Ms. Archana Surana is a Design Educator, Mentor, and Social Entrepreneur with an experience of 28 years in Design Education. As the Founder and Director of the ARCH College of Design and Business, in Jaipur, India, she carries forward a legacy of 23 successful years of innovation.
She has built key pathways for undergraduate and postgraduate level programmes in various specialised streams of Design Education, offering both, national and international certifications.
She is presently a Vice President of the Cumulus Executive Board (2022-2025). She was Chairperson and organiser of the Fashion Colloquium in 2020 and the Design Culture—Pink City Design Confluence in 2022. The DESIGN CULTURE initiative is her mission to harness the power of design for use to educate the aspirants of the creative and innovative domain, and to enable them to become design leaders.
She is on the National Governing Body for FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO). She is a Member of the CII National Committee on Design India (2021-23) and TiE Strategic Committee 2023-2025.
She has served as an Academic Council Member of the Rajasthan ILD Skills University, as well as its Dean of the Fashion Design Faculty (Fashion, Jewellery & Interior), and is currently a member of the CBSE Committee on Skills Development in India.
She represents ARCH, as a member, on International forums-IFFTI, WDO, Cumulus, as well as on Indian Industry & Academic bodies-FICCI-Flo, FDCI, IIID, IGBC, TPF and TIE Rajasthan.
She is a US State Department and Rotary Foundation Alumnus, a Vital Voices Lead Fellow, and a Fortune and Vital Voices-Global Ambassadors Program Mentee. She founded the Women Mentors Forum, WMF in 2014, impacting 1500+ women entrepreneurs and professionals through mentoring initiatives .
A Tedx speaker & social entrepreneur, her contributions to youth and women empowerment have gained her recognition and a YUVA ICON award, at the hands of former Indian President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
As a creative, an educator, an entrepreneur, a women’s mentor and an expert on fashion, Ms. Surana is charged with leading organizations that are each distinct in their work and mission. While executing the vision of Arch draws on Ms. Surana’s creative and entrepreneurial streaks, her endeavors towards mentoring women in their professional lives bring out her compassion and penchant for networking.
Playing so many different roles to different people has been possible only over a life of learning and fine-tuning. Ms. Surana lends the experience and expertise she has gained over the years a member in organizations such as FICCI, FDCI, the Indus Entrepreneurs and the CII at home and through representation at international design bodies such as IFFTI, Cumulus and the World Design Organization (WDO).
Ms. Surana’s career as an educator is inextricably intertwined with her entrepreneurial career since setting up Arch and making it the success that it stands as today demanded as much of her business acumen as it did of her knowledge of design education. In an effort to channel her profound.
