SheSparks 2025 brings together women at the forefront of innovation, leadership, advocacy
At SheSparks 2025, an extraordinary lineup of changemakers took the stage to address the challenges and triumphs that define women’s participation in technology, entrepreneurship, healthcare, and advocacy.
Women are shaping the future—not just in boardrooms and businesses, but in technology, healthcare, finance, advocacy, and all spheres of innovation. At SheSparks 2025, YourStory and HerStory's flagship summit focused on spotlighting women entrepreneurs, an extraordinary lineup of leaders raised the curtains on the barriers, biases, and breakthroughs that limit women's participation across industries.
The event, held at Shangri-La Bengaluru, on March 21, witnessed powerful women leaders from diverse fields share invaluable insights, challenges, and triumphs from their lives and work. From breaking systemic barriers to leading AI advancements and reshaping financial inclusion, the event reaffirmed the message that women are not just part of the future; they are shaping it.
Chetna Gala Sinha, a social entrepreneur, microfinance banker, and activist, delivered a rousing start to SheSparks 2025. In a keynote address, she took the audience through her eclectic journey as a young student at the University of Mumbai to becoming the founder and chairperson of Mann Deshi Bank and Mann Deshi Foundation—organisations that provide financial services, business education, and digital literacy to women in underserved communities.
"Never give poor solutions to poor people. They are smart. Their courage is their capital," she said.
Breaking barriers in tech
Next up, Anjana Chiramel, HR Director and DEI leader, Schneider Electric; Ramya Parashar, Chief Operating Officer, MiQ Digital India; and Dr Saundarya Rajesh, Founder, Avtar Group, tackled the biases, lack of mentorship, and leadership hurdles women face in tech. In a panel on ‘Building a Supportive Ecosystem for Women in Tech’, they highlighted the need for sponsorship, leadership pathways, and inclusive workplaces.
"Women need more than just mentors; they need sponsors who advocate for them when they're not in the room," said Chiramel. Parashar stressed the need for policies that accommodate women’s realities, while Dr Rajesh called for systemic change, stating, "We don’t just need to help women enter the workforce; we need to change the system itself."
Women in AI and advocacy
In a session on AI and supercomputing, leaders Aditi Nanda, Director, Ecosystem and Industry, Intel India; Anindita Veluri, Director Marketing, Adobe India; Geetha Adinarayan, CTO, IBM - Consulting, India and South Asia; and Sangeetha Yanamandra, Vice President, Software Engineering & Site Leader - Hyderabad, OpenText, explored how AI models reinforced biases and called for the urgent need for more women to shape the future of AI.
“AI is only as unbiased as the data it learns from,” said Veluri. “We need more women creating these models to ensure representation and fairness.”
In yet another gripping keynote, ‘AI & Innovation: The Founder’s Advantage’, Teena Bhasin, Director of Google Cloud Consulting, emphasised that AI is no longer optional for businesses, but something that must be embraced as a competitive edge. "Think of AI as an investment in exponential growth, not just a cost," said Bhasin, illustrating how AI-led startups like Chippy focused on software debugging.
Aditi Nanda, Director, Ecosystem and Industry, Intel India; Anindita Veluri, Director Marketing, Adobe India; Geetha Adinarayan, CTO, IBM - Consulting, India and South Asia; and Sangeetha Yanamandra, Vice President, Software Engineering & Site Leader - Hyderabad, OpenText
Women’s health: From awareness to action
From maternal care to fertility, Dr Janhavi Nilekani, Founder and Chairperson, Aastrika Foundation and Aastrika Midwifery Centre; Mehak Malik, Founder and CEO, Uvi Health; and Nidhi Panchmal, Founder, Arva Health, tackled gender biases in healthcare in a panel discussion titled ‘Women’s Health, Women’s Voices: On the Pulse of Health Equity for Women’.
"Women’s health has always been secondary—secondary in research, funding, and even in their own lives," said Dr Nilekani, advocating for midwifery-led maternal care. Malik highlighted how early menopause and rising lifestyle diseases are growing concerns, while Panchmal stressed the stigma around fertility treatments.
Gender-informed policy
In a fireside session titled ‘A Lifetime in Advocacy: What Works, What Doesn’t, and What’s Next?’ that followed later in the day, Dr Ranjana Kumari, Director of the Centre for Social Research, reflected on her decades-long fight for women’s political representation and policy reform in India.
"For 27 years, we fought for women’s representation—gathering signatures, storming the Prime Minister’s office, even facing arrest," said Kumari. She emphasised that advocacy requires persistence, not just protest. "Parity is power," she added. "Unless we fight for equality in decision-making spaces, women will always be at the receiving end."
Bridging gender gaps in health
In a moving but powerful fireside chat on ‘Innovating for Impact: Bridging Gender Gaps in Health, Nutrition and Livelihoods’ with YourStory Founder and CEO Shradha Sharma, Rachana Panda, Vice President and Cluster Communications Head, Bayer ASEAN, ANZ & South Asia and Director, Bayer Foundation India, shed light on the company’s transformative initiatives to improve women’s health, economic opportunities, and agricultural participation.
Panda, a breast cancer survivor, shared her journey with the battle, emphasising the critical need for early detection and awareness. “We need to normalise conversations around women’s health,” she said. “Too many women delay treatment out of fear, stigma, or lack of access. The earlier we act, the better our chances,” added Panda.
Finally in one of the most interactive and compelling fireside chats that drew the curtains on SheSparks 2025, Dr Ekroop Caur, Secretary, Department of Electronics, Information Technology, Biotechnology, and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka, shared her journey as a bureaucrat and decision-maker, offering powerful insights on leadership, resilience, and systemic change.
Reflecting on her career, Caur highlighted the challenges of being a woman in male-dominated sectors like finance and transport. “For women, leadership doesn’t come easy. We have to prove ourselves at every step,” she said. “Our performance speaks for us, and we must be twice as prepared as our male counterparts.”
Stressing the importance of tenacity, data-driven decision-making, and clarity of vision, Caur said, “If you believe in a solution, you must work relentlessly to see it through. Big impact requires effort and persistence,” she said.
She also outlined Karnataka’s initiatives to support women entrepreneurs, including incubation programmes, startup grants, and efforts to bring women back into the workforce through reskilling. “We must increase women’s participation in the economy—our GDP could double if we harnessed the full potential of our women workforce,” she concluded.
The day culminated in the ‘The Future Shapers: She Leads Change Awards 2025’, and the launch of the ‘Future Shapers: She Leads Change Report 2025’.
As SheSparks 2025 concluded, the event reinforced a resounding message: whether in technology, entrepreneurship, health, or advocacy, women are driving change, breaking barriers, and reshaping industries.
The future is female-led, and the time to accelerate change is now.
Edited by Kanishk Singh