Oct 31 2025 to Oct 31 2025 6:30 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

What does it take to move from a career of success to one of purpose? The panel “Reinventing Purpose: Transitioning from Corporate to Cause” explores this question through real stories of professionals who have chosen to align their skills, values, and careers with social impact.

Anchored around the book A Career Without an Expiry Date: Finding Work, Growth and Fulfilment in NGOs by Sumathy Krishnan, this conversation delves into the motivations, fears, and fulfilment that accompany a shift from the corporate world to the social impact sector. The book provides a practical roadmap for those seeking meaning and longevity in their work lives — blending purpose with performance.

The panel will unpack what it takes to “unlearn and relearn” — from redefining success to navigating new cultures, building credibility, and sustaining oneself in purpose-driven work. Whether you’re a mid-career professional seeking to infuse purpose into your career, an HR leader rethinking talent pathways, or simply someone seeking more meaningful engagement, this discussion offers insights, tools, and inspiration to help you bridge the gap between doing well and doing good.

Speakers

Sumathy Krishnan
Author
A postgraduate from IIT Delhi, Sumathy Krishnan spent more than a decade in the corporate world before moving to the NGO sector in 2010. At that time, the move felt like a leap into the unknown. But, despite initial misgivings and some challenges, she did not just survive the leap; she thrived. Today, she considers her time in the NGO sector to be the most fulfilling and transformative phase of her career. However, she regrets the lack of useful, accessible information that could have eased her transition into this sector. Driven by a desire to fill this gap, Sumathy has written the book ‘A Career without an Expiry Date: Finding work, growth and fulfilment in NGOs’. With compelling facts and riveting firsthand accounts, Sumathy Krishnan shines a light on the vibrant working culture in NGOs in the book; a culture that embrace diverse skills and offer what many professionals crave – Purpose and Advancement.  

 Based in Singapore, Sumathy continues her association with TIDE, the NGO she earlier led in India. She has now broadened her work at the intersection of social impact and sustainability through her venture Sustainpath (www.sustainpath.eco).

Akshay Soni
Lead, Ecosystem & Collective Impact
After spending a year at UTI learning to be a fund manager, Akshay spent 17 years as a research analyst with Morgan Stanley before boredom struck and he decided to quit the investment banking world. He happened to see a LinkedIn Ad for The/Nudge Institute while on his break, and landed up for an interview because he had not been there, not done that. That curiosity started a 7-year journey in the social sector, where at the The/Nudge Institute, besides leading their ecosystem work, he conceptualized and ran India’s first nonprofit accelerator (and worked with over 100 entrepreneurs), sparked new products for the social sector like the Indian Administrative Fellowship, and led the independent backbone for India’s first Collective Impact initiative (10 organizations, both for profit and non-profits working together to improve the quality of life of Bangalore’s informal waste pickers and to enable them to lead more dignified lives).