Apollo Tyres Honors 8 Womenpreneurs at 'EK NAAM' Initiative

By: WE Staff | Thursday, 26 February 2026

• Apollo Tyres recognized eight women entrepreneurs at the 7th edition of ‘EK NAAM’
• The program aims to celebrate and empower grassroots women leaders
• The women who have been recognized have demonstrated leadership and strength in changing their communities

Apollo Tyres recently presented eight women entrepreneurs with awards for their achievements in business as part of the seventh edition of its ‘EK NAAM’ initiative.

Launched in 2019, EK NAAM is one of the company’s primary initiatives to celebrate and empower women leaders at the grassroots level.

Celebrating and honoring this year’s leadership, the women recognized provide significant achievements to transform their communities and encourage inclusive development.

This initiative was established so that women in less privileged communities can be highlighted as a necessary element to influence change both in their own neighborhood, as well as, in their city and globally.

The creation of this venue shows the dedication of Apollo Tyres to help women grow and thrive in applying equality for gender through long-term sustainable opportunities.

Gregor Trumel (Counsellor for Education, Science, and Culture) explained how cooperation, equity, and diversity impacted the establishment of vibrant communities and how communities work together to create partnerships globally.

R Mahalakshmi (CHRO at Apollo Tyres) confirmed Apollo Tyres' commitment to supplying women-owned businesses with the support needed to create lasting effects in their surrounding areas through social change and access to equal opportunity.

At a recent celebration of eight women who are recognized as “EK NAAM Change Agents” for their exemplary leadership skills, enterprising spirit and impact in their respective communities, the following ladies were acknowledged: Sahida Beevi, Seemamol S, Meera Appa, Pinki Ji, Manjulaben Patel, Kavita Ji, Gohil Dakshaben and Bahamuni Kisku. They have been recognized for their contributions as female role models, due to the continuing partnership between Apollo Tyres and its NGO partners.

Anjum Chopra, the former Captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team, inspired everyone attending the occasion with her comments regarding both leadership and resilience during a panel discussion.

Additionally, the occasion was highlighted by the partnership between Apollo Tyres and the Saral Jeevan India Foundation along with Frontier Markets which seek to uplift rural women by enabling them to be economically inclusive through the use of digital technology.

According to Ajaita Shah, founder and CEO of Frontier Markets, “Women-owned enterprises are critical to building strong grassroots economies.”

The UN Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP) initiative hosted a panel discussion entitled "Justice in Action: Advancing Equity for Inclusive Futures" which was led by Suhela Khan.

The panelists for this event consisted of R Mahalakshmi (Chief Human Resource Officer , Apollo Tyres), Lipika Verma (Vice President - Human Resources, Schneider Electric), Shveta Verma (Senior Director, PWC) and Vasudha Misra (President- Creative, MullenLowe Lintas).

The EK NAAM initiative continues to align with the sustainability agenda of Apollo Tyres, contributing to support towards the UN Sustainable Developmental Goals; empowering women to act on behalf of their communities.