SECTION NAME | Conference Report

Conference Report

5th – 6th Nov, 2020
1

Contents

Executive Summary3

Preface

4

Introduction

6

THEME 1: Addressing The Impact of The COVID19

10

Crisis on Women’s Lives And Livelihoods

THEME 2: Leveraging Technological Innovation For

Promoting Women To Leadership: Opportunities and Challenges

THEME 3:Developing A “Grit and Grace” Leadership Framework

14

17

Call to Action
Appendix 1 – Speakers
Appendix 2 - Conference Feedback
About Talentnomics India
About Kas
Other Conference Partners

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report

22
26
27
28
29

2

Executive Summary

This report summarises the key take-aways and recommendations from the International Leadership
Conference “Leading with Grit and Grace”, jointly
organised by TalentNomics India and KAS SOPAS.
The event was held virtually on November 5thand
6th, 2020. The meeting brought together more than
20 Global Leaders as speakers and panellists, andwas attended by over 500 participants.
The event, held in the backdrop of COVID19 health,social and economic global crisis, centred aroundcharting an inclusive recovery from the crisis andhighlighting traits of leaders who can impactfully
steer the new post-COVID world. The conference
EURXJKWWRJHWKHULQȵXHQWLDOOHDGHUVZKRVKDUHG
their experiences and life stories; and deliberated
on the leadership lessons they learnt from the crisis
as well as on actions needed for bridging the gender
gaps that have been widened by the crisis.
7KHFRQIHUHQFHLGHQWLȴHGLQGHSWKLQVLJKWVLQWRNH\
issues under three thematic areas:
Addressing The Negative Impact Of The Covid19
Crisis On Women - The discussions and deliberations highlighted actions that the Governments, theprivate sector and women themselves would needto undertake to alleviate the detrimental impact of
the crisis on women, to chart an inclusive and sustainable recovery. In the short term, they will have
WRVSHFLȴFDOO\WDUJHWDQGPDLQVWUHDPZRPHQLQDOO
crisis management, resource allocations and recovery measures as well as enable women to manage
the “hybrid model of work”. But the crisis should
also be used as an opportunity to initiate long termmeasures to address the gender gaps as a whole.
This would include measures to address the excessive care burden on women, consciously promote
more women in political and corporate leadership,promote women’s entrepreneurship, mainstream
gender disaggregated data collection etc.
Using Technology To Enable Women - The roleof technology was highlighted as being particularly
important for bridging gender gaps. Once again, therole of the government and private sector was highlighted as being vital for addressing the current barriers young girls, women leaders and entrepreneurs

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Reportface in accessing technology. In addition, it was alsobrought out that schools would play a major role indirecting more girls to take on STEM education.
Understanding Leadership Traits For Impactful
Leaders -2QHRIWKHPRVWVLJQLȴFDQWFRQWULEXWLRQV
of this conference was the development of the “Gritand Grace Leadership Framework” that has been
derived using the leadership lessons learnt during
the management of the current crisis. This model ofimpactful leadership entails leaders to be empathetic, collaborative, empowering and service oriented
in addition to being bold, fearless, risk-takers, wise,
decisive and resilient.
0DQ\VSHFLȴFVKRUWWHUPDQGPHGLXPWHUPDFWLRQV
emerged that can be undertaken by various stakeholders, Governments, Private Sector, Civil Society
and Potential Leader, to use the crisis as an opportunity to reset the world for greater gender equity
and better equilibrium. In addition, the conference
reiterated four key action areas under the Public
Private Partnership Model, which have now become
critical in the COVID19 era. These are:ÄLeading With Technology And Bridging
the Digital Gender DivideÄCompiling Gender Disaggregated DataÄSupporting Women’s Entrepreneurship
Stemming the unabated fall in the women’s Labour
force participation and Job losses for Women
There was general consensus that the world urgently needs leaders in public and private sectors, who
are compassionate and believe in the new equilibrium, who can take bold, innovative decisions andwho can inspire others to create a more equitableworld. This report discusses what it takes to build
such leaders. It also elaborates how to become suchleaders, especially for women. It also provides bothknowledge and a strong nudge to all stakeholders inpublic and private domain to take action to enable
quick recovery from the adverse impact of Covid19
on women.

3

Preface

We are delighted to release the report from our 5th Annual Conference on Leading with Grit and Grace inpartnership with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Social Economic Policies in Asia (KAS- SOPAS). This conference,
while taking forward the dialogue on inclusive leadership generated through our previous four conferences,also addresses the impact of the current Covid-19 crisis.
We are all aware that the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on lives and livelihood of women.
This trend can be only be arrested by bold, innovative and compassionate decisions by leaders at every
level, across the world. We also are seeing evidence that innovation in technology can play an immense role
in reversing this impact. Again, leadership’s role in ensuring equal access to technology is the key to unleash
the potential of all. The greatest need in the world is to bring about an equilibrium; equilibrium of roles that
men and women play at home and at work, equilibrium of partnership between men and women in taking
decisions, equilibrium of Grit and Grace in Leadership.
The conference explored the above issues through the experience and insights of global thought leaders.
This report captures the rich discussions and innovative ideas that emerged. It outlines a few areas that callfor action and we will collaborate with other like-minded organizations to build on this further. We hope the
LQVLJKWIXODQGLQQRYDWLYHLGHDVLQWKHUHSRUWZLOOQXGJHGL΍HUHQWVWDNHKROGHUVWRLQLWLDWHDFWLRQVERWKVKRUWterm and long term.
I am immensely grateful to these leaders who unhesitatingly shared their candid thoughts through videos
and panel discussions. I am delighted that it attracted over 500 men and women to participate in the virtual
event. I am grateful to the TalentNomics IndiaFRQIHUHQFHWHDPIRUWKHLUH΍RUWLQGHOLYHULQJDȵDZOHVVDQG
highly impactful conference. We thank KAS-SOPAS again for their support in making this a very successful
joint venture. We also thank our other partners, CDPQ, TalentNomics Inc., and Green Delta Insurance
for their partnership, and look forward to future collaborations in our joint quest for a better genderequilibrium, especially at leadership levels.

