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Promoting diversity in the workplace, especially by recruiting more women enhances the value to customers by incorporating a wider range of perspectives and ideas, Ali Harris Shere, COO, of Biscuits and Cake, Food Business at ITC said at Storyboard18's <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/tags/share-the-spotlight">Share The Spotlight</a> event.

He said that ITC believes that a diverse workforce results in far richer discourse, and adds value to all stakeholders.

Harris cited ITC's workforce data during the event, highlighting how the FMCG brand promotes diversity.

"In 2023, of all the management trainees that we hired, 41% of them were women, and 47% were female interns," Harris said.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/bridging-the-gender-parity-on-employment-will-enhance-gdp-by-three-times-sumit-virmani-infosys-41064.htm">Global CMO of Infosys highlights economic and social benefits of bridging gender gaps</a>

He added that five of the large factories of ITC have the majority of women employees and one of the factories is 100% operated by female staff only.

"This wouldn't be possible unless you really believe in whole diversity and inclusion," Harris said.

Karuna Sri Divi, Vice President and Head of Marketing for snacks, noodles, and pasta at ITC said that the brand provides an equitable environment where everybody can express their views freely.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/women-at-the-top-have-the-responsibility-to-pay-it-forward-says-roshni-das-of-intel-41023.htm">Women at the top have the responsibility to pay it forward, says Roshni Das of Intel</a>

Kriti Agarwal, senior brand manager for Biscuits and Cakes at ITC said empowering women and fostering inclusivity are must-haves in any workplace.

"People should be given equal responsibilities and an equal share of challenges when it comes to work," said Deepti Kaushal, lead scientist at ITC's Life Sciences and Technology Centre.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/biocon-is-targeting-to-be-a-gender-parity-company-by-2030-says-kiran-mazumdar-shaw-41002.htm">Biocon is targeting to be a gender parity company by 2030, says Kiran Mazumdar Shaw</a>

Storyboard18's 'Share The Spotlight' evening took place on 30th August. The event saw notable leaders such as Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder of Biocon Limited; Infosys global CMO Sumit Virmani; Intel's Roshni Das; Anindita Veluri, Director-marketing at Adobe India; Cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy, Zivame's COO Lavanya Pachisia; and Diageo's Chief Innovation Officer Vikram Damodaran, among others, share their valuable insights and their spotlight.

Promoting diversity: ITC aims for holistic solutions with inclusive workforce

At Storyboard18's Share The Spotlight event held recently in Bengaluru, Indian cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy stated the importance of being a part of a supportive family as she reminisced how that made an impact on her decision-making abilities when she was a teenager. Krishnamurthy realised that no matter what, there would always be a comeback. 

The cricketer shared the spotlight with Varna Bhat, CEO, Blisswater Industries Pvt. Ltd, and Megha Arkaa, TruMillets at Storyboard18’s Share The Spotlight.

"What motivates me to push forward is the belief that my comeback should be stronger than my setback. I come from a small town in Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka. When I was 12, most people around my school migrated to the cities for educational opportunities. When I moved to Bangalore, it was for cricket, which was unusual at that time. People were skeptical, but I was confident in my decision," she shared.

"My parents have always been a constant support system for me. My dad was the emotional one, while my mom was the practical one. She said it was up to me to decide whether I wanted to achieve this goal. Making such decisions at a younger age made me feel that whatever I went through in life, I could come back stronger. At the age of 18, when I made the Indian team as a batter, I scored a half-century in my first match. I was batting at number 5 and felt very proud of myself," she added.

Krishnamurthy also discussed the impact of the Indian women's cricket team, noting that many young girls aspired to be like Mithali Raj or Jhulan Goswami.

Varna Bhat, a pioneer in the Indian whiskey industry, shared her experiences as a woman in a male-dominated field. She recalled a time when a male bureaucrat questioned her decision to sell liquor, assuming that women should not be involved in the alcohol industry. However, upon realizing that his own daughter was a professional, he understood her point and supported her.

