Bio
Rhea is a Brooklyn based design and product strategist interested in applying the principles of human centered design, systems thinking, and behavioral science to build high impact, scalable solutions for values-driven organizations.
Originally from Mumbai (India), Rhea is currently the Senior Director of Product Management at Sayari, a Washington DC-based technology company and commercial risk intelligence platform, built to provide worldwide visibility into the relationships between businesses and individuals. She also serves part time as an advisor to Studio Jayne, a design and innovation studio working on projects that address gender-based violence, reproductive rights, sex trafficking, and advancing rights for women and girls.
Deeply committed to social and environmental justice, Rhea has focused both her education and career on international development and design for social impact. She has over 12 years of experience working in communications, marketing, and product design with social businesses in India and the United States. She holds a BA in Economics from Vassar, an MSc in Development Studies from the London School of Economics, and an MFA in Design for Social Innovation from the School of Visual Arts.
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Curriculum Vitae
Professional Experience
January 2023 - Present Sayari, Senior Director of Product Management New York
April 2021 - Present Studio Jayne, Product Advisor New York
June 2017 - June 2022 Sourcemap, Senior Director of Product New York
June 2015 - May 2017 Project JUST, Head of Product New York / Mumbai
June 2015 - December 2015 Acumen, Short Term Associate New York
September 2014 UN Social Goods Summit, Design Fellow New York
October 2009 - July 2013 SMHFC Ltd, Marketing & Communications Manager Mumbai
November 2007 - July 2008 Swadhaar FinServe Pvt Ltd, Associate Mumbai
July 2007 - October 2007 Vogue India, Marketing & Events, Vogue India Launch Mumbai
Mentoring & Volunteer Experience
April 2021 - June 2021 UNDP Chief Digital Office, Digital X Scale Accelerator Mentor New York
April 2021 - December 2021 AIGA New York, Early Career Mentor New York
Education
October 2022 Parsons School of Design, Executive Learning Certificate: Innovation Fast Track
September 2013 - May 2015 School of Visual Arts, MFA Design for Social Innovation (Honors)
Paula Rhodes Memorial Award for Exceptional Achievement in Design for Social Innovation
September 2008 - September 2009 London School of Economics, MSc Development Studies (Distinction)
Emile Louise Wells Fellowship to aid in the advancement of knowledge of economics and social justice
September 2003 - May 2007 Vassar College, BA Economics (Honors)
General Honors, Departmental Honors, Omicron Delta Epsilon (NY Chapter)
Exhibitions
January 2014 Putting It All on the Table, SVA Design for Social Innovation, Gramercy Gallery
Speaking Engagements
Guest Lectures MFA Design for Social Innovation, School of Visual Arts (2019, 2020, 2021); MFA Communication Design, Pratt Institute (2019); Introduction to Interaction Design, University of Baltimore (2019)
Talks / Panels Webinar 7.8: A Roadmap to Achieving 100% Transparency, Hecho por Nosotros (2020); Manhattan Hack League (2020); Sustainability Nexus x University of Edinburgh Program on Sustainable Fashion (2018); Sustainable Brands New Metrics Bootcamp (2017)
Skills & Certifications
Design User centred design research, design facilitation, systems mapping, wireframing, storyboarding, prototyping, UI / UX design, data visualization and mapping
Product Product management, technical spec-writing, quality assurance and testing
Technical Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, InVision, Miro, Mural, Notion, Airtable, Jira, Asana, Zendesk, Smartsheets, Microsoft 365, Google Suite, Google Analytics, Tableau, Squarespace, CSS
Languages English, Hindi, Bengali, Spanish