75: Making A Difference in India with Sudarshan Suchi and Shweta Malhotra

Sudarshan and Shweta are key leadership figures in Bal Raksha
Bharat (also known as Save the Children India). Sudarshan is CEO
and Shweta is Head of Governance & Organisation
Development.    

In this podcast, they generously share their thoughts and
experiences. Their approach is inspiring and enlightening, and it
aligns closely to the Eco-Leadership Institute approach. They
focus on shifting power from the centre to the edges. Their
humanitarian work aims to create capacity, but not only through
raising funds from external resources. They see the recipients of
the aid they provide as key to creating capacity, as the children
and citizens they support are full of potential that they aim to
resource. They also look for long term solutions and focus on
moving away from crisis reactions,  and reliance on external
funding, to build sustainable capacity through civic and state
collaboration. They discuss some of their pioneering approaches
to humanitarian aid and development and what is striking is the
emphasis on deep caring and a holistic approach. Sudarshan and
Shweta have to constantly adapt to the fast changing landscape.
Key to their work is what we call LEDGE approaches - leadership
from the edge, and they focus on bringing people from the edge to
make their contribution heard and relevant. Whilst they face many
challenges, they see their ecosystems are filled with resources.
At the heart of their work is hope, fuelled by a collaborative
and generous mindset.   

Sudarshan is a strong advocate of developing a learning culture
in the workplace. He shares insights from Bal Raksha Bharat’s
most recent annual ‘Knowledge & Learning Exchange Week’ which
focussed on ‘failing intelligently’; to remove any blame culture
and learn from both the successful and unsuccessful initiatives.
India is a place of diversity and challenges for them, but from
this podcast you can feel the power of their hope and the energy
they have to create a good society.


Bios:
Sudarshan Suchi is the Chief Executive Officer
of Bal Raksha Bharat (also known as Save the Children India). As
a staunch believer in participatory processes, Sudarshan believes
in co-creation and inclusion of all voices within design and
action. Passionate about building self-reliance and creating
livelihood opportunities, he has himself dabbled in creating and
promoting eco-friendly farming practices.
Although he graduated in Philosophy, Law and completed Masters in
Participation Power and Social Change, Sudarshan admits that most
of his education happened outside the classroom. Over the past
three decades, he has held leadership positions with eminent
organisations like Reliance Foundation, Reliance Life Sciences,
and National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). He has also taught
at Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA) and is part of
Academic Council of IIHMR’s Rural Management Program.

As CEO of BRB, Sudarshan believes in creating a living
organisation that is built on its people and their ability to be
vulnerable, embrace shortfalls productively and aim towards
improvement. His vision is to build and grow the movement for
child rights in India, wherein children have a voice and agency,
and participate as active citizens of the country.

Shweta Malhotra is a seasoned professional with
17 years of dedicated service at Bal Raksha, Bharat (Save the
Children India), currently serving as the Head of Governance
& Organisation Development. In this role, she adeptly
oversees the Board, CEO’s office, and plays a pivotal role in
enhancing the organization’s adaptability in an ever-changing
dynamic environment. A true advocate for fostering a
human-centric culture, Shweta thrives on meaningful connections
with people.
Her professional narrative includes a fascinating chapter as a
freelance fashion designer, where she successfully ran her own
label. Beyond her professional pursuits, she finds joy in
travelling with her family and relishes the simple pleasures of
snuggling up with a good book and a cup of coffee.