Megha Pavan, an entrepreneur in the agricultural sector, discussed the challenges of balancing her professional and personal life. She emphasized the importance of creating a supportive environment for women in the workplace. At Truemillets, they actively encourage women to pursue their career goals and provide them with the necessary training and support.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/tags/share-the-spotlight">Read more: Share The Spotlight</a>

Veda Krishnamurthy on the power of resilience and female cricketers being role models

The biggest asset in any company is women as they bring perspectives and have the ability to create a lot more fun, said Anindita Veluri, Director-marketing at Adobe India, at Storyboard18’s Share The Spotlight event in Bengaluru.

Veluri said that in Adobe it's not only about hiring women, or getting them back to work, or just empowering them but it is about ensuring that every woman has the liberty to create and to do something that is unique and helps her to shine. "They (Women) are superstars in our organization," she added.
 
On the combination of women and technology, Veluri said, "It's a sexy role to be in". Technology is unbiased and never chooses anyone based on gender, instead, "Technology is about understanding what you trying to solve, and is open for everyone".

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/infosys-itc-titan-biocon-industry-leaders-join-storyboard18s-share-the-spotlight-movement-41011.htm">Infosys, ITC, Titan, Biocon: Industry leaders join Storyboard18’s Share The Spotlight movement</a>

Further, Veluri shared the spotlight with two women who she admires - Shruthi Harikrishna - Head, Global CoE for Analytics and Innovation - at Adobe, and Preeti Narayanan, Founder of Windward Kennels.

Shruti spoke about the significance of saying 'No' to wrong things in life to create balance with good things. On the other hand, Narayana shared her journey of becoming an entrepreneur due to a supportive husband and family. She said highs and lows will keep coming in life but "to adapt" is something she has learned in her journey as a wife, mother and businesswoman.

Other notable leaders who took part in the event and highlighted the achievements of inspiring women include Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder of Biocon Limited; Intel's Roshni Das; ITC Foods COO Ali Harris Shere; Cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy, Zivame's COO Lavanya Pachisia; and Diageo's Chief Innovation Officer Vikram Damodaran.

Read more: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/tags/share-the-spotlight">Share The Spotlight</a>

'Women plus technology is a powerful combination', says Adobe's Anindita Veluri

Lavanya Pachisia, CEO, Zivame, stated that it is women (70 percent) who run the business and show how best lingerie shopping can be done at Zivame.

"The testament of what you are building is listening back to the consumers," she added.

She shared the spotlight with Lakshmi Subramaniam Murugesh, Head of Product Innovation, Zivame, and Dr. Kiruba Devi P, Head of Category and Sourcing, Zivame at Storyboard18’s Share The Spotlight event in Bengaluru.

While addressing the retail space which is traditionally male dominated, she said, "We started Zivame's journey to solve the poor shopping experience when it came to lingerie. Most of us will remember we used to shop in mom-and-pop stores, the uncle would ask what you want and pretty much fit you into the size he had in mind and sell it to you."

"We wanted to create a safe and unique shopping experience for women. It was the era where e-commerce was developing. Take out your mobile, order it, we will discreetly pack it and send it back to your house. It will be for women and by women," Pachisia added and said, "More than 70 percent of our organization has women. We have more than 175 stores, all stores are managed by women. We have zero male workforce in our stores. For inclusion, sometimes we say get men, but all customer-facing roles are done by women. We started training programs and started identifying women from the retail workforce."

For Zivame and Pachisia the challenge was to get many women onboard. She pointed out another key challenge, "Unfortunately, even today, after so much education, most women do not wear the correct size of lingerie. It's actually a revolution to a large extent."

For Murugesh who builds the product, a bra is a very technical product even though it is sold like a commodity. More than 50 parts are built to make a bra.

"My journey at Zivame has been great; this place gave me the opportunity to go all out and explore. Traditionally, there was a category that had little product offering, but women were adjusting irrespective of size. This category is such that women are still not vocal about their issues, likes, dislikes, comfort, and discomfort." she states.

"In my career, I have realized every woman's body is different, and you cannot generalize a woman's body. In the process of decoding the pain points, we co-create a product along with the consumer, ensuring that there is something for every life stage and body type. Designing with empathy is a core value for us," she adds.

