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About SALUTE

Making South Asian leadership the norm.

South Asian Leaders Unite to Empower (SALUTE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and private professional network dedicated to creating impactful connections between South Asian women. Our mission is to expand access, visibility, and connection for South Asian women and allies. Our members are executives, trailblazers, and pioneers who are shaping the present and influencing the future.

Request an invitationOur story

Founded 2021 · 501(c)(3) nonprofit · Curated private network

SALUTE members at the Visionary Series
An On the Table dinner
Members at a member-led social
Why SALUTE

Built for women who were never meant to wait.

South Asian women are among the most over-credentialed, under-sponsored group in professional America. Most networks focus on who is in the room. SALUTE focuses on getting you into other rooms, turning connection into institutional access.

Access, not just connection.

Anyone can connect you with peers. SALUTE creates active sponsorship. Our members advocate for each other with institutional power behind them, getting your name spoken in the rooms you aren’t in yet.

Visibility as a leadership tool.

Being seen at the top changes what others believe is possible. SALUTE makes South Asian women undeniable: named, celebrated, and impossible to overlook.

Connection built on trust.

Curation leads to cultivation. We bypass the noise of performative networking to protect the high-trust intimacy required for true strategic sponsorship and mutual advancement.

A movement, not a moment.

Legacy creates leverage. Every leader we elevate raises the floor for the entire collective, building the institutional infrastructure for future power.

Widening the aperture.

Our identity should connect us, not confine us. By reaching beyond our own circle, bridging cross-cultural networks and bringing in strategic allies, we turn proximity into lasting power.

The context

The pipeline exists.
The power gap persists.

South Asian women are highly represented across professional and entrepreneurial pipelines, yet remain underrepresented in the spaces where visibility, capital, governance, and influence are formalized.

82Asian women promoted to manager for every 100 men

The gap starts at the very first step into leadership and compounds at every level above it.

McKinsey & Lean In, 2025
1 in 2mid-career Asian women say no one in leadership has opened a door for them

No introductions, no one putting them forward for promotion, no stretch assignments. Far more than other women at their level.

McKinsey & Lean In, 2025
5.4%of Fortune 500 board seats are held by Asian and Pacific Islander directors

Fewer than half of Fortune 500 boards reach even 6% Asian and Pacific Islander representation.

Alliance for Board Diversity & Deloitte, 2023
By the numbers

An intentional network, built on access.

Access, curation, and connection are the principles SALUTE is built on. We do more than bring accomplished South Asian women together. We create a community where leaders open doors for one another across industries, functions, and generations.

200+Members over the years
14Industries represented
15Functions represented
15yrsAverage experience
Proud to have members from

Members join on a rolling basis through application, invitation, or referral.

The ecosystem

Changing who leads takes an ecosystem.

Moving the needle requires an abundance of organizations, each contributing distinct communities, capabilities, and pathways to leadership. People may engage with all, some, or none—progress comes when organizations work openly across the ecosystem—sharing access, extending opportunity, and fueling one another’s reach and impact.

Six sectors doing vital work
Community & Professional Networks
Founder, Capital & Venture
Media, Storytelling & Culture

SALUTE serves as the connective tissue across the ecosystem—building leadership infrastructure that brings accomplished leaders together and connects them to the broader network.

Advocacy, Civic & Community
Pan-Asian Advocacy
Boardroom & Executive Access
How we play our part
Convene

High-trust rooms where South Asian leaders and allies build real relationships, across industries and generations.

Make visible

S.SUITE, BCC’d, and our stages put South Asian women’s leadership where it can be seen.

Widen the room

We partner with aligned organizations so our members meet the institutions and people who open doors.

Move it forward

Every gathering includes a Give and an Ask. Meeting is not the outcome. Shared action is.

Our story

From an idea to infrastructure.

2021

SALUTE is founded

After extensive feedback and careful planning, SALUTE officially launches as a curated professional network.

2023

The first SALUTE Summit

Members gather in New York City for the SALUTE Summit, alongside On the Table gatherings. The Visionary Series welcomes Jenny Ming, CEO of Rothy’s and founder of Old Navy.

2024

Ladies become Leaders

South Asian Ladies Leaders Unite to Empower

“South Asian Ladies Unite to Empower” becomes “South Asian Leaders Unite to Empower,” reflecting inclusive leadership and the allies who champion it. The SALUTE Guild launches, and the Visionary Series welcomes Anish Melwani, former Chairman and CEO of LVMH North America.

2026

S.SUITE Honors

The inaugural S.SUITE Honors takes place November 20 in New York City, led by Lifetime Achievement Honoree Indra Nooyi.

Next

To be continued.

What comes next

The S.SUITE Lists, spotlighting standout South Asian women leaders by category, and SALUTE Exchange, our one-to-one mentorship series.

2021202320242026Next
Leadership

The people behind SALUTE.

Leaders who give their time, experience, and networks to open doors for others.

Manisha Bharti
Manisha Bharti

CEO
Pratham USA

Alka Joshi
Alka Joshi

New York Times bestselling author

Rebecca Parekh
Rebecca Parekh

Co-Founder & CEO
THE WELL

Jyothi Rao
Jyothi Rao

Independent Board Director
J.Jill · Bubble Beauty · Contentsquare · Caresmatic Brands

Priya Singh
Priya Singh

Chief Strategy Officer, Stanford Health Care · Senior Associate Dean, Stanford Medicine

Amna Khilji
Amna Khilji

VP, North America
Audeliss Executive Search

Sheela Krothapalli
Sheela Krothapalli

Chief People Officer
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

Deevana Kumar Palazzolo
Deevana Kumar Palazzolo

Managing Director
J.P. Morgan Private Bank

Neerja Patel
Neerja Patel

Founder & CEO
Neerja Public Relations

Ami Thakkar Raval
Ami Thakkar Raval

Executive Director
The Podcast Academy

Era Ray
Era Ray

Co-founder

Neha Singh
Neha Singh

Co-founder

Nupur Moondra
Nupur Moondra

Operations Lead

Shama Amin
Shama Amin

Strategic Marketing Lead

Hani Anis
Hani Anis

Engagement Lead

There’s more than one way to contribute

Be part of SALUTE.

Become a member, host an event, share an idea, offer expertise, introduce a sponsor, explore a partnership, or volunteer.

Request an invitationGet involved
Prefer to email? hello@salute.community
The newsletter

The SALUTE Suite, on LinkedIn.

A monthly roundup celebrating the wins of women across our community.

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