Women’s Day Special Huddle in Bengaluru Advances Dialogue on Stewardship in Boardrooms
Board Stewardship successfully convened its Women’s Day Special edition of the ‘Huddle’ in Bengaluru on Friday, February 27, 2026, bringing together Board members, Independent Directors, governance professionals and business leaders for an evening of focused dialogue on the theme ‘Stewardship in Boardrooms’. Held at the JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru, the Huddle created a structured forum to examine evolving board responsibilities, sustainability imperatives, leadership diversity and the growing role of data-driven governance frameworks.
The evening commenced with a welcome address by Vikesh Wallia, Managing Director and Editor, Board Stewardship, who set the context for responsible stewardship amid increasing regulatory complexity and stakeholder expectations.
Reflecting on the event, Vikesh Wallia said, “This Women’s Day special edition of the Board Stewardship Huddle is a reminder that inclusive leadership is not a symbolic gesture—it is a governance imperative. Strong stewardship demands diverse perspectives, ethical judgement and courage. Our aim is to ensure that meaningful conversations translate into measurable boardroom impact and globally relevant governance outcomes.”
This was followed by the Inaugural Address delivered by Emmanuel David, Advisory Board Member, Board Stewardship, Independent Director, Strategic Leader and Coach, who highlighted the importance of ethical leadership, board accountability and long-term value creation.
Delivering the keynote address, Ajay Nanavati—former Chairman of Syndicate Bank, former Managing Director of Bank of Maharashtra, and Chairman of Quantum Advisors and Alcon Castalloy Ltd.—highlighted, “It’s a pleasure to address the Board Stewardship Huddle, and this was an extremely well-curated event with an engaged audience, knowledgeable and articulate speakers, and positive energy. I applaud the Board Stewardship team for being ardent advocates for good governance, a critical imperative for India.”
A key highlight of the evening was the panel discussion titled ‘Women in Family Business Leadership – Breaking Barriers’. The session featured Ashwini Prakash, Managing Partner & Board Director (Singapore & India), Stanton Chase; Preeti Saikumar, Managing Director, Hiten Fasteners Pvt. Ltd.; and Saraswati Ramachandra, Managing Director & Country Head, Lightcast.
Saraswati Ramachandra shared, “The Board Stewardship Huddle was a timely and meaningful immersion into how Boards must evolve beyond oversight to true stewardship. What stood out to me was the openness of dialogue, diversity of perspectives, and practical insights that made it a rich learning forum. Carefully curated sessions reinforced that future-ready Boards will be defined by ethics, judgement, courage, and long-term value creation. Heartfelt thanks to the Board Stewardship team, all speakers, and my fellow.”
The second panel, ‘Engineering ESG Maturity through Data and Analytics’, brought together Dr. Hari Saravanabhavan, Managing Director, Global Data & Analytics, Concentrix; Ritesh Sachdev, SVP & Head – Commercial Leasing, Asset Management, Sustainability & CSR, Tata Realty & Infrastructure Ltd; Prof. Sanjay Khare, Independent Director, ESG & Innovation Advisor, Professor of Practice at IIT Kanpur and Startup Mentor at NSRCEL-IIM Bangalore; and Cauveri Sriram, CS & Chief Compliance Officer at Swiggy. The panel underscored the importance of robust ESG metrics, transparent reporting standards and leveraging analytics to drive measurable sustainability outcomes at the board level.
A fireside chat titled ‘Rights. Justice. Action. For All Women & Girls: The Leadership Equation That Scales’ featured Swatya Murarka, Managing Director & Head – Corporate and Institutional Banking Front Office, HSBC Capability Centres; and Shardul Khisharagar, MD & Global CEO, Fowler Westrup (I) Pvt. Ltd. and Independent Director.
Swatya Murarka noted, “Walking into a room where inclusion is treated as strategy, not sentiment, is rare. The Board Stewardship Women’s Day Special Forum created exactly that. I did not walk in with a script. I walked in with lived experiences — moments of doubt, moments of courage and the quiet decisions that shaped my career. What stayed with me was not just the applause. It was the reflective pause in the room. What struck me most was the hunger in the room for real, structural change — not performative gestures.”
Shardul Khisharagar shared, “The Board Stewardship Huddle was a community-building forum growing India’s Corporate Governance ecosystem, as it covered topics which were deeply relevant and candid on the background of upcoming Women’s Day 2026; empowering women leads to amplifying impact” is the summary of the various conversations. The fireside chat on Women’s Day sparked crucial conversations on rights, justice, and action. Heartfelt panel discussions took place on breaking barriers, giving access, Give to gain, sharing of personal experiences and collective action, especially leadership contribution to scale the impact. Listening to the journey of women in business and corporate leadership during the discussions was immensely inspiring case studies.”
The formal proceedings concluded with a felicitation ceremony recognising contributions to the Board and governance excellence, followed by a vote of thanks by Ashok D. Murthy, Director – Board Engagement (South), Board Stewardship. The evening transitioned into networking over cocktails and dinner, enabling participants to continue conversations and strengthen professional connections.
The Bengaluru edition was supported by BoardPAC as Knowledge Partner and Concentrix as Silver Partner, reinforcing the collaborative spirit of the platform.
With participation spanning banking, analytics, real estate, manufacturing, executive search and technology, the Bengaluru Women’s Day Special Huddle reaffirmed the importance of stewardship as a defining boardroom priority. The event reflected a shared commitment to strengthening governance standards, advancing leadership diversity and building resilient, accountable institutions for the future.
