Welspun Group’s new initiative : Women of Welspun for women leaders

Welspun Group, one of India’s fastest growing global conglomerates, has recently launched its Women of Welspun (WoW) program, building on its core principles of gender diversity and equitable access to opportunities for all. Mentored by Ms. Dipali Goenka, the programme is aimed at recognizing, driving and creating a culture of equal opportunity for women employees associated with Welspun.

It is said that behind every successful woman, there is a tribe of other women who have her back. With Women of Welspun, the company attempts to nurture the tribe and pave the way towards a diverse and inclusive environment for all. The WoW program has been designed to empower the women workforce by providing an environment of growth and opportunities, institutionalizing progressive policies that actively help women reach the desired position. Its consistent focus on ensuring active involvement of women leaders at the decision-making level stands as a testament to the organization’s overall sociocultural mission. The WoW initiative is in line with the company’s continued commitment to promote gender inclusivity in India’s business ecosystem.

The initiative consists of four segments with different focus areas which are united by the common goal of enabling women employees across verticals to access better opportunities.  These segments include WoW Community - a support network of women, for women, by women; WoW Conscious Women Program - an upskilling program for women employees in Assistant Manager-Senior General Manager grade; WoW Associate Engagement - a growth-centric engagement drive for women employees at Welspun plants; and Women Champions – a program to recruit women talent from top B-schools and groom them for middle management leadership roles.

Speaking about the initiative, Ms. Dipali Goenka, CEO & Jt MD, Welspun India Limited said, “At Welspun, we value and firmly stand behind diversity and it is precisely because of our unwavering commitment to our equity-centric ideals that we have emerged stronger as a business conglomerate. And the launch of our latest initiative, Women of Welspun, is aligned with this core business ethos. Through this initiative, we aim to create a progressive culture for our women associates by reducing gender gaps and moving beyond the representation of women in the board to their involvement in decision-making at the top leadership level. For instance, greater representation of women in organizations can bring greater emotional quotient to the table, which leads to better inclusion and diversity of thought as well as economic and social dividends”.

She added, “My own journey in the industry has helped me understand how important it is for women to consider their emotional, physical and holistic wellbeing when juggling so many roles. We have partnered with influential women leaders who are experts in their field and have come together with the aim of supporting other women grow and excel. We at Welspun believe that this initiative is going to be a game changer in breaking the glass ceiling and leading tomorrow together”.

The initiative’s launch was marked by a virtual panel discussion held between Ms. Dipali Goenka, CEO & Jt MD, Welspun India Limited, Chakra Meditation Expert - Dr. Preeti M Mandawewala, Psychologist & Corporate Coach - Dr. Aditi Govitrikar, nutritionists, fitness trainer & author - Ms. Suman Agarwal and Author & Relationship Coach - Ms. Raksha Bharadia. Moderated by Ms. Bidisha Banerjee, Group Vice President, Learning Culture & Employer Branding, the discussions saw the esteemed participants sharing their experiences, insights and advice to women professionals.