When urogynaecologist Dr Aparna Hedge was a resident at a Mumbai government hospital, she had witnessed too many morbid scenarios at the time of delivering babies. Sometimes, these tragedies could have been prevented but mortality persisted due to a lack of resources. This became a motivation for her to start ARMMAN in 2008. The maternal and child NGO is focused on improving health through the use of low-cost technology—like reaching pregnant women and new mothers with information through their cellphones, especially in rural areas, via programs like 'mMitra' and ‘Kilkari'. 

That effort to give back has also recently placed her among Fortune magazine’s World’s 50 Greatest Leaders. The list includes names such as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, US voting rights activist and politician Stacey Abrams, and Serum Institute of India head Adar Poonawalla. Hegde had no idea that she was going to make it to the top 20 (her rank is 15). “I knew I was among the finalists. My team informed me,” she says, adding that she feels surprised and humbled because her work has been recognised on an international platform.