Ipsita Kathuria
Founder and CEO,
TalentNomics India

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report4Preface

We are proud to share the conference report “Leading with Grit and Grace” that Konrad Adenauer StiftungJapan through the Regional Economic Programme Asia (SOPAS) co-organized with TalentNomics India lastNovember 5-6, 2020. SOPAS is a regional forum that contributes to the debate and reform of economic andgovernance models in Asia. It brings together a network of policy makers, economists, political analysts andWKRXJKWOHDGHUVDFURVV$VLD3DFLȴFWRGLVFXVVHPHUJLQJLVVXHVSURSRVHSROLF\DOWHUQDWLYHVDQGVKDUHEHVW
practices.
For two days, policy and industry leaders and conference participants:
Ä Assessed the impact of the global turmoil (including COVID-19) and its aftermath on economies,
women’s lives, and livelihood
Ä([SORUHGWKHRSSRUWXQLWLHVR΍HUHGE\UDSLGLQQRYDWLRQDQGWHFKQRORJ\WRHQJDJHZRPHQWRWDNH
leadership roles in work and other sectors of public lifeÄ Jointly developed a new leadership framework that integrates qualities such as “grit and grace” to createa more inclusive growth model for economics, organizations, and communities
The conference report summarizes the rich and informative discussions on issues that matter to womenleaders especially in today’s disruptive and highly unstable time. It is our hope that the insights published inthis report will continue the momentum initiated in the conference to challenge barriers to the status quo
and reinforce changes that are being implemented, creating a more equitable society for women leaders tothrive.

Rabea Brauer
Director, Regional Economic
Programme Asia (SOPAS)Country Representative, Japan
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report5Introduction & BackgroundThe 2020 COVID19 pandemic and resulting socioeconomic crisis has given rise to a new reality. Livesand livelihood have been impacted in the worst
possible manner, inequalities have become more
pronounced and divisive leadership styles havecreated distrust and disharmony in several parts of
the world. The Volatility, Uncertainties, Complexities
and Ambiguities (VUCA) that the world had alreadybeen facing in the last decade were taken to a newlevel. This, in conjunction with the rapid innovationsin technologies, created the need for a new face ofleadership - one that displays both “Grit and Grace”.
Many such leaders emerged across the world who
used their Grit to take calculated bold decisions
in this chaotic time, stepping across the divides ofnationality, race, religion to do the right thing, and at
the same time have shown the Grace to listen andlearn, leverage available knowledge and technology
to better the environment for all. Incidentally, manyof these leaders are women at national and local
levels.
In the backdrop of this, we felt the need to create aplatform to share and learn from what the Covid19
crisis has taught us and be inspired to act fromstories of both men and women who are steering
their communities, organizations, and countries
towards a more sustainable and equal world. The
need of the hour was to initiate a dialogue aroundLeading With Grit & Grace | Conference Reportmeasures needed to chart an inclusive recovery
from the crisis and highlight leadership traits that
could impactfully steer the post-COVID society.
It was with this intent that TalentNomics India and
KAS SOPAS organised the International Leadership
Conference “Leading with Grit and Grace”. The event
was held virtually on November 5th and 6th, 2020.
It brought together more than 20 Global Leaders
as speakers and panellists, and was attended byover 500 participants. Together they deliberated
on the lessons the COVID19 crisis has taught about
H΍HFWLYHOHDGHUVKLSVW\OHVIRUWKHIXWXUHDVZHOODV
on immediate and long-term actions needed tobridging the gender gaps that have been widenedby the crisis, with special focus on the role oftechnology in enabling women.
The conference delivered knowledge and insights
on the focus issues through storytelling, experiencesharing, best practice dissemination as well as
engagement with participants through discussion,questions, polls and quizzes. The meeting was
divided into six live sessions, which included a
Keynote address, four panel discussions withexperts and one solo session. There were also a setof eight pre-recorded inspirational messages fromglobal Leaders that were shared before and during
the conference.

6

Conference Agenda

KEYNOTE ADDRESS‘A World leader’s
perspective on leadingwith Grit and Grace’

SESSION 1:‘Leading in
Economic Turmoil’

SESSION 2‘Leading with Technology
and Innovation for
an Equal World’

SESSION 3

Leading Towards
A New Equilibrium’

The keynote speaker spoke passionately about leveraging the potential of girls
by saving them from early marriage and focusing on their education. She energized the audience with her global anecdotes and zealous insights.

The panel comprising of leading economists and gender practitioners discussed how Covid19 crisis has had a graver impact on women’s employment,
entrepreneurship and wellbeing; and highlighted several measures that boththe Governments as well as private sector can initiate to address the crisis.

The all-women panel highlighted that technology is a great boon and presents
several opportunities to equalize access to resources and rights for women.
They discussed measures and initiatives that can be initiated to ensure thattechnology becomes an enabler of women’s careers, businesses and well-being.

The theme of this session was to highlight stories of purpose, resilience, empaWK\FROODERUDWLRQDQGRSHQQHVVWROHDUQ7KHGLYHUVHSDQHOIURPGL΍HUHQWFRXQWULHVDQGGL΍HUHQWVHFWRUVOLVWHGRXWYDOXDEOHOHDGHUVKLSLQVLJKWVWKDWFDQKHOSIXWXUHOHDGHUVHVSHFLDOO\ZRPHQGHDOZLWKGLɝFXOWWLPHVLQWKHSRVWCovid-world.

SESSION 4

Leadership for New
World- Turn Setbacks
Into Comebacks’This session delved on the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on our lives, livelihoodand lifestyles. The speaker provided a set of steps that could help every individual overcome any crisis in life.

SESSION 5

TalentNomics India presented their 4Cs model contextualized into the newleadership framework of Grit and Grace. The four pillars of leadership were
illustrated with anecdotes and examples from the speakers’ experiences.

‘Grit & Grace

Leadership Framework.
Surviving to thriving

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report7

Speakers And
3DUWLFLSDQWV3URȴOH
The event brought together 27 speakers and panellists from diverse backgrounds including policy makers, academics andresearchers, corporate leaders, Start-up founders, leaders from Development and International organisations, leaders from
NGOs and Leadership coaches.
Speakers represented diverse
sectors and organizations

International Panel of Speakers
Presented a truly Global outlook on Key Issues
India

13

NGO’s &
1RQ3URȴWV

7%

Policy11%

Corporate Sector%

26

Development& International
Organisations

US

7

11

%

Academics& Research

Leadership
Training& Coaching

15

15%

Germany

3

%

Japan

1

Start-ups

15%

Bangladesh Singapore

1

1

UK

1

New
Zealand1*as per currently held positions and country of residence of the speakers; and not including their previous roles, responsibilities and countries.

The participants at the conference also contained a diverse group of stakeholders from including senior leadersfrom the industry, Government, academia and civil society.

Students
Public Sector

Men

Other Professionals

Women

1RQ3URȴW1*2
Industry Associations
Government

India

70%

Freelancers & Consultants
Entrepreneurs
Development Organizations
Corporate Sector

Japan, USA,
UK, Singapore,
Bangladesh,
Middle East30%

Academicians,
Think-tanks & Researchers

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report8Conference Themes
The conference focused on exploring three key issues relevant to the current times.

