FICCI and Bansidhar & Ila Panda Foundation Host IDEATE 2025
September 24, 2025
“Margin to Mainstream: Empowering Women to Lead!”
NEW DELHI, 24 September 2025: The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in collaboration with the Bansidhar & Ila Panda Foundation (BIPF), successfully hosted the 14th edition of IDEATE—an annual advocacy platform dedicated to thought leadership in Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainable development.
Themed “Margin to Mainstream: Empowering Women to Lead!”, IDEATE 2025 brought together eminent leaders, policymakers, and changemakers to deliberate on strategies for enabling women to rise into leadership roles and reshape the narrative of inclusive power.
The conclave opened with an inaugural session on Redefining Leadership: A Vision for Gender-Inclusive Power, with keynote address by Padma Shri Shobhana Bhartia, Chairperson & Editorial Director, HT Media, alongside welcome remarks from Shaifalika Panda, CEO, Bansidhar & Ila Panda Foundation. The session emphasized the urgent need to reimagine leadership paradigms so women can claim a greater share of decision-making roles in boardrooms, governments, and communities.
During the welcome remarks, Shaifalika Panda, CEO, Bansidhar & Ila Panda Foundation said “As our nation strides towards Viksit Bharat 2047, harnessing Nari Shakti is absolutely crucial. Our Prime Minister has emphasized that the path to a developed India is through women-led development. This represents a significant shift from viewing women solely as beneficiaries of development to now recognizing them as architects of change, decision-makers and leaders in their own states”.
She further said “Women-Led Development means enabling women to lead enterprises, design solutions, and drive policy. It means investing in their agency as much as in their access”.
She also said “When women lead, it has a multiplier effect. These stories must not remain the exception—they must become the norm”.
Padma Shri Shobhana Bhartia, Chairperson & Editorial Director, HT Media said “We need to champion the cause of making sure that women get equal rights to access all the resources. Women's economic empowerment holds the key to increased political and social leadership for them”.
She further added that “Inclusion goes beyond a seat at the table. It means valuing different perspectives and ensuring that policies, mindsets, and daily practices reflect equity”.
A panel discussion on Margin to Mainstream: Strategies for Empowerment followed, moderated by Roshika Singh, Senior Country Officer, IFC India, with speakers including Vijay Mahajan, Founder, BASIX Group, Sara Pilot, Chairperson, CEQUIN and Aradhana Rai Gupta, Co-Founder, Project Baala. The dialogue spotlighted solutions such as education, mentorship, workplace inclusivity, and leveraging technology to foster women’s leadership across sectors.
The conclave concluded with a fireside chat on “Invisibility and Influence”, where Shaifalika Panda engaged in conversation with Naina Lal Kidwai, Chairperson, Rothschild & Co India, Past President, FICCI and Muskan Kushwaha, KARM Fellow, who shared inspiring journeys of overcoming systemic barriers to leadership and becoming role models for the next generation.