Mr Ela Ramesh Bhatt was born in Ahmedabad, India in 1933. Her father ran a law firm and her mother was active in the women's movement. In 1954, Mr Bhatt obtained her master's degree from the Sir. L.A. Shah Law College in Ahmedabad. She was also awarded a gold medal for her work on Hindu law. She taught English for a short period before going to work for the legal department of the textile trade union Textile Labour Association (TLA).

In 1968, the TLA asked if Mr Bhatt wanted to head the women's section. She was touched by the plight of many other self-employed women in the textile industry. She therefore founded the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) together with the TLA president in 1972. The association now has more than 1 million members. SEWA is a union for women workers in the informal sector in India. This group of women does not have the same rights and security as women in formal jobs.

In 1979, Mr Bhatt co-founded Women's World Banking with Esther Ocloo and Michaela Walsh. At the beginning of the 21st century, she became president of SEWA Cooperative Bank, HomeNet, the International Alliance of Street Vendors and WIEGO. Since 2007, Mr Bhatt has been a member of The Elders. This is a group of important figures including Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Mary Robinson and Aung San Suu Kyi.

• English teacher at SNDT Women's University
• Legal department of the Textile Labour Association
• Founder of India's first women's bank (SEWA cooperative bank, 1974)
• Member of the Indian Parliament (1986-1989)
• Gandhian practitioner of non-violence and self-reliance Member of The Elders (2009)
• Founder of Sa-Dhan, the Indian school of microfinance for women

Additionally, Ela has also been a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation for over 10 years.