National Consultation on Creating an Enabling Environment for Women’s Economic Empowerment through Entrepreneurship in India 19 February 2013 New Delhi

REPORT ON THE NATIONAL CONSULTATION ON CREATING AN ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR

WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT THROUGH ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN INDIA

CONTENTS

Page

I. Background ................................................................................................................ 1

II. Objective of the Meeting .......................................................................................... 1

III. Agenda ........................................................................................................................

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IV. Inaugural session....................................................................................................... 1

V. Plenary session on Creating an Enabling Environment for Women’s Entrepreneurship in India .................................................................................................

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VI. Thematic sessions on Partnership and Cooperation to Enhance Women’s Entrepreneurship ................................................................................................................

Capacity Development Access to Finance and Credit

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VII. Closing and recommendations ...............................................................................

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Annex I: Programme ........................................................................................................ Annex II: List of participants…………………………………………………………...

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I. BACKGROUND

1. The potential of women to contribute to economic development in Asia and the Pacific is significant. Women’s entrepreneurship has the potential to empower women as well as contribute to the economic development of the region. By setting up and having control over a business, women can use this opportunity to develop their own economic independence, overcome poverty through asset building and improve their well-being as well as that of their families. 2. However, legislative, institutional, financial and cultural obstacles remain and continue to impact and disadvantage women, particularly in comparison to their male counterparts, in setting up and running their own enterprises, managing their asset and achieving control over their resources. 3. The National Consultation on Creating an Enabling Environment for Women’s Entrepreneurship in India was attended by over 150 representatives from relevant government ministries, research institutions and civil society organizations as well as relevant international organizations. The list of participants is attached as Annex I to the Report.

II. OBJECTIVES OF THE MEETING

4. The objectives of the Consultation were to:

a. Review the policy findings and recommendations of the national research conducted under the ESCAP-Goldman Sachs project;

b. Identify strategies to inform policy-making in promoting access to better opportunities for women entrepreneurs;

c. Promote multiministerial coordination and partnerships to enhance cooperation for creating an enabling environment for women entrepreneurs.

III. AGENDA

5. The agenda for the Consultation was as follows (the full programme is annexed):

1. Inaugural Session 2. Plenary Session on Creating an Enabling Environment for Women’s

Entrepreneurs in India 3. Thematic sessions on partnership and cooperation to enhance women’s

entrepreneurship

Capacity Development

Access to Finance and Credit 4. Closing Session

IV. INAUGURAL SESSION

6. Ms. Kavita Varadaraj, President of FICCI-FLO delivered the opening remarks. Ms. Varadaraj expressed her thanks to ESCAP and Goldman Sachs for organizing the Consultation. She stressed that entrepreneurship accelerates economic growth and that

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women’s entrepreneurship leads to women’s leadership. She emphasized the ability to learn quickly and the willingness to take chances as a major strength of Indian women. Women entrepreneurs in India face challenges related to their families, mobility constraints, and access to business. She said that talent is universal, but opportunity is not. FLO aims to open many opportunities for women. 7. Mr. Nagesh Kumar, Director of ESCAP South and South-West Asia Office, made opening remarks. He highlighted the centrality of gender equality and women‘s empowerment in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and for inclusive development. Mr. Kumar urged participants to identify the bottlenecks and stumbling blocks on the path to women’s entrepreneurship and explore innovative yet practical ways to break the glass ceiling. 8. Ms. Erin Walsh, Vice-President, Head of Corporate Engagement for Asia-Pacific, made opening remarks on behalf of Goldman Sachs. She noted that research suggested that investing in the education and economic empowerment of women can have a positive impact on growth and GDP. She highlighted the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Initiative which is aimed at fostering greater shared economic growth by providing 10,000 underserved women around the world with a business and management education. 9. Her Excellency Ms. Syeda Hameed, Member, Planning Commission, made the inaugural statement. Ms. Hameed noted that women’s entrepreneurship is an essential driver of economic growth and their contribution to GDP growth is undeniable. She also highlighted some of the challenges and barriers that women face as entrepreneurs and the importance of addressing them by creating an enabling environment. She commended ESCAP and Goldman Sachs for organizing this timely and relevant Consultation. 10. On behalf of the Social Development Division of ESCAP, Ms. Cai Cai, Chief of the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Section, delivered the vote of thanks. She highlighted the importance of women’s entrepreneurship in advancing women’s economic empowerment and outlined the objectives of the regional programme implemented by ESCAP and Goldman Sachs. She also informed participants that the outcomes of this meeting would feed into the Regional Forum to be held in April 2013 as well as the regional preparations for the Beijing+20 review.

