New Delhi: To further build inclusive leadership ecosystems, EdelGive Foundation, launched a compendium titled “womenAccelerate: A Compendium for Women in Leadership” under its flagship Stree-Leads campaign. The event brought together voices from across India’s private sector, including women professionals, DEI champions, and corporate leaders drive meaningful change and fast-track women’s leadership journeys. Key speakers included Shri Sasmit Patra, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and National Spokesperson, Biju Janata Dal; Naghma Mulla, CEO, EdelGive Foundation; Suhela Khan, Country Programmeme Manager, Women’s Economic Empowerment, UN Women; Naina Juneja Thakur, VP, Human Capital Management, Yes Bank; Bhavna Singh, VP, Communications, Bharat Serums & Vaccines and Shweta Rajpal Kohli, President & CEO, Startup Policy Forum.
The discussions during the event highlighted the ongoing challenges and opportunities in advancing women’s leadership, underscoring the need for action to bridge the existing gaps. For example, despite a recent uptick in female leadership hires from 21.6 per cent to 25.2 per cent, this number dipped to 24.2 per cent in 2023, reflecting stagnation. Today, women hold only 17 per cent of senior management positions in corporate India. The Compendium addresses these stark realities and highlights best practices from organisations such as Edelweiss Group, Yes Bank and Bharat Serum Vaccines.
At the launch, Naghma Mulla, CEO, EdelGive Foundation, stated, “For generations, leadership has been framed as an exclusive domain for a specific gender. Through Stree-Leads, EdelGive Foundation has sought to challenge and transform this status quo. The launch of this campaign was catalysed by a pivotal study on pathways to leadership for women in the finance and economic sectors. Among its most striking findings was the existence of the ‘broken rung’ – a fragile step on the leadership ladder where many women falter. As we proudly launch the womenAccelerate: A Compendium for Women in Leadership, we believe this will serve as a roadmap for action, a call to reimagine workplaces as equitable spaces where women are not just participants but leaders. This launch marks a significant milestone in our commitment to fostering gender equity. I am grateful to the women leaders who contributed their inspiring leadership journeys in this Compendium.”
Below are some key findings from the Compendium:
- Gender ratio within Edelweiss Group has increased to 31 per cent in FY24 from 24 per cent through a structured recruitment process
- Retention rates who participated in the Women Leadership Programme by Edelweiss Group stand at 84 per cent
- Programmes such as Step Up2 Yes Returnship, which provides flexible work arrangements and incentives for diversity advocates, have enabled Yes Bank to increase the representation of women in the organisation from 21 per cent to 25 per cent
- While the industry average for women in leadership in research and development stands at 10 per cent to 14 per cent, BSV leads with a remarkable 25 per cent participation of women in leadership positions
- Bharat Serum Vaccines, through its initiative, WOMENtoring, is redefining gender equity. The programme received high engagement from participants, with over 90 mentees in the first phase
- Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Perception Poll conducted to understand the strengths and challenges of women leaders, revealed:
- Notably, 18 per cent of male respondents identified collaboration as the greatest strength of women leaders
- 50 per cent of women identified that they face a bias of ‘family comes first’
- 50 per cent of men felt that women are ‘too emotional’ when asked to lead
- 20 per cent of men felt that women are not action-oriented
- 1 in 5 men and women still feel that leadership roles remain largely inaccessible to women
Nidhi Bhasin, CEO, Digital Green Trust and a member of the jury, shared her reflections, “Women face significant barriers when it comes to leadership. Structural biases, often unspoken, remain pervasive, and many women I’ve worked with, including myself, have encountered self-doubt shaped by societal expectations. Policies that encourage mentorship, provide flexibility, and actively challenge biases are not optional; they are essential. It is through such practices that we can create a leadership culture where women are empowered to reach their full potential and rewrite the narrative of what leadership looks like.”
The event featured two impactful discussions. The first, a panel discussion, titled, “Power of Pathways: Actionable Strategies to Enable Women to Leadership”, brought together practitioners and industry voices such as Suhela Khan, Bhavna Singh and Naina Juneja Thakur to discuss solutions to the ‘broken rung’ the critical, often-missing first step on the leadership ladder.
A fireside chat between Naghma Mulla, Shri Dr Sasmit Patra and Shweta Rajpal Kohli, on “Voices of Leadership: Shaping Change, Inspiring Futures”, explored the journeys of trailblazing leaders who have shaped public discourse and driven transformative change to enable women’s economic empowerment.
Furthermore, the Compendium recommends cross-company and reverse mentorship, a data-driven approach within the corporate sector, collaboration between public and private players, and the establishment of domestic support programmes. It also advocates for mandating return-to-work programmes and the provision of childcare facilities, encouraging male allyship, expanding networking opportunities, and implementing skill development programmes. The Central Government could mandate gender equity reporting for private sector organisations and introduce incentives for employers to adopt such practices.