The Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association (HYSEA) has announced the launch of the HYSEA Women Leaders' Forum to promote women's leadership in the IT sector.
The HYSEA Women Leaders' Forum will be comprised of leaders who will mentor young and upcoming women leaders in the IT/ITeS industry while also serving as a networking platform.
The forum will work to identify challenges and develop programmes and initiatives for female leaders.
It will be led by Mamatha Madireddy, HSBC's centre director for GSC Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, and Vizag.
Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan announced the new initiative virtually saying, "As an ardent advocate of women's rights, gender parity, women's empowerment, and equality, it would give me immense satisfaction to see accomplished women leaders coming on to a platform to mentor and nurture young and upcoming women leaders of the IT industry."
Mamatha Madireddy, who will be the first to lead the forum, said: “Bridging the gender gap is a constant journey towards having the most inclusive and balanced workforce. The ultimate goal is to reach a point where this is not even a topic to discuss. We have to work collectively to succeed in this journey”.
HYSEA is a pioneering industry initiative and a non-profit organisation that brings together various IT and ITeS organisations under one umbrella to network, transfer knowledge, and collaborate closely with the government and other stakeholders for the state's business growth, social development, and economic prosperity.
Bharani K Aroll, President of HYSEA, stated that the formation of the Forum is part of HYSEA's efforts to improve opportunities for women to advance to positions of leadership in the industry. More than 1,000 women leaders from over 200 companies have been trained as part of a leadership development programme for women that began in 2009.
Ms. Madireddy, who moderated a panel discussion on Women in Leadership, following the launch, said “bridging the gender gap is a constant journey...the ultimate goal is to reach a point where this is not even a topic to discuss.”
According to HYSEA, the Forum will identify challenges and develop programmes to help women leaders effectively manage them. It will establish mentoring and counselling platforms, set quantifiable targets for developing leaders at various levels, and continuously improve these numbers over time.
