35th Annual Session Theme: Women Shaping the Future & FLO Awards 2018-19

Ficci Ladies Organisation (FLO) organized its 35th Annual Session on April 13, 2019, at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi. Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group was the Chief Guest and Shobhana Bhartia, Chairperson and Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times Group was the Guest of Honor.

Keeping in sync with the Theme “Women Shaping the Future”, a panel of women were invited for a discussion on the topic. These are women who have broken the barriers and are truly shaping the future of the nation – – Ms Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Bollywood Actor Ms Zoya Akhtar, eminent film director and screenwriter; Ms Sania Mirza, ace tennis player and Ms Schauna Chauhan, CEO- Parle Agro; Ms Karuna Nundy, Supreme Court Lawyer.

Commemorating the occasion, FLO Awards 2018-19 were presented to women achievers from the grassroots, who have be exemplary through their life and work. The Awardees were – Geeta Tandon, Deepali Sengupta, Kalpana Saroj, Anmol Rodriguez and Charu Bajaj.

Geeta Tandon is a Stuntwoman. She Walked away from an abusive marriage. Lived in the Gurudwara with kids. Bought a house and built a life for themselves on their own.

Deepali Sengupta is an inspiring story from being a waitress to a successful entrepreneur who does multiple things. Outreach is the name of her company, which provides hospitality training, spa and wellness consultancy since 2005. In her own words “I was not born to fit in, I was born to be this badass.”

Kalpana Saroj came out of an abusive marriage, moved to Mumbai to work as a tailor and started an NGO to help people get loans.

Anmol Rodriguez’s father poured acid on her and her mom. Grew up in an orphanage. Was conscious when she went to college but got over it. Pursues stage designing and costume styling.

Charu Bajaj came from a family where girls weren’t supposed to study, pursued studies after marriage. Pursued B.Ed. Now the CEO of ‘Skills and You’.

A Mobile Application” My Circle App” was also launched, in collaboration with Airtel. This application is a friendly and multilingual women safety application, which is freely downloadable from the play store and iOS App store. A woman in distress can send SMS to pre-fed numbers with a link containing her GPS location for help.

FLO President, Pinky Reddy said, “Every year, the Annual Session is held in the month of April, culminating in a review of the activities undertaken by FLO, as also the milestones achieved during the year. It brings into focus the progress made by FLO in the objectives of entrepreneurship development and professional excellence. The session is a perfect platform for sharing best practices and experiences across 16 locations pan India, in a unified effort to play a catalystic role towards women empowerment. It also marks the ushering in a new year and continuing the legacy that FLO has walked upon, in the past 35 years of its existence.”

Ms Reddy further added, “As women play increasingly important roles to take the country forward, FLO is best positioned to play the role of a catalyst in bringing about a transformation and shaping the future. Hence the theme for our 35th Annual Session – “Women Shaping the Future”.

Talking about the FLO Awards 2018-19, Pinky Reddy said, “FLO is the most apt platform to connect, learn and grow. We recognize the success stories of women who breaks all stereotypes and provide a platform for the members to be inspired by them. Fearless women and icons of inspiration – these are real-life heroes and are winners in the journey of life. FLO salutes their indomitable spirit and unsurpassable courage.”

Harjinder Kaur Talwar, MD & CEO at Comvision India Pvt Ltd. took up the mantle as the 36th President of FLO for the year 2018-19, from Pinky Reddy, Managing Director – The Lotus House Group & member on Board -GVK EMRI, GVK Projects.