While talking about the category, Dr. Kiruba said, "Nothing goes beyond data. We do a lot of innovation. How do we marry the data with the product line? That is the challenge and I ensure things are data-driven."

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/tags/share-the-spotlight">Read more: Share The Spotlight</a>

Zivame's Lavanya Pachisia on creating a safe and unique shopping experience for women

Vikram Damodaran, Chief Innovation Officer at DIAGEO India, shared the stage with Vijayalakshmi Damodaran, Chief Operating Officer of Cognizant's Cloud & Infra Business at Storyboard18’s Share The Spotlight event in Bengaluru. Vijayalakshmi is also a social media influencer, animal rights activist, and mother.

"My role at Diageo is to reshape the future of consumption and celebration. Having women contribute to multiple facets of our business, from my Chief People Officer to my CEO and CMO, is crucial to our success. I was fortunate to be mentored by my mother, a gynecologist, who taught me the importance of prioritizing work and life. Today, 80% of the people I mentor are women, and I'm proud to chair our women's network."

When asked how his wife inspires him, Vikram said, "Vijayalakshmi inspires me greatly. She is the foundation of my life, and our two children are successful startups that she runs independently. She keeps me grounded and is a true superhero."

Reflecting on how her engineering background has shaped her leadership style, Vijayalakshmi shared, "I became an engineer because it was the lesser of three evils. I struggled in school and even failed a semester. My vice-professor taught me that it's difficult to stay consistently average. Now, I understand the importance of routine and practice."

Vijayalakshmi also shared a valuable lesson from her father, who told Vikram and Vijayalakshmi that they might find better partners but should stick with their decision and not worry about future regrets." The husband-wife agreed that it was the best decision of their lives.

"My father's advice before my wedding to stay committed to my decisions, even if they may seem wrong in the future, has been invaluable. Vikram, my husband, has been incredibly supportive. He has never criticized my choices or actions, even when I've made mistakes. This has given me the space to reflect, learn, and grow," shared Vijayalakshmi. 

Read more: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/tags/share-the-spotlight">Share The Spotlight</a>

Diageo's Vikram Damodaran on sharing the spotlight with wife Vijayalakshmi Damodaran

In a compelling and inspiring session at Storyboard18's 'Share The Spotlight' event held on August 30 in Bengaluru, Sumit Virmani, Infosys' Global Chief Marketing Officer, provided a fascinating insight into the company's comprehensive approach to nurturing gender parity and fostering leadership development. 

Joined by Manisha Saboo, Kisha Gupta, and Preethu Karen - key figures in Infosys' ecosystem - Virmani highlighted the significant economic and social benefits of bridging gender gaps in employment.

Virmani began by sharing research indicating that achieving gender parity in employment could potentially triple India's GDP by 20%. This economic incentive complements the moral imperative, he noted, forming a dual rationale behind Infosys' initiatives aimed at creating a more equitable workplace. "This is something that is very dear to not just me but the entire leadership," Virmani emphasized, acknowledging that such parity is embedded in the organization's ethos. As a result, about 40% of Infosys' employees are women, he proudly added.

He mentioned how many women enter the workforce at an entry-level, but as they climb the ladder, several leave for multiple reasons, calling it the "broken rung". A major factor is the unequal share of caregiving responsibilities that women end up taking compared to men, he informed. 

Delving deeper into Infosys' internal strategies to combat gender parity, Virmani shed light on specific programs that support women through their career trajectories. One such initiative, 'Reskill and Restart,' targets women returning to work after significant breaks, providing them with necessary training to reintegrate and thrive in their professional journeys. "We have had multiple cohorts of women that not only have been integrated successfully, they've actually stayed with us for several years subsequently," he said.

Another initiative is IamTheFuture, which was conceptualized by the Infosys Leadership Institute that prepares women to assume future leadership roles, offering sources from prestigious institutions like Stanford, MIT, and Kellogg.

He also added how Infosys has taken proactive steps to reshape its managerial culture through the 'Manager Code,' a set of criteria that each manager is trained and evaluated on, and held accountable for, with a specific focus on equity. "And that is the feedback loop that ensures that the culture that we aim to create from the top actually permeates at the very end of the organization," he stated.

