LEADING LADIES

At the India Today Woman Summit, participants from diverse fields showed that women aren't waiting for a seat at the table; they are setting the table and changing the conversation

- Shelly Anand

Be it pioneering a scientific breakthrough, winning an Olympic gold, running a government or transforming a business idea into a successful venture, there is no limit to what women can accomplish.

To celebrate this ‘she power’, the India Today Woman Summit 2025, held recently in Delhi, brought together some outstanding women from diverse fields.

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta set the tone early in her session, ‘She's the Boss: Governing the Capital of the World's Largest Democracy’, putting across the message that ‘courage and decision-making have no gender’. Legal luminary Pallavi S. Shroff made a powerful case for equity, saying that it isn't about being pampered but about being trusted with tough decisions.

Senior IAS officers Mugdha Sinha and Anju Sharma spoke of the hidden tax on women in bureaucracy and the emotional toll of over-performance. Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said “the sky became mine because someone believed in me” while Colonel Akriti Sharma highlighted that “women no longer just join—they lead, command and transform”.

The summit also amplified voices in science and social change. Poonam Muttreja of the Population Foundation of India called out gender imbalances in reproductive rights; Dr Dhriti Banerjee of the Zoological Survey of India spotlighted the ecological and institutional gaps women leaders continue to bridge. Panels on sports, OTT, entrepreneurship and safety showcased how women aren't just demanding space, they're creating them. The summit made one thing clear: females are not the future, they are already the present.

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