WINBoard 3.0: Redefining Boardroom Gender Diversity
Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairperson and CEO of Salesforce, posed a critical question at the launch of WINBoard 3.0: “SEBI mandates one Independent Woman Director on the Board. Why should it be restricted to just one?” This question reflects the core mission of WINBoard 3.0—a program launched by Aspire For Her to change the boardroom gender ratio in India for good.
Redefining the Indian leadership landscape
WINBoard 3.0 was launched on 23 August 2024, with the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) operating as the education partner of the program and the US Consulate functioning as its location partner. The program commenced with a gala opening ceremony at the US Consulate, setting the tone for the kind of impact the program will have.
The event was opened by a senior consulate official along with Ruchita Tandon, Chief Growth Officer at Aspire For Her, who spoke about the critical importance of women leaders in the boardrooms.
Madhura DasGupta Sinha, Founder & CEO, highlighted the success of two similar board enablement programs in the past, highlighting the massive impact they have already had. The first two programs saw the participation of 100+ senior leaders. Today, over 20 of them hold independent directorships, board roles, and executive advisory positions.
Madhura DasGupta Sinha went on to enrich the event with a fireside chat with Naiyya Saggi of The Good Glamm Group & BabyChakra. Together, they discussed the pressing need for more women steering change through leadership positions.
Attendees also got to sit in on a panel discussion moderated by Divya Sampath, Innovation Advisor at Aspire For Her. The conversation offered first-hand experiences from prominent leaders like Praveena Rai (Chief Operating Officer, NPCI), David Rasquinha (Advisory Board Member on Banking and Financial Frauds, Ex-Managing Director, Export-Import Bank of India), and Sutapa Banerjee (Board Director, Zomato Limited, Godrej Properties, JSW Cement, Axis Capital, Polycab Industries, Camlin Fine Sciences, Satsure Analytics, and ideaForge Technologies).
The way ahead
WINBoard 3.0 welcomed 21 women leaders in its cohort. Over the next few weeks, these participants will get board-ready with training on topics like Corporate Governance, ESG, finance & risk management, technology and board composition.
These learning sessions will be conducted by senior board leaders, ensuring that cohort members get the most relevant views of boardroom requirements and realities. Role models like Arundhati Bhattacharya will also play an important role in offering key perspectives and guidance.
Participants will get hands-on experience of navigating boardroom challenges by taking on NGO projects in groups. Additionally, they will have networking opportunities, helping them form key connections in board circles.
The program will culminate in a grand finale ceremony where the graduates will be felicitated with certificates. Thereafter, they will embark on their journey of becoming the next generation of board members.