V. PLENARY SESSION ON CREATING AN ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN INDIA

11. The plenary session under this agenda item was moderated by Mr. Nagesh Kumar. A presentation was made by Ms. Hina Shah, Director, International Center for Entrepreneurship and Career Development, on the preliminary research findings, followed by interventions by the following panelists:

Ms. Erin Walsh, Vice-President, Head of Corporate Engagement for Asia-Pacific, Goldman Sachs

Ms. Rashmi Singh, Executive Director, National Mission for Empowerment of Women

Ms. Sharmistha Sinha, Senior Research Officer, National Mission for Empowerment of Women

Ms. Uma Swaminathan, Coordinator, Rural Economic & Development Activities, Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Ahmedabad

Ms. Smita Premchander, Secretary, Sampark

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Ms. Archana Garodia Gupta, Founder, Touchstone Gems & Jewellery and Treasurer, FICCI Ladies Organization

12. Ms. Hina Shah, Director, International Center for Entrepreneurship and Career Development, presented the preliminary findings of the national study on Creating an Enabling Environment for Women’s Entrepreneurship in India conducted within the framework of a joint ESCAP-Goldman Sachs regional programme. She provided an overview of the current environment facing women entrepreneurs and stressed that women constitute less than 15 per cent of the number of entrepreneurs in India. Ms. Shah presented the scope of the study and some of the key findings. She noted that although a wide range of policies and credit schemes existed to promote women’s entrepreneurship, it remained marginal and the awareness about the availability of such schemes remained very low in the country. Ms. Shah highlighted some of the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, emphasizing that the situation for women in rural and urban areas were different. 13. Ms. Shah highlighted the very strong and rigid sociocultural norms regarding women’s role in a patriarchal society such as India and related expectations, and brought forward a few recommendations to create a more enabling and supportive environment, such as the need to adopt a comprehensive and integrated approach to support women entrepreneurs, provide infrastructure facilities, training, and facilitate access to credit (through the creation of women’s cell in all branches of national banks for example). The role of the media in sharing success stories and that of federations such as FICCI-FLO was also emphasized. 14. The panelists, coming from a wide range of sectors, from the Government, private sector and civil society, shared their own perspective about the key challenges facing women entrepreneurs and possible solutions, stressing how central this issue was to the economy and highlighting the multiplier effect and transformation that empowered women would bring forth. The lack of awareness about existing policies, schemes and the importance of enabling work places, free of violence and harassment was also stressed. Sociocultural barriers, the crucial role of families in supporting the entrepreneurial undertaking of their women, the scourge of alcoholism were among other factors discussed. One panelist suggested that a critical mass of women entrepreneurs should be created through affirmative action so as to accelerate the changes.

VI. THEMATIC SESSIONS ON PARTNERSHIP AND COOPERATION TO ENHANCE WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP

15. The thematic sessions on partnership and cooperation to enhance women’s entrepreneurship focused on Capacity Development and Access to Finance and Credit. 16. The thematic session on capacity development was chaired by Mr. Samarendra Sahu, Additional Development Commissioner, Office of DC-MSME. The panelists were:

Ms. Shashi Singh, Chairperson, Consortium of Women Entreprenerus of India

Ms. Sarita Chauhan, Senior Consultant, National Institute for Small Business Development (NIESBUD)

Mr. Anupam Khanna, Chief of Economict and Director-General (Policy Outreach), National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM)

Ms. Seema Khosla, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Program

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17. Panelists noted the importance of capacity building programmes and discussed some of the key challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in India. It was noted that a number of policies and programmes were in place to further promote and empower women entrepreneurs. However, it was highlighted that despite preferences made for women in several schemes and initiatives, very few entrepreneurs were women. Some panelists recognized the need to increase the dissemination of information on the various schemes and programmes. 18. Furthermore, panelists highlighted the importance of partnerships and cooperation and the added value of peer group networks and associations of entrepreneurs. The need to strengthen training on business as well as soft skills was also noted. In addition, other issues raised included financial inclusion and the need to ensure growth is inclusive, promoting the representation of women in decision-making positions including advisory boards etc., and ensure that programmes are accessible to women entrepreneurs who have registered their business. 19. The thematic session on access to finance and credit was chaired by Mr. H.P. Kumar, Chairman and Managing Director, National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC). The panelists were:

