Mumbai: To bridge the gender parity gap in the workforce, CNBC-TV18 has officially launched its one-of-a-kind mega initiative "Future. Female. Forward: The Women’s Collective" at The St. Regis Mumbai.
Presented by HSBC India, the initiative is launched in the presence of CNBC-TV18 managing editor Shereen Bhan, HSBC India CEO Hitendra Dave, Colgate-Palmolive India managing director Prabha Narasimhan, Apollo Hospitals joint managing director Dr. Sangita Reddy, former RBI deputy governor Shyamala Gopinath, and some of the most influential voices from the business, entrepreneurship, and entertainment spaces in attendance.
The logo of "Future. Female. Forward" has been unveiled onstage in an innovative format during a special showcase by artist Haribabu Natesan.
Furthermore, the event featured the debut of a special anthem written exclusively for this initiative by musician Sonam Kalra as well as a spectacular performance celebrating the theme.
ISRO's key female scientists were also honoured for their enormous contribution to India's dominance in the space race and for being such role models for the diversity narrative.
Much is being said in corporate corridors about gender equality and equitable workplace developments, and as a purpose-driven brand, CNBC TV18's endeavour is to start a conversation and find ideas and solutions to the problems we face as a society and a nation.
As a result, "Future. Female. Forward - The Women's Collective" is an integrated diversity and gender parity campaign composed of events, content, conversations, and engagements that will become an annual event to chart a path to gender parity.
The launch event was a significant step in this direction, with the audience getting a front-row seat to three enlightening discussions: one with top CEOs and leaders from key corps., one with the most renowned women from the spaces of entrepreneurship and startup funding, and one with leaders from the creator and digital economies.
Sharing her thoughts, Shereen Bhan mentioned, "For more than a decade, CNBC-TV18 has been actively mainstreaming the conversation around creating equal opportunity work spaces, championing the cause of bringing more women into the workplace, and supporting women entrepreneurs and enterprises. As the foremost voice ‘of’ and ‘to’ corporate India, we are consolidating this long-standing support into an impactful mega initiative to create a playbook for change. Over the course of this campaign, we aim to put together 'best practises that have worked.'"
On diversity, Dave added, "At HSBC, the strength of different experiences, attributes, and voices is integral to who we are and how we work. We work hard to ensure that HSBC is a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. We have prioritised diversity and inclusion and are conscious of our responsibility to create an ecosystem that empowers diverse colleagues. "Future. Female. Forward - The Women’s Collective" is our endeavour to uncover, understand, and celebrate the potential of women and reinforce our long-standing support in enabling them to make choices for their personal and professional growth and development."
Commenting on the new initiative, Network18 CEO of business news Smriti Mehra said, “We have always been a brand with a purpose and with “Future. Female. Forward – The Women’s Collective,” we are living our promise here at CNBC-TV18. We all carry with us the responsibility to address subjects that need conversation and change. This is our effort to catalyse the much-needed reform for a truly equal workplace for individuals, irrespective of their gender and we really believe we will be able to usher in that positive difference.”
