HomeIndia NewsFuture Female Forward | AWS' Shalini Kapoor on the importance of women in leadership roles
Future Female Forward | AWS' Shalini Kapoor on the importance of women in leadership roles
At CNBC-TV18's Future Female Forward event, Shalini Kapoor, Director-India at AWS, emphasised the importance of women in leadership roles and the need for sustained efforts to foster gender parity, highlighting AWS's Phoenix initiative for women returning from career breaks.
At CNBC-TV18's Future Female Forward event, Shalini Kapoor, Director-India, Amazon Web Services (AWS), emphasised the critical role of women in leadership and the necessity of fostering an inclusive ecosystem that encourages female participation across all levels of business.
Kapoor began her address by underscoring the importance of role models in building an ecosystem that supports and encourages more women to take on significant roles.
"We all kind of be role models and we kind of build that ecosystem around us where we see the encouragement of more women in the roles," she stated.
Highlighting the progress in women's participation, particularly in e-commerce companies, Kapoor noted a 15% increase over the past three to four years.
She stressed the need for businesses to recognise the value of having women in decision-making positions, especially since women constitute at least 50% of their customer base.
"If we have to build businesses by 50%, at least the customers are women. You need to have more women in the boardroom, women in decision-making roles, and you have to build it from the very beginning," Kapoor explained.
Kapoor pointed out that achieving gender parity is not a one-time solution but requires a sustained effort starting from hiring practices.
"You can't have a slingshot at one solution. You have to have higher intake, you then have to train them into leadership and mid-management and then leadership positions," she said. She also highlighted the importance of supporting women returning from career breaks, mentioning AWS's Phoenix initiative.
"We run something called Phoenix, which is where women come after long career breaks and they kind of rise," Kapoor shared.
The Future Female Forward event brought together influential leaders and advocates to discuss strategies for enhancing female representation and leadership in various industries.
Kapoor's insights underscore the ongoing efforts by AWS and other companies to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace environment.
Also read: Future Female Forward | Former supercop Meeran Borwankar on law enforcement and gender equality
Kapoor began her address by underscoring the importance of role models in building an ecosystem that supports and encourages more women to take on significant roles.
"We all kind of be role models and we kind of build that ecosystem around us where we see the encouragement of more women in the roles," she stated.
Highlighting the progress in women's participation, particularly in e-commerce companies, Kapoor noted a 15% increase over the past three to four years.
She stressed the need for businesses to recognise the value of having women in decision-making positions, especially since women constitute at least 50% of their customer base.
"If we have to build businesses by 50%, at least the customers are women. You need to have more women in the boardroom, women in decision-making roles, and you have to build it from the very beginning," Kapoor explained.
Kapoor pointed out that achieving gender parity is not a one-time solution but requires a sustained effort starting from hiring practices.
"You can't have a slingshot at one solution. You have to have higher intake, you then have to train them into leadership and mid-management and then leadership positions," she said. She also highlighted the importance of supporting women returning from career breaks, mentioning AWS's Phoenix initiative.
"We run something called Phoenix, which is where women come after long career breaks and they kind of rise," Kapoor shared.
The Future Female Forward event brought together influential leaders and advocates to discuss strategies for enhancing female representation and leadership in various industries.
Kapoor's insights underscore the ongoing efforts by AWS and other companies to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace environment.
Also read: Future Female Forward | Former supercop Meeran Borwankar on law enforcement and gender equality
(Edited by : Vijay Anand)
First Published: May 31, 2024 10:11 PM IST
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