Transforming businesses and communities through sustainable inclusion frameworks
Bhuva Shakti (she/her) is the founder and CEO of Wallet Max, empowering executive women and venture capital investors to fund sustainable startups.
With an MBA from Columbia University and three decades as a senior Wall Street executive, Bhuva has led financial portfolios, digital transformation products, and risk governance during major global crises. She serves as USA Country Director for World Business Angels Investment Forum, Chief Ethics & Culture Officer for Women in AI, and founder of Bhuva’s Impact Global.
A board director and keynote speaker, she champions economic inclusion, climate-fintech partnerships, and fundraising strategies for social impact businesses.
Photo Credit: Christian Fiore
Bhuva’s Speaking Engagements
November 7, 2025
She Leads: Women Entrepreneurs & Business Leaders Conference
The Art and Science of Bold Leadership and Policy Innovation
New York, USA
October 22, 2025
Europe Climate Week: World Conference on Climate Change & Sustainability
Transforming businesses and communities through sustainable inclusion frameworks
Milan, Italy
September 19, 2025
Wallet Max Emerald Summit 2025: Funding Climate Startups
Connecting executive women, sustainable startups, and impact investors.
New York, USA
June 5, 2025
NYC Tech Week: Chief AI Officer Summit
Scaling your AI Integration Ethically: How to Navigate Multiple Regulations for Global Expansion
New York, USA
April 26, 2025
WorxK: Rx for Career Success Summit
Mastering the Unknown: What I Learned as a Life-Long Risk Taker
Virtual
April 22, 2025
ICCPC: International Conference on Business, Health and Climate
Empowering Executive Women and Venture Capitalists to Fund Sustainable Startups
Quebec, Canada
March 28, 2025
International Leadership Week: Future Forward
Transforming Ethical Governance and Corporate Culture Strategies in the Age of AI
New York, USA
March 22, 2025
Rise Together: Celebrating Women Changing the World Summit
The Art and Science of Bold Leadership and Policy Innovation
Virtual
March 18, 2025
Women of Influence: Leadership in Ethical AI and Cultural AI
Transforming Ethical Governance and Corporate Culture Strategies in the Age of AI
Virtual
March 7, 2025
SXSW Conference (South by Southwest: Climate & Sustainability Track)
Transforming Business & Communities with Sustainable Inclusion
Austin, USA
March 4, 2025
CXO 2.0 Conference
From Vision to Victory: Women Leaders Changing the Game in Business
Las Vegas, USA
January 24, 2025
World Economic Forum: Collaboration for the Intelligent Age
The Digital Economist: Derisking Impact Investments by Maximizing Profitability and Sustainability
Davos, Switzerland
January 23, 2025
World Economic Forum: Collaboration for the Intelligent Age
WHEN (Women's Health & Empowerment Network): $500 Million Fund Launch for Health, Electrification, and Telecommunications
Davos, Switzerland
January 20, 2025
World Economic Forum: Collaboration for the Intelligent Age
The Digital Economist: Transforming Ethical Governance and Corporate Culture Strategies in the Age of AI
Davos, Switzerland
November 14, 2024
TEDx Women: Rethinking Failures - Risk & Compliance
Challenging Traditions: My lessons as an outsider (and a woman of color) on Wall Street for 20 years
New York, USA
September 20, 2024
Wallet Max Emerald Summit 2024: Funding Climate Startups
Connecting executive women, sustainable startups, and impact investors.
New York, USA
April 11, 2024
Data Universe Conference: Tech at the Fringe
Radical Transformation in Society
New York, USA
April 11, 2024
Data Universe Conference: Emerging Tech, Society, and Ethics
Generative AI - Inclusive Design
New York, USA
April 11, 2024
Data Universe Conference: Ethical Algorithms
Data in the Age of Generative AI
New York, USA
October 27, 2023
Wallet Max Emerald Summit 2023: Eco-Business Network
Circular Economy: How to transition into a greener, cheaper and simpler lifestyle In Celebration of "Make a Difference" Day
New York, USA
October 18, 2023
Women in AI Awards North America: Awards Recognition
Scaling your AI Integration Ethically: How to Navigate Multiple Regulations for Global Expansion
Toronto, Canada
September 22, 2023
World Business Angels Investment Forum
Columbia Venture Community: Climate Tech Entrepreneurship For Smart Sustainable Cities
New York, USA
World-Class Companies and Causes We're Proud to have been Connected with
Bhuva's Speaking Topics
Transforming businesses and communities through sustainable inclusion frameworks - for businesses on sustainable and ESG transformation
The Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework empowers businesses to evaluate and address risks linked to financial investments and the resources allocated for sustainable transformation.
