Chair and Committee - Future Women Conference

Conference Committee

Meet the team behind the conference, including the Chair, Convenor, and expert reviewers, whose leadership and insights ensure a successful event.

Prof. Anita Singh

Centre for Women’s Studies and Development
Banaras Hindu University
India

Conference Chair

Anita Singh is Professor in the Department of English & Co- coordinator, Centre for Women’s Studies and Development at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. She received Fulbright-Nehru Visiting Scholar Fellowship for the year 2013-2014 at the University of Virginia, USA. She was a Fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study at Shimla, India (2018–2020). Her book “Staging Feminisms: Gender, Violence and Performance” was published by Routledge in 2021. Her other recent publications include the two edited volumes Gender, Space, and Resistance: Women and Theatre in India, (2013) and Hero and Hero Worship: Fandom in Modern India (2020). She has completed a Major Research Project sanctioned by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, on “Staging Gender: Performing Women in Ramlila of Ramnagar”.

Dr. Singh has published interviews with Indian women performers in the Asian Theatre Journal, contributed in four chapters in the Routledge Handbook of Asian Theatre, ed. Siyuan Liu (2016), and was the Guest Editor for the special issue of the Journal Gender Issues (Springer) 2018. She has also served as the conference Chair for The Future of Women conference held in Malaysia (2018), Colombo, Sri Lanka (2019) and in Bangalore (2020) and is the President of The Asian-African Association for Women, Gender and Sexuality (AAAWGS).

STEERING COMMITTEE

Prof. Dr. Victoria P. Valenzuela

College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
Bulacan State University
Philippines

Biography

Prof. Dr. Victoria P. Valenzuela is a professor from the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy of the Bulacan State University where she also earned her Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. Her Master’s degree in Public Health majoring in Biostatistics with completed academic requirements was earned at the University of the Philippines, Manila. Her Master’s degree in Public Administration and Doctor of Public Administration were completed at the Bulacan State University. She earned her EXECUTIVE COURSE in Public Management Research 1) Public Management Research Design; and 2) Mentoring and Coaching in Writing a Research Study, at the Development Academy of the Philippines.

Among her work achievements include being the Dean of the Graduate School of this esteemed University from 2012 to 2016. For two years, she became the Director of the Community Affairs Office. She also had a short stint as the Executive Assistant to the University President of BulSU in 2016. She also became the Head of the Ugnay research component under the Research Management Office and served as the Head of Community Affairs at the University. Currently, she is the Research Coordinator at the Department of Public Administration and Governance, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, and a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Singapore in Public Administration.

Actively a Board member of the Association of Schools for Public Administration (ASPAP, Inc.), a member of the Philippine Society of Public Administration (PSPA) and East Regional Organization of Public Administration (EROPA), a former President of GEACCUP, now the Graduate Education Association of Public Higher Education Institutions (GEAPHEI). Presently, a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Multidisciplinary Applied Business and Education Research (IJMABER) and a Subject Matter Specialist (Research Reviewer for Division III) of the Bulacan State University.

Dr. Raha Sabet Sarvestany

School of History, Culture, and Arts at the Turku Institute for Advanced Studies (TIAS)
Finland

Biography

Dr. Raha Sabet Sarvestany is a scholar-activist with extensive experience across multiple countries in the areas of teaching, mentoring, counselling, research, and fieldwork. She holds a Ph.D. in Women’s Studies from the University of Pune, India, and currently serves as a Post-Doctoral Researcher and Lecturer in the School of History, Culture, and Arts at the Turku Institute for Advanced Studies (TIAS). Her academic career has included positions at the University of Turku and the University of Oslo, as well as academic engagements in Iran and India.

Her interdisciplinary research spans a broad range of topics, including gender, minority rights, migration, culture, religion, political religion, academic freedom, and social movements. While her primary regional focus has been Iran, she has also conducted significant research in India and across South Asia. Her work is grounded in a strong commitment to addressing pressing social issues through a multicultural and interdisciplinary framework.

Her current research focuses on migration and political activism in Middle Eastern countries, particularly in contexts governed by religious regimes. Taking a comparative approach, she seeks to explore the complex dynamics of political and social transformation in these settings. A central theme in her work is the examination of women from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, particularly their agency and constructive resilience as social activists or political prisoners.

Utilizing qualitative research methods, she analyzes personal narratives and cultural memory through interviews, diaries, documentaries, and political reports. Her work is driven by a deep commitment to uncovering the transformative power of lived experiences and to understanding how these narratives contribute to broader processes of societal change and development.

Prof. Alka Singh

Founder and Chair Women’s International Foundation &
Director Imperial Institute of Leadership and Strategy, Sri Lanka

Biography

Seroshi brings over 19 years of Marketing and Management experience, spanning both corporate and development landscapes. She has held leadership roles at CA Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Colombo School of Business and Management, MAS Intimates, and Hayleys. Her consultancy portfolio includes strategic engagements with renowned institutions such as Deloitte, Palladium, and UNDP, among others. Seroshi is widely recognized as a trusted global and national voice in Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, Strategy and Leadership, SME development, and Strategic Marketing.

Seroshi is also the Founder and Chair of the Women’s International Foundation (WIF)—a national platform that empowers women entrepreneurs through strategic business support, capacity building, and advocacy.

An award-winning academic, Seroshi holds a First-Class Honours degree in Marketing Management from the University of Sri Jayawardenepura, a Distinction-awarded MSc in Marketing from the University of Hertfordshire (UK), and executive education credentials from the National University of Singapore (NUS). Her academic grounding has not only shaped her own career but has empowered thousands through teaching, consulting, and mentoring.

Beyond her organizational impact, Seroshi serves on the Executive Committee of the Asia Small Business Federation – Sri Lanka Chapter, an active Rotarian at the Rotary Club of Colombo Uptown, and an Eisenhower Fellow being selected as one of only 22 women, globally selected for Women’s Leadership in 2024. She is also a Fellow of the Salzburg Global being part of an esteemed global network of leaders driving innovation and change.

Today, she stands as a beacon for strategic thinking in leadership—inspiring executives, entrepreneurs, and change-makers alike to think beyond the conventional and lead with vision, clarity, and impact.

Please join us in welcoming Seroshi Nandasiri, a catalyst for transformation through education, strategy, and leadership.

Pauline Kirk

Founder,
Femvestorsglobal.com,
Hong Kong

Prof. Alka Singh

Professor & Principal,
Vasanta College for Women,
India

Dr. Shakira Maxwell

Senior Programme Officer – Global Centres, Special Projects and Multilateral partnerships The University of the West Indies
Jamaica

Biography

Dr. Shakira Maxwell holds a PhD in Social Policy (with high commendation) from The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. Prior to joining the Office of Global Affairs she worked in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor and the Institute for Gender and Development Studies both at The UWI. She is also a former Programme Manager for the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI), a regional think tank which focuses on issues of national regional importance, first emerging out of Jamaica.
She has led a number of research projects in areas including health, policy research and gender advocacy. Dr. Maxwell is also the current President of the Board of Directors of the Jamaica Family Planning Association, one of the longest serving NGOs in the island which provides safe sexual and reproductive health services to some of the most vulnerable in society. She has published in areas including gender, female criminality and sexual and reproductive health.