New Delhi, 6th September 2023; Women in India have exhibited extraordinary leadership aptitude and qualities, propelling their careers to pinnacles of success despite formidable challenges. Appreciation, such as the CII Corporate Women Leadership Awards (CWLA) not only recognise individual accomplishments but also serve as a powerful testament to the remarkable contributions of women in driving innovation, growth, and sustainability within the corporate sphere. It was said by Rumjhum Chatterjee, Past Chairperson, CII Northern Region in her keynote address at the glittering ceremony to announce, applaud and award the Corporate women Leaders at Hotel Shangri-La, New Delhi.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) announced the winners of the first edition of the CII Corporate Women Leadership Awards in New Delhi, where winners were shortlisted from the 221 nominations across 12 categories. The awardees were felicitated by Mr R Dinesh.
The Award Ceremony, was followed by an enlightening panel discussion on ‘Women in the Corporate World’ wherein speakers discussed their views on the ‘Changing Economic Landscape & Driving Growth’. The deliberations explored the initiatives that can be pursued by the Indian Industry to include more women in corporate roles, and more importantly as part of the leadership. The panellists included eminent speakers like Renu Sud Karnad (Managing Director, HDFC Limited), Susan Ferguson (Country Representative, UN Women India) along with R. Dinesh (President, CII and Executive Vice Chairman, TVS Supply Chain Solutions Ltd.) and Rhumjhum Chatterjee (Past Chairperson, CII Northern Region & Co-Founder & Managing Trustee, The Infravision Foundation).
Rhumjhum Chatterjee said, with women participation in the workforce going to become a mandate, it will help achieve the target of a $5 trillion economy for the country. Without incremental participation from women in the workforce, the economy cannot take the giant leap, she added. In India, it’s important to include women in leadership roles, by engaging them in key roles companies can help themselves as well as the economy.
“At CII, we firmly believe that the recognition of women leaders is pivotal to the narrative of progress and development in India. Our commitment to honouring women leaders is rooted in the understanding that their contributions are not only transformative for businesses but also integral for shaping the nation’s trajectory. Through these awards, we salute their resilience, vision, and dedication, and we pave the way for a more inclusive and prosperous India,” said R Dinesh.
An eminent and senior panel of Jury members headed by Rumjhum Chatterjee judged the winners across all categories. The other Jury members included the illustrious names of Anshuman Magazine (Immediate Past Chairman, CII Northern Region and Chairman & CEO – India, South East Asia, Middle East & Africa, CBRE South Asia Pvt Ltd), Deepak Jain (Chairman, CII Northern Region & Chairman & Managing Director, Lumax Industries Ltd), Pallavi Shroff (Managing Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co), Dr T Sarita Reddy (Past Co-Chair, CII National Committee on Women empowerment and IWN and Managing Director, Gayatri Sugars), Radhika Bharat Ram (Joint Vice Chairperson, The Shri Ram School and Founder, KARM), Sameer Gupta (Chairman & Managing Director, Jakson Ltd) and Sachin Tayal (Managing Director, Protiviti, Member Firm for India).
The following exemplary women leaders were selected and felicitated with the awards: Lifetime Achievement – Renu Sud Karnad, (Managing Director, HDFC), Corporate Woman Leader of the Year – Ameera Shah (Promoter & MD, Metropolis Healthcare), Young Corporate Woman Leader of the Year – Radhika Gupta (MD & CEO, Edelweiss Asset Management Ltd), BFSI & Fintech – Rohini Ajay (Managing Director, Deutsche Bank), Consumer Products – Priti A Sureka (Director, Emami), Innovation in Healthcare & Life Sciences – Swati Jajodia (CEO, V Group), Infra & Real Estate – Renuka Gera (Director, Bharat Heavy Electricals), Services – Rituparna Chakraborty (Co-Founder, TeamLease Services), Startups – Sharmila Devadoss (Managing Director, MedIoTek Health Systems), Technology – Prabha Goyal (General Manager, Bharat Electronics Ltd), Business Transformation – Namrita Mahindro (Chief Digital Officer, Aditya Birla Chemicals) and ESG – Anu Chaudhary (Global Head of ESG Consulting, Uniqus Consultech Inc).
