Spotlight on Lakshmi
Lakshmi Sundaram was the first Executive Director of Girls Not Brides where she led a partnership of over 1,000 civil society organisations working in over 100 countries. She previously worked with FIND (Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics), the World Economic Forum, and supported the Ministry of Health of Rwanda in its HIV/AIDS response. Alongside her work with Lucent, she is the interim Executive Director of openDemocracy, a global media platform focused on human rights and democracy.
Lakshmi shares some insight into her work with Lucent.
What is it about the approach at Lucent that you find most interesting?
Clients often visibly relax when they realise that we all have first-hand experience in the leadership and on the boards of multiple organisations. We have walked in their shoes, understand the seemingly impossible choices they face, and have had to deal with similar constraints and challenges. It helps to build trust, which is so critical for any deep, long-lasting and strategic work.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your work?
I love being able to pull threads together from my own work across different sectors and identify patterns and lessons. It allows me to bring fresh perspectives to my work with clients and help them view problems through a different lens.
What are the key challenges that you see clients facing as we emerge from this period?
Many of the clients I’ve worked with have been at the forefront of the response to Covid-19. Teams are exhausted, often trying to manage huge demand from their stakeholders while also weathering the impact of the pandemic in their personal lives. Budgets have had to be cut and there’s a big push to recalibrate organisational strategies and objectives. The task seems insurmountable, and clients often don’t know where to start. That’s where a light diagnostic tool – such as our Lucent Compass – can really help. It gives a snapshot of the organisation’s health and can help leaders figure out where to prioritise their efforts.
What is your wish for the future of the sector right now?
A good dose of bravery! I believe the sector as a whole needs to think critically about how it can have the greatest impact in the future, without replicating the mistakes of the past. It’s a sector that is often good at diagnosing problems, without having the courage to test out solutions.
What or who inspires you?
I’ve been lucky enough to work with youth activists around the world who are holding power to account and changing their communities. I’m constantly inspired by their brilliance, courage and creativity.
Flashback to when you were 10 years old. What do you want to be when you grow up?
A pilot or an air stewardess, so that I could have adventures around the world (and go hug my grandparents in India at the drop of a hat). Luckily for me, my work on global health and gender equality has allowed me to sustain the travel bug in a different way. The desire to hug my loved ones who live far away, however, has just become more acute over the years.
You can read more from Lakshmi in this recent blog, Five key lessons on effective partnerships for systems and social change.