Enabling women to gain financial independence is an important step towards achieving gender parity, both at the workplace and in society in general. That is why connector platforms such as the SHEROES Summit, bringing women leaders from the various industry sectors under one roof, play such a significant role in our time.
The sixth edition of SHEROES Summit, organised by SHEROES, a community platform for women from all walks of life, in collaboration with UST Global, KLAY Prep Schools and Daycare, Kotak Mahindra Bank and DIAGEO India, was held at Delhi’s Eros Hotel on 12 September. This was the fifth and last leg of a multi-city event held on separate dates in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Trivandrum.
The event, with its motto of “Building Communities”, extended a common platform for women achievers from fields as varied as technology, art and business. Highlighting the achievements of women who are designing their own future outside the job market, the event also emphasised, through specially curated events, the growing opportunities for women employees in India’s tech space.
With an aim to get more women hired in the tech domain in India, UST Global, a digital transformation solutions company, organised a one-on-one mentorship session for women, both professionals and freshers, at the venue. The event hosted a number of inspiring women achievers from across the world, who talked about how SHEROES is changing mindsets of people around the world. Women artistes and leading entrepreneurs also shared their story at the summit.
The summit started with “Morning Zing”, a session by yoga instructor and sound healer Jenil Dholakia. She spoke to the audience about the power of sound and energy in our surroundings and how these energies can help us absorb information efficiently in our daily life.
Another session at the summit, “The Prism”, was led by Sairee Chahal, founder and CEO of SHEROES, who spoke about how women can achieve financial independence. The other panelists included Som Mittal, former chairman and President of NASSCOM; Pooja Goyal, head of strategic planning, KLAY Prep Schools & Daycare; and Elizabeth Venkataraman, executive VP, marketing, Kotak Mahinda Bank.
During the discussion, Venkataraman said, “Financial independence is an important part of independence for women. Still, around 60% of Indian women do not have their independent bank account.” A successful entrepreneur in the childcare industry, Pooja Goyal had some advice for aspiring women entrepreneurs. “If you have just started out, build your support network to help yourself. Listen to your customer and keep the connection strong. Have patience, work hard, stick it out,” she said.
Alicia Castillo Holley, a Silicon Valley angel investor and founder of the “Women Get Funded” programme, delivered the keynote at the summit. She said, “Entrepreneurship is a great profession for women. I realised it early that the secret to being successful is to take care of yourself first, and the best way to do this, for me, was through entrepreneurship. The two things which you need to remember for becoming a successful woman entrepreneur are—always lift yourself up and never listen to anyone who tries to put you down.”
Young social activist, author, and English literature student, Gurmeher Kaur was also among the prominent attendees here. Kaur, during the “My #TakeChargeStory” session, shared her thoughts on how empowering social media can be when it comes to standing up for your rights. She said, “Social platforms have given so many of us young girls a voice. I have received so much love from women around the world, and from my network of women. It makes me feel safe and secure…”
Shweta Jain, VP, Luxury Commercial and Key Accounts, Diageo India, who is also a mother of two, narrated the story of her journey and talked about how she made her mark in a male-dominated industry. “Once you have clarity in your choices, you can go about your profession and personal life without guilt. When I started my career in the alcohol business, there were over 600 men and just 3 women. I was the only mom,” she said.
A specially-curated panel for women from SHEROES Community was attended by RJ Stutee from Fever 104 FM; Swarnima Bhattacharya, founder Theacare, an organisation that works on female health; and Namita Jain from KLAY schools among other women entrepreneurs.
A special highlight of the event was the “Crèche In A Box” training workshop, which was hosted by KLAY Prep Schools and Day Care. The workshop was meant for women looking to launch their own crèches. To make the event more inclusive for the mothers in the audience, KLAY had set up an onsite crèche for kids whose moms were busy attending the activities and talks at the venue. Indian sign language interpreters were also part of the summit this year to help make the event accessible for the differently-abled members of the SHEROES Community.
Sonam Kalra and the Sufi Gospel Project closed the day a spiritually uplifting musical set. In addition to this, the audience also witnessed engaging performances by slam poet Navaldeep Singh and percussionist Tarit Pal.