A conference for women entrepreneurs was held on December 14th in Madhya Pradesh, with the theme, ‘Women in Business: #Bringing Change’. The conference was organised by the Indian Women Network (IWN) chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII-IWN).
The conference was aimed at helping women entrepreneurs in the state reinvent and revaluate their vision and goals, in order to better leverage the entrepreneurial opportunities in the industry. The conference included an inaugural session, along with two plenary sessions, on “Identifying Future Opportunities # Changing Workplace Dynamics”, and “Changing Perception # Creating Social Impact”.
The Keynote Speaker of the conclave was Amrita Rai, the Managing Editor of Swaraj Express TV and Hindkisan.com. During her address, she highlighted the urgent need for large scale women-centric change in the society, for the development of the nation. She said, “For a country’s economy to progress further, the whole society needs to encourage women entrepreneurs across all spectrums of life.” She also emphasised the need for more women to be involved in the 3 ‘Ps’ in the country, namely, Politics, Police, and Prashashan (Administration).
Sufiyah Faruqi Wali IAS, the Managing Director of Madhya Pradesh Seeds and Farm Development Corporation, was present at the conclave as the special guest for the event. She echoed Amrita Rai’s views, stressing the need to change society’s perception towards the business potential and capabilities of working women. She added that even till date, businesses by women tend to be seen as a hobby, instead of their primary pursuit, which needs to change at the earliest. She also called on private organisations to work towards enhancing gender diversity across all verticals and departments, in order to enable faster growth and development.
Sonal Shrivastava, the Chairwoman of CII Indian Women Network- Madhya Pradesh, and the Director of Netlink Software Pvt Ltd., further highlighted the crucial role that women empowerment plays in the betterment of society. She said, “Gone are the days when women were considered no match for all-powerful men in this world. Women are everywhere, and changing the gender ratio and changing the social norms everywhere.”
A presentation on the ‘Indian Women Network’ – the women chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry, was carried out by Kalpana Unadkat, the Chairperson of CII IWN – Western Region, and a Partner at Khaitan & Co. The body provides an exclusive platform for career women and works towards helping them become successful professionals and achievers in their respective fields, through various need-based services.
The event also had a number of other speakers, including Sharmila H Amin, Managing Director – South Asia India, Bertling Logistics India Pvt Ltd, Bhakti Sharma, SArpanch, Barkhedi Abdullah Panchayat, Shraddha Joshi, the Assistant Superintendent of Police, Madhya Pradesh Police, and Ritu Saini.
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