Amazon.in, with Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, a leading non-profit organization committed to empowering persons with disabilities organized a unique cricket match for the persons with visual impairment in Bengaluru, today. The event was held as part of Amazon’s Global month of volunteering being observed in May, demonstrating the spirit of inclusivity and empowerment.

As part of the initiative, the team participated in two matches where the first featured a mix of Amazon volunteers and visually impaired players, while the second was between Amazon volunteers and persons with visual impairment. Samarthnam team was awarded the winning trophy and a cash prize of INR 1 lakh for their exceptional performance, sportsmanship and refined skills demonstrated throughout the matches.

Among others, one of the distinguishing features of this match was the use of a specially designed cricket ball embedded with sound-generating components to aid players with visual impairments, making the game more accessible and engaging for them.

While Global Month of Volunteering is being observed in May 2024 through multiple volunteering engagement initiatives across various geographies in India, Amazon remains dedicated to fostering a culture of volunteerism and community engagement throughout the year. The spirit of giving back continues to thrive within company’s culture, and are committed to making an enduring positive impact in the communities it serves.

The Global Month of Volunteering (GMV) is an annual global event where Amazon’s leaders, employees, partners and even some customers all over the world come together to support causes that can make a difference. In its third year in India, GMV 2024 focuses on Amazon’s key themes of education, food security, sustainability, and women empowerment.

With its three-fold mission of educating, inspiring and connecting, GMV 2024 will run through May 2024. Amazon has curated over 150+ volunteering events across India in partnership with over 40+ non-profits including DonateKart, Rosy Blue Foundation, Way For Life, GIVE Foundation, Bhumi, Robin Hood Army, CRY, Helping 2 hands, Indian Roots Foundation, Ramp My city, Vedanshi Foundation and KHUSHI.

• A cash prize of INR 1 Lakh was awarded to the team of Samarthanam Trust on winning the match
• Innovative use of sound-generating cricket ball to guide the visually impaired players on the field
• The match was held as part of Amazon’s Global Month of Volunteering being observed in May 2024
• Amazon India in collaboration with Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled spotlighted empowerment of the PWDs through sports

Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) today released its 2024 USB Threat Report, which provides new insight into how “silent residency” is an increasing cyber threat for industrial and critical infrastructure facilities. In the report, Honeywell highlighted the growing risk of “living off the land” (“LotL”) attacks in which adversaries use USB devices to gain access to industrial control systems in order to hide and observe operations before launching attacks that evade detection and manipulate the target systems.

“Targeted cyber-physical attacks are more than zero-day exploits that take advantage of an unknown or unaddressed vulnerability. Instead, they are now also about silent residency – using LotL attacks to wait until there is an opportune moment to turn a system against itself,” said Micheal Ruiz, vice president of OT cybersecurity for Honeywell.

Now in its sixth year, the report underscores the severe risk USB-borne malware poses to industrial and critical infrastructure facilities. Key findings in the report indicate that adversaries now have a strong understanding of industrial environments and how they operate. According to the report, most of the malware detected on USB devices by Honeywell’s Secure Media Exchange could cause loss of view or loss of control of an industrial process, a potentially catastrophic scenario for operators.

“As digital transformation and automation accelerate, so does the exposure to sophisticated and malicious cyberattacks that can have devastating consequences in terms of reputation, safety and continuity,” said Ruiz. “There are numerous ways a bad actor can infiltrate an OT environment, including through USBs. With Honeywell’s advanced end-to-end technology and deep experience, we partner with our customers to improve their ability to protect their assets and data from these threats.”

The 2024 report is based on the Honeywell Global Analysis, Research and Defense (GARD) team’s tracking and analysis of aggregated cybersecurity threat data from hundreds of industrial facilities globally during a 12-month period.

