FLO Mumbai, under the leadership of Chairperson Ms. Pooja Arambhan Tiwari, organized a powerful fireside conversation with Rhea Kapoor, Bollywood producer and entrepreneur at Sofitel, BKC. The session brought together prominent women leaders from the worlds of film, finance, and entrepreneurship.
Organized under the Startup & Entrepreneurship vertical, the dialogue—curated and moderated by Chairperson Pooja Arambhan Tiwari—explored themes of leadership, resilience, purpose, and the evolving landscape for women in business. The session offered FLO members real, unfiltered, and experience-based perspectives designed to inspire future-ready leadership.
Speakers:
- Rhea Kapoor – Producer, Entrepreneur & Creative Visionary.
- Archana Karthik – Executive Director & Regional Head (SME West), Standard Chartered Bank.
- Pooja Arambhan Tiwari – Chairperson, FICCI FLO Mumbai.
Fireside Chat Highlights
The conversation seamlessly blended personal stories, leadership lessons, and industry insights, offering members a rare 360-degree perspective on navigating excellence and purpose in today’s complex world.
- Leadership as a Lived Experience
Rhea Kapoor spoke candidly about:
- Navigating an unconventional career path and defying traditional expectations.
- Building a creative voice rooted in honesty rather than trends.
- The courage to take risks in spaces where women’s stories are often undervalued.
- How leadership today is about emotional intelligence, collaboration, and authenticity.
- She emphasized that creativity thrives when women give themselves permission to take up space and fail forward.
- Women, Work & Breaking Barriers
Archana Karthik provided a powerful institutional perspective:
- The evolution of financial inclusion for women entrepreneurs.
- Barriers to credit and capital access—and how banking frameworks are evolving to close the gap.
- The importance of networks, mentorship, and learning to ask for support.
- Her own journey of rising through leadership in a traditionally male-dominated sector.
- Members resonated strongly with her message that success for women is supported by community, clarity, and continuous upskilling.
- Purpose-Driven Leadership
Chairperson Pooja Arambhan Tiwari guided the discussion toward:
- The role of purpose in shaping leadership identities.
- The importance of women supporting women through actionable collaboration.
- How emotional resilience and integrity strengthen leadership capacity.
- Encouraging more women to participate in formal financial and entrepreneurial ecosystems.
- Her moderation ensured the conversation stayed both strategic and deeply personal.
- Entrepreneurship, Identity & Self-Belief
The speakers collectively explored:
- Why women must build personal brands rooted in individuality.
- Balancing intuition with data to make smarter decisions.
- Navigating imposter syndrome and societal conditioning.
- The power of storytelling—whether in films, finance, or business—to create influence and legacy.
- Practical Takeaways for FLO Members
The audience walked away with actionable insights:
- Build a support network, not just a professional network.
- Give yourself permission to pivot, experiment, and own your narrative.
- Understand financial systems to make empowered business choices.
- Leverage your strengths, and don’t dilute your identity to fit into existing molds.
- True leadership is purpose-led, not position-led.
Impact of the Session
The fireside chat was one of the most engaging sessions of the season, leaving members with renewed confidence, strategic clarity, deeper self-awareness, and a sense of solidarity and shared ambition. It reinforced FLO Mumbai’s commitment to creating transformative spaces for leadership learning under the guidance of Chairperson Pooja Arambhan Tiwari.
The fireside chat exemplified what FICCI FLO Mumbai stands for: leadership, authenticity, collaboration, and purpose-driven growth. Through the powerful voices of Rhea Kapoor, Archana Karthik, and Pooja Arambhan Tiwari, FLO members gained a rare lens into navigating leadership as modern women—grounded in resilience, creativity, and strategic intelligence.
The event serves as a reminder that women’s leadership journeys are not linear—they are layered, evolving, and deeply impactful.