AIF Bay Area Gala Raises Over $2.65 Million For Women Empowerment

Photo: Left to Right) AIF CDO, Kalpana Kanthan, AIF Gala Honoree, Revathi Advaithi, AIF CEO, Nishant Pandey and AIF Gala Honoree, Aparna Bawa

India-West Staff Reporter

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, The American India Foundation’s (AIF) West Coast Chapter hosted its annual gala to a crowd of 360 guests at San Francisco’s City Hall on June 1.

The 2024 Bay Area Gala was the highest-grossing gala in the Bay Area’s history, raising over $2.65 million thanks to the generosity of its donors, including presenting sponsor Sumir Chadha, and Gala benefactors Flex Foundation and WestBridge Capital.

The evening spotlighted AIF’s vibrant Indian diaspora-led community, as well as its programming in India to empower women and girls with health, education, and livelihood opportunities.

The evening brought together leaders, innovators, founders, and trailblazers across industries and honored the professional and philanthropic achievements of Revathi Advaithi, CEO of Flex, and Aparna Bawa, COO of Zoom. It also featured a delightful musical performance from Stanford Raagapella and entertainment from the hilarious Zarna Garg.

“Revathi and Aparna are true exemplars of inspirational, passionate leaders who are shaping the future of technology at their respective companies. We are grateful to them for our new partnership and grateful for the generosity of all our supporters, corporate and government partners, donors, and friends, thanks to whom, AIF has reached 18.88 million lives across 35 states and union territories of India,” said CEO Nishant Pandey.

Advaithi highlighted the importance of advancing women’s leadership in her speech, focusing on the concepts of being “ready enough” and the “glass cliff,” and emphasizing that women are frequently considered unprepared and are often assigned to high-risk roles. According to Advaithi, by giving women more top-level roles and diversifying corporate boards, we can significantly improve gender representation and support future women leaders, ensuring equitable opportunities for our daughters and the next generations to come.

Aparna Bawa in her speech said, “AIF’s mission to improve the lives of India’s underprivileged—with an emphasis on educational initiatives for women and girls, is near and dear to my heart, which is why I wholeheartedly support them not only at this gala, but all year long.” She pledged committed to continuing “evangelizing the foundation’s cause because every single young girl deserves a great education and limitless opportunity no matter her circumstances.”

Through powerful videos and stirring speeches, attendees saw how AIF enables women and girls to lead healthy, dignified, and fulfilled lives. AIF partners with the government at the central, state, and local levels to implement programs that support women and girls at every point in their journey.