Several of the report’s additional key findings included:

• USB devices continue to be used as an initial attack vector into industrial environments, as 51% of malware is designed to spread via USB, a nearly six-fold increase from 9% in 2019.
• Content-based malware, which uses existing documents and scripting functions maliciously, is on the rise, accounting for 20% of malware.
• Over 13% of all malware blocked specifically leveraged the inherent capabilities of common documents, such as Word, Excel and PDF documents.
• 82% of malware is capable of causing disruption to industrial operations, resulting in loss of view, loss of control, or system outages in OT environments.

Kia, India’s leading premium carmaker, today announced the launch of Kia Krystal, a new innovative digitized aftersales initiative. The initiative is aimed towards offering utmost transparency to the Kia customers through video consulting and live video streaming of the service of their cars.

The initiative also offers Kia customers easy access to all the details, including explanations of work, costs, and real time resolution to any query they have, all from their smartphone. This service is available through the ‘My Kia’ app, making it convenient for customers to stay informed.

• Real-time video-based updates of Kia vehicles, including live streaming is now available on ‘My Kia’ app

The Live Consultation service is now available at 237 Kia dealerships nationwide, while 25 dealers are already currently live streaming the service procedure. Kia India aims to start the live streaming in another 60 dealerships by the end of 2024. The overall customer rating of both platforms has exceeded expectations.

Mr. Hardeep Singh Brar, National Head – Sales and Marketing, Kia India, commented, “Our research indicated that most of our customers are opting for our Advance Pick and Drop Service or send their drivers for their vehicle service procedures. Due to this, they miss supervising the effort, which can lead to dissatisfaction in the longer run. Through Kia Krystal, we are aiming at building more trust by facilitating greater transparency to position ourselves as a customer-centric brand.”

Going forward, Kia India will expand Kia Krystal’s ambit to include a new process for welcome calls, aimed at onboarding new customers post-sales and keeping them informed about ownership programs and offerings. The initiative solidifies Kia’s commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction, further strengthening the bond between Kia and its customers. Earlier as well, the company has launched many customer centric digitised service offering, including Advanced Pick and Drop, My Convenience, My Convenience Plus, My Convenience Flexi, Kia Owner’s Manual (Digital), and ‘MyKia’ app to name a few.

Red Hat, Inc., the world’s leading provider of open source solutions, today highlighted how organizations across the globe are using Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform to help smooth cloud-native operations, establish a wide-ranging automation culture and respond more quickly to potentially disastrous challenges.

Red Hat continues to make Ansible Automation Platform the mission-critical automation solution for operating complex hybrid clouds, from the datacenter to multiple public clouds to the edge, along with AI applications at scale. These customers and many others are using Ansible Automation Platform to deliver new and innovative solutions to meet today’s IT challenges while preparing for technology needs yet to come, like using AI as a natural progression of IT automation. These implementations include:

City and County of Denver manages and coordinates public services for residents and visitors of one of America’s most livable cities, with the population growing 20% in just the last decade. This work became even more important—and more challenging—when the COVID-19 pandemic forced a rapid, long-term shift to remote work. To support more than 15,000 employees working from home, the government sought to adapt its new collaboration tool, Microsoft Teams. By automating provisioning, scaling tasks, application deployments, creating playbooks and configuration management with Ansible Automation Platform, Denver supported 514% growth in Teams use. They also quickly launched a digital emergency operations center (EOC) with 75% completion over a single weekend early in the pandemic, providing a central facility for government leaders to strategically enact emergency management and policies. Now, Denver can react more quickly to potential disasters and establish future EOCs in just 15 minutes with the right people and documents ready.

After implementing an automation Center of Excellence and socializing the automation program, Denver continues to find new use cases, promote success and gather metrics to support change. The city is sharing details of its IT automation success with other cities in Colorado to set the standard in emergency management efforts.

At MAPFRE, a global insurance company headquartered in Madrid, customers need absolute confidence that when they have a question, issue or claim, they can quickly and easily receive the needed service. When MAPFRE created its cloud strategy, the company quickly realized the need for automation to achieve its goals, such as getting to new markets faster, optimizing infrastructure costs, reducing carbon footprint and maintaining resilience and security. Once MAPFRE onboarded Ansible Automation Platform, the company saw significant results that mattered for the business:

• Time to market saw a 55% lead time reduction and 85% error-rate reduction with 4,700 developer hours saved.
• Cost and sustainability enhancements by automatically shutting down PRE environments, eradicating unused environments after 30 days and deleting orphaned resources.
• Enhanced resilience by automating remediations and disaster recovery environments and the disconnection of environments at risk.