The event also served as a platform for other Infosys women dignitaries to share their experiences and insights.

Manisha Saboo, Vice President and Head of Infosys Foundation and Campus Head at Indore, discussed the challenges and strategies of balancing personal and professional life, highlighting the non-linear approach to 'work-life balance' that focuses on prioritizing and living in the moment. She also emphasizes on being humble and being kind to oneself, and not holding onto tasks that are hard to fit into one's schedule. "I am not a superwoman. When I am doing so much, once in a while I drop the ball," she stated.

Kisha Gupta, Senior Director of Corporate Marketing and Global Head of Academic Relations at Infosys, recounted her ascension within the company and the supportive environment that enabled her to undertake and achieve audacious goals, both personally and professionally. Her career trajectory is a testament to her belief that it's never too late to start afresh. "So I tried a lot of careers. I went from performing arts to music to hospitality to advisory, consulting," she said. She also exclusively mentioned about 'InStep,' a global flagship internship program that brings people from hundreds of top universities into Infosys and into India. Spearheaded by Infosys Co-founder, Narayan Murthy, she mentioned how it took Infosys to being the #1 internship brand in the world.

Steering the conversation ahead, Preethu Karen, Lead Business Partner HR at Infosys, emphasized the importance of seizing opportunities and finding purpose in one's work. She credits 3 factors that helped her grow and succeed in her journey: opportunities, purpose, and leaders. "I think it's very important to have people and leaders like Sumit who believe in you, who groom you from a very early stage," she affirmed. 

Concluding the discussion with key pointers to young women leaders, Karen said, "Always be bold, find purpose and meaning in your work, and lastly, always be inquisitive in your thoughts."

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/tags/share-the-spotlight">Read more: Share The Spotlight</a>

Global CMO of Infosys highlights economic and social benefits of bridging gender gaps

At Intel, diversity, equity, and inclusion have been key drivers of success. To achieve greater gender representation, the company goes beyond global programs and initiatives by implementing a deliberate strategy in its hiring process. 

As Roshni Das, Vice President, Global Marketing Innovation and India Region Marketing, at Intel Corporation, explains, the company ensures that a woman is always part of the interview panel to eliminate bias and promote fair hiring practices for new talent.

Speaking at Storyboard18’s Share The Spotlight event in Bengaluru, Das also highlighted Intel's policy for gender and pay parity. 

"Since 2019, Intel has looked at that role for the number of years of experience, regardless of what your pay package is today, we pay what you should be drawing for that scope of job instead of looking at what you are currently withdrawing," she said.

Being a strong advocate for women in tech, Das also believes that "we (women in leadership roles) have the responsibility of paying it forward. We have to be the change we want to see."

Additionally, she suggested, "I tell most young women to focus on your right to education, focus on your right to economic independence. And then, find the right partner- to have the right support ecosystem and somebody that's always rooting for you."

Professionally, Das advised that as one evolves as a leader, one should also become a player and a coach for the team.

At the event, Das shared the spotlight with Shenaz Bapooji, founder of Skyful and Aditi Nanda, Chief of Staff at Intel India. 

Bapooji, who brings with her over 30 years of marketing and brand-building expertise, shared qualities that have helped her grow in her career. 

"I am a very passionate individual, very driven. I've never had to wait for people to tell me what to do. But what's kept me going is self-belief. And this whole idea that the world can be a better place. Leave your mark in whichever way you can and in the process, be kind. A lot of leaders lack compassion," she said.

Nanda, who believes in humanising tech problems, shared that breaking down problems into smaller bits really helps.

"As a technologist you see the problem for its bits but when you break it down to its lowest denominator, it's easy to kind of find the answer and move forward from there," she said.

Concluding the discussion on how to best operate in the tech space that has traditionally been male-dominated, Nanda said, "Say yes to all sorts of things that come your way. You learn on the way. I think it is also ensuring that you bring the best version of yourself to work. And that leaves behind the gender part of it completely."

