Meet the women scripting history at HerStory’s Women on a Mission 2022

Former first lady Michelle Obama famously said, “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.”

Women, since the beginning of history (and time) have proved that with strength, resilience, determination and grace, nothing is impossible. And, limits exist only in the mind.

Today, marks the continuance of a celebration of women as change makers with HerStory’s flagship event, Women on a Mission 2022 - a platform that will inspire people to action via provocative conversations, compelling story-telling and pledges to advance change for women in every sphere of life.

The event will bring together, albeit virtually, several extraordinary women who are inspiring and enabling others to join the workforce, grow and thrive, and also those with first-of-its-kind achievements to their credit.

Women leaders, pioneers, women to watch out for - the Women on a Mission Summit will showcase their grit, their fortitude, and their willingness to go places – something HerStory has steadfastly done for many years through our stories and initiatives.

The event will kick off with an introductory address by Shradha Sharma, Founder and CEO, YourStory Media, who will introduce the two-day event and what’s in store as women from different walks of life deliberate, discuss and speak on topics close to their heart.

Learn from the leaders

The Women On a Mission summit is really a storytelling gala. As women who have braved unique challenges in different walks of life reflect on their journey, it serves as the perfect opportunity to learn from their experiences. 

The event will feature exclusive opening fireside chats with Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, MD, Biocon and Suchitra Ella, Co-founder and Joint Managing Director - Bharat Biotech. They share their experiences as entrepreneurs in an industry that has seen diverse challenges in recent times.

Other leadership sessions will include Divya Gokulnath, Naiyya Sagi and Priyanka Gill, women creating a huge buzz in the ecosystem. Durga Shakti, IAS will be another highlight as Women on a Mission 2022 celebrates women of substance.

Championing inclusion and diversity 

Diversity and inclusion shapes the growth and trajectory of businesses and organisations as much as other mainstream factors. According to a study conducted by the World Economic Forum, companies with above-average diversity scores drive 45 percent average revenue from innovation, while companies with below-average diversity scores drive only 26 percent.

The Women On a Mission summit will deliberate on why companies need to further their commitment towards diversity and inclusion, especially in times of hybrid work culture. Tina Vinod, Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at ThoughtWorks and Parineeta Cecil Lakra, Country People and Culture Manager at IKEA India will decode the successes and learnings in building a diverse workforce.

At the end of the day, what does it truly take for women to make it to the top? Hear it straight from Maria Bartolome Winans, CMO of Kyndryl in a fireside chat with YourStory Founder and CEO Shradha Sharma.

Women to watch out for - 100 emerging women leaders

The role model effect is all too real. An MIT study co-authored by the Nobel prize winning economist Esther Duflo highlights the importance of female leaders in shaping the attitudes and ambitions of young women.

And YourStory Founder and CEO Shradha Sharma is all set to launch HerStory’s 100 Emerging Women Leaders aims to achieve just that: bring forth the young and new faces of women doing impactful work. The curated list of women working across the field of agritech, education, ecommerce marketplaces is sure to inspire to the brim as they lead with example.

Women in tech entrepreneurship

Women are upending the fact that tech entrepreneurship is a boys club – across the fast-evolving spectrum of tech. Hopping on the latest of Web 3 world are women founders of Nume Crypto Madhumita Harishankar and Niveda Harishankar who will talk about women innovating in this virtual space. 

Award-winning entrepreneur Carmen Vicelich also reflects on trends in fintech and banking globally and emerging trends of female leadership in tech and what it takes to be one. Illa Aggarwal, AVP Engineering at Urban Company, Rajini Sree Rajan, Head of Technology at 21K School, Anand Narayanan, CPO at Simplilearn, and Deepa Parikh, Head of Solution Engineering at Akamai India will also engage in a panel discussion on ways to for such women leaders to break free from biases.

Also joining the summit from Nagaland is Shiroi Lily Shazai, Founder and CEO of edtech Naged who will shed light on leveraging tech to enable learning for students from remote communities. 

Star-studded list 

We are also shining the spotlight on celebrities from various fields. You can break into song with Shilp Rao, traverse the diverse journey of Dia Mirza from acting to entrepreneurship and listen to an enriching conversation with actor-producer-writer Gul Panag. These are also women on a mission, whose lives and work is not limited to one field, but encompasses social impact as well. 

HerStory Pioneers 

Brace up to celebrate the sound of shattering glass ceilings as we unveil the HerStory Pioneers report highlighting women who have toiled away from the limelight and pave the way for young girls and women.  

But what are stereotype-breaking pioneers made of? A great deal of resilience and never losing sight of one’s dream, according to Captain Zoya Agarwal the first female pilot to fly a Boeing-777 and commander of the longest commercial flight. Then scaling uncharted corners is Harshwanti Bisht, an ace mountaineer and first female President of Indian Mountaineering Foundation. 

Tune in to hear their journeys in full.  

Masterclasses

It is good to talk about money, business, and power and even better when one can take charge of it. Fittingly, the Women On A Mission summit has a stellar lineup of entrepreneurs conducting masterclasses on money matters and how to optimise them for your life – and who better to learn from than women-focussed fintech founder Priti Rathi Gupta. 

A shout out to the sponsors of Women on a Mission Summit 2022, an Initiative by HerStory, by YourStory - BYJU’S, the presenting partner, and other sponsors - Kyndryl, Sequoia Spark, Zilingo, Atlassian, Akamai, Freshworks for Startups, and Netapp Excellerator.