Ficci Flo Women Achievers Award 22-23

The event “FICCI FLO Women Achievers Award” was one of the G20 National programs of the year 2022-23. It had a whopping crowd of over 200 members&guestsfrom FLO Chennai .

Ms. Vidya Singh curated the event as the MC ,taking the members through the entire event one step at a time.

Ms. Prasanna Vasanadu, the Chairperson, welcomed the gathering with overwhelming excitement for our Inspirational event. She welcomed the Chief Guest Dr.Palanivel Thiagarajan, Special Guest Dr.Mariazeena Johnson, Ms.Sudha Shivkumar , and thanked them for being there.

Ms. Divya Sukumar, Treasurer introduced our Speaker Dr.PalanivelThiagarajan.P. T. R. Palanivel Thiagarajan is an Indian politician, belonging to the DMK party. He is also a member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from the Madurai Central constituency and a cabinet minister in the MK Stalin led Tamil Nadu state government.

He carries a great political legacy of the veteran politician and DMK member late P. T. R. PalanivelRajan, who was his father. His grandfather, P. T. Rajan, was the Chief Minister of theMadras Presidency in 1936. His grandfather was also the last President of the Justice Party.

Ms. Niyati A Mehta, Secretary introduced our Special Guest Dr.Mariazeena Johnson.She is a revolutionary educationist, who has a great vision of redefining the education system in India. Under her leadership, Sathyabama has made remarkable achievements in various fields. Being a dynamic personality and born to the politician turned philanthropist Col. Dr.Jeppiaar, she follows her father’s footsteps in embracing a holistic approach to education. Dr. Johnson relentlessly works toward providing quality education and making society a better one ,with the wholehearted support of her husband Dr. Marie Johnson. Dr. Johnson is not only a leader, but also a great intellectual,constantly exploring new avenues of research. She was conferred with a doctorate degree from the University of Madras, for her research on Recent Developments in Women Entrepreneurship which focused on varied challenges faced by women and their multitudinous roles and responsibilities in pursuing entrepreneurial ventures.

FICCI FLO Chennai women achievers awards 2022-23, the 16th edition of the awards, was held on 7th March, 2023.

Every year, FLO Chennai acknowledges the accomplishments of women from across Tamilnadu, by way of awarding those who have achieved great milestones in their own field and are icons of inspiration for our society.

These awards are instituted to serve as a source of inspiration and motivation for the next generation of entrepreneurs, professionals, social entrepreneurs and NGOs to make their mark on the world.

The program commenced with Ms. Prasanna Vasanadu, the Chairperson, welcoming the august gathering ,which was presided by Chief Guest Dr.Palanivel Thiagarajan, Minister of Finance and Human Resources Management, Government of Tamilnadu, Special Guest Dr.Mariazeena Johnson, Chancellor, Sathyabama Institute of Science and technology, and FICCI FLO President Elect, Ms.Sudha Shivkumar.

The Chief Guest,Dr.Palanivel Thiagarajan,emphasised the value of participation of women who bring in a different perspective based on their life experiences. Dr.Mariazeena Johnson kickstarted the session with her valuable words of wisdom and acknowledged the efforts of the awardees and lauded their journey so far.

The awards were given in five categories. Swetha Kochar, partner, PKC Management Consulting, was awarded in the Entrepreneur Category. Rajshri Sai, Promoter and Director, Impactree Data Technologies, was given the award in the Upcoming Entrepreneur Category.

In the professional category, Kavitha Selvaraj, founder, Cityworks Design Consultants, won the award, and Girija Ramanathan, Founder and MD, Sampradaya, was awarded in the Social Entrepreneur (Individual) Category.

TANKER Foundation and its Managing Trustee Latha Kumaraswamy, received the award in the Social Entrepreneur(NGO) category

Special recognition award for an Upcoming Entrepreneur was given to Vaishnavi Vigneshraja, Director, EQauad Engineering Services.

Shri ShankarlalSundarbaiShasun Jain College for Women, received the Special Recognition award given for institutions.

Soulfree, an NGO working with Spinal Cord injury patients, was also given a Special Recognition award, and Preethi Srinivasan, the founder, received it.

The program’s initiative partners Sathyabama University, DLF, INOIXX, Brand Avatar and Outreach Partner – SNEH, were also duly recognised for their contribution, to make it a grand success.