Mr. R.K. Das, General Manager-in –Charge, Regional Office, Delhi, Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)

Ms. Vanita Viswanath, Chief Executive Director, Udyogini

Ms. Subhalakshmi Nandi, Women’s Economic Empowerment Specialist, UN-Women

20. Panelists emphasized that access to finance and credit is a major challenge faced by women entrepreneurs everywhere. Several speakers noted the wide range of schemes and programmes implemented by the Government of India in this area, recognizing the need to increase the flow of credit and finance for women. These include schemes granting women favourable loans as well as a range of tools to advise and guide prospective entrepreneurs. The lack of awareness and mentoring about existing schemes was seen as a critical issue that needed to be addressed. 21. Panelists also addressed other types of challenges facing women such as lack of access to skills and training, women’s unrecognized unpaid work, the higher representation of women in the informal sector, the lack of labour regulations, the design of financial services, delivery, as well as the lack of adequate monitoring and accountability mechanisms. Panelists stressed that specific gender concerns fundamentally impacted women, such as intra-household inequities, the burden of subsistence, work and debt – all on women- and the persistent issue of violence against women. Several speakers also highlighted the challenges women faced in remote rural areas and the need to address these. 22. The group discussions that followed were facilitated by Mr. Jost Wagner, professional facilitator. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on the issues of capacity development and access to finance and credit, and developed a set of policy recommendations to address the identified barriers.

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VII. CLOSING AND RECOMMENDATIONS

23. Ms. Ranjana Agarwal, Founder Partner, Vaish & Associates Chartered Accountants and Past President, FICCI-FLO chaired the closing session and briefly summarized the discussions of the day. 24. A representative from each group presented the outcomes of the thematic discussion, that is, recommendations on policies and strategies to create an enabling environment for women's entrepreneurship.

(a) Capacity Development:

To enhance awareness and exchange of information, communication and good practices on women’s entrepreneurship, targeting women in both rural and urban areas, reaching out to them with appropriate tools and channels, including through the use of mass media and social media. Media to project working women in a more positive light, showcasing role models;

To organize awareness-raising camps on entrepreneurship for women (in which

challenges faced by women entrepreneurs can be shared and common solutions evolved);

To promote broad-based gender equality and women’s empowerment,

including through enhancing women’s understanding of their own rights in particular, property rights, inheritance rights, etc.

To facilitate information-sharing on the issue of women’s entrepreneurship

(Government to business, government to citizens…) and to create more avenues and platforms for such information exchange and the sharing of good practices.

Educational institutions to introduce entrepreneurship as a subject (from grade

8th), with emphasis on skill-oriented education for girls and with the support of Parent Teacher Associations (PTA meetings to promote entrepreneurship among girls);

Entrepreneurship to be taught also as part of management courses;

To strengthen business development and business skills of women

entrepreneurs, including their understanding of market linkages, enhanced knowledge of design;

To support the creation of women entrepreneurship cells/park in

manufacturing institutes;

To introduce quota in government purchases (minimum percentage to go for products of women enterprises);

To develop policies to facilitate tax relief for women entrepreneurs (for income

tax, service tax, etc);

To strengthen overall support system for women entrepreneurs, through the provision of basic facilities/joint services (toilets, day care centres, crèches) and

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the creation of women entrepreneurs zones (as joint venture between public and private sector) to reduce the infrastructure costs;

To facilitate access to legal aid for women entrepreneurs, through cells available

at local and national levels, with services provided free of charge;

To promote e-government and transparency and the creation of ”one stop shops” for services/schemes/programmes for women entrepreneurs;

To link up with the possible new national mission for entrepreneurship and

clarify what the mission will aim to accomplish and provide suggestions for it to be gender sensitive, early in the process.

