Ravila Gupta, the newly named chief executive officer at the Council for Entrepreneurial Development, says she is “humbled” to accept the new job and is bringing a “passion for entrepreneurship” to the position. She talks about her career and the CED in an exclusive Q&A.

Earlier Tuesday, the CED announced Gupta, an attorney and president of Umicore USA, as its new president and CEO effective April 17.

Ms. Gupta succeeds Joan Siefert Rose, who stepped down from CED last year. She assumes the CED position on April 17.

  • MORE COVERAGE: CED chair on why she was chosen

Our Q&A:

  • Congratulations on the new position. What was your reaction to the news that you had been offered the position? Why did you accept?

I’ve said I am humbled that that CED Board selected me for this position because I know how much of an impact CED has had and continues to have on the entrepreneurial community.

I’m excited to help expand CED’s contributions to our vibrant ecosystem.

  • What excites you most about the new job and why?

I have a passion for entrepreneurship and have worked with and mentored entrepreneurs throughout my career. I am looking forward to plugging into our community at a higher level and getting to know the entrepreneurs who CED serves, and figuring out the best ways to help them succeed.

  • Conversely, what do you expect to be the most challenge aspects? How will you deal with those?

I think I’d classify many of the things I’ll be dealing with as opportunities.

One of the biggest opportunities we have will be fundraising – we need the fuel to really supercharge the programs and initiatives CED has launched over the past two years.

Connections to Capital is a great example of a program that is best in class and can deliver big value to our entrepreneurs, and we’ll want to find more ways to support that program so it can grow into something that creates some really big results for entrepreneurs.

  • Why do you believe you are the best person for the job? what qualifies you to be the leader of an entrepreneur-focused organization?

I’m a natural connector and that is one of the things that makes CED so valuable: its network. I’ll be able to supplement that network and expand it to areas and with people that CED has not touched before and that will all be to the benefit of our entrepreneurs.

  • You have worked for your current employer for a long time. Was it a difficult decision to leave?

I had been with Umicore, USA in senior leadership roles, first as general counsel and then as president, since 2008 and I enjoyed my work and team there.

The opportunity with CED was a chance to work in a different community and for a mission-driven organization, which is something I’ve done on my own time through non-profit boards, but that I’ve wanted to do professionally for some time now.

Add in the fact that CED has a wonderful team assembled and that its work is making such a difference for entrepreneurs – I jumped at the chance to be a part of it.