In particular, advancing women's financial inclusion alongside ethical corporate governance is essential for repairing and regenerating our planet. Organizations can begin their sustainability journey from where they currently stand, without requiring exhaustive analysis or strategies to initiate a culture of sustainability within their policies, workforce, and partner networks.
This presentation will outline a practical approach, a clear roadmap, and metrics for fostering sustainable business practices. It will also include risk management frameworks designed to mitigate uncertainties in impact investments while maintaining a balance between profitability and scalable impact.
Technology plays a pivotal role in accelerating sustainable transformation, offering tools to measure progress quantitatively. By tying sustainability efforts to revenue generation and embedding continuous improvement practices, businesses can scale their global operations more effectively and efficiently.
The session will emphasize how organizations can prioritize actionable steps that align with both short-term goals and long-term sustainability objectives. By adopting a pragmatic yet strategic focus, businesses can make meaningful contributions to a more sustainable future while driving innovation and inclusive growth.
Derisking Impact Investments by Maximizing Profitability and Sustainability - for investors and fintech audiences
In this thought-provoking session, Bhuva draws on her extensive experience as a Wall Street investor and venture capitalist to illuminate the strategies behind successful impact investing. With a deep commitment to aligning financial returns with measurable social and environmental outcomes, Bhuva demonstrates how to navigate the complexities of balancing profitability with sustainability.
Attendees will gain actionable insights into:
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Risk Management in Impact Investing: Proven methodologies for identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks unique to mission-driven ventures.
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Profitability Strategies: Techniques to ensure impact-focused companies achieve robust financial performance without compromising their values.
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Sustainability Metrics: How to evaluate and scale investments that drive long-term, meaningful change while meeting market expectations.
Bhuva’s personal stories and case studies from her career managing diverse portfolios will inspire investors, entrepreneurs, and stakeholders to rethink how they approach impact investing—transforming it into a powerful tool for both financial growth and global betterment.
Transforming Ethical Governance and Corporate Culture Strategies in the Age of AI - for AI and compliance audiences
This talk explores how the rise of artificial intelligence is reshaping ethical governance and corporate culture. As organizations integrate AI into their operations, they face new challenges and opportunities in maintaining compliance, ensuring ethical decision-making, and fostering a culture of accountability.
Key points covered include:
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The Evolving Landscape of Ethical Governance:
The speaker examines how AI's capabilities necessitate updated regulatory frameworks and ethical standards, emphasizing proactive rather than reactive compliance measures. -
Integrating AI in Corporate Culture:
The discussion highlights strategies for embedding ethical AI practices into a company’s values, including employee education, transparent AI policies, and leadership accountability. -
Mitigating Risks:
With AI's potential to amplify biases or generate unintended consequences, the talk addresses risk assessment techniques and tools, such as bias detection, algorithmic audits, and explainability features. -
Leveraging AI for Better Compliance:
AI can enhance compliance efforts by automating monitoring processes, identifying potential breaches, and improving reporting accuracy. Real-world examples showcase the efficiency of AI in detecting fraud, managing data privacy, and maintaining regulatory adherence. -
The Role of Collaboration:
Emphasizing cross-disciplinary partnerships, the speaker advocates for collaboration between technologists, ethicists, legal experts, and policymakers to shape sustainable AI governance.
The session concludes with actionable recommendations for companies to lead ethically in the AI age, balancing innovation with responsibility while building trust among stakeholders.
Scaling your AI Integration Ethically: How to Navigate Multiple Regulations for Global Expansion - for businesses using AI
Key topics include:
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Understanding the Regulatory Landscape:
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U.S. Perspective: The U.S. led the charge with its first-ever AI-focused Executive Order, outlining guidelines for safe and ethical AI development, ensuring transparency, data privacy, and bias mitigation.
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EU Frameworks: Explore the European Union’s AI Act, a pioneering regulatory framework emphasizing risk-based AI classification, accountability, and citizen protection.
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Global Mandates: Learn about the emerging international consensus, including standards set by the OECD and AI-specific policies in regions like Asia and the Middle East.
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Preparing Your Organization:
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Conducting a regulatory gap analysis to ensure alignment with U.S. laws, such as NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework, and international standards.
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Implementing AI governance models, including bias audits, data ethics boards, and algorithmic transparency practices.
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Educating employees and leadership on ethical AI usage and compliance.
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Scaling AI Ethically:
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How to build scalable AI models that prioritize fairness, inclusivity, and accountability.
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Best practices for managing cross-border AI operations in compliance with varying regulations.
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Leveraging compliance-friendly AI tools to streamline governance.
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Looking Ahead:
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Preparing for the next wave of regulatory updates and global harmonization efforts.
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Strategies to stay ahead of AI ethics trends, ensuring both innovation and trust.
