Indian American Poorva Joshipura, a member of the board of directors of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals-India, PETA India, has been named the first-ever President of PETA International.
Joshipura, who is the author of For a Moment of Taste: How What You Eat Impacts Animals, the Planet, and Your Health—was brought up in Suffolk, Virginia. Her book was the first-ever in-depth exposé of how animals commonly used for meat, eggs, and dairy are treated in India.
Now, as the first-ever president of PETA International, Joshipura will be overseeing its projects and operations in Europe, Asia, and parts of the Middle East.
After starting her career at PETA’s headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, Joshipura has championing the cause of animals for more than 25 years in countries worldwide through provocative protests, undercover investigations, and strategic work with corporate and government leaders.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Years ago, in a slaughterhouse where I was recording how badly cows are killed for leather, I locked eyes with a frightened calf who was pinned to the ground, aware of his pending death, and at that moment vowed to dedicate my life to animal liberation,” Joshipura is quoted saying in a press release September 10, 2025.. “For more than 25 years with PETA entities, from undercover investigator to leading international campaigns, I’ve been true to that pledge.”
Born in Philadelphia to parents from Gujarat, India, Joshipura was raised in Suffolk and graduated magna cum laude from Old Dominion University with a degree in psychology.
She joined PETA as an intern in its Norfolk office in 1999. Her more “public-facing” work, as PETA calls it, includes being jailed for disrupting a New York fashion show in protest of Michael Kors’ use of fur (which he later banned); burned in effigy by an angry mob after she helped achieve an Indian Supreme Court ban on the use of bulls for entertainment; and “caged” in Nairobi to highlight the plight of chickens killed for food.
As president, Joshipura’s priorities include using technology and scientific innovation to eliminate animal exploitation, including replacing elephants allegedly chained in Asian temples with mechanical ones, and using animatronic animals to help educate and encourage children’s natural empathy toward animals, PETA noted in its press release. She also aims to educate the public about what PETA says, is “the inextricable link between animal exploitation and pandemics, antibiotic resistance, and the climate catastrophe.”
“I’m deeply honored to help shape the global future of animal liberation and put compassion on every map in my new role,” Joshipura said. “I will seek to harness technological solutions for animal protection, apply cultural intelligence to advance liberation, and promote the unshakable truth that how we treat animals defines us.”
PETA counts among Joshipura’s achievements — convincing Mercedes-Benz to be the first automobile retailer to offer leather-free interiors by special order; stopping a US-based laboratory-animal supplier from setting up a facility in Europe; leading successful efforts to ban testing cosmetics and their ingredients on animals in India; and ending the use of horse-drawn carriages in Petra and Mumbai. She is also the author of Survival at Stake: How Our Treatment of Animals Is Key to Human Existence.
“Poorva has been an unstoppable force in the animal liberation movement,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “Her extraordinary drive and determination are invaluable in extending our vital efforts to help animals everywhere.”