Job Title: Founder
Company: The Washing Machine Project
Tell us a bit about yourself. This can include telling us what fires you up about the job you do, your professional achievements, your career highlights. What inspires you? What attracted you to pursue a career in manufacturing? Is there anything else you’d like to say about either your job or UK manufacturing?
The Washing Machine Project stemmed from a combination of my engineering background and a desire to create tangible, impactful solutions for those in need. There’s a deep injustice, especially when it comes to issues facing women and young girls, such as unpaid household labour. I believe deeply that innovations can help address a lot of these problems, and that’s where I focus my energy.
I was born and raised in London to parents from unpartitioned India, and their experience of displacement and my upbringing by my mum and two sisters formed my interest in international development and issues affecting women and refugees. After I graduated, I worked for a well-known vacuum and hair dryer company – I was bored, frustrated and unfulfilled. I later took a secondment working with Engineers without Borders in South India making cook stoves.
This is where I met my next door neighbour, Divya. I was struck by how much time Divya would spend doing back-breaking chores, including hand washing clothes for up to 20 hours each week. I made a promise to return to Divya with a manual washing machine and help make her life a little easier. I returned to the UK and started The Washing Machine Project, making manual washing machines for people who hand wash clothes around the world.
So far we’ve impacted 46,000 lives and have a presence in 13 countries. We’re planning on impacting 1,000,000 people by 2030. My career highlight was returning to Divya in 2024 and finally being able to gift her the machine. When we were leaving Divya said: “There are millions more people like me, go help them” and that’s what we’re doing.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Fall in love with the problem, because the solution will always change.
What is your favourite engineered/manufactured product?
It has to be the Divya washing machine that we’ve created. It’s an incredible piece of engineering by our team that’s genuinely making a real impact on people’s lives.
Please give one interesting fact about yourself that not many people know.
I’ve travelled to over 80 countries – and counting! My favourite so far has to be Japan.
If you weren’t in manufacturing what would be your dream job?
Astronaut.
