-term collaboration, and for the first time in London, the Wheeler Institute and Dharma Life will unite leading voices from the global and local sectors for an in-person and virtual audience. Registration is free and now open for one or both panels.
Panel 1: Innovating to Empower
Hosted in collaboration with DL Labs, this session will explore the stories and successes of entrepreneurs and business leaders who have made a significant impact across fintech, traditional industries, and social innovation.
This panel will focus on how innovation can make impactful change across industries. Panellists will discuss how entrepreneurship can empower marginalised communities and foster economic development in rural areas whilst embracing sustainability and efficiency to meet today’s global demands. As leading entrepreneurial voices, the panel will also discuss leadership strategies required for success and innovation.
The panel will include Marc-Alexander Christ, Co-Founder of SumUp, a fintech leader who has redefined payment systems for over 4 million businesses globally. Muthiah Murugappan, CEO & Director of EID Parry India Ltd., a business leader and London Business School alum who has transformed his company’s role in the biofuel, nutrition, and sugar retail sectors, bringing sustainability to the forefront of traditional industries and Rohini Patil, Leader at Dharma Life, who will discuss empowering women from rural India through sustainable business, clean energy, and social impact initiatives, highlighting entrepreneurship’s role in advancing gender equality and development. The panel will be moderated by Rajesh Chandy, Tony and Maureen Wheeler Chair in Entrepreneurship and Professor of Marketing at London Business School and Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development.
Date: Wednesday 16th October 2024
Starting time: 12:00-13:00 BST
Location: LT19, Sammy Ofer Centre, London Business School or you can join remotely
Panel 2: Flourishing Careers, Flourishing Children: Lessons in Balancing Family and Work
The session will be part of the Voice of the Village series and will spotlight the Better Skills Better Care Centre —a pioneering initiative by Dharma Life in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, International Development Research Centre, and UN Women, focusing on vocational training for women with accessible and affordable Early Childhood Care and Education, aiming to address the systemic challenges faced by low-income communities in India.
The panel will include Diva Dhar, Deputy Director, Women’s Economic Empowerment at the Gates Foundation, bringing insights into the intersection of global health, gender equality, and educational initiatives. Rohini Patil, an entrepreneur managing a BSBC centre, who will share personal experiences and the program’s impact on rural communities. Felizitas Lichtenberg, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Wellbeing and Sustainability at SumUp who will explore the role of technology as a powerful tool for empowerment and development. As well as a speaker and lecturer on Technology and Society, Lucy Davis, former Head of Responsible AI at Google and an LBS Alumna. The panel will be moderated by CEO of Dharma Life and LBS alum, Gaurav Mehta.
Date: Wednesday 16th October 2024
Starting time: 13:00-14:00 BST
Location: LT19, Sammy Ofer Centre, London Business School or you can join remotely
About the speakers
Marc-Alexander Christ is co-founder of leading mobile payment company SumUp. He has established SumUp as one of the leading payment companies worldwide, with a presence in over 35 countries. Marc has secured more than €50 million in funding, from partners such as Groupon, Lakestar and BBVA and most recently led the acquisition of Payleven. Marc has extensive experience in the startup world. Prior to co-founding SumUp, he founded MIOSATO – The Online Fashion Gallery and led the sales department of Groupon/Citydeal in the early days of the company. Marc started his career in investment banking, first at European Investors in New York and later as Vice President at JPMorgan in London and Frankfurt. He holds a Master of Arts in International Business as well as a Doctorandus de Bedrijfswetenschappen from the University of Maastricht.
Muthiah Murugappan, CEO & Director of EID Parry India Ltd., a business leader who has transformed his company’s role in the biofuel, nutrition, and sugar retail sectors, bringing sustainability to the forefront of traditional industries. Mr. Muthiah Murugappan has completed his MBA from London Business School. He is B.Sc. Management Sciences from University of Warwick (Warwick Business School). He started his career in August 2004 with Indian FMCG major – CavinKare Pvt Ltd.
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Rohini Patil embarked on her Dharma Life entrepreneurship journey in mid-2016, having previously never used a smartphone or the Internet. Through Dharma Life’s digital literacy program, Rohini transformed her small beekeeping business, started in 2014, into a thriving enterprise by leveraging online tools for promotion and learning. She now manages her own website and raises awareness about clean energy, nutrition, and social impact products like water purifiers and solar lights in her village and neighboring areas. Rohini also supports 10 self-help groups, handles their accounts and gained notable public speaking experience through a Sarpanch election candidacy. Recognized for her achievements, she won the “Power Woman Award, 2019” by Woman Hike. Rohini proudly represents the success of Dharma Life’s women entrepreneurship model, highlighting her commitment to improving lives at the grassroots level.
Rajesh Chandy is Professor of Marketing and the Tony and Maureen Wheeler Chair in Entrepreneurship at London Business School, where he is also the Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development. Rajesh’s current research lies at the intersection of business and development. His recent projects have covered the impact of business skills among micro-entrepreneurs in South Africa, novel financing approaches in Ghana, property rights in slums in Egypt, innovation among farmers in India, highways and private education expenditures in India, and using big data for development outcomes.
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Gaurav Mehta founded and leads Dharma Life, a non-profit-owned social enterprise that trains and supports local women entrepreneurs to deliver solutions for rural development challenges in India. Dharma Life has reached over 45,000 villages and impacted over 13 million lives with their products, services and programs that address clean energy access, climate action, gender rights, health, digital education, and livelihoods. Gaurav is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, an LBS MBA Graduate of the Decade, and a BMW Foundation Young Leader.
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Felizitas Lichtenberg is the Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Wellbeing and Sustainability at SumUp. She established the Diversity & Inclusion and ESG strategy at SumUp and drives initiatives internally and externally. Before SumUp, she spent ten years at Vodafone, where her last position was Global Lead for Diversity & Inclusion. Felizitas is an Intercultural Business Trainer, an Organisational Change Manager and a Systemic Transactional Analysis Consultant.
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Diva Dhar is the Deputy Director, Women’s Economic Empowerment at the Gates Foundation. She leads the foundation’s investments in strengthening data systems and deepening research and evidence for women’s economic empowerment programs and policymaking. She started her career working for the Indian government’s Planning Commission and has worked in 10 countries for global non-profit organizations including the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), Innovations for Poverty Action, and the World Bank. She is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Oxford Martin School program on the Future of Development and she holds a Ph.D in Public Policy from the University of Oxford.
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Lucy Davis is a Speaker and Lecturer in Tech & Society. Lucy is the former Head of Responsible AI at Google. Lucy is an LBS Alum, having completed an MBA at London Business School in 2010 and is currently a candidate for a Masters degree in AI Ethics/ Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford.
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About the series
Dharma Life Labs (DL Labs) is a collaboration between the Wheeler Institute, Dharma Life, Accenture and Siriti, and is a platform designed to conduct research on business and development and create impact at scale in rural India. DL Labs partners with the BMW Foundation, Unilever, EY, Ford Foundation, Elea Foundation, IKEA Foundation and UN Women, among others, to drive inclusive progress in vulnerable communities through innovation, research and collaboration
Voice of the Village is a series of conversations on issues that affect those living in rural communities in India – inviting a a variety of stakeholders to collaborate and build solutions together. Whilst this is the fourth event in the Voice of the Village series, it is the first in-person series.