Leading international education organisation, Room to Read, transforms the lives of millions of children through education, creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality. Since it was founded in 2000, the non-profit has deployed some US$850 million into improving foundational learning for children around the world.
CEO Dr Geetha Murali joined Room to Read in 2009 and has been a driving force behind the exponential scale of the organisation’s quality programs — achieving presence in 24 countries and benefiting more than 45 million children to date.
“Once you’re able to read, all of a sudden, the world opens up to you, and you can develop the learning pathways that can help you make good, informed choices” — Dr Geetha Murali.
The Power of Collective Action: Unlocking the Leverage of Multi-Sector Partnerships
Dr Murali will wrap up Day 2 of the Impact Investment Summit Asia Pacific next Thursday with a plenary speech exploring how collective impact models serve as a powerful framework for driving large-scale, evidence-based education solutions.
Born in New York, USA, Dr Murali was fortunate to grow up in a developed country with access to decent education. This was unlike her mother, who grew up in India where child marriage was the norm and her grandmothers were married at the ages of two and 14.
Dr Murali’s compelling personal history as the daughter of a potential child bride coupled with her corporate experience, academic background in the quantitative and social sciences, and community-based work give her a unique perspective on the socio-economic landscapes in which Room to Read operates, as well as the quantitative rigor and business acumen needed to lead this transformative movement.
Dr Murali has more than 25 years of diverse experience across the corporate and non-profit sectors, having worked with pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline and Chiron, and on an array of educational technology programs like the Digital Equalizer Program (American India Foundation) and Adobe Youth Voices (Adobe Systems Incorporated).
Today, Dr Murali oversees the resourcing of around 60 Room to Read offices and their implementation of high-quality literacy and gender equality programs, in partnership with various levels of government, through public school systems and community organisations. She is also responsible for a worldwide staff of 1,600 employees, and a global network of boards, investors and volunteer chapters.
Dr Murali’s commitment to ensuring measurable and scalable impact through robust technical design and operational excellence has been recognised by former first lady of the United States Michelle Obama, with both the first lady’s girls’ education initiatives, Let Girls Learn and Girls Opportunity Alliance, promoting Room to Read’s gender equality program as a role model for the sector.
Further, her efforts to scale literacy instruction, school library and private book publishing programs resulted in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation naming Room to Read as a Goalkeepers Accelerator in education.
During her career Dr Murali has revolutionised the sphere of public-private partnerships as a thought leader in international fundraising, marketing, public relations and communications for the social sector.
Impact Investment Summit Asia Pacific – Education Stream
As capital flows into education, understanding the promise and pitfalls of investment is crucial to optimising educational outcomes. But how do we bridge the gap between innovation and investment?
The Impact Investment Summit Asia Pacific 2025 will explore the key drivers shaping the future of education and the role investors play in unlocking its full potential. The Summit’s Education Stream on Day 2, next Thursday, will feature leading investment experts and key stakeholders in the edtech and education sector.
Jan Owen AM Hon DLitt will provide the keynote address, “The new learning and education revolution,” followed by three panel discussions as well as company presentations.
Panel 1: “The Future of Education and Work: from the classroom to Al”
- Edward Slade Managing Director, Schoolhouse Solutions (Moderator)
- Peter Mobbs Managing Partner, Five Sigma
- Andrew Barnes Co-Founder, Go1
- Nicole Dyson Founder & CEO, Future Anything
Panel 2: “Attracting capital to the education sector the promise and the pitfalls”
- Jan Owen AM Hon DLitt (Moderator)
- Mike Ilczynski Managing Director, Seek Investments
- Adam Milgrom Partner, Giant Leap
- Ben Clark Group Impact Adviser, Phillips Foundation
Panel 3: “Optimising educational outcomes”
- Jason Kimberley Founder, Cool Australia (Moderator)
- Karen Geloven CEO, Kip McGrath Australasia
- Jose Palmero CEO, 3P Learning
- Tanna Hardinge First Nations Education Specialist, Cool Australia
These panels will be followed by a series of presentations by companies and funds that provide solutions to the challenges discussed during the Education stream, with Dr Murali to provide the closing keynote.
You can register for the Summit at https://impactinvestmentsummit.com/