Women are no longer confined by the expectations of society. They are breaking stereotypes and achieving their goals through passion and dedication. Womennovator, in association with the Confederation for Women Entrepreneurship (COWE) powered by KGS Advisors and KEI Industries, recently felicitated 100 such inspirational women at an event in New Delhi.
On this list of extraordinary women were a number of Hyderabadis who were recognised for their contribution in various fields. Anju Arora, the founder of Naari, a women’s wellness initiative, Harini Madhira, the founder of Cisne For Arts, Sree Raja Rajeshwari Yellapragada, the founder of Sidhi Creations, Namita Banka, the founder of Banka BioLoo Ltd, and Priti Shah, the CEO of Payswiff Solutions Pvt. Ltd, did the city proud.
Harini Madhira who was recognised as an innovator in the field of art and culture, said, “I am very happy to be a part of the coveted 100. They thoroughly researched what people were doing before selecting us. Among those who were recognised for their work were 60-year-olds as well as 20-year-olds.”
It was Namita Banka’s unconventional approach to waste management that led to her selection. “It’s a privilege for my work to have made it to the platform. Now, I am all set to expand my work,” said Namita, who is also an executive member of COWE.
Another innovator from the city, Anju Arora said that it felt good to be mentioned alongside other achievers. “Being an advocate for sustainable menstruation, I found the platform to be an excellent opportunity to approach people from different backgrounds, to discuss issues related to menstruation. Periods are not a problem limited to Hyderabad, women across the whole world deal with them,” she said.
Tripti Shinghal, the founding president of the Delhi Chapter of COWE India, the CEO of KGS Advisors and the co-founder of Womennovator, said that the aim of the event was to not only bring recognition to the women but also empower them by connecting them with fellow innovators, mentors, financial advisors and government schemes.
She said that an international committee was being formed to turn a hand-picked lot of women into global faces. “We received many applications from women, and we picked 100 Womennovators from among them. We also chose 31 influencers to help and mentor the innovators. Naina Lal Kidwai, the chairman of the India Advisory Board of Advent International Private Equity, actor Avijit Dutt, Blossom Kochhar, the founder of the Aroma Magic range of products, and Sonam Wangchuk, the founding director of the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh were among the members of the jury that selected the women.”
Over a 100 “elevator pitches” were made on the day, resulting in the event making it to the Asia Book of Records for the maximum number of women change-makers making elevator pitches.
