BOSTON–Rowena Kay Mascarenhas is an accomplished executive, currently serving as the Executive Director of TiE Boston. She brings her visionary leadership and entrepreneurial mindset to lead signature programs, fundraising efforts, and strategic partnerships, thus demonstrating her commitment to fostering innovation and growth within the entrepreneurial community.
Rowena has effectively steered multiple teams in implementing successful programs, crafting strategic frameworks, and influencing policy. Her passion lies in connecting and convening individuals to address contemporary challenges. Notably, Rowena places special emphasis on advancing the intersection of business and social impact, while also championing growth opportunities for women-led businesses.
Drawing upon a rich and diverse professional background spanning over two decades, Rowena has excelled across corporate, academic, and non-profit sectors. Her cross-sectoral expertise extends to multicultural, local, and global environments. Her proficiency in leveraging communications, forging partnerships, and building relationships has been instrumental in triggering narrative and culture shifts.
On April 26th, 2024, Rowena will be honored as the Outstanding Woman of the Year 2024 at the 21st Annual Woman of the Year Awards gala at the Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, MA. The event will be attended by over 400 community leaders, social activists, entrepreneurs, academicians, and philanthropists.
To register for the gala, please click here.
Prior to her current role, Rowena held key positions, including Director of Communications and Advocacy at the American India Foundation, Senior Manager at Oxford University Press, and Senior Marketing Executive at Crompton Greaves.
Beyond her professional commitments, Rowena finds fulfillment in adventure traveling, volunteering on an urban farm and a nonprofit committed to reducing gender disparities, and cherishing moments with her family and pets. Her multifaceted experiences and unwavering dedication underscore Rowena’s influential role in shaping the landscape of entrepreneurship and social impact.
Here is a brief Q/A with Rowena:
INDIA New England News: Please tell our readers about your work and what you enjoy most about it?
Rowena Kay Mascarenhas: I’m the Executive Director of TiE Boston, a platform that intentionally acts to cultivate and support the entrepreneurs community. We recognize that entrepreneurs are a wide community of self-starters that range from those who start out working from their garages/homes, to those who are leading top-notch biotechnology firms. Boston’s business community has a rich history of over 400 years. Whether Boston was trading tea in the 17th century or education/healthcare/finance in the 21st century, it has always been central to the nation’s history and economy. One of the largest slices of this intellectual capital is the entrepreneurs in the New England area, and TiE has bridged the void that these entrepreneurs faced by giving them a platform to meet and exchange ideas, knowledge and best practices, while gradually building a systemic change in the support structure for future innovators.
The Founders of TiE Boston are luminaries like Desh Deshpande, Dr. Radha Jalan, Dr. Dinesh Patel, Sushil Bhatia, Ash Dahod, Ranganath Nayak, Mahendra Patel, Samir Desai, Rahul Singh, Ramesh Kapur, the late Ashok Kalelkar, Jit Saxena and Ashok Boghani. Their success and contributions to society are of great magnitude, and individually, they have influenced and inspired generations of entrepreneurs. Similarly, the Presidents, who served voluntarily to lead the mission of the organization, like the founding presidents along with the rest namely, Yash Shah, Anu Chitrapu, Nilanjana Bhowmik, Pravin Tailam, Gaugarin Oliver, Prat Moghe, Vinit Nijhawan, Raj Alur, Gautam Prakash, Al Kapoor and now Purnanand Sarma the incoming President in 2024, have all worked very hard to create pathways for entrepreneurs to connect and lift each other up. Additionally, there are many charter members who volunteer their time and expertise to take up leadership roles and keep the organization’s wheels turning, like the current Board Officers, Rakesh Kamdar and David Barbash, along with the rest of the Board. The Angels leadership is also fully comprised of volunteers, as also the TiE ScaleUp leadership and the TiE Young Entrepreneurs leadership. Together they are making us one of the region’s largest organizations supporting the Massachusetts entrepreneurial ecosystem and connecting entrepreneurs, executives, and venture capitalists.
It is difficult to come across someone who might have not had the opportunity to meet, interact with, or be influenced by some of the people mentioned above. From a simple networking idea 27 years ago, TiE Boston has grown into an organization running signature programs like TiE ScaleUp, Angels, TiE Boston Women, and TYE that have quality education, partnerships, decent work, economic growth, and sustainability at their core.
All of these cross-sectoral initiatives make TiE Boston a very exciting place for me to be, I love innovation and collaboration. My rich work experience does not follow a straight and narrow path, I bring a unique blend of qualities and strengths like creativity, problem-solving, leadership, empathy, and compassion to every project I tackle. When every entrepreneur is successful, I know that we have touched the lives
of their families, the communities that they live in, and that it results in socio-economic growth for the nation. I most certainly would like to add that I recognize that male allyship is one of the anchors in my professional growth. As the Executive Director of TiE Boston, I am so privileged to be able to use my skills and values to drive new ventures and experience positive change for the entire New England community.
