Varsha Waishampayan knew she had a good idea 10 years ago, when she founded Wings for Growth, a nonprofit aimed at helping mid-career women advance through mentorship.
She just didn’t know if she would be able to convince others.
Having just turned 50 — and having seen the hurdles she had overcome while climbing the corporate ladder at PwC, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and CitiGroup — Waishampayan said she wanted to help others do the same. Even if it were only a few women and for a few months.
“Honestly, I thought I would soon be back in corporate America,” she said.
On Dec. 30, she and a group of Wings supporters helped ring the closing bell at Nasdaq, a perfect ending to a year that has seen Wings grow beyond Waishampayan’s wildest dreams.
The organization not only has graduated more than 125 women from various cohorts through the year, but it also has started a Global Mentorship Institute to bring the program around the world.
In the process, Wings has attracted a who’s who list of supporters from a variety of sectors: C-suite leaders from PwC, Novartis, Capital One, IBM and Priceline came from around the country and around the world to help her celebrate.
All of this helped her reach one other important milestone: Financial sustainability.
“For the first time I’m comfortable saying we have a sustainable organization,” she said. “After years of relying on volunteer and goodwill of others, I can finally hire people.”
The impact already is showing.
Wings will start its next cohort in March, where two dozen women are expected to get training in the seven-month leadership program built around weekly one hour mentor meetings that teach women how to network, how to lead, how to advance in corporate America — and how to overcome imposter syndrome.
“We are able to help female leaders in so many ways,” Waishampayan said.
Don’t be confused, this is not an all-women affair. Many of the program’s mentors — and earliest supporters — are men.
“That’s really important,” Waishampayan said.
The next cohort will start before the previous cohort, which started last fall, is complete — the first time Wings has managed two groups at once.
“I never thought we would be able to do something like this, but now we can,” Waishampayan said.
They can because of corporate support, which keeps growing.
JLL, after having a C-suite executive attend a Wings graduation ceremony, was so impressed that it has signed up nearly a dozen women to be in the program.
And while Wings is grateful for the support of big companies, Waishampayan stresses that Wings is open to all, regardless of whether you want to be a mentor, a mentee — or just be a part of the growing list of supporters.
Waishampayan said one of her biggest thrills is seeing that the more people hear about the organization, the more they want to help it.
That’s how Wings ended up at Nasdaq, for the third time.
Waishampayan and a group of supporters rang the closing bell on Jan. 2 of 2024, too. They also came back during the year — and already have been booked for another appearance this spring.
Waishampayan said she is especially grateful for the support of Nasdaq exec Michael Sector.
“He keeps bringing us back; he keeps allowing us to tell our story,” she said.
It’s a story that’s been going far longer — and having far greater impact — than she ever imagined.
