She is the co-founder and CEO of Safetipin, a data-driven social impact organisation that works with governments to use evidence for improving infrastructure and services in cities so that women and youth can move without fear and exercise their rights.

Her team has helped municipalities and governments across three continents - Asia, Latin America and Africa, undertake targeted interventions to improve localities that fared poorly on safety, inclusion and access by collecting geo-tagged images of those areas and assessing them on parameters such as lighting, walk ways, mobility options, gender-balance, etc.

She moved to India for her higher studies, earning a bachelor's degree in sociology from Stella Maris College, Chennai, in 1985.

As part of this initiative, she led the Delhi, India, study, contributing to a comprehensive report on women's safety in the city.

During her tenure as Director, she led initiatives such as the Safe Delhi Campaign, which addressed violence against women in public spaces and engaged government and community stakeholders.

Following the tragic Nirbhaya incident in December 2012, the Delhi Government established the Women's Safety Committee, chaired by Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna (1997–98; 2007–13).

In 2025, Viswanath was invited to India’s pre-budget consultation, chaired by Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, where she presented recommendations on integrating gender perspectives into urban planning and infrastructure.

Safetipin is an award-winning social impact organization that aims to create responsive, inclusive, safe, and equitable urban systems.

Other Roles Viswanath has provided expertise on several international projects, including evaluating the UK DFID-funded Safer Cities for Girls Program in Delhi, Hanoi, and Kampala.