Neelam JainSocial Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO - PeriFerry

Neelam is a social entrepreneur, founder of PeriFerry, India's very first and leading social impact enterprise dedicated to improving the socio-economic status of the transgender community and fostering a culture of inclusion in the workplace. After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from Chennai, Neelam worked as a financial analyst at a leading investment banking firm. It was there that she first learnt about the experiences of transgender persons and the challenges they face in accessing financial freedom. She quit her job to start PeriFerry in 2017 and has since made it her life's work to help create financial and social dignity within the trans community. Under Neelam's leadership, PeriFerry has created jobs for over 410 transgender persons and has sensitized over 32,000 corporate India employees to date. Her impact enterprise has won numerous awards, including being named India's most innovative startup in 2019 by CII and JITO London Startup of the Year in 2018. In 2021, PeriFerry was honored by the National Commission of Minorities for their inclusion efforts. She has been a TEDx speaker and was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2021. Neelam is also an IVLP Fellow, a premier professional exchange program by the US department of State. She was invited in Feb 2023.