With these successes, automation at MAPFRE has grown from an experiment into mission-critical. Next, it plans to use Ansible Automation Platform to minimize issues caused by human error, which typically account for over 50% of incidents.

Navy Federal Credit Union, the world’s largest credit union with more than 13 million members and $171 billion in assets, is a leader in an ever-evolving industry, where the use of technology is key to serving US veterans, retired service members, active duty members in all branches of the armed forces and their families. The institution enlisted Ansible Automation Platform for its functionality and ease of use. By fostering a culture of openness, transparency and collaboration, Navy Federal met its technological and cultural goals by closing automation adoption gaps. Provisioning time to value dropped from 11 days down to 1 day, and the credit union improved consistency across teams and adopted an automation community of practice. Ansible Automation Platform became an accelerator of cultural change: Teams who were speaking different programming languages could now share code, ideas and workflows in a common format.

As Navy Federal expands usage across all infrastructure and targets AI implementation for the future, it plans to use Ansible Automation Platform as the foundation with transparency, innovation and flexibility.

TD Bank offers a full range of financial products and services to over 27.5 million customers worldwide. Through their network transformation roadmap, the bank sought to lead with an automation-first mindset at the center of their platform delivery capabilities – ranging from scalability of software upgrades, configuration management and deployment, as well as standing up new products. The internal evolution of their automation capabilities drove forward the reduction of repetitive tasks for engineering teams alongside bringing new standardization to their deployments.

First, TD Bank created a strategic architecture for building up the Ansible environment, writing purpose-built playbooks for certain key tasks and helping engineers onboard to a new platform. The Network Services team shifted to an automation-first mindset with the support of leadership and new team members with automation backgrounds. Integrating with third-party vendors, TD Bank automated the standardization of over 10,000 network devices against new-state standards – improving software deployment and compliance, as well as configuration management. The bank also has been successful in migrating and deploying entire platforms using API integration to speed up the delivery of projects in a shorter time frame.

Industry-leading Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform brings a trusted, effective, end-to-end automation solution to nearly every enterprise use case, from traditional datacenters to multiple public clouds to the network’s edge

Honeywell today announced its hydrocracking technology can be used to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from biomass, helping to make sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that is 90% less carbon intensive than traditional fossil-based jet fuels . The new technology produces 3-5% more SAF ,3 enables a cost reduction of up to 20% , and reduces by-product waste streams as compared to other commonly used hydroprocessing technologies.

Honeywell’s Fischer-Tropsch (FT) UnicrackingTM technology takes liquids and waxes from processed biomass – including leftovers from crops, wood waste or food scraps – and can be used to produce SAF that complies with the strict standards of the aviation industry and with a lower environmental impact. This innovation demonstrates Honeywell’s alignment of its portfolio with three compelling megatrends, including the energy transition.

“As demand for SAF continues to grow, the aviation industry is challenged by limited supplies of traditional SAF feedstocks such as vegetable oils, animal fats and waste oils,” said Ken West, president and CEO of Honeywell Energy and Sustainability Solutions. “When combined with the existing Fischer-Tropsch process, our new technology will expand the feedstock options available in the industry to sources that are more plentiful, ultimately helping improve our customers’ ability to produce SAF.”

Recently, DG Fuels selected Honeywell’s FT Unicracking technology for its biofuels manufacturing facility in Louisiana – the largest in the world for making SAF from the FT process – that will produce 13,000 barrels of SAF each day when it begins operations in 2028.

“Using Honeywell’s advanced technology, DG Fuels will supply enough fuel for more than 30,000 transatlantic flights every year, contributing significantly to reducing the carbon emissions of global air travel,” said Michael Darcy, CEO of DG Fuels. “This is a big leap forward in supporting the airline industry’s goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions from international aviation by 2050.”

