Sohini Bhattacharya

About Sohini Bhattacharya

I am an intrepid entrepreneur with three decades of experience in the social sector, a large part of it working on institution building. I am passionate about gender equity and culture change and leadership.I have experience of building strong teams, designing norm change programs on gender equality and creating systems change models. I am currently an advisor to the Accelerator for Shifting Gender Norms through Education. Funded by a philanthropic organisation, the Accelerator is building a collaborative of high impact organisations from Africa, Asia and Latin America and USA to build the field of shifting gender norms in and through education and create public goods.I most recently served as the CEO of Breakthrough, building sustainable scale on norm change so that adolescents can reach their full potential. Joining as a parttime consultant in 2010, I built the fundraising vertical in the organisation and created a robust portfolio of supporters and programs. I navigated a crucial founder transition when I became the CEO of the organisation in 2017 and for the first 3 years I ran both Breakthrough India and Lets Breakthrough in USA as the President & CEO. In 2021, I decided to focus on creating a systems change model at scale for Breakthrough in India. In 2025 January I stepped down from the CEO position after a successful transition where I handed over the reins of the organisation to a deserving colleague. Prior to joining Breakthrough, I advised the Asia Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) on their India launch and worked in Ashoka Innovators for the Public for 10 years where I helped build the ecosystem for social entrepreneurship in South Asia - adding significant numbers to the fellowship, raising resources and building networks. I am the co-founder of a Gender Resource Centre in Kolkata and have worked with indigenous artisans across India with Dastkar for a long time. I am a board member of ARROW, an organisation building leadership of young people on reproductive rights in the Global South and an advisory board member of Ignite Philanthropy that is focused on child safety. I also serve on the boards of 3 other csos - Kolkata Sanved, Dastkar and Point of View.

Experience

1. Founding Trustee

   Read Global

   Apr 2008 — Present

Education

• Jadavpur University, Kolkata

  Master of Arts - MA, English Literature

• Jadavpur University

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, English

Skills

• Nonprofits
• Budgeting
• Policy Analysis
• Rural Development
• Business Development
• Managing Multi-Sector Programs
• Human Rights
• Social Innovation
• Leadership Development
• Entrepreneurship
• Ngos
• Community Outreach
• Community Development
• Program Management
• Problem Solving
• Team Leadership
• Strategic Partnerships
• Leadership
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Policy
• Fundraising
• Marketing Strategy
• Attention to Detail
• Program Development
• Team Building
• Leading Organisations
• Strategic Planning
• Non-Governmental Organizations (Ngos)
• Capacity Building
• Communication
• People Management
• Nonprofit Organizations
• Social Entrepreneurship
• International Development
• Teamwork
• Team Management
• Resource Mobilization
• Written Communication
• Public Policy
• Writing