THEME 1

Assessing the Impact of the Covid19 Crisis on Women’s Livesand Livelihoods, and Recommending Measures to Address
the Widening Gender Gaps
Evidence has shown that the COVID19 crisis has had much graver impact on women than men.
The focus of the conference was to assess the various facets of this impact on women, and list out
recovery measures that can be initiated by policymakers, private sector, women, civil society andother stakeholders.

THEME 2([SORULQJWKH2SSRUWXQLWLHV2΍HUHGE\DQGWKH&KDOOHQJHVWR
Leveraging Technological Innovation for Promoting Women to Leadership'LJLWDOLVDWLRQDQGUDSLGLQQRYDWLRQVLQWHFKQRORJ\KDYHR΍HUHGRSSRUWXQLWLHVWRHQDEOHZRPHQȇV
careers, entrepreneurship, health and wellbeing. The role of technology has become even morevital in the light of the current crisis. Therefore, this conference focused on initiating a dialogue to acknowledge the role of technology in bridging gender gaps, assessing the barriers preventing women’s
access to technology and prescribing remedial steps to address them.

THEME 3Developing a New “Grit And Grace” Leadership Framework Needed
for Creating a More Inclusive Growth for Organizations, Communities
and Economies
Leadership styles demonstrated by women leaders have succeeded far greater at managing the
COVID19 crisis, in comparison to the predominantly “masculine” leadership styles of male leaders. The
aim of this conference was to understand the combination of leadership traits that made up these
impactful leadership styles. The agenda also included compiling the crisis management and leadership lessons that the speakers and panellists themselves learnt from leading during this crisis. These
leadership insights have been used to create a framework of “Grit and Grace” leadership traits criticalto succeed in the new world order.
The goal of the conference was to identify and get deeper insights into the key issues under eachof the thematic areas in focus, in terms of understanding the current state of play, real challenges
and actionable solutions that are needed to address each of those. The focus was also to identify key
stakeholders in the ecosystem and elucidate steps that each of them needs to take to move towards asustainable and equitable world.

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report

9Theme 1 | Addressing the Impact of the COVID19 Crisis on Women’s Lives And Livelihoods

THEME 1

Addressing the
Impact of the
COVID19 Crisis on
Women’s Lives
And Livelihoods
I. Covid19 and Gender Equality

What is good for gender equality is good for economy and good for society as well. The Covid-19 pandemic
puts that truth into stark relief and raises critically important choices.*

Accounted
for over-all
job losses

GlobalEmployment

54%

46%

39%

61%

Women

Men

II. Labor Force Participation Rate
Female (% of female population ages 15+) in South Asia *Maldives

41.60%

Sri Lanka

35.30%

India

20.30%

Bhutan59%

Bangladesh

36.40%

Afghanistan

21.80%*Source I: Mckinsey, KWWSVZZZPFNLQVH\FRPIHDWXUHGLQVLJKWVIXWXUHRIZRUNFRYLGDQGJHQGHUHTXDOLW\FRXQWHULQJWKHUHJUHVVLYHH΍HFWV*Source II: World Bank : https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.FE.ZS

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report10Theme 1 | Addressing the Impact of the COVID19 Crisis on Women’s Lives And Livelihoods

7KHVSHDNHUVLQYDULRXVVHVVLRQVDFNQRZOHGJHGWKDWWKHFULVLVKDVȵDUHGXSWKHKXJHJHQGHUJDSVin various spheres including economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment as well as
health and survival.

The COVID19 Crisis Has Created Several
Negative Consequences for Women

Social Distancing,
lockdowns and quarantine
measures were introduced
Rising infections led toincreased burden on
healthcare and otheressential services

Closure of Schools
and childcare centers
Increased workload-stress, infectionsin frontline workers,
70-80% of which are
womenMove to virtual
work settings

Economic Recession andgrowing unemployment
particularly led by slowdown
in the services sectors

Disruptions inessential maternal andchild health services

Spike inchild marriages

Increasedcare burden

Higher rate of job
losses and unemployment for
women, Closure ofseveral women-led
businesses

Deteriorationof mental healthin women

Spike in domestic
violence cases

Women drop outof workforce

The health and social crisis have had a negative impact on women’s careers, businesses and livelihoods.

Economic Impact of Covid-19 on Womenof those who quit
or lost jobs globally in2020 were women

more times was the likelihoodof women to be unemployedthan mendue to COVID19
crisis in July 2020 (McKinsey
Global Institute)

Women entrepreneurs
have closed down theirbusiness at a much fasterrate than men, (Facebook,
OECD, and the IFC Study)

1.8of the 1 million people
who left the Workforce
in the US in Sept 2020
were women

11%

70-80%

80%

was the rate of women’s
unemployment in India
vs 7% in men (Nov 2020)

13

%

54%

of women who were
unemployed at start of2020 dropped out,
compared to only 5% ofmen (Jan-Sept ‘20 inIndia)of those unemployedglobally were womeneven though they’re
39% of the workforce*Statistics and numbers as quoted by various speakers during the conference

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report11Theme 1 | Addressing the Impact of the COVID19 Crisis on Women’s Lives And Livelihoods

All the speakers and panellists agreed that, toenable an inclusive recovery from the crisis, it will bevital to ensure women’s health and survival as well
as minimize losses to their livelihood and education.

“

If the world takes the right steps now to correct these long-standing
imbalances that have been exacerbated by COVID, we could
actually have a 12-trillion-dollar higher GDPin 2030, relative to anegative 1 trillion if no measures are taken.”Anu Madgavkar
Deliberating on the way forward, the leaders andexperts brought out several immediate and longterm measures that can be taken by the Governments, the Private sector, by individual women, bycivil society and by the community as a whole. The
major onus of stemming the widening gender gaps
across the world, however, lies with the Government and the private sector organisations. It was“

While on the other hand, not prioritising womenand not increasing their participation in the economy can have huge economic consequences.

recommended that they should take conscious andtargeted steps to include women in their immediate crisis management, resource allocation andrecovery measures. But they must also convert thiscrisis into an opportunity to scale-up longer-term
measures to bridge the gender gaps that have been
widened by this crisis.

Being gender blind is not being gender neutral.”
Sanjay Kathuria
The leaders and change-makers at the conference
also stressed on the fact that each individual has thepotential to bring about a change in the status of
women, and it is only when the entire society works
together to change things that change can actually

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report

happen. They iterated that one does not have to
be in any formal setup to bring about change, as
informal collaborations are often much more usefuland pragmatic.

