Meet the Women Behind the Women of the Year Awards This Year
Dr. Manju Sheth, Mandy Pant, and Sheetal Acharya help lead and shape one of New England’s most celebrated events honoring women’s leadership.
BURLINGTON, MA — As the 23rd Annual Women of the Year Awards Gala approaches, the spotlight will be on the remarkable honorees being celebrated. But behind the success of this long-running event are three accomplished leaders who help guide and host the evening each year: Dr. Manju Sheth, Mandy Pant, and Sheetal Acharya.
Produced by INDIA New England News, the Women of the Year Awards has become one of the region’s most respected celebrations of women’s leadership and achievement. Over the past two decades, the event has recognized trailblazing women from fields ranging from healthcare and business to arts, technology, and community service.
For the past 14 years, the gala has been directed and hosted by Dr. Manju Sheth, herself a past Woman of the Year honoree. Mandy Pant has served as the chief emcee for the last 13 years, while Sheetal Acharya—also a former Woman of the Year—joined the stage as an emcee beginning lthree years ago.
“The Women of the Year gala has grown into a signature event because of the incredible team behind it,” said Upendra Mishra, publisher of INDIA New England News and producer of the awards. “Dr. Manju Sheth, Mandy Pant, and Sheetal Acharya bring passion, professionalism, and a deep commitment to celebrating women’s achievements. Their leadership ensures that the evening remains meaningful, inspiring, and memorable for everyone involved.”
Dr. Manju Sheth
Dr. Manju Sheth is a physician with Beth Israel Lahey Health and a passionate advocate for women’s empowerment, community service, and media engagement. She serves as President of India New England Multimedia, the New England Choice Awards, and director of the Women of the Year Gala.
Dr. Sheth is also the host of the popular talk series Chai with Manju, which has featured prominent leaders and changemakers including Congressman Joe Kennedy III, Senator Elizabeth Warren, former Apple CEO John Sculley, philanthropist Sudha Murthy, spiritual leader Sadhguru, Congressman Ro Khanna, and singer Sonu Nigam.
A strong advocate for women’s health and empowerment, she has served in leadership roles with organizations such as the Indian Medical Association of New England (IMANE) and the nonprofit Akshaya Patra Foundation as a community ambassador. She is also co-founder of the New England Choice Awards and president of Women Who Win. Dr. Sheth has received numerous honors, including the Leadership in Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity award from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts through the Asian and Pacific Islanders Commission. She is a TEDx speaker and co-author of the books Women Who Win and Girls Who Win.
Mandy Pant
Mondira (Mandy) Pant, Ph.D., is a global technology leader and serves as Senior Director of Product–Foundry Interface and Pathfinding at Intel. In this role, she works at the intersection of product design and advanced semiconductor technologies, helping drive innovation in the global technology industry.
A respected authority in VLSI engineering, Dr. Pant has authored more than 20 technical papers and holds multiple patents. She has played an instrumental role in fostering academic-industry collaborations around the world and is a frequent keynote speaker at international technology conferences.
Her career reflects a strong commitment to innovation, mentorship, and advancing women in STEM fields. Through her professional and community engagement, she continues to inspire the next generation of women pursuing careers in technology and engineering.
Sheetal Acharya
Sheetal Acharya serves as Chief of Staff to the President of National Grid Ventures and Chief U.S. External Affairs Officer. A seasoned organizational enablement and operations professional, she previously led the change program for the $4 billion divestiture of National Grid’s Rhode Island business.
Before joining National Grid, Acharya spent more than 15 years in management consulting and led the global organizational enablement practice at Publicis Sapient. She also serves as Executive Sponsor for the Women in Network Employee Resource Group at National Grid.
Acharya has long been an active community leader. She served as the first National President of Network of Indian Professionals of North America (NetIP) and was part of the leadership committee for the Boston Women’s March for America. She also served as president of Wayland’s Parent Teacher Organization and is currently on the organizing committee for the Indian Family Network’s (IFNet) sleepaway camp.
She was named INDIA New England’s Woman of the Year in 2022 and has been recognized for three consecutive years in INvolve’s Top 100 Women Executive Role Models list. She lives in Wayland, Massachusetts, with her husband Nish and their two sons.
Together, Sheth, Pant, and Acharya represent the spirit of leadership, service, and community that the Women of the Year Awards seeks to celebrate—ensuring that the event continues to inspire future generations of changemakers.
Since the beginning of the Woman of the Year awards gala 23 years ago, four other powerful women played an important role in various capacities: Stephanie Leonardi, Kavitha Mantha, Jyoti Nagia, Aditi Taylor and Jharna Madan. And the The Mishra Group staff of Emma Grifith and Anastasia Bogushevsky have always worked hard behind the scene for the Woman of the Year Awards gala.
