Introducing Sumitra Visvanathan, the new executive director of WAO

After working in crisis areas around the globe as a humanitarian aid worker with UNHCR for 16 years, Sumithra Vee has decided to of Womens Aid Organisation. RAYMOND OOI/ The Star

With a new captain at its helm, the Woman’s Aid Organisation hopes to reach out to more women and children.

Sumitra Visvanathan knows full well that she has big shoes to fill. As the newly appointed executive director of the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO), she takes over from veteran women’s rights activist Ivy Josiah who has been at the forefront of protecting battered women for close to two decades.