12

Theme 1 | Addressing the Impact of the COVID19 Crisis on Women’s Lives And Livelihoods

Recommended Actions to Bridge
Gender Gaps Widened by the COVID19 Crisis
GOVERNMENTPRIVATE SECTORSHORT TERMSHORT TERM

Ä7DUJHWVSHFLȴFVRFLDO
protection measures at
women (in addition to direct
cash transfers)

Ä Ensure remote andȵH[LEOHZRUNLQJEHFRPHV
normalÄ Reduce income tax forfemale employees in formal
VHFWRUb

LONG TERM
Ä Mandate parental leavein all organisations
Ä Devise an innovative
childcare program using
PPP modelÄMainstream datacollection by genderÄ Increase number of
ZRPHQLQSROLWLFVb
Ä Promote women
entrepreneurs by increasing
FDSLWDOȵRZWRZRPHQ
owned businesses

Ä Enable women equal
online access to connect
and conduct their businessÄ Acknowledge andaddress the adverse impact
on women’s mental healthÄ Initiate mentoring
programs for women

LONG TERMÄCreate right mindset
for diversity and inclusionbÄ Make D&I agenda a
top-down and a bottoms-up
DSSURDFKb
Ä Consciously increase theproportion of women on
BoardsÄ Introduce parental leave
for all employeesÄ Address workplace
VH[XDOKDUDVVPHQWb
Ä Encourage men
to become allies

INDIVIDUAL
WOMENÄAlign personal andprofessional goals andbalance priorities
ÄLeverage technology
to meet personal andprofessional needs
Ä Cut losses to what is
DFFHSWDEOHb
ÄDo not try to be perfect
LQHYHU\VSKHUHb
Ä Give up living with guilt
and regretÄ Take time to push thingsback and focus on yourselfbÄLearn to ask for what’s
QHHGHGbbÄ Be tough in maleGRPLQDWHGHQYLURQPHQWVb
Ä Focus on goals, without
paying any attention to the“noise” or criticism aroundÄ Avoid complaining about
WKHGLVFULPLQDWLRQb
Ä Be patient and focus on
RSWLPLVLQJHQWLUHSRWHQWLDOb
ÄLeverage available
support network, be
resilient and do not give upÄSupport other women“

A big wave is made up of tiny drops of water, so find your dropsof water that will form that wave”– Princess Mabel van Oranje

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report

13Theme 2 | Leveraging Technological Innovation for Promoting Women to Leadership: Opportunities and Challenges

THEME 2

Leveraging TechnologicalInnovation for Promoting
Women to Leadership:
Opportunities
and Challenges

Gender Diversity Across Job Functions in Corporate India**
Men

74%

69%

Women

26%

31%

Technical Roles

Non-Technical Roles**Source: Zinnov-Intel India Gender Diversity Benchmark, https://inc42.com/buzz/only-26-women-work-in-tech-roles-in-india-report/

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report

14

Theme 2 | Leveraging Technological Innovation for Promoting Women to Leadership: Opportunities and Challenges

5DSLGLQQRYDWLRQLQWHFKQRORJ\KDVR΍HUHGRSSRUWXQLWLHVWRHQJDJHZRPHQWRWDNHRQOHDGHUVKLSUROHV
in work build businesses and succeed in other sectors of public life. The enabling role of technology has
become even more vital in the light of the current COVID-19 crisis. This conference tried to build a dialogue
around the opportunities that technology has brought to women to become leaders and entrepreneurs,
the challenges that pose barriers to leveraging these opportunities and the steps that are needed topromote technology as an enabler of gender equality. Proactive steps are needed by the policymakers, theprivate sector and academic institutions to bridge these gaps.

Following were the key areasof discussion and recommended actions
Bridging The Gap In Connectivity
And Access To Digital Technologies
The discussions highlighted the huge gender digital
divide that exists globally, and that the existing
digital divide will become an even bigger barrier
for women to access critical education, health, andIncreasing the Proportionof Women in Stem RelatedProfessions & Businesses
The proportion of women in technology companies
is still very low. Women’s representation in key
positions and technology areas especially remains
critically low despite policies targeted at encouraging more women in STEM. Two thrust areas forbridging this gap were discussed:
Encouraging more girls
to take on STEM education
This will need a collective action to change themindsets of parents, provide equality education togirls and impact children’s perceptions in schools
about “girls in science”. Exposing girls to female rolemodels will be vital to help them get interested in
WHFKQRORJ\ȴHOGV$QGRIFRXUVHLWZLOOEHLPSRUWDQW
to initiate policy and government programs that
promote creation of a gender balance in students
SXUVXLQJ67(0ȴHOGVLeading With Grit & Grace | Conference ReportȴQDQFLDOVHUYLFHV%ULGJLQJWKHGLJLWDOGLYLGHFDQHQDEOHZRPHQWREHFRPHVLJQLȴFDQWSOD\HUVLQWKHDFtivities or sectors that are becoming more digitized.
Addressing social norms, gender stereotypes, skill
JDSVD΍RUGDELOLW\RIWKHGHYLFHVDQGDFFHVVUHODWHG
WRȴQDQFLDOLQFOXVLRQZLOOEHHVVHQWLDO3DUWQHUVKLSV
between the public and private sector will be particularly critical to overcome many of these barriers.

Using technology to help women build thriving
careers and reach leadership roles
7KHVSHDNHUVHOXFLGDWHGGL΍HUHQWZD\VE\ZKLFKemployers can use technology and digital tools to
FUHDWHPRUHȵH[LEOHDQGDJLOHZRUNLQJVWUXFWXUHV
that can make workplaces more enabling for women. Some of the suggestions were:ÄLeverage technological advancements toenable more work to be completed remotely and,
therefore, give women the opportunity to better
manage the demands of family needs and job
engagement. Companies must take measures tobridge the gap that exists in access to technology
for women to ensure that home-based work andtechnology solutions work equally for all employees.
Ä Use Collaboration Technology for job sharing
models so that women and men can work parttime, even in leadership positions.
Ä Help women leverage online networking opportunities to get visibility and to get connected witheach other.

