The future is Female!

By: Rachita Sharma, Managing Editor | Thursday, 21 December 2023

Women make up nearly half of the world’s population. One would expect that being equally represented in the demographic would naturally mean that women also receive equal opportunity and privilege. Unfortunate, that is far from the real-world scenario. In reality women find themselves receiving the short end of the stick when it comes to opportunities and privileges.

Women’s empowerment and their increased representation in the workforce has been a constant struggle across the world. Additionally, women have also been under represented in leadership roles. Closer home in India, women leaders are also fewer than their male counterparts. According to Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA), women make up only 19 percent of board seats in the top 200 NSE-listed companies. Women CEOs are also far and few in between. According to NSE data, out of 2,041 companies only about 200 have women CEOs. This makes it all the more important for existing women leaders to be lauded and celebrated. Our mandate at Women Entrepreneur India is to do exactly that. With the last edition of 2023 team Women Entrepreneur India we bring to you the stories of prolific Indian women leaders.

In this magazine issue meet Aakriti Singh, Head of Strategy & Real Estate Expansion, Ethos Watch Boutiques. Aakriti is a seasoned strategist, holds a B.Tech in Electronics and Instrumentation. With an illustrious career, she has contributed her expertise to esteemed organizations, including JLL India, Kama Ayurveda, and Hero Cycles. She is joined by Dr. Bollineni Keerthi, President, Vasavya Mahila Mandali. Dr. Bollineni is leading impactful initiatives for women's empowerment and social change. Her visionary leadership advocates education, self-confidence, and equality, positively impacting communities in India.

Kanika Jain, CEO and Founder, Ikaanya is another leader featured in the magazine issue. Kanika is a seasoned professional with a robust 17-year background in technology, specifically information security. Her journey began with a Master's in Information Security from Carnegie Mellon University. Kanika's corporate experience spans across renowned global organizations, including Target, Accenture, Siemens, and PWC. Pinky Rajesh, Founder & CEO, URCHOICE Corporate Gifting also joins the coveted list. Pinky, a seasoned professional with 14 years of enriching corporate experience, embarked on an entrepreneurial journey in 2012 after a successful tenure as a senior marketing executive.

She is joined by Deepti Suchak, MD, Magus Group &Megasoft Group. She has revolutionized education by founding computer centers that trained 1,00,000+ students, then later ventured into logistics, industrial, consulting, and development, and now pioneers an online fashion brand. Also read about Kshama Rangan, Founder, Kshamata Group (KG) – Kshamata Innovation Foundation (KIF) and Kshamata Socio Tech (KST) in 2020-21 with a vision to bring-in innovation and technology into the social space and customized learning in the tech space. Lat but certainly not the least is Ashwini Ananth, Managing Partner, UTTARAM INCONSTRUCT.

Having an Executive Management Development Program on Organizational Transformation from Essae Chandran Institute, Ashwini is a passionate civil engineer with rich experience in the core construction industry.

Read about these women leaders and the secret to their success.Do let us know your thoughts.