(b) Access to Finance and Credit:

To improve the existing banking system through gender-sensitization training of

branch managers ;

Risk taking/burden of risk to be shared jointly by both bankers and

entrepreneurs. Bank managers may already be sensitized but tend to be

unwilling to take risk/onus upon themselves – incentives to be provided for

them to take/share such risks;

To promote the systematic creation of bank accounts for every girl to enable

them to be eligible for bank loans ;

To promote and facilitate an easy delivery mechanism of credit to women (forms

and procedures to be simplified), including through consortia lending so as to

provide a single window/one stop shop for lending;

To promote safe lending so that it is replaced by priority lending for women (as

part of SME lending);

To ensure women entrepreneurs are able to directly present their concerns to

bankers (not through male representatives) in case of disbursement of loans in

installments;

To establish regular monitoring mechanisms for loans taken by women

entrepreneurs and banks to help women entrepreneurs in terms of project

reporting at different milestones;

To ensure that subsidies are tailored to specific requirements (to avoid frittering

those subsidies away) and provided at appropriate time, with monitoring

mechanisms in place;

To promote subsidized interest rates, especially for women’s start up to have a

nominal rate of interest and allow them to be more competitive;

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To encourage all stakeholders to provide indirect financial and credit support to

women entrepreneurs by according priority to women’s products and providing

marketing opportunities ;

To facilitate and simplify regulations for access to international capital;

A portion of the compulsory 2 per cent of companies’ profit allocated to

corporate social responsibility activities to be earmarked for women’s

entrepreneurship. This dip into CSR allocation should be accompanied by tax

breaks provided to the companies, and companies should be encouraged to

work with women start up as auxiliaries;

Subsidy to be provided/ tax benefits for backwards areas of the country to

encourage entrepreneurs to settle in such remote areas and slow internal

migration/boost employment creation in those areas.

25. Ms. Erin Walsh from Goldman Sachs thanked the participants for their contributions and ESCAP, as well as FICCI-FLO for the successful conduct of the National Consultation. 26. Ms. Cai Cai thanked the participants for their active participation in the National Consultation, which yielded rich and proactive policy recommendations to enhance women's economic opportunities in India. She further noted that these had laid a solid foundation for the regional study and the regional forum to be held in April 2013. She thanked Goldman Sachs and FICCI-FLO for their commitment to strengthening women’s entrepreneurship in the region.

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Annex I

National Consultation on “Creating an Enabling Environment for Women’s

Entrepreneurship in India”

Tuesday 19 February 2013, Federation House, Tansen Marg, New Delhi

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PROGRAMME

1000-1030 Registration/Welcome tea

1030-1115 Inaugural Session: Welcome Remarks: Ms. Kavitha Varadaraj, President of FICCI-FLO Opening Remarks: Dr. Nagesh Kumar, Director, ESCAP-SSWA Opening Remarks: Ms. Erin Walsh, Vice-President, Head of Corporate Engagement for Asia-Pacific, Goldman Sachs Inaugural Address : H.E. Dr. Syeda Hameed, Member, Planning Commission, Government of India Vote of Thanks: Ms. Cai Cai, Chief, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Section, Social Development Division, ESCAP

1115-1130 Tea/Coffee Break

1130-1300 Plenary Session: Creating an Enabling Environment for Women’s Entrepreneurship in India

Chairperson: Dr. Nagesh Kumar, Director, ESCAP-SSWA Presentation: Ms. Hina Shah, Director, International Center for

Entrepreneurship and Career Development, India Distinguished Panelists Ms. Erin Walsh, Vice President, Head of Corporate Engagement for Asia Pacific, Goldman Sachs Ms. Rashmi Singh, Executive Director and Ms. Sharmistha Sinha, Senior Research Officer, National Mission for Empowerment of Women Ms. Uma Swaminathan, Coordinator, Rural Economic & Development Activities, Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Ahmedabad Dr. Smita Premchander, Secretary, Sampark Ms. Archana Garodia Gupta, Founder, Touchstone Gems & Jewellery and Treasurer, FICCI Ladies Organization Open Discussion

1300-1345 Lunch

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1345-1515 Thematic Session 1: Partnership and Cooperation to Enhance Women’s Entrepreneurship Focus on Capacity Development Chair: Mr. Samarendra Sahu, Additional Development Commissioner, Office of DC-MSME Speakers: Ms. Shashi Singh, Chairperson, Consortium of Women Entrepreneurs of India Ms. Sarita Chauhan, Senior Consultant, National Institute for Small Business Development (NIESBUD) Dr. Anupam Khanna, Chief Economist and Director-General (Policy Outreach), National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) Ms. Seema Khosla, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Program Group Discussion: Facilitator: Mr. Jost Wagner

