Women Leaders Hold the Potential to Power India's Economic Growth

By: Rachita Sharma, Managing Editor | Thursday, 7 August 2025

The Indian workforce is in need of a gender-balance push. As the global business landscape becomes more complicated and competitive than ever, it is pertinent that India puts its best foot forward and builds a workforce of talented and motivated individuals who contribute to the country’s economic growth. Needless to say, women, who form nearly half of India’s population must do their part in boosting India’s economic output.

According to a recent study by LinkedIn and The Quantum Hub, more women are indeed joining the workforce in India, contributing to a rise in women’s overall representation. India's female workforce representation has grown from 23.9 per cent in 2016 to 26.8 per cent in 2024, but leadership gaps persist, with women in senior leadership roles increasing from 16.6 per cent to 18.7 per cent in 2023, however, slightly declining to 18.3 per cent in 2024.

Women in India continue to face barriers in reaching top leadership roles. right from systemic challenges to gender bias at work and unequal division of household responsibilities etc are some of the key reasons that deter women from rising up the corporate ladder.

The need of the hour is to build systems and solutions that help push more women into building long-lasting careers that see them reach leadership roles. Educational institutions play a crucial role in preparing the leaders of tomorrow and business schools especially are crucial to nurturing future leaders.

In the current edition of Women Entrepreneurs Review magazine, we feature inspirational women leaders who are alumni of the prestigious IIM Calcutta. Sharing their success stories with team WER, these women let us in on the secret to their professional success.

One of the featured women leaders is Rashmi Furtado, the Senior Editor at Greycaps. Holding many titles, she is a quiz host and an educator while also being a TEDx Speaker that makes her a true seasoned leader in the industry. An IIM-Alumna, Rashmi is a businesswoman with skills in business management and talent management.

Joining the coveted list is Alisha Surbhi, an accomplished entrepreneur and analytics expert, serving as the CEO and co-founder of ILLUIT. She specializes in blending business strategy with advanced data practices to guide organizations toward measurable success. Her vision is to make analytics accessible, actionable, and impactful for all.

This month’s special edition also features IIM C alumna, Monisha Datta, who is a Life Coach and Gestalt therapist. She is dedicated to transforming education through inclusive and progressive teaching methodologies. Her professional journey has centered around upskilling educators, fostering leadership, and promoting mental wellness in school ecosystem. She empowers education leaders to create meaningful learning environments built on empathy, innovation, and long-term resilience.

Read in depth conversations with these women leaders as they share their professional journeys, leadership mantras and so much more.

Do let us know your thoughts.