NEW DELHI , 1 June 2013: ITV network became among the first media house in India to be a signatory of UNWEP charter by signing up for Women?s Empowerment Principles (WEPs).

ITV has always accepted that women are an invaluable resource of the economy and that their role in corporate world should be widened & reinforced. Along with the seven other Indian signatories, it has participated in encouraging the Indian private sector companies to become signatories of these principles.

According to the Grant Thornton International Business Report 2013, globally, 24% of senior management roles are now filled by women. This is up from 21% in 2012 and 20% in 2011. On the other hand, the percentage of women in senior management in India is just 14%, a level that needs attention from the corporate and business world.

Considering Indian women?s participation percentage in senior level management, there is a need to have significant transitions in work culture keeping in mind the gender bias inherent in every aspect of Indian society. It is time to create awareness and instinct among people about women empowerment and gender diversity.

"We have launched this initiative to generate awareness among people about gender sensitivity, through our channel and persuade women of our nation to participate in the growing economy by their valuable contributions to the corporate world" said Mr. R. K. Arora, CEO, ITV network.

"Our main objective is to integrate a perfect blend of male and female participation in the organization to encourage diversity in thought processes and work cultures to achieve the business objectives in the best possible gender balanced way" said Shikha Rastogi, Vice President, Human Resource, ITV network.

ITV has taken this initiative as it believes in these seven principles and has internalised them in its own operations. The company wants to build in the same trust among other organizations, so that efficient use of latent talent of women employees can lead this nation to a new paradigm of excellence.