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/tags/share-the-spotlight">Read more: Share The Spotlight</a>

Women at the top have the responsibility to pay it forward, says Roshni Das of Intel

A majority of CEOs express the need for greater female representation on boards and in senior leadership, but the crucial question is what tangible actions these CEOs are taking to support and elevate their female colleagues within the organisation.

As Suparna Mitra, CEO, Watches and Wearables Division of Titan Company Ltd, points out, the true measure of progress lies in how women in leadership positions actively work to bring more women to the table and create opportunities for their empowerment.

"Once you get a seat at the table- the real responsibility is how do we pull in more women onto the table. Also, for every woman who's on the table, if you're the first woman on the table, the interesting thing is not that you're the first, but that you will not be the last. And then there will be many more, and then it will be normalised, and people will not be counting the number of women," she says.

Speaking at Storyboard18’s Share The Spotlight event in Bengaluru, Mitra highlighted how culture of a company trumps everything. 

Although, it is very important that commitment and culture is backed up by policies and processes in any organisation. "I left Titan for some personal reasons and rejoined back in 2006. And I was very clear that for me culture trumps everything. The quality of work, the opportunity, the freedom, and the supportive environment," she shared.

Sharing her own experience and policies made for women well-being at Titan, she also remarked how for her generation of women, one was supposed to put head down and work, expecting one day the work would get noticed- however, that era has changed. 

Further, she spoke of her assuming the role of CEO of watches and wearables on April 1, 2020, amid the lockdown- which had its fair share of challenges as businesses remain closed. 

Although she highlighted how over the last two years the business has done very well. Titan's brands have become stronger, network of stores have become bigger and better and products have become better.

Mitra shared the spotlight with Rajeshwari U, who is the head of manufacturing at Titan, Shyamala Ramanan, business head at Mia by Tanishq and Dhanya K, who is Lead at talent management and leadership development at Titan Company.

Rajeshwari shared her experience of how embracing the culture and challenges helped her climb the ladder. 

"I thought I would join the IT department, but they put me in manufacturing. I entered the shop floor and saw more than 400 people sitting there. They told me I was the supervisor, and I was shocked. But I embraced the situation and the culture, and handled each challenge with a focus on improvement," she said. She then upgraded her technical skills.

"When people used to break for lunch, I used to work on the movement and watch assembly. This earned me respect from my peers and subordinates," she added. Later, Titan promoted her and put her in charge of the pilot assembly for all new products. Soon, she was also tasked with training new manufacturing employees at the company's Roorkee and Pantnagar units.

"I joined Titan as a supervisor and now I am heading the assembly for watches and wearables, with more than 500 people working under me," she said.

Ramanan further steered the conversation toward how she has evolved from a functional leader into a business leader.

"From functional to business, it wasn't very easy, but it's just that you need to keep an open mind. I mastered what I was good at and developed business acumen while demonstrating business thinking, seeing the big picture and after that, taking risks," she shared.

She also remarked that, "If somebody is offering you a role which has got slightly bigger than functional to business, that means the senior management trusts you and that is half the battle won. So you need to know when to take that plunge. And once you've taken the plunge, what you need to do is learn, unlearn, relearn. Then you need mentors and you also adopt reverse mentoring." 

Ramanan also advised one to stay authentic and vulnerable and balance the EQ with the IQ. And in the midst of it all, never lose track of the customers whom you are serving with the products that you're working with.

Dhanya concluded the conversation by sharing two cents on the role of human resources in women's empowerment and what has helped her succeed.

"What has helped me is the nurturing mindset that comes fairly naturally to women. Also, at various occasions, I have brought in a certain higher degree of emotional intelligence and empathy to the employee groups.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/tags/share-the-spotlight">Read more: Share The Spotlight</a>

Having a seat at table comes with duty to empower others: Suparna Mitra, Titan

When Titan employee Rajeshwari joined the premier watchmaker after completing her diploma in electronics and post-graduate diploma in computer applications, she was in for a surprise.


