Umpteen takeaways at first edition of CII’s ‘The Women Conclave’ in Coimbatore

Empowering women to excel in diverse fields through inspiration, leadership, and breaking barriers at 'The Women Conclave' in Coimbatore.

Shed inhibitions, exude confidence, ignore taunts, keep updating knowledge, pursue interests with passion, aim for excellence in any chosen field...

These messages kept resonating for participants all through the first edition of ‘The Women Conclave’ organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry - Coimbatore, and Young Indians (Yi)-Coimbatore Chapter, on the theme: ‘The Naari Narrative: Force Behind New India’.

The conclave’s theme, according to the organisers, was designed to delve deep into the current challenges and opportunities encountered by women in their pursuit to success on the pillars of integrity, commitment, excellence, dedication and compassion.

Thirteen distinguished speakers who had either created a niche for themselves or broken barriers in their journeys to achieve success reflected on their leadership in diverse areas such as business, politics, startups, art, law, media, and finance.

Addressing the inaugural session, S.Malarvizhi, Past Chairwoman, CII-IWN (Indian Women Network) - Tamil Nadu and Managing Trustee, Sri Krishna Institutions, cited her entrepreneurial journey to drive home the point that women could do anything and everything. “Leadership and Competence have no gender,” Ms. Malarvizhi said, describing her foray into diverse industry sectors like I.T., Food and Beverages, and pump exports with confidence and no prior experience.

The first plenary session on ‘Art Business and Royalty’ highlighting the vibrant and diverse pallette of art, business and royalty, was addressed by Mohiniattam exponent Gopika Varma, who hails from the Royal family of Travancore, and the second on ‘First Woman Standing’ focussed on breaking barriers and fighting stigma across generations by Aruna Bahuguna, first woman IPS officer of united Andhra Pradesh.

A panel session on ‘The Champions of Change’ followed with the participation of Solachi Ramanathan, founder and principal architect, Urban Workshop; Shayana Reddy, serial entrepreneur and luxury stylist; Aathmika Banuchander, actor and founder, SillyWisdum; and Poorvi Sultania, visual artist. They recounted their journey and experience of aspirations, challenges and success.