1515-1530 Tea/Coffee Break

1530-1700 Thematic Session 2: Partnership and Cooperation to Enhance Women’s Entrepreneurship Focus on issues related to access to Finance and Credit Chair: Dr. H.P. Kumar, Chairman and Managing Director, National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) Speakers: Mr. R.K. Das, General Manager-in-Charge, Regional Office, Delhi, Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) Dr. Vanita Viswanath, Chief Executive Director, Udyogini Ms. Subhalakshmi Nandi, Women’s Economic Empowerment Specialist, UN-Women Group Discussion: Facilitator: Mr. Jost Wagner

1700-1730 Closing Session: Chair: Ms. Ranjana Agarwal, Founder Partner, Vaish & Associates Chartered Accountants and Past President, FICCI-FLO Summary of Thematic Sessions/Policy Recommendations Closing Remarks: ESCAP/FICCI-FLO/Goldman Sachs

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Annex II

National Consultation on “Creating an Enabling Environment for Women’s

Entrepreneurship in India”

Tuesday 19 February 2013, Federation House, Tansen Marg, New Delhi

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

INDIA

GOVERNMENT

H. E. Ms. Syeda Hameed, Member, Planning Commission

Mr. J.K. Dadoo, Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry

Mr. Samarendra Sahu, Additional Development Commissioner, MSME, Government of India, New Delhi

Mr. H.P. Kumar, Chairman and Managing Director, National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC)

Ms. Indira Murthy, Director, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry

Mr. Mohan Chutani, Economic Adviser, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry

ACADEMIA AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Mr. Radha R. Sharma, Professor of Organizational Behaviour & Human Resource Delevelopment, Management Development Institute

Ms. Ameeta Motwani, Associate Professor, Jesus & Mary College, University of Delhi

Mr. Rajeev Aanantaram, Professor, International Management Institute

Mr. Priyadarshi Dash, Research Associate, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS)

Mr. Gautam Vohra, Chairman, Development Research and Action Group

Mr. Vinay D. Lall, Director General, Society for Development Studies

Mr. Santosh Mehrotra, Director General, Institute of Applied Manpower

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Major General Ramesh Chopra, Senior Strategic and Economic Adviser

Ms. Surajit Mitra, Director, Indian Institute for Foreign Trade

Mr. Himanshu Rath, Chairman, Agawell Foundation

Ms. Leena Rath, Additional Representative, Agawell Foundation

Mr. Kabir Shaikh, Director, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education and Peace & Sustainable Development

Mr. Firdous Azmat Siddique, Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies

Mr. Bulbul Dhar-James, Director, Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies

Mr. Indu Agnihotri, Director, Centre for Women Development Studies

Ms. Saumya Singh, Assistant Director, All India Management Association (AIMA)

Ms. Bani Baral, Principal, Integrated Institute of Technology

Mr. Madhu Vij, Director, Women’s Studies and Development Centre, Delhi University

Ms. Manjeet Bhatia, Women’s Studies and Development Centre, Delhi University

CONFEDERATION OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS INDIA (CWEI) AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

Ms. Shivani Bhardwaj, Program Director, Sathi All For Partnership

Mr. Arvind Kumar, President, India Water Foundation

Ms. Manjula Jagatramka, Director, Vaitarna

Ms. Malati Rani Narzari, Assam

Mr. Raanu Bisht Oberoi, Samay Sakshay

Ms. Amrinder Kaur, Managing Director, Haryana Forest Development Corporation Ltd

Ms. Vimla Vishwanath, Management Consultant – MSME

Mr. Mumtaz Jha, owner, Kashmir Crafts

Ms. Sharda Mahapatra, Proprietor, Sharda Designs

Ms. Neelam Grewal, Dean, Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana

Ms. Chayaa Nanjappa, Director, Nectar Fresh

Mr. Salil Kumar, Manager, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition

Ms. Reema Nanavaty, Secretary General, SEWA

Ms. Ayesha Salim, SEWA – J&K Representative

Mr. Barilinben, SEWA – Meghalaya Representative

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FEDERATION OF INDIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (FICCI) / PROMINENT ENTREPRENEURS AND CORPORATE LEADERS

