Born in the southern Indian city of Bangalore, Pavithra Chandra liked competing with the boys in intense neighborhood cricket matches. Maintaining this competitive drive and work ethic, Pavithra became a successful basketball player, representing her country on the national team from 1997 to 2001. Despite her successes, she always felt frustrated by the lack of organized training and attention given to the women’s game. She felt that female players were not encouraged to pursue sports as a viable career option. Furthermore, the cultural pressure from Indian parents to prioritize academics meant that most teenagers, male and female, either dropped sports altogether or approached it as a secondary hobby. After retiring from competition, Pavithra decided to “be the change” for her community.

In 2008, she launched B7 Sports Management, where she is driven to change the perception of women’s sports in Bangalore and throughout India. “We work in consulting, event management, and run a sports academy,” Pavithra says. Today, she has worked with more than 14,000 youth members of B7 Sports to teach the value of gender equity, leadership, conflict resolution, and teambuilding.