Room to Read CEO honored at Credit Suisse and Time’s 2022 Women of Impact event

Dr. Geetha Murali, chief executive officer (CEO) of Room to Read, was recognized at the 2022 Women of Impact Dinner held at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The event, organized this year by Credit Suisse in partnership with Time Magazine, celebrated and honored women who are changing the world, and offers them a platform to share their stories.

“Education was one of my mother’s core values. To my mother, education equaled independence,” explained Geetha during the event. “As the oldest daughter of seven from a poor family in India, my mother was destined to be a child bride — expected and pressured to end her education and marry at 13. But she was a stellar student who loved learning and she refused to quit. Instead, she enlisted in the Army and trained as a nurse before immigrating to the U.S., earning a doctorate and building a career she loved. In my family, the leap from child bride to CEO took one generation — that’s how fast lasting change can happen.” 

Alongside Geetha, Credit Suisse and Time also honored South African businesswoman and philanthropist Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe and social entrepreneur Amanda Nguyen, who played a key role in helping craft and pass the U.S. federal law advocating for sexual violence survivors.

The Women of Impact dinner was created 10 years ago by Credit Suisse in collaboration with Tina Brown, the founder and CEO of Tina Brown Live Media and Women in the World USA. The event focuses on women who are determined to drive change for the better. Over the years, the Women of Impact dinner has recognized an incredible slate of women leaders, including Melinda French Gates, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Amal Clooney, Nadia Murad, Ruth Davidson, Michelle Bachelet and Kristalina Georgieva.

“While all honorees represent diverse perspectives, ages, positions, backgrounds and approaches, they all share one thing — they inspire us to do better and take action to make a difference,” said Joanne Hannaford, chief technology and operations officer for Credit Suisse, during her welcome remarks.