The New Delhi edition of ‘Future. Female. Forward.’ Season 3, hosted by CNBC-TV18, brought together an influential mix of leaders from government, business, arts, diplomacy, and enterprise for a compelling evening focused on women-led progress and systemic gender reform.

Held at The Imperial, the State Chapter marked another milestone in the platform’s nationwide effort to push for measurable, long-term inclusion in India’s economic and leadership spaces.

According to the CNBC-TV18 press release, the New Delhi chapter builds on the momentum of the Mumbai and Bengaluru editions held earlier this season, which collectively engaged over 500 women leaders. With policymakers, founders, CXOs, and DEI trailblazers in attendance, the event continued to serve as a national forum designed to convert intention into structural change.

Opening the evening, CNBC-TV18 Managing Editor Shereen Bhan underscored the urgency of dismantling legacy systems that were never designed with women in mind. She emphasised that parity must move beyond symbolism and enter the realm of transparent, measurable action — the kind that strengthens economies, redefines workplace culture, and creates genuinely level playing fields across sectors.

HSBC India CEO Hitendra Dave, delivering the keynote address, stressed the importance of building representative leadership pipelines and ensuring that women see themselves reflected across the highest levels of corporate decision-making. He said that parity today is an institutional responsibility and central to India’s larger growth vision.

A fireside conversation with Marisa Gerards, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to India, Nepal, and Bhutan, further highlighted diversity as a strategic necessity. Drawing from global experience, she said that teams built on inclusion deliver better outcomes, stronger resilience, and higher innovation — a theme that resonated strongly with India’s rapidly expanding pool of women leaders.

The event then moved into a high-powered Leaders’ Forum on Breaking Moulds, Building Futures, featuring Mona Khandhar, Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Ajay Sharma, Rajesh Varrier, Nyrika Holkar, and Ria Arora. The discussion explored the changing socio-economic landscape, the urgent need for systemic redesign, and how organisations can support women in stepping into leadership roles at scale.

Cognizant India’s Rajesh Varrier reflected on the organisation’s evolution in nurturing women talent. He spoke about programs built with purpose — from the BeGritty initiative for new joiners to Propel for rising managers — and highlighted Cognizant’s paid internship pathway that brings women back into the workforce each year.

An interactive town hall moderated by Shereen Bhan brought together leaders such as Neha Mathur, Pooja Sharma Goyal, Harita Gupta, Ruchi Kalra, and Suman Hegde, who shared insights on leadership, resilience, and designing equitable workplaces.

A highlight of the evening was the celebration of the Future Female Forward Icons of 2025, honouring extraordinary women shaping India’s future across public service, sustainability, entrepreneurship, community leadership, policing, and defence. The honourees included Squadron Leader Priya Sharma, Mona Khandhar, Dr. Sonali Ghosh, Mittal Patel, Rimjhim Agrawal, Bibijan Halemani, Sonika Yadav, and 85- and 87-year-old global travellers Remani and Valsala Menon.

Squadron Leader Priya Sharma reflected on her journey as one of India’s early women fighter pilots, recalling the responsibility and exhilaration of wearing flying overalls for the first time and the honour of taking the final sortie of the MiG-21 with the Air Chief.

Adding a creative dimension, Academy Award-winning producer Guneet Monga Kapoor took part in a fireside conversation on grit, instinct, and perseverance. She spoke candidly about navigating a male-dominated industry and the importance of embracing “the yes that changes your life,” even when self-doubt looms.

The evening concluded with a soulful musical performance by Deveshi Sehgal, closing a chapter that reinforced a powerful message — that India’s progress toward gender equity requires commitment across policy, boardrooms, communities, and culture, and that the time for structural redesign is now.

The season now moves into its final phase, continuing to gather voices, commitments, and shared accountability from across India to push forward a lasting shift in the country’s gender narrative.