How CEO Of RICH Rashmi Pimpale Drives Innovation Through Science

Rashmi (Rohini) Pimpale, the CEO of Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH) has made it her mission to transform society for the better through research and innovation. RICH works towards bringing research institutions, academic institutions, start-ups, and governments onto the same platform to drive innovation.

Rashmi Pimpale got her start working as a pharmacist and worked in the pharma industry for more than 10 years before she joined RICH. She joined RICH in 2017, the year it was founded, and worked her way up from director of life sciences to CEO.

As CEO, Pimpale has supervised three areas - Food and Agriculture, Life Sciences, and Sustainability, and oversaw RICH support's to more than 200 start-ups, fostered collaborations with more than 30 research and academic institutions, and enabled more than 15 partnerships with development associations.

Pimpale says, "It is important to build alliances across the ecosystem because you need different expertise and organisational strengths to pull off what we are doing."

SheThePeople got the opportunity to speak with Rashmi Pimpale about her journey from pharmacist to CEO, how RICH brings a societal change in India, the importance of promoting women in STEM, and how leaders must provide a positive environment without discrimination.

Rashmi Pimpale Interview

From Pharmacist To CEO

Rashmi Pimpale worked in the pharma industry for over a decade before they joined RICH as the Director of Life Sciences in 2017. 4 years later, she rose through the ranks to become the CEO and now oversees the launch of various projects across their verticals - Food and Agriculture, Life Sciences, and Sustainability.

When one moves to higher positions of responsibilities, it is inevitable to encounter differences in opinions, strong biases, and a lot of unwarranted behaviour. In dealing with such situations, I have always found it useful to have a calm demeanour, to step back, objectively analyse the situation, and then respond rather than react. I believe this is the most positive way of influencing people.

Pimpale added that she was grateful to be in a position where through RICH, she is able to contribute towards research, innovation, and socio-economic development in India.

RICH And Societal Change

RICH's Hyderabad City Knowledge and Innovation Cluster is an initiative spearheaded by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Indian government in partnership with the Telangana government.

The aim of the initiative is to set up an ecosystem through which innovators transform scientific research into solutions which create social good and generate wealth and employment.

Rashmi Pimpale also gave the example of RICH's Project Tej, which helps entrepreneurs test their MedTech products in practical settings. They've also contributed to projects such as Indian Cancer Genome Atlas, where scientists generate data on various cancer types and mutations and learn about their clinical implications.

Recently, RICH launched the Women in STEM programme, a holistic scholarship and mentoring programme that promotes the STEM education and skill development of marginalised female students across the nation.

Pimpale said, "With every project, we aim to create sustainable solutions for varied societal problems and contribute to nation-building."

Launch event for the Scholarship and Mentorship Programme for Women in STEM Education and Careers

Suggested Reading: International Women In Engineering Day: A Lot Needs To Be Done To Level The Field

Promoting Women In STEM

In India, nearly half (43 percent) of the total graduates in STEM are women, which is one of the highest in the world. However, only 14 percent of scientists, engineers, and technologists in research development in institutions and universities are women.

This drastic decline is the reason why promoting women in STEM is imperative.

Rashmi Pimpale said, "Rising education levels in the country are not translating to better employment for women in STEM fields. Rather than a question of entry into the field, it is a question of retention."

Women face many issues—gender bias at the workplace, the pressure to follow traditionally ‘feminine’ roles at home which prevents them from being able to focus on their careers, lower salaries, lack of research opportunities, among so many others.

That's where the Scholarship and Mentorship Programme for Women in STEM steps in.

Rashmi Pimpale described it as "our humble step towards ensuring that more women pursue careers in STEM".

RICH launched the programme in collaboration with Syngene and the Biocon Foundation. The programme sponsors and mentors marginalised women STEM students for a period of 3-6 months. The female students are given internship opportunities to premier Research and Development (R&D) institutions or industries and receive a monthly stipend.

According to Pimpale, "We want to initiate one-on-one interactions between these students and women scientists from all over India. Ultimately, our main goal is to create a self-sustaining network of women in STEM who are able to empower each other and visualise STEM as a sustainable career option. "

Advice To Women

When Pimpale was asked what her advice was for young women who want to become leaders and build careers in STEM, she said, "It heartens me to see that today there are so many women who want to become leaders and build careers in STEM and and other fields. This means that even though there is a long way to go, we are moving in the right direction. I hope this number keeps increasing!"

She gave one piece of vital advice to women, "Don’t be afraid to present your opinions and don’t hesitate to showcase your work. Keep yourself updated with new learnings and skills, and be perseverant in your efforts of achieving your goals."

Rashmi Pimpale added that in her experience, if somebody is sincere and thorough in their work, empathetic, and willing to take people along with you, then they build credibility and trust for themselves and their work.

Discrimination Against Women

Rashmi Pimpale says, "I think most women, at some point in their lives, face gender-based bias and discrimination at the workplace. In most cases, there are subtle and indirect ways in which these play out, and they can be very difficult to identify and deal with."

She added that while she could easily talk about gender-directed roles in the pharma industry and how there is a long way to go, she believes that it's more important to recognise that organisations are slowly starting to realise the importance of gender diversity and making safe environments for women.

Pimpale signed off by saying, "In my organisation, I recognise that it is my responsibility to use the influence that comes with my position to ensure that we provide a work environment that is conducive to the growth of women, makes considerations the unique social challenges that they face, and helps them move ahead in their career journey."