"I thought I would join the IT department, but they put me in manufacturing. I entered the shop floor and saw more than 400 people sitting there. They told me I was the supervisor, and I was shocked. I didn't know the ABCD of watch assembly," Rajeshwari said at Storyboard18’s Share The Spotlight event in Bengaluru.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/tags/share-the-spotlight">Read more: Share The Spotlight</a>

"I managed. I embraced the situation and the culture, and handled each challenge with a focus on improvement," she said.


Rajeshwari said she soon realised that working in manufacturing requires thorough understanding of every aspect of the process. So she upgraded her technical skills.


"When people broke for lunch, I used to work on the movement and watch assembly. This earned me respect from my peers and subordinates," she said.


Subsequently, Titan promoted her and put her in charge of the pilot assembly for all new products. Later, she was also tasked with training new manufacturing employees at the company's Roorkee and Pantnagar units.


"I joined Titan as a supervisor and now I am heading the assembly for watches and wearables, with more than 500 people working under me," she said.


This was one of the many stories shared by women from various walks of life at Storyboard18's Share The Spotlight event. India's business and brand leaders gathered in Bengaluru on August 30 to shine a light on women in their ecosystems who have forged their own paths and have inspiring stories to tell. These women offered insights into their diverse journeys, experiences, and the challenges they've overcome.


The challenges of women in manufacturing


Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, the Executive Chairperson of Biocon and Biocon Biologics, discussed the challenge of having women in manufacturing roles.


"For a long time, we could not get women into manufacturing jobs because there was a regulation that they could not work in second and third shifts. When you have such restrictions, it's very difficult to give women certain roles. Fortunately, the government has changed those regulations in the recent past, so we are working on creating all-women teams in certain areas of manufacturing" she said.


In February 2023, the Karnataka legislative assembly passed an amendment to the Factories Act of 1948, allowing women to work night shifts at factories.

Shaw also emphasised the importance of organisations in creating equal opportunities and achieving gender parity.


"When you talk about gender parity, it's not just the percentage of women working in organisations. It's about ensuring parity in pay and promotions because what you really need to see is how you promote women and get them to play bigger leadership roles," Shaw said.


"In this day and age when we have to actually think about compassion, empathy, and EQ (emotional quotient), having more women in the workplace makes organisations better. When you have women in boardrooms, it makes the board stronger and more effective," she explained.


'Culture trumps everything'


Suparna Mitra, CEO of the Watches and Wearables Division of Titan Company Limited, discussed how the early leaders of the iconic watchmaker consistently promoted, encouraged, and nurtured women employees.


Mitra said that when she first joined Titan in 1994, the company's commitment and culture stood out. "Only in the last 10 to 15 years have we introduced policies and processes (about gender parity, etc). It is important that commitment and culture are supported by policies and processes," she added.


For instance, Titan now has a policy that if a woman employee with a two-year-old child (or younger) needs to travel for work, the company will not only cover her travel expenses, but also pay for an attendant and the child's travel costs.


"When I rejoined Titan in 2006, I was very clear that for me culture (freedom, supportive environment, etc) trumps everything — the quality of work, the opportunities, etc," she said.


Mitra added: "Women of my generation believed in keeping their heads down and working, because one day you would get noticed. But today that's no longer the case, and I truly believe that those of us who have demonstrated resilience, capability, and courage to reach where we have and earn a seat at the table, our real responsibility now is to help more women get here."


Nurturing women leaders


Infosys' global Chief Marketing Officer, Sumit Virmani, said that not only is gender parity the right thing to do, it also makes tremendous economic sense.


"Creating an equitable workplace is very dear not just to me but the entire Infosys leadership, because it has been at the core of who we are as an organisation," he said. As a result, about 40 percent of Infosys' employees are women, he added.


"While we celebrate the numbers, we must also realise that if we dissect the reality, not just at Infosys but across corporate India, we will find this phenomenon of the broken rung," Virmani added.


Many women enter the workforce at the entry-level, but as they go up the ladder, several leave for various reasons. A significant factor is the disproportionate share of domestic responsibilities that women end up shouldering compared to men, he asserted.


Hence, Virmani said, Infosys has programmes that seek to address the challenges at every rung holistically.


He spoke of 'Reskill and Restart,' a programme designed for women who have taken career breaks and been away from the workforce for a long time.


