Prof. Seema Mahajan, Director of the Pravin Dalal School of Entrepreneurship and Family Business Management (PDSE&FBM), was invited to the Women Entrepreneurs Opportunity Conference, co-hosted by IFC and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women. The conference was held on November 29, 2024, at the Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi. PDSE&FBM was among the select institutions invited to the prestigious conference. Dr. Ruchika Agarwal, Chairperson of MDPs and Executive Programs at PDSE&FBM, also attended in the conference.
Prominent speakers at the conference included Mr. Sonjoy Chatterjee, Chairman & CEO, Goldman Sachs (India) Securities Private Limited; Ms. Nathalie Akon, Director of Gender & Economic Inclusion, IFC; Shri Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa, GoI; Mr. Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator in India; Ms. Manisha Sinha, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, MoF-GoI; Mr. Imad N. Fakhoury, Regional Director, South Asia, IFC and Mr. Atanu Chakraborty, Part-time Chairman and Independent Director.
The conference aimed to foster collaboration and build consensus among government agencies, multilateral organizations, civil society, and the private sector to address the capital needs of growth-stage women entrepreneurs in India. Discussions revolved around the challenges and opportunities faced by women entrepreneurs, innovative tools for improving access to finance for women-owned small and medium enterprises, and the critical role of government policy in driving greater participation. Key themes included empowering women through financial inclusion, leveraging blended finance mechanisms, and exploring initiatives such as open credit systems, the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), and support frameworks for Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Joint Liability Groups (JLGs). The emphasis was on developing business growth plans with transformative impacts. The conference shed light on the vast opportunities in women’s entrepreneurship and underscored the crucial role of government and global organizations in enabling women’s contributions to GDP to be both impactful and sustainable.
