Jacinta Gulasekharam

The entrepreneur advocating to end period poverty in New Zealand schools.

Jacinta Gulasekharam is an impatient, impact driven entrepreneur and connector. Inspired by hearing the co-founder of Thankyou, Daniel Flynn, speak at Festival for the Future in 2016, Jacinta co-founded Dignity NZ shortly afterwards – a social enterprise with a mission to deliver period equity.

Jacinta and the team at Dignity created a buy-one-give-one model where businesses could purchase sustainable period products for their workplace, and for every product purchased one would be gifted to partnering schools, youth and community groups. This helped increase access for more than 200 partnering organisations and benefit more than 44,000 people to access free sustainable period products.

In 2019, Jacinta also successfully lead the Positive Periods petition calling on the government to provide period products to all students in NZ and better menstrual education. The petition gained 3,105 signatures in 90 days as well as international media coverage. In early 2021, the New Zealand government announced that it would make sanitary products free in schools.

Jacinta Gulasekharam is originally from Feilding in the Manawatu but fell in love with Wellington when she moved there to study at Victoria University. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Economics and Public Policy.  Jacinta is an Edmund Hillary Fellow, and in 2021 was awarded The Impact Award for Wellbeing alongside Dignity NZ Co-Founder Miranda Hitchings. Jacinta’s leadership has also been recognised as a Women of Influence Young Leader Finalist, and Sustainable Business Network Change Maker Finalist 2020.