"We have had multiple cohorts of women, and are quite delighted to say that not only have they been integrated (into the IT firm) successfully, they've actually stayed with us for several years subsequently," he said.


Another programme is IamTheFuture, which was conceptualised by the Infosys Leadership Institute to identify women with the potential to become future leaders. The programme aims to provide women with holistic development through a multi-year training program, in partnership with leading institutions such as Stanford, MIT, and Kellogg.


Other notable leaders who took part in the event and highlighted the achievements of inspiring women include Intel's Roshni Das, ITC Foods' Ali Harris Shere, Cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy, Adobe's Anindita Veluri, Zivame's Lavanya Pachisia, Para Athlete Malathi Krishamurthy Holla, and Diageo's Vikram Damodaran.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/biocon-is-targeting-to-be-a-gender-parity-company-by-2030-says-kiran-mazumdar-shaw-41002.htm">Biocon is targeting to be a gender parity company by 2030, says Kiran Mazumdar Shaw</a>

Infosys, ITC, Titan, Biocon: Industry leaders join Storyboard18’s Share The Spotlight movement

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, the executive chairperson of Biocon and Biocon Biologics, said on August 30 that the bio-technology company is targeting to achieve gender parity by 2030, as part of its efforts to create a more inclusive and balanced workforce.


"When you talk about gender parity, it's not just the percentage of women working in organizations. It's about ensuring parity in pay and promotions because what you really need to see is how you promote women and get them to play bigger leadership roles," Shaw said at Storyboard18’s Share The Spotlight event in Bengaluru.


Shaw said that it is important for organisations to ensure that they create equal opportunities.


"In this day and age when we have to actually think about compassion, empathy and EQ (emotional quotient), I think having more women in the workplace makes organisations much better. When you have women in boardrooms, it makes the board stronger and more effective" she said.


Storyboard18’s Share The Spotlight aims to provide an opportunity for India's business and brand leaders to share their spotlight with women in their ecosystems who have charted their paths and have inspiring stories to tell, offering insights into their journeys and the challenges they've overcome.


Shaw shared her spotlight with three people at the event - Biocon Biologics chief operating officer Rhonda Duffy, Biocon Biologics global communications head Seema Ahuja, and Shaw's personal assistant Latha Sharma.


"I must add that I have many women in the organisation who make me very proud and who play an important role in the organisation. Many of them are in leadership roles" Shaw said.


"In terms of the overall organisation, I guess I am not quite happy with the percentage of women in the organisation. It's a little over 30 percent, though many parts of our organization have 50 percent parity, like in research and many other divisions" she added.


These efforts are aided by recent changes in government regulations, Shaw said.


"For a long time, we could not get women into manufacturing jobs because there was a regulation where we couldn't get women to work second and third shifts. When you have those kinds of regulatory restrictions, it's very difficult to give women those kinds of roles. Fortunately, the government has changed those regulations in the recent past, and so we are consciously working on creating all-women teams in certain parts of our manufacturing" she said.


In February 2023, the Karnataka legislative assembly passed an amendment to the Factories Act of 1948 that allows women to work night shifts at factories.


Shaw recalled that when she started Biocon, she was very keen to help women to pursue career options, especially scientists.


"When I started as a woman entrepreneur 46 years ago, I can tell you that the spotlight was entirely on me, and I used to find it odd that every time I went anywhere, I would be the only woman," said Shaw. "However, when I did start my company, I could share the spotlight with many people who joined me in my journey. I had a number of women who wanted to do something in the area of science," she added.


Shaw said she started Biocon as a biotech company driven by a set of objectives. One of them was to be a science and research-driven company. "I found that a number of women scientists and researchers were very happy and keen to join me in my journey," she said.


"When I fast forward to today, we are seeing a number of women leaders, not just heading companies, but also playing leadership roles in organisations," Shaw said.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/special-coverage/lenovo-global-cmo-on-the-importance-of-sharing-the-spotlight-and-mentorship-40870.htm">Lenovo Global CMO on the importance of 'sharing the spotlight' and mentorship </a>