15

Theme 2 | Leveraging Technological Innovation for Promoting Women to Leadership: Opportunities and Challenges

Enabling women entrepreneurs toaccess digital technologies for building
sustainable businesses
The discussions during the conference iterated theurgency of removing barriers to the access of digitaltechnologies by women entrepreneurs for enhancing and making their businesses more productive.
Some systemic barriers facing women entrepreneurs included inability to sell on ecommerce
platforms, lack of success stories of role models
DQGODFNRIVHOIFRQȴGHQFHDPRQJZRPHQHQWUHpreneurs. In addition, poor connectivity &technicalinfrastructure that are an essential part of growing
any business are barriers. Lack of an active roleof public policy in ensuring the advancement of
women to political leadership positions in a highly

Addressing biases that prevent AI
and technology to be gender neutral$UWLȴFLDOLQWHOOLJHQFHDQGQHZWHFKQRORJLHVFDQKHOS
women the most. But for that, as pointed out by
various speakers, we need to address some of thebiases that exist in the ecosystem. For one, we needto create a better gender balance in the datasetsthat are used for building technology, especially AI.
For example, AI tools for personal recruitment or

technology-dependent world also an issue.
Speakers emphasized the importance of active
participation of women entrepreneurs in the digital
economy revolution for them to remain relevant,
VFDOHDQGEHFRPHSURȴWDEOH:RPHQHQWUHSUHneurs can be empowered by providing them accessWRRQOLQHȴQDQFHSODWIRUPVHFRPPHUFHSODWIRUPV
online portals, e-learning, social media and video
platforms. Female investors should also be encouraged as data shows that they are more inclined
to provide funds for women owned businesses,
because they understand women entrepreneurs
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actively invest in learning latest technology that will
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and their businesses.

talent acquisition often use historical data, which isbiased because there are a lot of male data sets andnot female data sets.
The other bias that was pointed out is created by
not enough women participating in the innovation
or in the production of new technologies. This leads
to these technologies being based on mostly male
factors and lacking female perspectives, which inturn again produces big gaps in catering to a large
female consumer segment.

SCHOOLS

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Recommended
steps forEnabling Women
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP ECOSYSTEM

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16

Theme 3 | Developing a “Grit and Grace” Leadership Framework

THEME 3Developing a“Grit and Grace”
Leadership
Framework
Women Are Rated Better Than Men
on 17 out of 19 Leadership Capabilities*
Develops strategic perspective
Technical or
professional expertiseInnovates
Leadership Speed
Solves problems andanalyzes issues
Communicates powerfully
DQGSUROLȴFDOO\
Connects to theoutside world
Collaboration andTeamwork
Establishes
Stretch Goals
Champions Change
Builds relationship
Bold leadership
Inspires andmotivates others
Develops others
Displays high integrity
and honesty
Drives for results
Practices self-development
Resilience
Takes Initiative

Women

Men

* Source: HBR, https://hbr.org/2019/06/research-women-score-higher-than-men-in-most-leadership-skills
Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report

17

Theme 3 | Developing a “Grit and Grace” Leadership Framework

Leaders are always known by their Leadershipstyles. The current pandemic has also shown that
Leadership Style has been one of the key determinants of success in managing and recovering fromthe health, social and economic consequences of
the crisis. The conference explored this in detail
WKURXJKVSHFLȴFGLVFXVVLRQVDURXQGLWDQGDOVR
through collating all the leadership lessons that the

management of the pandemic has brought out at
Global, Organizational, Societal and Individual levels.
On the one hand, the panellists listed out theleadership traits that they attributed as being key tothe success achieved by women Heads of State atmanaging and curbing the impact of the pandemic,
as compared to their male counterparts.

Empathetic service oriented and
OHDGLQJWRPDNHDGL΍HUHQFH

Leadership Traits Demonstrated byFemale Heads of State During COVID19 Crisis
Clarity of thinking
and leaving no room for
confusion

Honest, open, credible
and inducing trust

Wisdom and vision,
taking informed decisions

Navigating roles withease & humour yet
showing strength intheir values

Taking bold initiatives
and showing guts

Secondly, the speakers and panellists shared theirown leadership lessons that they learnt from managing this crisis in their organisations and teams. Byhighlighting their personal experiences and relevant

anecdotes, they elucidated that both “Grit” and“Grace” traits will be needed by leaders to overcome
the impact of the current crisis as well as to become
impactful leaders of tomorrow.

“

Leaders must have a balance of ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ traits. “Extreme masculine
traits have been responsible for a lot of the crisis that we are seeing in this world today.
Extreme greed, extreme ambition and inability to manage all of this - are very “alphamale” traits. But it’s very important to create a caring attitude. All leaders, men or women, should
bring a combination of the two. It’s important to be ambitious, important to be goal oriented, it’s
important to have an achievement orientation, but it’s also important to be caring, it’s importantto say, “I don’t have all the answers, let’s find those answers together”. A combination of these
traits can prevent a lot of these crises. History also shows so many cases where leaders, whodemonstrated an ability to prevent a crisis rather than deal with the crisis once it surfaced, were
those who demonstrated a combination of feminine and masculine traits.” – T.N Hari

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report

18

Theme 3 | Developing a “Grit and Grace” Leadership Framework

The conference discussions brought to the fore few key leadership qualities thatVWRRGRXWDQGGL΍HUHQWLDWHG/HDGHUVZKRVXFFHHGHGIURPWKRVHZKRVWUXJJOHG

Risk Taking - by being fearless, agile and taking the necessary initiatives
Demonstrating Empathy - by understanding and acknowledging the needs and issues of people,
not only within one’s teams and organisations but also of other stakeholders like suppliers and clients.

Having Resilience – by quickly picking up and moving on from failure, handling adversity with equa-

nimity, maintaining perspective and having a positive attitude.
Displaying Vulnerability– admitting when one is wrong or needs new inputs, new insights or new reference
points.

Cultivating a learning mindset – by constantly learning and developing, reading a lot to build

expertise and leveraging the support of experts. Such leaders also bring in a learning culture within theorganizations.

“

Convert wasted time to productive time by reading, learning andgaining wisdom and skills. For instance, when Nelson Mandela was
asked, how he survived 27 years in jail, he replied that ‘I was notsurviving, I was preparing”
Shiv Khera
Building social capital – by investing in relationships, staying connected with friends and colleagues,
and collaborating for sustainable growth with all stakeholders. Social capital and connections are proving
to be especially vital in the current circumstances and it has proven possible to build them remotely in thevirtual world.

Being Authentic – by having a clear purpose and valuing one’s character, integrity and honesty morethan one’s intellect. Having a sense of deep connection with one’s own purpose and knowing who one is
and what one stands for can hold a leader steady and anchor her through all the tough situations that comeup in every leader’s journey.
Establishing credibility –through working with conviction and delivering what one commits to.

Inspiring people – by having a clear purpose, being vulnerable, communicating honestly, and demonstrating character and courage. Once inspired, people around do not really need to be managed or monitored.

Being solution focused – by converting adversities into opportunities.