Honeywell helped pioneer SAF production with its EcofiningTM process, which has been used to produce the fuel commercially since 2016. The company now offers solutions across a range of feedstocks to meet the rapidly growing demand for renewable fuels, including SAF.

In addition to Honeywell Unicracking and Ecofining, Honeywell’s renewable fuels portfolio includes Ethanol to Jet technology and eFining™, which converts green hydrogen and carbon dioxide into e-fuels. More than 50 sites globally have licensed Honeywell’s SAF technologies, with refineries projected to exceed a combined capacity of more than 500,000 barrels of SAF per day when fully operational.

Godrej Electricals & Electronics, a business unit of Godrej & Boyce announces the acquisition of orders worth Rs. 1000 Cr plus in FY24 for their Power Infrastructure business. These orders predominantly entail both Air Insulated Switchgear (AIS) and Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) substations across India, with certain projects of up to 765kV capacity. Each of these projects ranges from 100 crores to 400 crores in value.

PIRE has made significant contributions in the domains of Power Transmission, Railways, and Solar Projects, aligning seamlessly with the government’s vision of a developed nation. These projects demonstrate a robust trajectory of growth and expansion for the business and showcase how Godrej & Boyce plays a pivotal role in advancing India’s journey towards sustainable energy.

Raghavendra Mirji, Executive Vice President & Business Head, Godrej Electricals & Electronics said, “We are delighted with our recent order acquisitions, which further solidify our presence in the segment of over 400kV and reflects our unwavering commitment to excellence and nation building. Securing our inaugural 765kV GIS order for execution in Khavda marks yet another significant milestone for us, symbolizing our dedication to pushing the boundaries of technological advancement.

India has set an ambitious target at the COP26 of transitioning to 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based energy by 2030, which is one of the world’s largest expansion plans in renewable energy. Majority of our orders secured in FY’24 pertaining to renewable energy evacuation not only underscores our industry leadership but also resonates with the country’s commitment, echoing our collective vision for a greener and more resilient future.”

These substations play a pivotal role in augmenting the capacity of the existing grid infrastructure, facilitating seamless integration and evacuation of renewable energy sources. By bolstering the grid network, Godrej & Boyce contributes significantly to the nation’s energy goals while ensuring uninterrupted power supply for industries and communities.

As the business expands its footprint in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Karnataka, a majority of future orders are anticipated to be around renewable energy evacuation.

Employing cutting-edge technologies such as Gas Insulated Switchgears (GIS), Substation Automation Systems (SAS), SCADA, RTUs, and Digital Substations, the business remains steadfast in its commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.

Through the execution of various substation projects, the business continues to play a vital role in advancing the nation’s economic development while facilitating access to renewable energy.

KPMG in India, one of India’s leading professional services firms, and Arkieva, a global leader in supply chain planning solutions, today announced a strategic alliance to deliver successful supply chain transformation projects. The alliance will look to help businesses unlock the complete potential of their supply chains and enable smarter, resilient, and future-ready supply chain ecosystems.

From planning to delivering, Arkieva’s technology and advanced analytics enabled supply chain planning solutions combined with KPMG in India’s strength in Business Consulting, the alliance will help businesses plan more proactively and enable them to have a clear single view over the entire supply chain which includes [Demand, Supply and S&OP (Sales and Operations Planning visibility)]. Also, it will help optimize assets to lower costs, enable faster decision-making and capitalize more quickly on market opportunities.

In line with the above, supply chain leaders are now recognizing the increasing need for intelligent supply chain platforms which could be a game changer, with all that they bring to the table. With insights and the full power of data, intelligent supply chains enable strategic decision making, with the key being to combine resilience and agility to mitigate disruptions, while remaining customer centric.

Powered by deep functional and technical knowledge, this combined offering of KPMG in India and Arkieva will enable businesses to take huge strides not just in planning, but also drive collaboration through aligned decision making with access to a wide pool of resources.