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This session equips attendees with the knowledge and tools to confidently integrate and scale AI in a way that aligns with ethical principles and evolving regulations, positioning their organizations for long-term success in a rapidly advancing AI-driven world.
Mastering the Unknown: What I Learned as a Life-Long Risk Taker - for C-level leadership audiences
When advancing your career and driving impactful change, embracing calculated risks is essential. As the first young woman in my South Indian village to challenge traditions, pursue an education, and emigrate to the U.S. with just $80, I’ve been navigating risks since I was 14. These experiences shaped my journey to advising the National AI Advisory Council under President Biden, steering a historic bank through bankruptcy during the 2008 financial crisis, and serving as a risk advisor for leading global banks and credit rating institutions. My work has also influenced policies and regulations guiding responsible technology adoption worldwide. In my talk, I’ll share actionable insights and a proven framework to assess when taking a risk is the right move. You'll learn strategies to build confidence, sharpen decision-making, and master the art of taking calculated risks to accelerate your career and drive meaningful impact.
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3 Key Takeaways:
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The 3 step framework I use to evaluate whether to take a risk
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The decision making skills needed in order to move forward with a calculated risk
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Why embracing risk is essential to advancing your career
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The Art and Science of Bold Leadership and Policy Innovation - for C-level leadership audiences and policy makers
When leading the public and driving policy change for the next generation, you have to be ready to take big risks. As the first young woman in my South Indian village to challenge traditions, get an education, and then to emigrate to the United States with $80 in my pocket, I've been taking risks since the age of 14. I went on to advise the National AI Advisory Council under President Biden, lead one of the oldest banks in the world through bankruptcy during the 2008 global financial crisis, and become a risk governance advisor for some of the world’s top banks and financial institutions. I have also been actively involved in influencing ethics policies and new regulations for responsible adoption of technology by public and private corporations worldwide.
Research published in Current Directions in Psychological Science shares that men often engage in higher levels of risk-taking in financial, recreational, and physical domains, but women exhibit more willingness to take social risks that prioritize people and the planet along with profits, which makes many women ideal candidates for running for public office and driving systemic change. In my talk, I'll share my 3-part framework for discerning whether taking a risk is the right move in any given situation, how you can hone your calculated risk-taking skills, and how to navigate the unknowns.
From Vision to Victory: Women Leaders Changing the Game in Business - for women leaders in any sector
Research shows that the gender gap is widening, not shrinking. One needs only to look at the last Presidential election as an example: Harris's decisive loss was found to be a gendered decision. Join Bhuva Shakti in an eye-opening discussion on the growing gender gap and its profound impact on business, leadership, and society. Drawing from global studies and her own experiences as a Wall Street veteran and venture capitalist, Bhuva unpacks the complexities of gender dynamics in today’s world and highlights the critical role of women leaders in driving progress.
Key highlights include:
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The Gender Gap by the Numbers: Insights from studies by The Economist and OECD reveal stark generational divides in attitudes toward women’s equality, with Gen Z men significantly less supportive of women’s advancement compared to Gen X.
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Challenges in Leadership and Funding: Women-led businesses receive less than 2% of VC funding post-pandemic, with even steeper disparities for women of color. Bhuva explores the systemic biases that hinder women in leadership and investment spaces.
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Global Trends and Democracy: Examining how gender gaps have influenced pivotal moments in history, including Brexit and political shifts in global democracies, where men’s perceptions of competition with women have shaped outcomes.
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The Path Forward: Despite women’s achievements in education and leadership, societal resistance persists. Bhuva emphasizes the importance of collaboration, allyship, and shared success across genders to create a more equitable future.
Key Takeaways:
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Understand the historical context of women’s progress and why equality is not a threat but an opportunity for societal growth.
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Discover how women’s success creates a ripple effect, benefiting everyone.
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Learn actionable strategies to bridge the gender gap and foster collaboration between men and women.
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Embrace the idea that when women succeed, we all succeed—and how male allies can be pivotal in this journey.
This candid and data-driven conversation challenges stereotypes, inspires change, and calls for a united approach to creating a future where leadership and opportunities are accessible to all.
$84 Trillion Generational Shift: How Women Are Uniting Communities with the Great Wealth Transfer - for women leaders in any sector
Over the next decade, women will control more than $84 trillion in wealth, marking the largest generational wealth transfer in history. With Gen X and Millennial women prioritizing impact-driven investing, sustainability, and financial due diligence, this shift is set to transform venture capital, corporate leadership, and economic power worldwide.
In this talk, Bhuva Shakti explores what this means for women in business—how they can position themselves as investors, leaders, and change-makers in this new financial era. From funding the next generation of startups to reshaping boardrooms with empathy-driven leadership, women are not just inheriting wealth—they are redesigning the future of finance, investment, innovation, and inclusion.
