Hina Shah, a Master of Science with specialization in Human Resource Development areas faced many an odds when she decided to become an entrepreneur after completing her MSc. At that time, society (be it parents, husbands, in laws, relatives, neighbours, banks or even market) was not prepared to see women being independent. Resistance from society, friction at emotional and economic levels, along with financial institutions refusing to give loans made it all the more difficult for her to initially take the plunge towards Entrepreneurship. However, with determination and grit to achieve her goal she emerged a successful entrepreneur in the field of plastic packaging, while effectively balancing various other roles of a mother, a wife and a daughter. Gradually, she received acceptance from family and society.

While having experienced problems and constraints herself, when she came across deprived, poor and helpless women suffering due to economic deprivations, it disturbed her. She decided to take up the mission to lead them towards self - employment and entrepreneurship.  She pioneered. “Women Entrepreneurship Development Programmes” in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India - in 1982, with 25 women participants of which 16 established their non - traditional businesses. Encouraged by the success she refined the model and implemented it in other districts of Gujarat and various states of India. These women entrepreneurs were recognized as "economic contributors” by the financial /support institutions and the policy makers, and specialized women development policies were formulated by the government to support women in rural areas.

Her concern for these women suffering translated into a dream to expand this movement to the disadvantaged and poor women in nook and corner of the rural areas of the country. To do this, she felt the need to build up a specific national / international level organization, with no limitations or defined boundaries to work for these women. Thus, in 1986 she started “The International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Career Development” (ICECD). ICECD is a unique institute for entrepreneurship; perhaps the only one of it is kind that has facilitated thousands of disadvantaged women and youth to become entrepreneurs not only   in India but all over the developing world. It came to be recognized as a Centre of Excellence by the United National ESCAP Thailand in the year 2000.

 
THE TRUE LEADERSHIP
Hina Shah has helped the organization to grow and transform by her vision and mission oriented responsive leadership, which has led to an equally focused and motivated team of capable human resource. Her unique characteristic has been in not only defining organization goals, but also in analyzing the existing situation and identifying areas of inadequacy, quest for alternate strategies and initiating, managing and sustaining change. Today, ICECD has spread its wings far and wide covering a diverse range of fields such as education, corporate social responsibility, network creations, socio-political development, disaster mitigation and micro-credit to name a few.   
HINA SHAH – BEYOND ICECD
With the kind of impact that her developmental initiatives have created on the world map, Hina Shah is a name to recon with at a global level. However, she has many more dimensions of herself, which, put together define her vibrant self.
Hina Shah – the painter
 
The canvases painted by Hina Shah form a part of many a art collector’s pride, around the globe. Her paintings occupy important places at various art galleries of India. Her paintings  are a blend of impressionism and contemporary work and reflect joy and vibrancy having received applause and recognition by both, art lovers and critics. The online gallery is at www.thedifferentstrokes.com
Hina Shah -  the danseuse
 

She took her first step of dance at a tender age of five. Attracted by the marvel of this art, Hina’s intuition and innocence led her from the thrill and excitement of her first steps at Rabindra Parishad to the specialised steps in the Odissi style of Indian classical dance. Since then, Hina has stepped from mastery to originality. The meticulous dance training by her guru Sri. Indrakumar Patnaik Mohanti in Orissa coupled with her passion for dance led her to perform all over India, and in Europe. She has passed on this art to both her daughters who now share space with her on stage at various concerts.

Hina Shah – academician
 

Being an entrepreneur herself and having taught entrepreneurship to thousands through her initiatives at ICECD, Hina Shah started a school called “Satyamevajayate International School” in 2001. Through this school she teaches ‘Entrepreneurship’ to students, 1st standard onwards. She has designed specialised models, through which she teaches the students the nuances of Business Management and Entrepreneurship from an early age of 6, whereby, the child would develop into a person with capability to be able to start his own enterprise by the time he/she passes out from the school. Thereby, he/she, instead of looking for a job for himself/herself -  would be developed into a job creator for others.
HINA SHAH – in her own words…
“My vision continues to be THE ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN, but the final mission is the achievement of FULL EQUALITY and TOTAL ALROUND DEVELOPMENY of WOMEN. My efforts will culminate only when women from all strata of the society, particularly the disadvantaged and the poor, will achieve a sense of overall empowerment through meaningful participation and decision making at family, community and policy levels.

. Our Women Empowerment Strategies have tapped powerful reservoirs of hope and enthusiasm among women who used to view themselves negatively. This empowerment process starts with changes in consciousness and in self perception of women. This has been the most explosively creative, energy releasing transformation, one from which there is no looking back.

I perceive a very positive and vibrant future for the women of India. They will enjoy better status in family, community and society as well as in the professional field. We have successful women role models, who have proven that they have the capability to succeed in any given field, be it politics, economics, or social sphere.

In future, I see myself having reached out to every woman of India, realizing my dream of seeing these women as independent decision makers, entrepreneurs and socially and economically empowered in the true sense.”
HINA SHAH – TITAN BE MORE LEGEND 2010
Hina Shah was chosen as the TITAN Be-More Legend 2010 by the people of India. Titan company, with its philosophy of “be more” set out for a “search for explorers” to identify  people who actually lived to their fullest.   From amongst a thousand life explorers; people who believe they weren’t born to live just one life, Ms. Hina Shah, was chosen the TITAN Be-More Legend 2010.