Sharing his views on the announcement, Akshat Bal Dikshit, Associate Partner, Business Consulting, KPMG in India said “The supply chain landscape is on the cusp of profound transformation today. AI and other advanced technologies are quickly reshaping the very core of supply chain management. Businesses that embrace technology will be much better positioned to build agile and resilient supply chains. The combination of the KPMG in India- Arkieva alliance, is rooted in our complementary capabilities, the closely aligned organization values, and in-depth knowledge of the core industries we both focus on. We believe, this will allow us to serve and deliver successful Supply Chain programmes at scale.”

Ashith B. Hegde, Managing Director, Arkieva Asia Pacific said “For the last 30 years Arkieva has been helping global manufacturing companies in their supply chain planning. With the current growth in industries in the Indian market, this alliance with KPMG in India will enable companies to evolve into the next level of optimized supply chain planning by leveraging KPMG in India’s consulting and implementation expertise and Arkieva’s strong best-in-class platform.”

The much-anticipated Ampere’s new electric scooter – coined ‘The Nex Big Thing’ from Greaves Electric Mobility Private Limited (GEMPL), the e-mobility business of Greaves Cotton Limited, has achieved two remarkable feats, securing two accolades from the prestigious India Book of Record.  These achievements underscore Ampere’s commitment to pushing boundaries, showcasing innovation, redefining possibilities, and solidifying its leadership position in the e-mobility revolution.

• The Biggest Electric Scooter Brand Logo Drawn on the White Sands

GEMPL has set a new benchmark by creating the largest electric scooter brand logo drawn on the white sands of Dholavira, located on Khadir bet island in the Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary in the Great Rann of Kutch.  Mounted on the soon-to-be-launched Ampere Electric Scooter, the rider skillfully outlined the iconic Ampere brand logo, resembling a navigation triangle – covering an expansive area of 17100 sq ft (179.8ft x 95.2 ft).  The perimeter of the logo extended to 394 feet, showcasing precision and creativity.  This record was officially confirmed on February 2, 2024.

• The First Electric Scooter to Tow a Pickup Truck

Exhibiting unparalleled strength and capability, GEMPL has reached another historic milestone by becoming the first to tow a pickup truck using an electric scooter.  The soon-to-be-launched “The Nex Big Thing” Ampere Electric Scooter successfully towed a loaded Pickup Truck weighing 1860kg, with an additional load of 140 kilograms (equivalent to two passengers in the truck).  This extraordinary display of power and performance took place on the Road to Heaven in the Rann of Kutch, covering a distance of 2 kilometres.  The record, officially confirmed on February 3, 2024, during a 15-minute run commencing at 3 pm, highlights Ampere’s dedication to pushing the boundaries of electric mobility.

These record-breaking achievements are a testament to Ampere’s dedication to innovation and sustainability in electric transportation.  Pre-booking of the scooter is now open, and one can pre-book the limited K2K edition for ₹499 only.

Source: Press Release

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International Women’s Day: What Industry Experts Says

Lubrizol announces the appointment of Bhavana Bindra as a Managing Director – India, Middle East & Africa

The Lubrizol Corporation proudly announces the appointment of Bhavana Bindra as Managing Director, India, Middle East & Africa (IMEA). The newly created role will support Lubrizol’s aggressive growth goals and ongoing commitment to the region.

With over two decades of experience in the manufacturing industry and working with renowned companies in this space like REHAU and Cummins India, Bhavana will apply her leadership and industry expertise to drive Lubrizol’s growth in the region.

As Lubrizol IMEA Managing Director, Bhavana will be responsible for leading the company’s IMEA team to deliver regional growth for Lubrizol and its customers, based on a local-for-local approach. Bhavana will work closely with Lubrizol leaders across the company to support localized market opportunities and strengthen relationships with in-region customers, suppliers and stakeholders. She also will provide oversight of a new Global Capability Center in Pune, India, which will serve as a regional hub that enhances Lubrizol’s capabilities for regional growth.

