Bharat 2.0 Conclave: Shakti Edition Brings Together 200+ Leaders to Celebrate Women Shaping India’s Future

The event began with an interactive “Stand Up If…” activity, followed by the Shakti Pledge and a collective tricolour flag-waving ceremony. The opening keynote by Dhruv Apte, “Who Writes the Next Chapter? The Power of Storytelling, Shakti & Leadership in a Changing Bharat,” was followed by Rashoo Sachdeva’s keynote on “Identity, Leadership & Beyond.”

The conclave’s leadership dialogue continued with a panel featuring Roopa Lobo, Dr. Mandeep Maitra, Dr. (Hon.) Ridhima Dua, Rishita Malhotra and Swati Satapathy, moderated by Dhruv Apte. The discussion explored the journey from organisational leadership to entrepreneurship.

A major highlight was the presence and felicitation of Dr. Kiran Bedi, followed by a candid conversation moderated by Dr. Ankita Singh, Founder of the HR Association of India. The conversation explored Dr. Bedi’s leadership journey, experiences, choices and lessons, as well as the meaning of Shakti through her personal leadership story.

The Leadership Excellence Awards recognised 69 women leaders, with honours spanning technology, AI, healthcare, education, FinTech, engineering, sustainability, HR, entrepreneurship, marketing, logistics, law and social impact.

One of the attendees, Deepika Pillai, Vice President of TELUS Digital, said the event’s purpose was among its strongest draws: “The name Shakti drew me to this conclave. The fact that this is a platform being built for recognizing women in the industry, I think that's what stood out for me and that brought me here.”

The Shakti Edition placed women’s leadership within the broader vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, framing the journey from participation to leadership and transformation.

Here’s the awardee list:

Ar. Bhagyashri Varma, Swati Thakur, Kshama Rangan, Priyanka Chande, Pallavi Srivastava, Dr. Rini Singh, Roopa Lobo, Seema Sutradhar, Dr. Mandeep Maitra, Deepika Pillai, Dr. Snehal Pinto, Dr. Anjana Vinod, Maansi Gupta, Diksha Panesar, Namita Shrivastava, Itisha Jalan, Agatha Sushila Dias, Treesa Bizira, Dr. Aruna Ashok, Swati Satapathy, Richa Agrawal, Jharna Dhar, Rishita Malhotra, Dr. Shivani Mayekar Rao, Dr. Vaishali Ashok Bhide, Shilpi Baid Dewangan, Isha Oswal, Shaily Gupta, Prerana Deshnur, Shelley Bhasin, Dr. Shivani Modi, Rachana JG, Sudarshana Mitra, Jaya Sengupta, Reethika Azariah Kuruvilla, Dr. Karishma Kagodu, Kaveri Ingale, Pooja Chawla Gandhi, Mamtaa Nitturkar, Dr. Richa Pathak, Dr. (Hon.) Ridhima Dua, Rabiya Naushad Khan, Dr. Henrietta Newton Martin, Dr. Meenal Mategaonkar, Archhana Agarwaal, Col. Madhumita Dhall, Preeti Kamalakar, Renu Jethani, Sudarshana Niraj Dravid, Rashoo Sachdeva, Richa Varshney, Anisha Pandeya, Preiti Patel, Aanchal Gupta, Dr. Sharmila Amin, Aastha Atray Banan, Sakshi Pandey, Sonica Aron, Yamini Agarwal, Aprma Kumar Anand, Veena Bhogaonkar, Akshata Mallya Shenoy, Anamika Dikshit, Dr. Anjali Dalwadi Prajapati, Ira

Agarwal, Sathya VP, Sabira Arefin, Anisha Chandy Eckardt and Gautami Deshmukh.

About Bharat 2.0 Conclave

Bharat 2.0 Conclave is a leadership and business platform that brings together entrepreneurs, industry leaders, innovators, educators, policymakers, and changemakers to foster dialogue around leadership, innovation, and nation-building while celebrating excellence across industries