Being empowering–by allowing others to lead, encouraging diversity of thought &innovation, exhibitingFRQȴGHQFHLQSHRSOHDQGDOORZLQJSHRSOHWRȴQGVROXWLRQVLeading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report

19Theme 3 | Developing a “Grit and Grace” Leadership Framework

GRIT
ITH
W
AD
LE

LEAD
WI
TH

GR
AC

E

TAKE BOLDDECISIONSDISPLAY WISDOM,VISION AND CLARITY
OF THINKINGHAVE COURAGE
TO BE AUTHENTIC

COMMUNICATE
CLEARLY AND HONESTLYBE SOLUTION
ORIENTEDBE EMPATHETIC
AND WILLING TO LISTENBUILD RESILIENCE
AND LEARN TO
OVERCOMEFAILURESEMPOWER PEOPLE

BE COLLABORATIVE

BE SERVICE ORIENTED
AND LEAD TO MAKE
A DIFFERENCE

TAKE RISKSHAVE A CLEAR PURPOSE

BUILD SOCIAL CAPITALAND STRONGRELATIONSHIPSBE HONEST,
TRUSTWORTHY AND
BUILD YOURCREDIBILITY

BE OPEN TO
CONSTANT LEARNING

Collating the main leadership traits that emerged from the discussions, TalentNomics India has developed
a Grit and Grace Leadership Framework that is an universal model that can be adapted and applied by allleaders across all sectors and sections of society, globally to become impactful leaders. The underpinning of
this model is the 4 Cs:

Confidence, Capability, Credibility and Connections.
Leveraging expert
NQRZOHGJH

NG WITH GR
ADI
IT
E
L

Risk-taking &%ROG'HFLVLRQCollaborating &Creating win-win
situations

Resilience

Re-inventing
selfCapability&RQȴGHQFH

Authentic &Impactful
Communication%XLOGLQJ
Social Capital

Connection&UHGLELOLW\

Clear Purpose

Breaking%RXQGDULHV

Being
inclusive

3HUVRQDO%UDQG

LEAD

IN G W T H G
I

C
RA

E

Authenticity

This model provides simple everyday practices that can be adopted by one and all to enhance their leadership quotient in every dimension of everyday living

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report

20

Theme 3 | Developing a “Grit and Grace” Leadership Framework

CONFIDENCE: GRITCAPABILITY: GRIT

• Believe in yourself, exhibit hope andoptimism- do not give upȏ5HȵHFWUHLPDJLQHDQGUHQHZ• Create a network of experts for support• Encourage diversity of thought & innovation intimes of change in yourself and in others• Collaborate for sustainablegrowth with all stakeholders•Empower, engage & listen empathetically• Develop deep knowledge about
your business and its environment•Take risks and move ahead in the face of
ambiguous and complex information• Leverage technology

CONNECTION: GRACECREDIBILITY: GRACE• Inspire and enable self and others to operatefrom a higher purpose• Expand and engage with people from diverse
areas as you grow• Be a role model and consistently adhere to thebeliefs and values you hold

• Always be available to provide support andadd value to others• Show vulnerability: it is a key to building andsustaining strong relationships• Build connections for personal well-being
and giving back

• Walk the talk

• Invest time and energy in building andnurturing connections within and outside yourwork environment

Participants Poll
Self-Driven
Feministic-Leadership

Resilience
Enterprising Risk-Taking

Team-Player
Solution-Oriented

Bold Responsive
Fearless

Resolute$JHQWLF&RPH:KDW0D\/HDUQLQJIURP)DLOXUH&RXUDJH

Dedicate-to-Vision&RPSDVVLRQDWH&RQWLQXRXV/HDUQLQJ$WWLWXGH

6HOI5HȵHFWLYH&RQVFLRXVQHVV

What leadership
attributes do you
identify with grace?

6HUYDQW/HDGHU

PassionInterdependence

Empathy

Proactively(PRWLRQDOΔQWHOOLJHQFH&RQQHFWHGQHVV
Enthusiastic&RPSRVXUH

Steady&DOPQHVV$FFHSWDQFH

HonestVisionRespect

Patience &RQFHUQ Integrity$XWKHQWLFLW\

6HOȵHVV

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report

What leadership
attributes do you
identify with grit?

&KDUDLYHWL

ListenHumility&OHDU+HDGHGQHVV
Honesty

Responsible&RPSDVVLRQ

21

Call to Action | Leading With Grit & Grace&DOOWR$FWLRQ
The writing on the wall is clear. The world and our
ecosystem have changed forever. We have no
choice but to adapt and to become more agile andinclusive. From individualism, we will need to work
as collectives. As a world, as a society, as institutions
and organizations and as individuals, we will allneed to build and become leaders who embody Gritand Grace.
The objectives of this conference were comprehensively achieved. Many insightful and innovativeideas emerged and have been discussed undereach of these themes in the report. The speakers
SRLQWHGWRYHU\VSHFLȴFLVVXHVDQGVXJJHVWHGDF-

tions that various stakeholders can take to address
the challenges. The key stakeholders; the leaders
Governments, the private sector and the civilsociety, can each play their role in overcoming thecurrent crisis and building a more equitable world.
However, many speakers reiterated that the womenthemselves have a huge role to play in creating theequilibrium that they want to see going forward.
These short-term and long-term actions have been
listed under the various themes. The critical role ofleaders was deliberated by various panellists and a
new Leadership Framework for the future emerged
as a result of these discussions.

Recommendations For Inclusive Actions
GOVERNMENT
Addressing the
Impact of Covid
on Lives andLivelihood ofwomen

PRIVATE SECTORINDIVIDUALWOMEN

Ä7DUJHWVSHFLȴFVRFLDOSURWHFWLRQÄ Enable women equal online

measures at women

access to connect and conduct theirÄ Align personal andÄReduce income tax for female

business

employees in formal sectorÄvAcknowledge and address theprofessional prioritiesÄMandate Paternity leave

adverse impact on women’s mental

Ä Do not try to be perfectÄDevise Childcare solutions

healthÄ Give up guilt

ÄΖQFUHDVHFDSLWDOȵRZWRZRPHQÄ Have more women on BoardsÄ Learn to Ask

Ä Introduce parental leaveÄ Focus on optimizing entire potential

Ä Initiate mentoring programs forÄ Be resilient and do not give up

womenÄ Support other women

professional goals
Ä Balance personal andLeveraging
Techno-logicalInnovation
for Promoting
Women
to LeadershipÄPromote girls’ STEM education

Ä Enable women’s access to e-com-

Ä%XLOGVHOIFRQȴGHQFH

ÄEnsure backbone connectivity

merce and other platforms

Ä Learn latest technologyÄIncrease women in policymakingÄ(QVXUHFDSLWDOȵRZWRZRPHQHQ-Ä Support other women

