CNBC-TV18’s Future. Female. Forward – The Women’s Collective mega summit on 14 March

Mumbai: CNBC-TV18 has put the spotlight on the very pertinent subject of gender equality and economic growth opportunity at the workplace. To fully commit to the cause of bridging the gender parity gap at the workforce, CNBC-TV18 has led the charge with a one-of-its-kind initiative “Future. Female. Forward - The Women’s Collective” presented by HSBC India.

The initiative was launched with an on-ground event on 25 November 2022 in Mumbai with industry names in attendance. Through the campaign’s presence at the World Economic Forum 2023 in Davos, the initiative attracted global attention and support with CNBC-TV18 managing editor Shereen Bhan leading the discussions with the most influential voices across the globe about gender parity and equality.

In continuation of its efforts to build dialogue around and inspire real change in this area, CNBC-TV18 will host India’s mega summit on gender parity on 14 March 2023, at The Imperial, New Delhi, 4.30 PM onwards. Through the summit, the channel intends to ignite conversations, release the findings of an exclusive FICCI & CNBC-TV18 survey on women in the workforce, and discuss prevalent concerns pertaining to the deficit of gender parity and possible solutions to bridge this disparity.

The summit will kickstart with the special anthem composed by musician Sonam Kalra exclusively for Future. Female. Forward which would be followed by a keynote address by minister for women and child development Smriti Irani to set the context for the evening. Following this, the evening will see a tribute to Elaben Bhatt of SEWA with the organisation’s leadership in attendance, for her phenomenal work in transforming the lives of millions of women. The evening will witness a remarkable moment with the presence of the navy chief, R. Hari Kumar in an exclusive conversation on leading change in the defence forces and will also see women who are breaking barriers from the defence services such as Beena Tiwari of the Indian army in attendance. The evening would then see a session featuring the G20 EMPOWER Women Champions from across the length and breadth of the country share the meaningful work they have been doing and their thoughts on G20 EMPOWER 2023 goals.

The summit will also address the global gender gap with ambassadors & diplomats like the US ambassador to India A. Elizabeth Jones, EU ambassador to India Ugo Astuto, Australia ambassador to India Barry O'Farrell  in conversation with CNBC-TV18’s Parikshit Luthra. A special CNBC-TV18 & FICCI “Women in the workforce” survey report will be launched at the summit, diving deep into the state of women's representation across the formal private sector in India, which would be discussed in detail by Bhan with FICCI leaders in attendance.

A major highlight of the summit will be the mega leadership panel moderated by Bhan to discuss ‘Workplace Inclusivity & Parity- A Rising Reality?’. The panel will see industry doyens like HSBC India CEO Hitendra Dave, Romal Shetty, CEO Designate, Deloitte India CEO designate Romal Shetty, Suresh Narayanan, Chairman & MD, Nestle India Ltd chairman & MD Suresh Narayanan, G20 Sherpa of India Amitabh Kant, Nalli Silk Sarees Pvt.Ltd vice chairperson Lavanya Nalli and Auguste Tano Kouame, World Bank country director India Auguste Tano Kouame.

Bringing together diverse women achievers will be the concluding panel- ‘SHE LEADS: Charting A New Growth Story’, which will see pathbreakers such as Sameera Reddy, Actress Sameera Reddy, Zoya Agarwal, Commercial pilot Zoya Agarwal, Naara Aaba founder Tage Rita, Pabiben Rabari, Founder, Pabiben.com founder Pabiben Rabari, Niramai Health Analytix founder & CEO Geetha Manjunath, Indian Women’s Polo Team captain Monica Saxena, talk about breaking stereotypes and setting a bright example for women to pursue their dreams.

Commenting on the much-awaited mega summit, Bhan said, “For over a decade now, CNBC-TV18 has been actively mainstreaming the discussion about establishing equal opportunity workplaces. We have unified this long-standing support into an impactful initiative and endeavour to make this an active dialogue and exchange of ideas. Since the launch of the campaign, we have showcased stories of change from the assembly line to the boardroom. Leaders from India & the world have shared their stories and experiences on making the workforce more inclusive. With our summit, we intend to further accelerate the conversation on gender parity and bring actionable changes and solutions to the table.”

Dave said, “HSBC's core value is valuing difference and providing equal opportunity. A diverse and inclusive workplace brings a variety of perspectives to the table, a balance of voices and diversity of different thoughts that are critical for good business decision making. A business priority, diversity and equal opportunity bring benefit to our customers, our business and our people. We recognise the action needed in order to accelerate women's equality in the workforce and provide a level playing field. We are focused on building a diverse, connected and balanced workforce.”

Sharing her thoughts, Network18 CEO business news Smriti Mehra mentioned, " CNBC-TV18 has always been a purpose-driven brand. With the Future. Female. For the mega summit, we aim to lead a shift in the overall mindset and create a positive difference that reaches every nook and cranny of the workforces. Prominent and powerful voices & policymakers from across sectors will be part of the summit and will highlight the importance of gender equality and equity in all systems."

HCL Tech COO corporate functions Rahul Singh said, "At HCL Tech, we’re on a journey to supercharge progress, not just for women, but for all. Celebrating, recruiting, hiring, promoting, and educating women in tech isn’t just an acknowledgment of the power and potential of women, it’s our strategic responsibility to improve our organization, our industry, and the world. 'The Future. Female. Forward- The Women’s Collective’ platform from CNBC-TV18 aligns with our commitment to bring a shift in mindset and further strengthen the mainstream diversity narrative. We look forward to being part of this initiative to create a playbook for change."

Shetty also commented, “India can only achieve its true potential when women actively and equally participate in nation-building. At Deloitte, we believe that opportunities must go beyond mere empowerment and focus on nurturing an environment that’s devoid of biases and cultural maladaptation. To achieve a gender-equitable workforce, each of us has an equal role to play towards ensuring that the enabling mechanisms are real, reasonable, current, and actionable."