INE: If you’re engaged with any charity or non-profit, please tell us why this organization and what do you do for them?
RKM: Being part of a non-profit allows me to contribute to meaningful causes, make a difference in people’s lives, and work towards creating a better world.
TiE Boston is a non-profit, and I work closely with my Board to craft and implement strategic vision for the organization. Entrepreneurs are innovators, they take a hard look at the world around them to identify challenges and opportunities faced by people on this planet. Then they brainstorm for plausible solutions, and work on prototypes till they have arrived at something that is truly game-changing. If you think about it hard enough, successful entrepreneurs put people and planet at their very core.
TiE Boston’s mission lies at the intersection of business, society, economy, and sustainability. Our members cut across age groups, gender, nationalities, religion, and race. And when you have people at your core, all the magical spaces open up for you – relationships, partnerships, values, beliefs. I believe that I have this wonderful and unique opportunity to drive change. TiE is a global organization, with 61 chapters across the world – this opens up a plethora of opportunities for everyone who chooses to become a part of the organization, and they in turn generate impact for the communities they live in. I lead signature programs, fundraising efforts, strategic partnerships, and while I place special emphasis on advancing the intersection of business and social impact, I also champion growth opportunities for women-led businesses.
Additionally, I volunteer with another Cambridge-based non-profit called Direct Action for Women Now (DAWN) Worldwide. Led by the visionary Geeta Aiyer, Founder of Boston Common Asset Management, this organization is working hard towards eliminating gender-based violence and advance gender equity. DAWN has given me the space to grow, through an empowering sisterhood of successful and like-minded people who are mission-driven and strongly believe in an equitable world.
As a way of giving back to my community, I also volunteer on the Green Team of the neighborhood SHCDC. We work with the state department to create awareness in households on the benefits of switching to clean energy, clean water, and replacing plastic with biodegradable items. Volunteering often fosters a sense of community and collaboration, which I find personally fulfilling.
INE: What are your hobbies and interests?
RKM: A life-work balance is very important for one’s well-being, and I have deliberately not mentioned it as work-life balance. Beyond my professional pursuits, I have a diverse range of interests and I struggle to make the time for them. It is not easy, as I tend to work hard and forget all about life-work balance. I am an avid traveller, and try to go on nature trails or explore local cultures. Experimenting with new recipes and flavors to put some great food on the table is another of my hobbies. Recently I have developed a passion for photography; capturing moments and scenes that inspire me brings me a lot of joy. And, oh, I love gardening, and a wonderful way for me to leverage my gardening skills is by volunteering on an urban Farm to Table project that donates its produce to families in the city that need it the most. Last year, more than 11,000 lbs of vegetables and fruit from the farm were distributed in food cartons to needy families.
INE: In what way do you feel you have most positively influenced or served the local community and your company/organization and professional field?
RKM: My career spans the corporate, academic, and non-profit sectors, and this cross-sectoral expertise extends to multicultural, local, and global environments. Within TiE Boston, I’ve contributed by implementing innovative strategies, fostering teamwork, mentoring colleagues. For the TiE Boston community, my ability to forge partnerships and build relationships has been instrumental in triggering narrative shifts. In my professional field, I’ve had the opportunity to publishing research, participate in industry conferences, and mentor aspiring professionals, which I believe has helped advance the knowledge and expertise within the field. My professional accomplishments were recognized with the WILL Women Choice Award in 2021, and being named as one of DC’s Top Women Leaders in 2024.
Prior to TiE Boston, I worked for seven years with a leading US-based non-profit called the American India Foundation (AIF) and had the opportunity to immerse myself in development projects across 26 states of India. Recognizing that poverty is multi-dimensional, AIF supports systemic change in health, education, and livelihoods in India. Whether it was remote mountainous regions where healthcare access is not easily available for pregnant women, or rural villages where the power of classroom digitization brought joy on the faces of children, or enabling a person with disability to be financially independent, every single of these projects touched me and gave me more than I gave to them.
This unique circular experience of giving and getting has shaped my philosophy and outlook on life in general. I have received so many blessings from the Universe, and to keep the circle unbroken, we must give back more than what we receive. At the core, I believe I’ve made a significant positive impact on community empowerment and collective growth.
INE: Who inspires you the most?
RKM: I get my inspiration from people: the community that I work with, from my family, and from those around me. The Girl Guides credo that I learned in middle school keeps me going: “On my honor, I promise to do my best, to be true to myself, to serve God and my community, to help other people, and to be prepared at all times.”
