Affirmative Action helping Boost Women's Representation in Leadership

By: Rachita Sharma, Managing Editor | Tuesday, 3 March 2026

Women in leadership has been a widely discussed topic in India. According to Avtar-Seramount 2025 reports, in 2025, women leaders made up approximately 20% of leadership roles in corporate India, an all-time high number. Women’s representation in overall workforce and leadership roles has been gradually rising. Today, women make up roughly 34-42% of their respective sectors. However, when it comes to the top spots women’s representation is still lagging. Women CEOs still account for only 5.1% to 8% of total CEO roles.

It is evident that the system is broken and needs to be fixed, especially the broken pipeline after middle-management, where most women drop out of the workforce. Affirmative action is the only solution and India is gradually moving towards.

The Companies Act, 2013, by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, mandates certain companies to have at least one female director on their board. Another report shows, that there has been a rise in number of women on board and currently there are nearly 11.6 lakh women directors in public and private companies in India.

The rise in number of women in leadership reflects a strides India is taking towards gender parity. The move will pave a future where women are integral to decision-making and business progress.

Women have long been integral to India’s business growth and company secretaryship has always been a sector conducive to women’s growth. Company secretaries often are the backbone of any company, driving compliance and corporate governance.

In this month’s special edition of Women Entrepreneurs Review magazine, we highlight some of the most promising women in company secretaryship. Driven by passion and skill, these women are the secret engine driving business growth in India.

One such name is Rashmi Pandey Shah, Founder, RM Shah & Co. Rashmi is a pioneering woman leader who combines legal expertise with business insight, building a multi-city, client-focused corporate advisory firm known for integrity, precision, and purpose-driven leadership.

These women are role models for aspiring women leaders and professionals. They teach the young ones to dream and never settle for less.

Read on and do let us know your thoughts.