Ms. Kavita Varadaraj, President , FICCI FLO

Dr. Manju Kalra Prakash, Executive Director, FICCI FLO

Ms. Smita Marcus, FICCI FLO

Ms. Ranjana Agarwal, Founder Partner, Vaish & Associates Chartered Accountants and Past President

Ms. Ranjvanthini S, Partner, Mahardhi

Ms. Subha Kulkarni, Director, Altissimo Consulting and Services Pvt. Ltd

Mr. Jahnabi Phooken, Director, Jungle Travels India

Ms. Geetha Prem Kumar, Managing Director, Vector Indojanix P Ltd

Ms. Suneeta Trivedi, Member Board, Department of Posts

Mr. Divya Poddar, Marketing Manager, Blacker & Co Private Ltd

Ms. Asha Narang

Ms. Veena Singh, Head Operations, THI

Ms. Anita Vasudeva, Director, Saita Consultaing Pvt Ltd

Ms. Amy Sahay

Mr. Rama Patnayak, President, Prachi Educational Society

Mr. Sneha Jain, Director, Siddhomal Sons/Siddhomal Air Products

Mr. Shivani Chawla

Mr. Ritu Bhagat, Proprieter, Sush English Academy

Mr. Sangita Gupta, Director, Gopal Industries

Ms. Vibha Bhatia, General Manager, Meetings & More

Mr. Pooja Agarwal

Mr. Divya Johar, Director, Kinder Plume Education Pvt Ltd

Ms. Anita Sehgal, Partner, SRS International

Mr. Dalvinder Bajaj

Mr. Rohan Mitra, Manager – Corporate Affairs, Yahoo India Private Ltd

Mr. Shrija Jain

Ms. Shubhra Jain

Mr. Sneha Jain, Director, Siddhomal Sons/Siddhomal Air Products

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Mr. Preeti Singh

Mr. Pronami Kah, Casio India Co Ltd

INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT (ICECD)

Ms. Hina Shah, Director, International Center for Entrepreneurship and Career Development, India

UNITED NATIONS BODIES

UNITED NATIONS ENTITY FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN (UN Women)

Ms. Subhalakshmi Nandi, Women’s Economic Empowerment Specialist, UN Women

WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME (WFP)

Mrs. Manasi Shukla Trivedi, Program Officer (Food Technology), WFP

PANELISTS

Ms. Rashmi Singh, Executive Director, National Mission for Empowerment of Women

Ms. Sharmistha Sinha, Senior Research Officer, National Mission for Empowerment of Women

Ms. Uma Swaminathan, Managing Director, Rural & Urban Development Initiative (RUDI) – SEWA, National Mission for Empowerment of Women

Ms. Sarita Chauhan, Senior Consultant, National Institute for Small Business Development (NIESBUD)

Mr. R.K. Das, General Manager-in-charge, Regional Office, Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)

Ms. Archana Garodia Gupta, Founder, Touchstone Gems & Jewellery and Treasurer, FICCI Ladies Organization

Mr. Anupam Khanna, Chief Economist and Director-General (Policy Outreach), National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM)

Ms. Sheema Khosla, Scholar, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Program

Ms. Reema Nanavaty, Self Employed Women’s Organization (SEWA), Ahmedabad

Ms. Smita Premchander, Secretary, Sampark

Ms. Shashi Singh, Chairperson, Consortium of Women Entrepreneurs of India

Ms. Pearl Uppal, Founder, 5ideas Startup Superfuel

Ms. Vanita Viswanath, Chief Executive Director, Udyogini

RESOURCE PERSONS

Mr. Jost Wagner, Facilitator

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JOINT SECRETARIAT

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (ESCAP)

Mr. Nagesh Kumar Director, ESCAP-SSWA

Ms. Cai Cai

Mr. Patrik Andersson

Mr. Dayaratna Silva

Mr. Matthew Hammill

Ms. Wanphen Sreshthaputra

Mr. Christopher Garroway

Ms. Nathalie Meyer

Chief, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Section, Social Development Division

Chief, Social Integration Section, Social Development Division

Senior Economic Affairs Officer, ESCAP-SSWA

Economic Affairs Officer, ESCAP-SSWA

Social Affairs Officer, ESCAP-SSWA

Associate Economic Affairs Officer, ESCAP-SSWA

Associate Social Affairs Officer, Social Development Division

GOLDMAN SACHS

Ms. Erin Walsh Executive Director, Head of the Office of Corporate Engagement, Asia