CNBC-TV18's Future. Female. Forward. Bengaluru Champions Equitable Leadership As The Foundation Of India's Next Growth Story

CNBC-TV18 successfully hosted the Bengaluru edition of Future. Female. Forward. – The Women’s Collective, Season 4, on July 15, 2026. Presented by HSBC, co-presented by Cognizant, and powered by Reliance Industries Limited, the summit brought together India’s leading business leaders, entrepreneurs, founders and changemakers to explore one defining question – what will leadership look like in the next decade?

Against the backdrop of AI-led disruption, shifting workplace dynamics and India’s growth ambitions, conversations throughout the evening centred on building organisations anchored in trust, creating equitable pathways to leadership, expanding access to capital for women entrepreneurs and harnessing technology to drive inclusive growth.

A common theme emerged across sessions: empowering more women to lead is not simply a diversity agenda – it is a business imperative that will shape India’s future.

This edition opened with Shereen Bhan’s address on The New Rules of Power, followed by a keynote from Ranjan Bhattacharya, Managing Director and Chief of Staff, HSBC India & Head of Group Strategy, India & Middle East, on building future-ready organisations rooted in trust and inclusion. A keynote fireside conversation between Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson, Biocon Limited, and Shereen Bhan explored entrepreneurship, resilience, and the importance of enabling more women founders to scale.

The event also featured the townhall Powering New Possibilities, with Amitabh Malhotra, Vice Chairman, Capital Markets & Advisory, HSBC India; Ruchi Deepak, Founder & CEO, Jolene.Club & Co-founder, ACKO; Anjali Sardana, Founder & CEO, Pronto; Dekyi Yangtso Chawla, Co-founder, Reward360; Saroja Yeramilli, Founder & CEO, Melorra; Mansi Jain, COO, Glance; Jo Aggarwal, Founder & CEO, Wysa; and Kirthiga Reddy, Co-founder & CEO, OptimizeGEO.ai. Discussions examined how AI, entrepreneurship, investment and innovation are reshaping opportunities for women-led businesses, while reinforcing the importance of leadership that is collaborative, inclusive and future-ready.

The evening also featured an address by Rajesh Varrier, President – Global Operations, and Chairman & MD, Cognizant India, on the Power of Equity. Power to Transform. Power to Build, before concluding with the felicitation of the FFF Icons, recognising women who have broken barriers and redefined excellence across industries.

Opening the edition, Shereen Bhan, Managing Editor, CNBC-TV18, said, “Bengaluru is the city of dreamers and doers, and there is no better place to have this conversation. For four years, Future. Female. Forward. has been on a mission to break down ceilings, silos, and silence because women matter; in workplaces, boardrooms, factories, parliament, uniform services, and on the sporting field. A truly developed India will only be possible when its women are educated, empowered, and economically independent.”

Speaking on enabling more women entrepreneurs, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson, Biocon Limited, said, “We need to create a truly boundaryless environment where women can pursue opportunities across every field without hesitation. One of the biggest challenges women entrepreneurs continue to face is establishing credibility while raising capital, making mentorship and access more important than ever.”

Speaking at the event, Ranjan Bhattacharya, Chief of Staff, HSBC India & Head of Group Strategy, India & Middle East, said, “As we redefine our ambition for the future, we have kept it simple. We want to be the most trusted bank globally, keeping customers at the heart of everything we do. In banking, trust is fundamental; it is the very premise behind why people keep their wealth with us. As we move towards a future that will be increasingly volatile and ambiguous, trust will become the competitive advantage that defines organisations. Along with trust, compassion, humility and emotional intelligence will continue to shape leadership and culture. For instance, we can talk about diversity, but are we willing to walk diversity? That is what our ‘Power2Her’ programme stands for, creating opportunities for professionals returning to work and building a culture that truly embraces inclusion.”

Sharing her perspective on women and the AI revolution, Kirthiga Reddy, Co-founder & CEO, OptimizeGEO.ai, said, “Globally, only 4% of deep tech founders are female. In India, it is one in ten. We are sitting at the very beginning of the AI revolution, and we have a choice to make; we can either let history repeat itself, or we can be intentional about ensuring women are present in equal measures across every part of it, whether as CEOs, engineers, or researchers. I would encourage women to jump into all forms of ownership. Surround yourself with people who believe in you even more than you believe in yourself, and don’t take a no for an answer.”

Adding to this, Rajesh Varrier, President – Global Operations, and Chairman & MD, Cognizant India, said, “India already powers how the world builds and runs software, now we have a chance to shape how the world builds with Al. Cognizant is an Al builder, not merely an adopter, and the future will be defined by who shapes these tools, not simply who uses them, which is why we see equity not as an obligation to report on, but as a source of advantage to be compounded. Platforms like Future. Female. Forward. are key to driving this dialogue.”

Sharing her perspective on building women-led businesses, Ruchi Deepak, Founder & CEO, Jolene.Club & Co-founder, ACKO, said, “ACKO began with a simple question I asked myself: What am I doing for myself? That thought inspired me to build something of my own, and it continues to drive me every day. Every woman should ask herself that question – not from a place of selfishness, but as a catalyst for personal growth and the confidence to pursue her ambitions.”

Speaking on creating economic opportunities for women, Anjali Sardana, Founder & CEO, Pronto, said, “We started Pronto to address the challenges faced by women in India’s domestic workforce, from income instability to the lack of dignity and safety. Technology can play a powerful role in creating meaningful livelihoods.”

The Bengaluru edition of Future. Female. Forward. – The Women’s Collective, Season 4 was broadcast live on CNBC-TV18, CNBCTV18.com and the CNBC-TV18 YouTube channel. Supported by FICCI as the Industry Partner and IMFA as a Partner, the summit reaffirmed the platforms commitment to creating a platform that convenes business leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers to drive meaningful conversations around leadership, equity and India’s growth story.