Poonam Sharma

Poonam Sharma is an author, MBA and real estate developer who is pursuing the kind of success that has as much to do with the tone she sets for her life, as it does with the title she prints on her business card.

Her first book, The Harvard Entrepreneurs’ Club Guide to Starting Your Own Business, was published by John Wiley & Sons Inc. in 1999, while she was a senior at Harvard College and the Director of their Entrepreneurs’ Club. Chasing Success, her second book, was published in the fall of 2004. She has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Inc. Magazine, India Abroad (India), EXAME (Brazil), The Times Of India, Nirali Magazine and other print media, as well being interviewed live on television outlets including NBC’s top-rated morning show in Philadelphia.

Poonam was born and raised in New York by Indian immigrant parents. After graduating from the Phillips Exeter Academy boarding school in New Hampshire, and earning her bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard College, she worked at a start-up, a nonprofit venture catalyst and a private equity firm, as well as in investment research and institutional sales in New York. For her second non-fiction book she spent a year traveling the world solo, in search of entrepreneurs with inspiring stories they were willing to share. After publishing Chasing Success, Poonam decided she was ready to try her hand at fiction.

Girl Most Likely To (published by the Red Dress Ink division of Harlequin in 2007) was her third book and first novel. With a main character in investment banking and an SEC-scandal looming in the background, Poonam drew heavily on her own trials and tribulations while balancing the worlds of cultural conservatism, interracial romance and high finance in Manhattan. In May of 2007, Poonam completed her MBA at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where founded the school’s student aviation club, taught real estate principles in a continuing education program for professional athletes, and was honored to be chosen as the sole student speaker on behalf of her MBA class at commencement. (Video available on www.poonam.info) An accomplished public speaker, Poonam has also given numerous television interviews, book signings, talks for regional community associations, and readings before literary conferences.

All Eyes On Her (published by Red Dress Ink in March of 2008) is her fourth book and second novel. In this novel, Poonam draws on memories of her years living in Los Angeles to give readers a guilt-free glimpse into love, law, and the nightmare of the paparazzi-machine through the eyes of a Beverly Hills celebrity divorce attorney, Monica Gupta. The story examines rivalry among corporate women, and explores the ways in which women compete differently than men…and why.

Currently living in Manhattan again, Poonam is pursuing her career as a real estate developer, while awaiting inspiration for her next work of fiction.

Pick up the Apr/May09 issue to learn more about Poonam’s Books or check out her site:  www.poonam.info