The week that was: Leadership, Innovation & Women Making Waves

By: WE staff | Monday, 2 March 2026

As industries evolve at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship and policy, women are increasingly shaping conversations that define the future of business and innovation. From artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, gaming, startups, and board leadership positions demonstrates their ability to bounce back from challenges while creating clear strategies and developing future-focused plans. The current state of representation at top decision-making positions needs improvement because organizations require stronger systems which allow people to take part in leadership roles and ownership positions.

The recent developments demonstrate both achieved progress and future opportunities through two main trends which include increased calls for AI access and enhanced national manufacturing program access and through platforms which help women founders succeed outside metropolitan areas and through international technology and gaming transitions. Women are using conferences and collaborative forums to increase their presence in governance and institutional transformation activities.

Keeping up this momentum, Women Entrepreneurs Review Magazine presents this week’s stories which showcase how women leaders create social value while developing successful businesses and changing existing leadership patterns across multiple industries.

Lack of Women in AI Could Undermine Inclusive Tech: Wendy Hall

Wendy Hall, a leading computer scientist and professor at the University of Southampton, has warned that the lack of women in artificial intelligence could hinder the creation of inclusive technology. At the AI Impact Summit, she showed that the industry has a major gender discrepancy because most AI executives are male while essential dialogues exclude women from the population. She explained that when product development teams fail to include diverse perspectives, gender bias becomes a systematic issue which affects all aspects of their work. She shared her personal experiences of encountering discrimination during her professional development and she showed that mentorship and resilience represent essential skills needed for success. Hall, a Dame since 2009, has also advised the UK government and the United Nations on AI.

Women Gained Most Jobs Under Make in India: Ashwini Vaishnaw

The Make in India program has emerged as a primary force that creates jobs and develops skills while especially helping women. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the program has created numerous jobs through direct and indirect employment while it built up India's manufacturing sector. The Production-Linked Incentive Scheme has brought about 14.39 lakh jobs and more than Rs 2.16 lakh crore in investments and electronic exports worth Rs 8.3 lakh crore. Domestic manufacturers now produce most mobile phone components because mobile phone imports have decreased by nearly 77% since the 2020-21 period. The Union Budget which Nirmala Sitharaman presented included Semiconductor Mission 2.0 and an extra Rs 40,000 crore to boost electronics production and employment opportunities.

Womentum 2026 Powers Women Founders' Growth Beyond Metros

NSRCEL, in partnership with Kotak Mahindra Bank launched their Womentum 2026 program on February 26 in Bengaluru to support women entrepreneurs who operate their businesses outside major metropolitan areas. The platform brought together founders and investors with CSR leaders and ecosystem partners to create permanent support networks. CEO Anand Sri Ganesh demonstrated how his organization helps small-town residents to create innovative solutions while Himanshu Nivsarkar explained to investors about his company's system of allocating funding based on merit and developing businesses for the long term.  The Women Startup Program (WSP) 3 and 4 report revealed 478 incubated entrepreneurs, 68% reporting annual revenue growth, and top ventures crossing ₹25 lakh. Panels featuring Srividhya Srinivasa, Madhurima Agarwal and Samhita R discussed scaling, structured growth beyond “jugaad,” culture, AI adoption and durable fundraising. Founder voices underscored mentorship, visibility, funding access and strong community networks as critical to sustainable growth.

Asha Sharma Takes Over Microsoft Gaming in New Leadership Era

Asha Sharma has been appointed CEO of Microsoft Gaming, which creates a major leadership transition because artificial intelligence technology is transforming the gaming industry. She takes on her new role as a technology executive who ranks among the top women of color in the global gaming industry during a period when revenue growth decreases and hardware expenses increase and competition from PlayStation and other rivals intensifies. Microsoft gamers and investors have higher expectations for the company after its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard because of her appointment. Sharma will lead efficiency improvements for Xbox and cloud gaming and future interactive entertainment development.

WIL Conference to Explore Women's Influence in Business

The fourth edition of the Women in Leadership (WIL) Conference will be held this Thursday in Gurugram at BML Munjal University. The platform investigates how women use their power to transform business and governmental systems and entrepreneurial ventures according to its foundation principles which include Courage and Conviction and Collaboration. WIL started its operations in 2018 but now works to create institutional change and sustainable value through its work which goes beyond mere representation. This year women leaders demonstrate how they have developed organizations that can handle difficult situations while they built their professional paths. The keynote speaker Suchitra Ella will participate in a panel with senior leaders to address topics about board readiness together with ethics and governance matters. The initiative which Pooja Maheshwari Salwan established focuses on creating leadership skills that drive progress while building sustainable professional connections.