As the General Manager of the Capital Region Urban Transport in Bhubaneswar, India, she has been an exemplary leader in transforming the city’s aging public-private transport service into a more accessible, cleaner, and greener system with benefits for women and poor urban neighbourhoods.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my State Government of Odisha, India, and thank the entire team for their support.  Recognitions like these inspire us to strive harder in our common goal of creating sustainable, inclusive, and resilient societies,” said Dipti Mahapatro at the global ceremony in Balikesir.

All the work of Ms. Mahapatro has inclusion, safety, and innovation at its heart. Her vision of a public bus transport service created transformative social and economic developments for women in Bhubaneswar.

She used people-centered data and technological solutions to upgrade an ailing public-private partnership transport company. As a result, Bhubaneswar has a reliable and inclusive public service that can be replicated in other parts of the world.