The Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s PR & Digital Marketing National Council (WICCI) has launched the second edition of the ‘I Lead’ Women Leadership Survey. Industry bodies such as Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI) have joined hands with WICCI to support this survey, whilst Coto, a Web3 social community platform by women, for women has sponsored this initiative effort.
The first edition of the ‘I Lead’ survey released in 2021 spotlighted significant challenges and issues that women professionals face viz. policy gaps, mindset gaps, and skillset gaps. It gathered views from women on the roadblocks in their leadership journey and prescribed a transformative framework for organizations. The goal of this edition of the ‘I Lead’ Women Leadership Survey is to understand if organisations are future-ready from a diversity lens i.e. are they ready for women to lead. The survey aims to delve deep to understand best practices and tangible actions taken by communications firms to retain senior female talent in the workforce.
Prof Akshaya Vijaylakshmi, Associate Professor, Marketing, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), who has been onboarded as the Knowledge Partner for the initiative said, “We talk about how it takes a village to raise a child but what we also need is an organisation to come together to help a mother not just stay at work but also succeed and grow in the firm. This is just one example. The ‘I Lead’ Women Leadership Survey by WICCI aims to get a wholesome understanding of what organisations are doing to help women thrive. This survey is the much-needed roadmap that we need for the future.”
Announcing the launch of the survey, Kavita Lakhani, National President of WICCI PR & Digital Marketing Council said, “It is a known fact that gender equality is key to unlocking greater chances for women to prosper at leadership positions. Through the ‘I Lead’ Women Leadership Survey, we will attempt to understand from CXOs of communications firms firstly on how much they believe in providing equal opportunities, equal respect and equal empowerment. Secondly, what is their formula for an equal future – specific programs, partnerships and policies within their organisation – all designed to support women to break down any barriers to recruitment, retention, development and leadership.”
Speaking on the launch, Mou Chakravorty, Council member, WICCI PR and Digital Marketing Council and ‘I Lead’ Women Leadership Survey lead, said, “The second edition of the survey attempts to highlight the status quo of real actions taken by the leaders of the communications industry. It draws attention to the existing issues with a vision to get the topmost segment of the management to bring about a change through mentorship, sponsorship and strategic direction. Through industry collaboration and an insightful research drawn scientifically over an analytics-based video mechanism, we at WICCI aspire to bring about a collective change for the women communicators of the future.”
Link to the survey: www.enswype.com
