Sharmi Surianarain
Sharmi Surianarain
Chief Care Officer
Nairobi, Kenya
TOPICS
Feminism
Health
Future of Work
Work Philosophy
Global Economics
Sharmi Surianarain serves as the Chief Impact Officer for Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator in South Africa. Sharmi is a fierce advocate for opportunity and justice for young people and women across the African continent and is a keen thinker on the future of work. Sharmi is the Founder of Making Caring Count, a social enterprise that aims to build impactful solutions around care work in Africa.
Prior to Harambee, Sharmi served as Vice President of Lifelong Engagement at African Leadership Academy (ALA) where she oversaw a network of 2,000 young African leaders, managed ALA’s Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, Africa Careers Network, and ALA’s alumni engagement team. Sharmi is an Aspen African Leadership Initiative Fellow, Class of 2020, an RSA Fellow, and sits on the Boards of Emerging Public Leaders, Metis, Instill Education and is on the 2021 G7 Impact Taskforce. Sharmi has spoken at the Skoll World Forum, the London School of Economics, and the Nobel Prize Dialogues. Sharmi’s work has been featured in The Huffington Post, The Mail and Guardian, The Daily Maverick, and The Economist. Sharmi holds a B.A. from Harvard University, a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
SPEAKING TOPICS:
Youth employment
Future of Work in Africa
Care economy
Feminist mothering
Sharmi is a fearless leader whose strategic vision fosters collaboration and creates concrete positive impact. Her passion for her work is seen in every meeting, conversation, or email. Her compassionate energy is one of her strongest traits, and her empathy is beyond any colleague I have ever experienced. This coupled with her ability to command attention and communicate with others makes her the strongest advocate for any cause she takes on.
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