Sujitra Jayaseelan has bagged Outstanding Women Leadership Award

Sujitra Jayaseelan has bagged Outstanding Women Leadership Award

• August 18, 2021

Profile of Sujitra Jayaseelan @Sujietra, 46 

Born in Malaysia, 1975, Sujitra Jayaseelan @Sujietra is the eldest of 3 siblings who comes with a rich and varied experience in the field of arts, education and community development. She graduated with a BSc in Applied Chemistry from the University of Malaya. While she started her career as a teacher, she founded and managed an educational institution called Students’ Studio thereafter. Her passion for people and community work led her to the position of Programme Director at the Malaysian Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development. 

Sujietra then moved to the corporate sector where she led the corporate foundations of a multinational corporation QI Group, was Head of CSR for the public listed Malaysian company RHBBanking Group and later was also appointed as the Executive Director of United Nations Global Compact in Malaysia, before embarking on an entrepreneurial pursuit with her own company, House of CSR Sdn Bhd. In her tenure working in the corporations, she had been instrumental in designing and implementing impactful initiatives which led her to be awarded as a recipient of the'100 Most Impactful CSR Leaders (Global Listing)' by the World CSR Congress in 2017. 

She has repeated success guiding sizeable, cross-functional foundation and organizational development teams in the design, redesign, and launch of leading-edge international priorities. Sujietra has talent for launching and promoting programs that demonstrate strong Environmental, Social, and Governance awareness. She is an expert presenter, negotiator, and businessperson; able to forge solid relationships with partners and build consensus across multiple organizational levels. She is also a sought after speaker and presenter in CSR and Social Entrepreneurship events. 

Her recent innovative venture to start up Green Patch Academy during the pandemic in 2020hadgained many praises. Green Patch Academy is an online after-school center which caters education to wholly develop and enrich children's after school hours which is unique in its approach and emerged very quickly during the most needed time to support children in their education. The Academy is guided by the Sustainable Development Goals which enables learners to take informed decisions and responsible actions for environmental integrity, understand economic function and a just society, for present and future generations. 

Sujietra received the ‘Outstanding Edupreneur of the Year’ Award at the World Education Leaders Summit and Awards 2021 on 7th of March 2021 by INCEED (International Centre for Excellence in Education) and SPACE (Society for Perpetuation of Art, Culture & Education). 

Arts is a big part of Sujietra’s life. She has been trained in Carnatic music since the tender age of 3. She started her training with the late Shri Subramaniam of Sungai Petani, Malaysia and later continued her training with the late Srimathi Vijayalakshmi Kulaveerasingamin Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

She made headlines as ‘Murid Bersuara Emas’(Student with a Golden Voice) in a local magazine in 1983. She also has natural talent in acting and won the Selangor Best Actor Award in 1990. The multi-talented, was awarded the coveted gold medal in the year 1993 in the National Hymns Singing Competition. 

Sujietra and her sisters were also the vocalists for the groundbreaking devotional album ‘Tulasi’ which rejuvenated the Malaysian music industry with their brand of reggae-fused Carnatic music. Tulasi’s debut album remains a bestseller to this day. Other albums by the sisters include Vrnda(2007), Deiveega Ragam (2014) and Nadaraja Patthu (2015). In November 2012, their album ‘Vrnda’ was awarded the ‘Best Vocal Group’ by the US Global Music Awards.

Sujitra’s career and passion revolves around non-profit work. SUGAM, a niche non-profit organisation she established with her sisters in 2003 that marries her lifelong love for performing arts and her passion to transform lives. 

SUGAM comprises Sugam Culture & Heritage Foundation which aims at societal transformation through arts and culture and its two teaching schools, namely, Sugam Karnatica which is dedicated to the development of children and youth by providing quality and affordable arts education for all and Sugam Samkshaaraa for the dissemination of vedic values to the younger generation. 

Her portfolio in SUGAM, Sujietra is the Founding President of the Foundation and Executive Director of Sugam Karnatica. Sujietra is the visionary behind SUGAM. Her recent brain child is the Malaysia International Carnatic Music Festival (MYICMF), the first virtual festival in 2020with13participating countries, 319 participants and 68 concerts. Sujietra dedicates her weekends teaching Carnatic Vocal and Vedic education for young children. 

Sujietra also holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Malaya and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from University of Southern Queensland, Australia. She is also a Certified Professional CSR Manager by the Malaysian Institute of Management and a Certified Sustainability Reporting Specialist by the National Centre for Sustainability Reporting, Indonesia. She is currently pursuing her PHD in Educational Management and Policy. 

Sujietra is married to Raj Kumar and has two daughters aged 17 and 8. 

“I am truly humbled to receive the Outstanding Woman Leadership Award by Women Icon powered by Times Women”. 

This spirit of giving back is deeply ingrained within Sujitra’s life and the lives that she touches. “The proof of our living is what we give back. It's never in the taking,” she says. “The universe provides us the air and sun light for free. If we just take and never give back, we are thieves. We must payback our debts to the universe, our forefathers and the community.”