“Lubrizol has a long history of success across India, Middle East and Africa, and we look forward to further growing and strengthening our support for our customers and partners in these regions,” said JT Jones, SVP, High Growth Regions, Lubrizol. “We have incredible talent across the region and look forward to expanding our team and our footprint across the region.”

This appointment continues Lubrizol’s commitment to the region, including a commitment of $150 Million investment in India to accelerate growth, most notably including a new state-of-the-art CPVC resin plant in Vilayat, India, which will be the world’s largest CPVC resin plant when operational in 2025.

Source: Press Release

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Every year on March 8, people celebrate International Women’s Day, which serves as a focal point in the women’s rights movement. Issues like reproductive rights, gender equality, and violence and abuse against women are highlighted during International Women’s Day.

Here We are sharing the comments from key industry experts.

1. Ms. Madhumita Agrawal, Founder and CEO of Oben Electric

Women in the Auto Industry: Bridging the Gap for Innovation and Growth

The auto industry faces a critical challenge: a significant lack of female representation, particularly in leadership positions. This is not just an ethical concern; it also hinders the industry’s potential for innovation and growth. With less than 3% of CXO roles in India’s top 11 auto companies held by women and an 11% salary gap persisting, Deloitte highlights the need for change. However, positive signs are emerging. Educational outreach programs are inspiring young women to pursue careers in STEM fields, including automotive engineering, addressing the gender gap from the ground up. Additionally, many auto companies are embracing the strategic value of diversity. They recognize that gender-balanced teams foster innovation and creativity, leading to breakthroughs in product development and business strategies. Advocacy for safe and inclusive work environments is also gaining traction, ensuring equal opportunities and protection for all employees. Having said that, we ned to emphasizes the importance of merit: “Women need to be deserving of the positions they seek, bringing the necessary skills, experience, and value to the table on par with their peers. Selection should be based on qualifications and merit, not solely on gender.

2. Advocate Susieben Shah, Chairperson, Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights

“Women are leading from the front on all ends. In order to bring about a tangible change in society, women need to be involved in public service and politics. You cannot bring a revolution sitting on the periphery. One more important factor is that women should empower fellow women to bring a major change. If half the population are women, half the contribution should come from women. Women can be changemakers of the country and set a new narrative of progressive India.”

3. Dr. Maithili Tambe, CEO, The Academy School (TAS), Pune

“When women have access to quality education, they are empowered to participate more actively in the workforce, leading to increased productivity and economic growth. Educated women are more likely to secure higher-paying jobs, contribute to household incomes, and make informed decisions regarding their finances and investments. Investing in women’s education can break the cycle of poverty, as educated women are more likely to invest in their children’s education, leading to a more educated and skilled workforce for the future. Educated women tend to have fewer children and better health outcomes, which can reduce healthcare costs and improve overall well-being in society. Investing in women’s education not only benefits individual women but also has a ripple effect on the economic development and prosperity of the entire country.”

4. Ms. Radhika Kalia, Managing Director at RLG Systems India Private Limited

“The campaign theme of International Women’s Day 2024 – Inspire Inclusion – is particularly touching. It reflects the urgent need for extensive changes across business and societal domains, and emphasizes dimensions that need to be addressed to take us closer to our aim of realizing a truly inclusive and empowered society. However, through a comprehensive and multi-faceted strategy and strong commitment to healthcare, economic upliftment, education, entrepreneurship, and digital literacy for women, we could forge a resilient, sustainable and innovative economy. I believe that utilizing the unique skills, creativity, and perspectives that women offer when included in the workforce could drive our endeavour towards a more inclusive and prosperous world.”

5. Srividhya Deshpande, VP, Global Talent Management, Egen.ai

“At Egen, we go beyond celebrating International Women’s Day; we translate words into impactful action. The theme, ‘Inspire Inclusion’ resonates deeply because we believe progress demands an environment where diverse voices collaborate to innovate.

Our commitment drives our investment in Diversity & Inclusion initiatives. We recently conducted a training program on ‘Unconscious Bias’, empowering employees to recognize and dismantle hidden biases. Recognizing the power of each individual’s empowerment, we also hosted a women-exclusive Self-Reflection and Awareness Workshop as we unlock a wider range of ideas and solutions, propelling us towards shared success.

