Mumbai: CNBC-TV18, India’s leading English business news channel, successfully launched Season 4 of HSBC India presents CNBC-TV18 Future. Female. Forward – The Women’s Collective, co-presented by Cognizant and powered by Reliance Industries, with two flagship gala experiences in New Delhi and Mumbai. Bringing together diverse and impactful key opinion leaders as well as business and social impact stalwarts, the platform continued its focus on conversations around inclusive leadership and access for women to the boardrooms, representation, entrepreneurship, and the path to a more equitable India.
Designed as a dynamic, engagement-led platform, the Future. Female. Forward. (FFF) Season 4 launch galas moved beyond the conventional conference format by combining business dialogue with culture, storytelling, audience participation, and live experiences. Across New Delhi and Mumbai, the initiatives featured townhalls, fireside conversations, audience-led interactions, their flagship ICONS felicitations, and relatable discussions, creating a space that was immersive, participative, and reflective of India’s changing leadership landscape.
Opening the season, Shereen Bhan, Managing Editor, CNBC-TV18, underlined the importance of moving from intent to action when it comes to gender equity and representation. She said, “When women are half the talent but not half the table, something is fundamentally broken. Future. Female. Forward. is about moving beyond conversations and creating real pathways for change. The future of leadership and growth depends on ensuring women are not the exception in decision-making rooms, but an equal force shaping the future.”
Reinforcing the economic importance of inclusion, Hitendra Dave, CEO, HSBC India, highlighted how India’s next phase of growth is intrinsically linked to women’s participation across industries and leadership roles. He noted, “The next trillion dollars in India’s growth is inevitable, but its true impact will depend on how inclusively we grow. By unlocking women’s participation across not just urban offices but factories, fields, and grassroots enterprises, we are not only strengthening livelihoods but accelerating the nation’s economic potential. Even small, consistent efforts to enable women can create a compounding impact, shaping a more inclusive and resilient India. This vision strongly aligns with the dialogue at Future Female Forward by CNBC-TV18, which continues to position inclusive growth as a critical driver of India’s next phase of progress”
Across both chapters, conversations explored themes of leadership transformation, workplace equity, representation in positions of influence, and growth with inclusion. Industry leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and changemakers came together to discuss how organizations and institutions can create more equitable pathways for leadership and advancement.
One of the defining moments of the Delhi chapter was the institutionalization of the official FFF Advisory Committee in collaboration with IMFA’s SakhiSeed Initiative, aimed at supporting female micro-entrepreneurs through financial grants and mentorship support, extending the platform’s commitment beyond dialogue and into tangible impact. Adding a cultural and relatable dimension to the event, comedian and content creator Aiyo Shraddha delivered a stand-up performance centered on the everyday realities of gender expectations and modern ambition.
Audience participation remained central to the experience through “Take Your Stance: Hot Take or Hard Pass?”, one of the platform’s most interactive segments, where speakers and attendees shared candid perspectives on workplace equity, stereotypes, leadership expectations, and representation. The format sparked lively reactions and unfiltered conversations that extended beyond the stage.
The New Delhi gala also honoured a diverse group of changemakers through the FFF Icons Felicitation segment. Honourees included Ashu Jain, Pratishtha Deveshwar, Air Marshal Padma Bandopadhyay, Payal Nag, Than Singh, Sufiya Sufi, Bani Das, Rouble Nagi, Shinjini Kumar, Simran Bala, Shraddha Jain, and Veda Paresh Sarfare — individuals who have challenged barriers and redefined possibilities across fitness, defence, sports, activism, education, and social impact.
In Mumbai, the platform continued the conversation through a series of immersive town halls and leadership discussions focused on representation, advancement, and access. One of the key sessions, “Power, Access, and Advancement,” brought together Vibha Padalkar, Avinash Satwalekar, Anant Goenka, Dr. (Ms.) Jyotsna Suri, Farzana Haque, and Jyoti Vij to discuss the future of leadership and the structural shifts needed to build more equitable workplaces.
The Mumbai chapter also spotlighted grassroots entrepreneurship through the FFF microentrepreneurs Initiative: The Journey Ahead, featuring Chetna Gala Sinha, Ajaita Shah, Neha Juneja, and Shaifalika Panda. The discussion focused on financial inclusion, access to capital, and creating scalable opportunities for women-led enterprises across India.
Continuing the celebration of inspiring journeys and achievements, the Mumbai edition of the FFF Icons Felicitation recognised Captain Yashika Hatwal Tyagi, Mona Singh, Komal Prajbhugouda Patil, Jyoti Ratre, Jahnavi Dangeti, Shreyovi Mehta, and Medha Joseph for their contributions across entrepreneurship, exploration, leadership, and social impact.
Reflecting on the larger theme of inclusive growth, Sunil Kant Munjal, Chairman, Hero Enterprise, said, “India’s next growth curve will be defined by how effectively we leverage technology and bring more women into the workforce. This is not just a question of inclusion; it is a strategic imperative for businesses and for the country. The organizations that recognize this and act decisively will be the ones that lead the future.”
Arundhati Bhattacharya, President & CEO, Salesforce, South Asia added, “Women often underestimate their own readiness for leadership because they over-question themselves before taking the leap. Growth comes from stepping into unfamiliar territory with confidence, embracing change, and recognizing that talent flourishes when organizations create truly inclusive and supportive environments.”
Closing the season launch, Rajesh Varrier, President, Global Operations & Chairman & Managing Director, Cognizant India, reinforced the importance of sustained execution and structural change within organizations. He said, “India has never lacked conversations around equity. What we need now is sustained execution. Real progress will come when organizations move beyond intent and actively create systems that enable opportunity, leadership, and long-term growth for women at every level.”
With successful launch chapters across New Delhi and Mumbai, CNBC-TV18’s Future. Female. Forward. Season 4 brought together business, culture, leadership, and community through conversations and initiatives designed to drive meaningful impact and a more inclusive future.
CNBC-TV18 Future Female Forward Season 4 is presented by HSBC India, co-presented by Cognizant India, powered by Reliance Industries, and supported by FICCI as the Industry Partner and IMFA as a partner.
-Based on Press Release
