I Inspire 2013, national conference for women leaders, organized by Biz Divas Foundation on April 5th, 2013 in New Delhi aimed to be a confluence of ideas and celebration of the spirit of diversity and entrepreneurship. It was very well received by 200 participants ranging from CxOs of multinational corporations, HR and Diversity Heads, Entrepreneurs working in diverse streams of business and corporate professionals. It was quite apparent that the nation is in dire need of collaborative platforms like I-inspire for people to come together and put their thoughts forward. Keynote Speech by Donald Lu, Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy set the tone for the day that was full of optimism, enthusiasm and excitement.
First panel discussion “Enhancing Women’s Leadership: Strategies and policies to promote women leadership” moderated by Shrinath Bolloju, Group COO, Deutsche Bank discussed changes required at workplace to bring more and more women in leadership positions. That we need better representation of women at top levels was not even debatable. Then the challenges of entrepreneurs were discussed through panel discussion “Realizing Potential: Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs in India” moderated by Margaret Hanson-Muse, Commercial Counselor & COO, Commerce Office, US Embassy.
Breakout Workshop “It’s Time To Be Me!” Conducted by Sheba Maini explored working with and building a woman’s sense of identity and the empowerment. A Focus Group Discussion on various aspects of Diversity and Inclusion at workplace among Diversity Heads, HR Heads, CxOs, Diversity Consultants and Legal Experts brought out certain key points out in the open.
Interlaced with networking tea/coffee breaks and lunch, I-inspire also provided a forum for participants from various walks of life to mingle and share their thoughts informally. Post lunch, there was URJA, a poetry jamming session based on inspirational poetry by women thought leaders.
Biz Divas believes in learning from each other and listening to stories of triumph over ordeals can be a really effective tool for motivation. Preeti Monga, Founder Director, Silver Linings, visually impaired since childhood, shared how a courageous woman can tide over the worst of circumstances to be a success personally and professionally through her own life journey.
Regrettably, by focusing exclusively on women, many organizations have unwittingly alienated men, inadvertently jeopardizing the success of their gender initiatives. Without the avid support of men, who are arguably the most powerful group of stakeholders in most large corporations, significant progress toward ending gender disparities is unlikely. “Creating a Win Win: Men as allies and organisation responsibilities to enhance women’s leadership” a discussion Moderated by Rajiv Gupta, Partner, KPMG, addressed the need and value of motivating and engaging men as equal partners on diversity issues.
The discussion “Women of Vision: Business and Beyond” led by Stephanie Morimura, Assistant Cultural Affairs for Exchanges, U.S. Embassy touched just the right chord with audience. Visionary women who refused to walk the beaten track and preferred to work on their own inner calling, however unconventional and challenging left participants in awe with their insights.
Breakout Session S.W.A.T. (Serving, Working, Analyzing Together) had a panel of experts addressing challenges like Funding, Expansion, Career Growth and Social Entrepreneurship w.r.t. Profitability for participants. The idea was to give actual solutions and contacts so that the issues are worked out in reality.
The last session “Promoting Mentoring Culture”, led by Sarika Gupta Bhattacharyya brought out the importance of a mentoring culture in today’s scenario. Mentoring being a philosophy close to its heart, a 9-month Mentoring Program was announced by Biz Divas at the end of the session.
Overall, a thought-provoking day, culminated with closing remarks from founder members and an unmistakable conclusion that the business world needs more and more women as it makes business sense, social sense and common sense! Now, it is time for all of us to put our heads together to work out – how!
To see the pictures of the conference, please visit: http://www.i-inspire.in/?page_id=889
To have a glimpse of I Inspire 2013, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2u5SsdO0kw