This International Women’s Day let’s commit to action #InspireInclusion. Let us build workplaces where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their best. Together, we can create a more equitable and prosperous future where innovation thrives, powered by diverse perspectives and creating new possibilities for everyone.”

6. Abinaya Deepika Chandrasekaran, Lead Customer Success Manager at Responsive (Formerly RFPIO)

“Inspiring inclusion in the tech space is not just about diversity; it’s about creating a culture where every voice is valued, every perspective is embraced, and every individual has the opportunity to thrive and contribute to innovation.

In the tech industry, fostering a culture of inclusion goes beyond mere representation of numbers and focuses on creating a culture where every individual feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and talents. Implementing inclusive hiring practices is crucial for building a diverse workforce. By prioritizing inclusion, tech companies can unlock the full potential of their workforce and drive greater innovation and success in the digital age.”

7. Rejitha Nair, Senior General Manager, Skillveri Training Solutions

“At Skillveri, we have witnessed first hand how technology like simulators make learning environments and workplaces more inclusive. As the head of the team which developed our simulation software from scratch, it has been extremely fulfilling for me to watch it address challenges in conventional industrial sectors like welding and painting.

One key advantage of simulation technology is its ability to provide a safe and supportive space for women to explore and excel in fields that have historically been male-dominated. In industries where women are underrepresented, simulator based training allows women to gain hands-on experience without facing the same barriers they might encounter in real-world settings.

We’ve had the experience of observing women welders scoring high from the batch that started training on simulators, because the technology eliminated inherent biases in manual scoring. Women instructors at ITIs are enthusiastic, interested, and adapt to the technology very quickly. At Skillveri itself, we have had our women employees from both tech & non-tech backgrounds not just learning our product swiftly but also being able to demonstrate and even assemble it ! We strongly believe that women overcome their fears and progress with confidence when equipped with the right tools that empower them.”

8. Deepika Suresh, Chief of Staff at Xcode Life

In my role as Chief of Staff at Xcode Life, I am privileged to witness the remarkable strides women are making in science and healthcare. It’s heartening to see a substantial increase in the enrolment of women in science-based fields such as pharmacy and biology, reflecting a positive trend towards gender equality in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. For instance, in India, women account for about 43% of all STEM graduates, a testament to their growing presence in science and technology sectors​​. However, the journey doesn’t end here. Despite these advancements, women face significant underrepresentation in leadership roles within the healthcare sector. In the United States, for example, only about 21% of healthcare executives and board members are women, and merely one-third of doctors are female. This disparity extends to India, where women constitute merely 14% of the total scientists, engineers, and technologists in research and development institutions​.

These statistics highlight a pressing need for empowerment and systemic change. True empowerment goes beyond education; it requires dismantling barriers to leadership and ensuring equitable opportunities for women. This is not just a matter of fairness but a strategic imperative. Diverse leadership in science and healthcare brings innovative perspectives that are crucial for tackling complex health challenges. As we aim to bridge these gaps, it is crucial to acknowledge the challenges women face, such as gender pay disparities and limited representation in higher academic and professional ranks. However, through concerted efforts, including policy reforms, targeted scholarships, and organisational cultures that promote gender diversity, we can pave the way for more women to excel in STEM and healthcare leadership roles.

9. Anita Kukreja, Head – Strategic Alliances & Brand, IceWarp India

“As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2024, let’s embrace the power of unity and inclusion in shaping a world where every woman’s voice is heard, every dream is nurtured, and every opportunity is within reach. Together, let’s forge pathways of empowerment and resilience, breaking barriers and redefining norms. Let this day serve as a reminder of the remarkable strength and potential inherent in every woman. As Head of Strategic Alliances & Brand at IceWarp India, I am proud to stand alongside incredible women everywhere, driving progress and shaping a future where equality and opportunity flourish”.

Source: Press Release

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