Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Dr. Malvika Iyer is an award-winning disability rights activist, motivational speaker, and model for accessible fashion. Her journey began in the aftermath of a devastating bomb blast at the age of 13, which resulted in the loss of both her hands and severe damage to her legs. This life-altering incident became the foundation of her powerful mission: to advocate for disability rights, mental health, and inclusive design. Recognized internationally, Dr. Iyer’s work has been featured in over 200 media outlets including major newspapers, television interviews, magazines, and books. She has been named one of the 100 Change Agents and Newsmakers of the Decade for her relentless commitment to creating an inclusive society. Honors and Awards Include: • Nari Shakti Puraskar, the highest civilian honor for women in India, presented by the President of India • Selected as Woman Achiever to take over the social media accounts of the Prime Minister of India on Women’s Day • Women in the World Emerging Leaders Award, in association with The New York Times • Chairperson at the World Economic Forum’s India Economic Summit • Standing ovation at the United Nations CSW 61 • Named in Diversity Impact 50, Detroit • Young Achievers Award by the National Association of Professional Social Workers in India • Honored by President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam • Inspiring Young Changemaker, CSR Journal Excellence Awards • She-Age Award, Hindustan Times With over a decade of experience in public speaking, Dr. Iyer has delivered compelling keynotes, TEDx talks, and workshops across the globe—touching audiences in the USA, India, Norway, Indonesia, Singapore, South Africa, and beyond. Her storytelling blends lived experience with scholarship, resonating with students, professionals, and policymakers alike. She has addressed more than 250 educational institutions, corporations, NGOs, and global forums, making her voice a vital force in conversations on accessibility, gender equity, and mental health. A distinguished academic, Dr. Iyer holds extensive experience in research, teaching, training, and curriculum design. Her ability to translate academic theory into relatable narratives makes her an effective educator and trainer. She is a recipient of the prestigious UGC-NET and Junior Research Fellowship (JRF). From surviving trauma to shaping global conversations on inclusion, Dr. Malvika Iyer continues to inspire millions to rise beyond limitations—with courage, authenticity, and unshakable hope. Contact: 📧 [email protected]
- Keynote speaker at the Global Leader Series for Non- Profits (Singapore), Building Disability-Inclusive Post COVID 19 World (World Bank), Sustainable Valley Festival (Norway), 23rd Youth Assembly: Empowering Youth for Global Development at New York University (USA), CIVICUS World Assembly (South Africa), 3rd Regional Dialogue on Enabling Accessible Elections (Indonesia), Austin Inclusion Summit (Texas), WE Movement (Canada), Women Entrepreneurship Program (NITI Aayog & United Nations India), Anything is Possible: Tsangs Group (Hong Kong), Transworld (Dubai), Marvell Semiconductor (California), GEMS New Millennium School (Dubai), Indiaspora Global Forum (New York), AYUDH Americas (Chicago), ICAI (Bahrain), Fractal Analytics (New Jersey), Indian School Wadi Kabir (Muscat), PayPal, IBM, Shell, Tesco, ByteDance, Société Générale, Capgemini, Citi, AXA Business Service, Volvo, Valtech, Aristocrat, Reckitt Benckiser, J K Cement, Indian Oil, Aptiv, Novo Nordisk, SBI Insurance, Diageo, General Mills, United Breweries Limited, Flex, Technicolor, Mahindra University, and Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. - Conducted online campaigns with Greater Los Angeles Chapter - USNC for UN Women, She Says, U.S. Consulate General Mumbai, Sayfty, Youth Ki Awaaz, Centre for Social Research, The Better India, and Sheroes to create awareness on positive body image and elimination of discriminatory attitudes towards differently-abled individuals. - In an interview with UN Women, Malvika said “as a motivational speaker, I’ve spoken through different platforms around the world, but my greatest accomplishment is making a difference in the lives of people I’ve come across and influencing them in a positive way. They always come back to tell me that they felt hopeful and were inspired to stop complaining and start living their lives to the fullest. I feel that I have been given a second chance at life and I must use this gift to help people understand that we must never give up in life”.
- Involved in shaping the agenda of the summit, spoke at the opening and closing plenaries, participated in the press-conference along with union cabinet ministers and business leaders namely Ajay S. Banga, President and Chief, Executive Officer, Mastercard, USA, Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Coal of India, Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister of Textiles, Information and Broadcasting of India, Young Global Leader, Karan Johar, Head, Dharma Productions, India and Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, India, and Dipali Goenka, Chief Executive Officer and Joint Managing Director, Welspun Global Brands, India. - Featured in World Economic Forum ‘A bilateral amputee offers a lesson on resilience’ for creating awareness on inclusion and amplifying the voices of youth.
Member of the inaugural Election Committee of the Global Shapers Community. - Review the election results submitted by Hubs to make sure that a transparent and open process was followed and that there were no violations. In the case of complaints and grievances, recommend a course of action for a particular Hub, based on the Global Shapers Community Charter and the Election Guidelines.
Member of United Nations Inter-agency Network on Youth Development's Working Group on Youth and Gender Equality. - Received a standing ovation for her motivational speech at the Youth Forum organized by UN Women at the 61st Session on the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW61) at the United Nations Headquarters. - Featured in UN Women’s editorial series “From where I stand: Being a person with disability is challenging. Being a woman with disability adds extra challenges“, highlighting the importance of empowerment of women and girls as also reflected in SDG 5 on gender equality and SDG 10 on social, economic and political inclusion of all. - Participated in establishing the agenda on the theme Young Women’s Economic Empowerment for the United Nations CSW 61 Youth Forum.
- Developed and tested an attitude tool with 60 questions covering the following factors: inclusion, employment, relationships and marriage, society, positive bias, negative bias, behavior and conduct, prior contact and knowledge, and volunteering. Tested the tool for its reliability and validity. Conducted a mixed study with both qualitative and quantitative measures to understand the attitude of young students towards individuals with disability. Presented a model of an inclusive society with suggestions to promote positive attitude towards differently-abled individuals. - Taught a Master’s course on “Social Work with Persons with Disabilities”. Prepared lectures and class activities, graded papers and evaluated project work. Integrated multimedia approaches to enhance pedagogical approach. Explained concepts using planned lessons, assignments, and group discussions. - Published a paper on Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Factors Influencing Attitude of Undergraduate Students Towards Differently- Abled Individuals in the International Journal of Current Research (ISSN: 0975- 833X Vol. 7, Issue, 10, pp. 21421-21428, October, 2015). - Conducted workshops and seminars on inclusion and accessibility at Make a Difference (MAD), Mphasis Limited, Visteon, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (Indore), Stella Maris College (Chennai), College of Engineering, Guindy (Chennai), Mahindra Research Valley, Renault Nissan Technology & Business Centre India Private Limited (Chennai), The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Velammal Vidhyalaya, Bishop Heber College, Tiruchirappalli, Madras Christian College (MCC), SRM University, TATA Realty Infrastructure Limited, Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTS), BITS Pilani Embryo Club, Softtek Bengaluru, RYLA Rotary Club, INFOSYS Bengaluru, SEWA Bharat Delhi, JP Morgan Hyderabad, NIT Warangal, and National Institute for Fashion Technology (NIFT).
Member of the team at Schizophrenia Research Foundation which conducted a research on “Recovery Study on Schizophrenia: From the perspective of Patients and Care Givers”. - Actively involved in collecting data from the respondents and helped in data consolidation and entry. The main focus of the study was to understand the concept of recovery among patients diagnosed with Schizophrenia/ Schizo-affective disorder and their care givers. - Participated in case conferences and seminar presentations.