Motivated by this insight, she co-founded LEAD School (Leadership in Education and Development), alongside her husband, Sumeet Mehta, who had previously initiated a separate school.
DNA New Gen Women Achievers Awards 2024: DNA India has awarded Smita Deorah, the Co-founder and Co-CEO of LEAD in the Changemaker in Education.
Smita Deorah stands as a trailblazing entrepreneur in India, spearheading impactful initiatives in the education sector. Her entrepreneurial journey took root when a conversation with her domestic help unveiled the educational challenges faced by low-income families. Motivated by this insight, she co-founded LEAD School (Leadership in Education and Development), alongside her husband, Sumeet Mehta, who had previously initiated a separate school.
Together, they have become partners to 5000 affordable private schools across 500 cities, employing over 2000 individuals. The central tenet of LEAD School challenges traditional education models, asserting that any graduate can be a proficient teacher. Smita's professional background includes working as a chartered accountant and contributing to Procter and Gamble's finance and treasury departments.
Driven by a passion for education, the couple founded Sparsh, an NGO, before launching LEAD in 2012, driven by the belief that quality education should be accessible to every child. From a modest beginning in Ahmedabad with 14 students, LEAD School now impacts over 1.2 million students through 25,000 teachers.
Smita's remarkable accomplishment lies in devising the ELGA (English Language and General Awareness) program, a transformative initiative teaching English as a vital skill. This program significantly enhances students' language proficiency in a short span, revolutionizing their learning experience. Looking ahead, Smita Deorah envisions expanding the LEAD network to 60,000 schools and impacting 25 million students by 2026. In the fiscal year 2021-2022, the company achieved a commendable revenue of Rs 133 crore under her astute leadership.
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 "Smita Deorah")
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