NDTV World Summit: Women Business Leaders Call For Breaking Glass Ceilings

Prominent women leaders from diverse industries, while participating in a panel discussion at the NDTV World Summit, called for breaking the glass ceiling that is holding back women in various sectors.

Despite progress, women continue to face significant challenges that hinder their advancement, particularly in leadership roles, entrepreneurship, and funding access, they said.

Padmaja Ruparel, Co-Founder of the Indian Angel Network, raised concerns about the low representation of women entrepreneurs and their struggles to secure funding. "In 2022, only 14.7% of funding went to women entrepreneurs, and this dropped to just 7% in 2023," she revealed.

Ruparel also noted the alarming disconnect between women founders and access to growth capital. She pointed out that while some investors are creating women-focused funds, the overall funding for women-led startups remains low. "Women entrepreneurs are very rare, and those who make it often don’t go all the way down the path. We need to nurture and grow this ecosystem," she urged.

Kami Viswanathan, President for the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, and Africa at FedEx, spoke about the company's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

"While FedEx has made strides—36% of our board and 26% of management globally are women—there’s still a lot more work to be done," she said.

Viswanathan stressed that the logistics and supply chain sector, traditionally male-dominated, faces a critical challenge in attracting more women. "It starts at the top of the funnel. We need to encourage more women to apply for jobs and break preconceptions and biases," she noted. She also said that societal expectations like childcare and eldercare as factors that contribute to women’s drop-off in middle-management roles.

FedEx's initiatives to support women’s career growth include leadership training, quarterly team discussions with senior leaders, and programs like "Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes," designed to promote inclusivity. Viswanathan noted that increasing women’s participation in senior management is crucial for long-term change.

Preeti Bajaj, CEO & MD of Luminous Power Technologies, shared her company’s focus on promoting women in senior leadership roles. With 33% of their 12-member leadership team being women, Bajaj advocated for a framework she called the "Three A’s" to drive gender equity in the power sector: access, ambition, and attainment.

"Women need equal access to opportunities, the ambition to reach for senior roles, and an environment that supports their attainment of these goals," she explained.

Bajaj also said that companies must foster a conducive environment with positive policies, equitable opportunities, and safety measures like transportation, to help women advance.