ÄΖQFUHDVHFDSLWDOȵRZWRZRPHQ

trepreneurs via Banks and FIIs

owned businessesÄ Train women in

Developing
Leaders with Gritand GraceÄShow case successful

using technology

women leadersÄMandate women’s
participation in Boards

entrepreneurs
Ä6HHNPXWXDOO\EHQHȴFLDO
partnerships

Ä Show case role models

Ä'HPRQVWUDWH&RQȴGHQFH

Ä Make Diversity and Inclusion aÄ Build Credibility forbusiness priority

leadership roles

Ä Enable women to network online

Ä Develop strong Collaboration
with stakeholders
Ä Hone your Leadership Capability

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report22Call to Action | Leading With Grit & Grace

Public Private
Partnerships Will
Be Key In The
Post-Covid19 WorldIn addition to the above, four urgent and criticalaction areas emerged that can only be achieved byconcerted Public Private Partnerships. While these
are areas of action that have been brought out timeand again, their implementation has become evenmore urgent even in the aftermath of the COVID19
crisis. And we feel that only with strong partnerships
between the Government and Private sector canthese action areas be implemented with the speed
and scale required to make a large-scale impact.

b

Leading with Technology: Digitalization is adouble-edged tool that needs to be harnessed
and made accessible to women for bringing gender
parity. Technology and the related innovations havea tremendous potential to empower more womenand their communities. This can further stimulate greater social and digital economic growth.
However, the access and control on technology
continues to remain a challenge especially in theSouth Asia context. Therefore, making technology
easily accessible for it to become an enabler for
women empowerment is an issue that needs to beaddressed collaboratively by the governments andthe private sector.

bCompiling Gender Disaggregated Data: Thelack of reliable gender disaggregated is a hugebarrier for better decision and outcomes for women’s health and engagement in economic activities.
Though some small steps have been initiated, a
VHULRXVH΍RUWWRFROODWHJHQGHUGLVDJJUHJDWHGGDWD
is urgent.

b

Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship: In
India and in South Asia as a whole, the percentage of women entrepreneurs is dismal. The potential for women to contribute to economic growth isimmense. While many initiatives have been takenby the government, policy makers and private
sector to remedy the situation, it falls short of therequired impetus to boost women entrepreneurVKLSDQGEXLOGVXVWDLQDEOHDQGSURȴWDEOHEXVLQHVVHV0RUHZRPHQVSHFLȴFDQGZRPHQFHQWULFDFWLRQVare called for by governments in collaboration withprivate sector

bStemming the unabated drop in thewomen’s labour force participation andjob losses for Women: It’s high time that we not
only stop this free fall but also correct it. There aremany opportunities that Gig economy, Flexible
work options, technology and remote working has
thrown for women. Policy makers, organizations,and women themselves each have a role to play inarresting this free fall. New opportunities need to becreated and the existing opportunities need to becarefully leveraged so that women start joining backin the workforce.

This conference has brought to the forefront several pertinent issues that call for more action, in-depth
UHVHDUFKDVZHOOFDSDFLW\EXLOGLQJH΍RUWV$W7DOHQW1RPLFVΖQGLDZHDUHFRPPLWWHGWREXLOGLQJFROODERUDWLRQ
between all the stakeholders in the ecosystem, creating and facilitating platforms for sharing of knowledge
and best practices, and to taking the lead in making the change happen. We hope to further build andescalate the dialogue around the actionable areas that emerged from this conference, via research studies,capability building programs and our annual leadership conferences. We will, through outreach, seek toLQȵXHQFHSROLF\PDNHUVDVZHOODVOHDGHUVLQSULYDWHVHFWRURUJDQLVDWLRQVWRLPSOHPHQWWKHUHFRPPHQGed actions. We will continue to support potential women leaders act upon the “self-empowering” steps
UHFRPPHQGHGE\WKHOHDGHUVYLDRXUȵDJVKLS/HDGHUVKLS'HYHORSPHQWSURJUDPIRU:RPHQ &UXFL%2/' 
Together with ecosystem partners like KAS, we hope to continue to push the needle towards enabling andLeading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report23

Appendix

APPENDIX 1

6SHDNHU3URȴOHV
Live Panels
Keynote Speaker: Princess Mabel van Oranje
A global advocate for freedom, justice, and development and a serial entrepreneur for social change, Mabel van Oranje is the initiator and board chairof ‘Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage’. She isalso the founder and board chair of ‘VOW – to End Child Marriage’
Hosted by: Anita George
Executive VP& Deputy Head, CDPQ, Global, Advisory Board Member,
TalentNomics India

Session 1: Leading in Economic Turmoil
Anu Madgavkar
Partner at
McKinsey Global InsituteSanjay Kathuria
Senior Visiting Fellow,
Centre for Policy Research, India,
and former Lead Economist,
World Bank

Henriette Kolb
Manager, Genderand Economic Inclusion, IFC

moderator

Dr. Annurag Batra
Editor-in-chief, Business World

Session 2: Leading With Technology
and Innovation for an Equal World
Ronja Kemmer
MdB/ Member of the German
Parliament. Member, Committee on
the Digital Agenda German Parliament

Mouna Aouri
Langendorf
Founder, Woomentum

Nina Brandau(GXFDWLRQ3ROLF\2ɝFHU
at Bitkome.V.,
Germany’s Digital Association

moderator

Rabea Brauer
Chief Representative, Japan,
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report24Appendix

Session 3: Leading Towards A New Equilibrium

Frances Valintine
Founder &; CEO, Mind Labs, NZ

Rubana Huq
Managing Director,
Mohammadi Group, Bangladesh

ShwetaAnand Arora
Leadership andexecutive coach, and the founderof The Core Questin

moderator

Ambika Singh
Journalist, NDTV

Session 4: Valedictory: Equitable leadership fora New World - Turn Setbacks into Comebacks
Mr. Shiv Khera
Author, Educator, Business Consultant,
Motivational Speaker

Session 5: Grit and Grace Leadership Framework– from Surviving to Thriving

Ipsita Kathuria
Founder, CEO TalentNomics India

Binoo Wadhwa
Member of Advisory Board,
TalentNomics India

Pramath Raj Sinha
Founder and Chairperson,
Harappa Education, Founder-ISB,
Ashoka University

