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NEW DELHI: The Women Leaders’ Conclave 2026 commenced today at the Kamala Devi Complex, India International Centre, New Delhi, bringing together an inspiring gathering of distinguished leaders, policymakers, academicians, entrepreneurs, social changemakers and thought leaders for two days of meaningful dialogue on women’s leadership, inclusive development, livelihoods, entrepreneurship and social transformation. The Conclave is being organised by Stree Shakti, with the Indian Institute of Management Jammu (IIM Jammu) as the Knowledge Partner, and is being held on August 13–14, 2026.
The inaugural ceremony featured the Keynote Address by Prof. B. S. Sahay, Director, Indian Institute of Management Jammu. The ceremony was graced by Dr. Rashmi Singh, Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Delhi, as the Chief Guest; Ms. Nitya Pathak, Executive Convener, Sulabh International Social Service Organization, as the Guest of Honour; Dr. Ritu Singh, Apex Lead, Women Leaders Circle; and Dr. Aruna Oswal, Chair, Women, Child Development & Entrepreneurship Committee, PHDCCI, along with other eminent personalities.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. B. S. Sahay, Director, IIM Jammu, highlighted the growing significance of women’s leadership in India’s development journey. He emphasised the need for the next phase of women’s empowerment to focus on enabling women to assume leadership roles across business, science, technology, governance, entrepreneurship, institutions and public life. He underscored the importance of transitioning from “Nari Shakti” to “Nari Netratva,” emphasising that women must increasingly emerge not merely as beneficiaries of development but as decision-makers, wealth creators, scientists, administrators, entrepreneurs and political leaders. He further highlighted that women’s leadership is central to the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, noting that India’s full developmental potential can only be realised through the meaningful participation of women in economic, scientific, institutional and political decision-making
Representing IIM Jammu at the Conclave, Dr. Muqbil Burhan, Chairperson, Centre for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Skill Development, IIM Jammu, is contributing to the deliberations and strengthening the Institute’s engagement with contemporary conversations on women’s leadership, entrepreneurship, livelihoods, inclusive development and social transformation.Dr. Muqbil Burhan is also the Moderator for the session “Reimagining Livelihood”, which features Prof. Vinita Sahay, Director, IIM Bodhgaya, as Guest of Honour; Ms. Kanta Singh, Deputy Country Representative, UN Women, India; Dr. Ruppal Sharma, Professor, SP Jain Institute of Management & Research; Dr. Avnish Bhatt, Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law, IIT Kharagpur; and Ms. Nirja Bhatnagar, National Coordinator, SISASSS.
The Conclave features an extensive line-up of distinguished personalities across diverse sectors.The “Women Lead” plenary is chaired by Mr. Sribharat, Member of Parliament and Founder, Kautilya School of Public Policy, and moderated by Ms. Supriya Chawla, Country Head for the UK Government’s Scholarships. The session also features Ms. R. Vimala, IAS (Retd.), and Prof. Sanjay Gupta, Vice Chancellor, World University of Design, Sonipat.
The session on “Climate Change and Mitigation” features Dr. Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI, as Guest of Honour, with Mr. Anand Vishwakarma, Executive Director, ChildFund India, as Moderator, alongside Ms. Deepali Bhattacharyya, Consultant, Sulabh International; Dr. Subhash Mehta, Deputy Secretary, PHDCCI; Ms. Susmita Mukherjee, Chief Program Officer, SOSCVI; and Ms. Usha Chaumar, Senior Advisor, Sulabh International.
The “Impact of the Care Economy” session brings together Ms. Shalini Sharma, Assistant Secretary General, PHDCCI, as Moderator, along with Ms. Neelam Makhijani, Director – Strategic Planning and Outreach, Suvidha; Dr. Ebha Patel, National Vice President, Gramin Satta Panchayati Raj Sangathan; Ms. Sheker Saparova, Honorary Consul of Malta to Turkmenistan & Managing Director, Beg Yupek; and Ms. Rakhee Bakshee, Communication Advisor.
The literary session “When Women Write” features Dr. Shashi Bala, Scholar, as Guest of Honour; Dr. Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General, Association of Indian Universities, as Chair; Dr. Neeru Mishra, Researcher, as Moderator; along with Dr. Shovana Narayan, Researcher, Scholar and Classical Dancer; Dr. Kamal Kishore Mishra, Sanskrit Scholar; and Dr. Preeti Shukla, Central Sanskrit University.
The second day will feature the “Panchayat to Parliament” Townhall, moderated by Prof. Anil Vaidya, Professor, S. P. Jain Institute of Management & Research, with participation from grassroots leaders including Ms. Gita Shroff, President, A.Ni.S., Surat; Ms. Smriti Singh, Group Leader and Former Pradhan, Ballia; Dr. Ebha Patel, Group Leader and National Vice President, Gramin Satta Panchayatiraj Sangathan; Ms. Lata Devi, Himachal Sarpanch, INC and Group Leader; Ms. Renu Paswan, Jan Suraj, Bihar and Group Leader; Ms. Vandana, Ex-Panchayat, Jammu and Group Leader; and Ms. Anjana Sharma, Sikkim and Group Leader.
The session on “Innovations for Inclusive Convergence” features Ms. Shreyasi Singh, Minister of Industries and Sports, Bihar, as Guest of Honour; Dr. Rashmi Singh, Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development, Government of India, as Chair; Dr. Nirja Mattoo, Hon. Visiting Faculty, SPJIMR and Co-Lead, WLC 2026, as Moderator; along with Dr. Shabnam Ara, Head, Department of Sociology, Amar Singh College, Srinagar, and Ms. Lora Prabhu, Managing Director and Co-Founder, CEQUIN.
Further sessions will focus on “Digital Challenges and Solutions,” “Women, Work and Mobility,” and “Women and Law – Access to Justice, Challenges, Opportunities and Expectations.” The latter will feature Advocate Amita Joseph as Chair, Senior Advocate Shobha Gupta as Keynote Speaker, Former Judge and Senior Advocate Anjana Prakash, and Advocate Sumita Hazarika.
The Conclave will culminate with a Leadership Circle, followed by the Valedictory Ceremony and Awards. The valedictory session will be graced by Dr. Karan Singh, Statesman, Scholar and Former Union Minister, as Chief Guest, and moderated by Prof. A. K. Merchant. The ceremony will also feature the presentation of the Dayawati Modi Stree Shakti Samman to Senior Advocate Shobha Gupta and the Vidushi VidyottamaStree Shakti Samman to Dr. Shashi Bala, recognising their distinguished contributions.
The Women Leaders’ Conclave 2026 represents a significant platform for advancing dialogue on the evolving role of women in leadership, entrepreneurship, governance, technology, livelihoods, law and social development. Through its role as Knowledge Partner, IIM Jammu continues to contribute to conversations that promote inclusive leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable social impact.
The Women Leaders’ Conclave 2026,reinforces the larger vision that women must not merely be participants in India’s development journey but increasingly become its leaders, decision-makers, innovators, entrepreneurs and nation-builders.