Speaker Videos
Coping with Grit and Wit: Laugh and Learn- Indu Balachandran Author, Humour Columnist
A RoadMap for holistic wellbeing in the current times- Dr. Sheela Nambiar, Founder,
Training for Life Women’s Wellness Fitness & Lifestyle consultant, Medical Practitioner, Author, SpeakerYour Perspective of Leading with Grit and Grace•0HODQQH9HUYHHU ([HFXWLYH'LUHFWRU*HRUJHWRZQ8QLYHUVLW\IRUPHU&KLHIRI6WD΍WR+LOODU\&OLQWRQ• Arvind Subramanian(Professor, Ashoka University & Director, Ashoka Center for Economic Policy (ACEP),
former Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India)• Reema Nanavaty(Director, Self-Employed Women Association of India)• Caren Grown (Global Director of the World Bank’s Gender Group)• Soma Mondal (Chairperson at Steel Authority of India Limited)• Dr. Kiran Bedi(Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry)• Shilpa Raj (PhD student, NYC)

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report25Appendix

APPENDIX II

Conference Feedback“Great point about countries
run by women handling
COVID better made by
Princess Mabel.““So true! We need more girls
to go to school. And that can
only bring changes into theircommunity as a whole. :)““Decision making to bedone together men andwomen - absolutely valid
point and its beyond doubtthat this will ensure muchbetter decisions““Excellent examples ofhope and concerete actions
Henriette!““Very true - being gender
blind is NOT same as being
gender neutral.“Ȋ6LJQLȴFDQWWDNHDZD\VJUHDW
sessions! ““Oh wow! Amazing 100th
session““Mouna’s recommendation
on increasing access toȴQDQFLQJIRUZRPHQ
owned small and medium
entrepreneurs. Access toȴQDQFLQJLVWKHSULPDU\obstacle why women areoften reluctant to startbusinesses.““Wonderful session.““Great session.““It’s always a treat to listen
to Mr. Khera““Thank you so much for anenriching session.““Amazing session!
Exemplary personality! ““Some amount of stress isgood for performance““It’s amazing to see thepassion and clarity of
purpose““Made us realise ourpriorities..““Thank you for a window
into so many other lives...
Great panelists .. pragmatic
honest discussions. ““Feeling Inspired - I am
sure this is true for all of us
attending!““Thanks for sharing greatdata points and facts Anu,
it’s very informative.““Bridging the digital divide,
invisible women.. Greatsuggestion““Very relevant discussion
and indeed a powerful
panel.““Very insightful session by
all panelists““Thanks, it was very
informative and thoughtprovoking.““Stimulating being part ofthis important conversation-- great start! ““Thank you Anu for yoursuggestions. Collecting
data and using it to makeover our case of the strong
connection between data.“

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report“Such basic and simple
life lessons. Important tore-learn.““Awesome serenity prayer..
Thanks for sharing it sir.““Very good session. Lots oflearning.““Can’t thank sir enough.““He speaks so well and it’s
so insightful.““It was amazing session sir.
Very grateful to you.““Very good learning
session.““One of the best sessions.““Very powerful session.““I was spellbound.““I agree - education starts athome the change needs tobegin with us.““Thank you panelists for agreat session.““Growing together is ofutmost importance now..
Great insights.““Great session.. lot of key
takeaways.““Well moderated
discussion.““World needs more leaders
like Rubana. Great insights
by TN Hari. ““Awesome advice Shweta!
Very helpful. Ambika isan active and engaging
facilitator.““Ability to be open tolearning and vulnerability toadmit you don’t always havethe answer.. great insight byFrances.““Great thoughts fromShweta for many young
women and men who are
wanting a change.““Impactful leaders we heard
today all the speakers areprime examples of leadingwith grit and grace.““Wonderful thoughts
Frances! Leave loudly-greatone.““Hari! And having theawareness of ones own
masculine and feminine
traits is so important.““Golden nugget “Be
oblivious to all the noisearound, don’t pay attention
and let the animosity,
aggression around you notmess with your grace andgrit.” - Rohana““Awesome panel and some
awesome insights, great
session :-)““Such great learnings,
thanks Talentnomics India““Failure resume!! Wow that’s
something I’m hearing for
WKHȴUVWWLPHȊ“CruciBOLD - I can vouch
for it, being one of theȴUVWSDUWLFLSDQWRIWKLVȴUVWintervention..““So true! Empathy is key andeven for leaders, knowingthat showing empathy is
not a sign of weakness isimportant.““Ipsita, you speak for allof us, too timid to ask formoney ... particularly hardfor creative types :-)“
“A nice framework. Being
ourselves is what makes
us unique and important.
Loved the perspective.““You all- Ipsita, Binoo andPramath are a brilliant
example of social capital!“

26

Appendix

About Talentnomics India

7DOHQW1RPLFVΖQGLDLVDQRWIRUSURȴWLPSDFWRUJDQL]DWLRQEDVHGRXWRIΖQGLDWe are dedicated to help grow the pool of women leaders and have adopted a holistic and integrated
approach for creating an ecosystem that promotes and supports women to succeed and lead organizations
DFURVVDOOVHFWRUVRIWKHHFRQRP\:HZRUNZLWKLQȵXHQWLDOJOREDOOHDGHUVPHQDQGZRPHQZKRDUHFRPmitted to building an equitable world, especially at the leadership levels.
7RLQFXEDWHIXWXUHZRPHQOHDGHUVRXUSODWIRUPR΍HUVPXOWLIDFHWHGOHDUQLQJDQGQHWZRUNLQJRSSRUWXnities to women, provides support to leaders and guides organizations in their endeavor to build stronger
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deliver tangible outcomes.
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the journey towards gender parity at leadership levels.
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within organisations.
Get In Touch
https://india.talentnomics.org/
https://www.facebook.com/talentnomicsin
https://twitter.com/talentnomics_in
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGnF Js6uCbWWcGeUvFImZRQ
https://www.linkedin.com/company/talentnomicsindia
connect@talentnomicsindia.

Conference Team

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report

Ispita Kathuria

Neeru Abrol

Binoo Wadhwa

Geeta Kumar

Sukhmani Grewal

Shravani Prakash

Tazeen Parvez

Aparna Ghosh27

Appendix

About KAS-SOPASThe Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) is a political foundation in the Federal Republic of Germany. Its activities and projects support a proactive approach towards international cooperation and understanding. The
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it advocates for are advancing female leadership, free trade and multilateralism, and the future of work.
It brings together a network of policy makers, economists, political analysts and thought leaders across$VLD3DFLȴFWRGLVFXVVHPHUJLQJLVVXHVSURSRVHSROLF\DOWHUQDWLYHVDQGVKDUHEHVWSUDFWLFHV
Get In Touch
KAS-Tokyo@kas.de+81 3 6426 5041, +81 3 6426 5047
https://www.kas.de/en/web/japan/home

Conference Team

Rabea Brauer

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report

Cristita Perez

28

Other Conference Partners

Other Conference Partners

Leading With Grit & Grace | Conference Report29