Mumbai: On this International Women’s Day 2025, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and brilliance of women across the world. From breaking barriers to leading change, women continue to redefine possibilities and shape a future that is inclusive, diverse, and full of opportunity. This year, let’s not just acknowledge their contributions but actively champion their voices, aspirations, and rights. Because when women rise, the world rises with them. Here’s to progress, equality, and an unstoppable future—driven by women, for everyone.
Vishal is a business manager with excellent conceptual, analytical and leadership skills with more than a decade of combined experience in business development & servicing for segments such as retail design, shopper marketing, corporate communication & branding, product launch, events & identity. His knowledge of software, processes, and application needs for the segment helps him bridge gaps between client relationship, creativity and execution at each stage. His experience includes managing clients across categories to name a few ITC, P&G, Domino’s, Tata Motors, Tata Communication, ICICI Bank, Zee Entertainment, Raymond’s, Indian Oil, and Reliance.
Today we look at Woman’s Day through a man’s perspective. MadeInMedia.in’s Kalpana Ravi in conversation with Vishal Patankar, Executive Director Client Services, Landor India, on what he thinks, and how organisations have a responsibility and just not talk about being inclusive and making work place more women friendly…….
What are some of the biggest challenges women still face in leadership roles, and how can organizations foster real change?
As leaders, we have a responsibility to not just talk about diversity but actively remove the barriers that still hold women back from leadership roles. Women today continue to face unconscious bias, pay gaps, limited access to high-visibility opportunities, and cultural expectations around work-life balance. This isn’t just a ‘women’s issue’; it is a business issue, a leadership issue, and a growth issue.
If we want to build organizations that are truly innovative, resilient, and future-ready, we need to ensure that leadership teams reflect the diversity of the world we serve. This means setting clear and measurable goals for gender balance, ensuring career pathways are transparent and equal and creating an environment where all leadership styles, not just the traditionally male ones, are valued.
The bottom line is this: Real change happens when inclusion becomes part of how we lead every day, in the meetings we run, the promotions we approve and the culture we build. Let’s aim for a workplace where every talented woman knows that leadership is not only possible but expected.
With evolving work environments, how can companies’ better support women in achieving a healthy work-life balance?
As workplaces evolve, supporting women in achieving a healthy work-life balance is no longer just a ‘nice-to-have’; it’s a business imperative. Today, many women navigate the dual pressures of professional ambition and personal responsibilities, often feeling they have to choose between the two.
As leaders, our role is to challenge that outdated narrative. True flexibility isn’t just about remote work, it’s about creating a culture where women feel empowered to set boundaries, pursue leadership roles, and grow their careers without compromising their personal lives.
This means redefining what leadership looks like, valuing impact over hours logged, offering equal access to caregiving leave for all genders, and fostering a culture where conversations about mental health, burnout, and balanceare normalized and supported.
Most importantly, we need to lead by example. When leaders, especially senior women,
healthy work-life balance themselves, they permit others to do the same.Supporting women in finding balance isn’t about lowering the bar; it’s about removing the barriers that keep great talent from thriving. When we get this right, we build workplaces where women succeed, families benefit, and businesses thrive.
How can media and advertising play a stronger role in shaping positive and empowering narratives for women?
Media and advertising hold extraordinary power, they don’t just reflect society, and they shape it. Every image, every storyline, and every campaign can contribute to the way we perceive women.
Women in advertising have been portrayed through narrow, stereotypical lenses as caregivers, beauty symbols, or background supporters. Media and advertising have a responsibility and an opportunity to tell fuller, richer, more diverse stories of women as leaders, creators, change-makers, risk-takers, and visionaries.
This shift isn’t just about representation, it’s aboutinfluence. When young girls see women leading companies, excelling in sports, solving global challenges, or pursuing unconventional dreams, it expands their sense of what’s possibleAs brands, agencies, and content creators, we must ask ourselves: Are we reinforcing stereotypes, or are we breaking them? Are we portraying real women, or idealized versions of them?
The most impactful campaigns today are the ones that celebrate women in their full complexity, their strength, their vulnerability, their ambitions, and their individuality. The brands that choose to stand for women’s empowerment don’t just earn attention, they earn loyalty.When media and advertising become a force for progress, we don’t just shape better brands, we shape a better future.
As more women enter STEM and digital fields, what initiatives can help bridge the gender gap in these industries?
As more women step into STEM and digital fields, the responsibility to create pathways for success doesn’t just rest with women themselves it rests with the entire ecosystem: educators, employers, policymakers, and industry leaders.The gender gap in STEM isn’t just about hiring more women. It’s about addressing systemic barriers that discourage women from pursuing or staying in these fields. This starts with early intervention, encouraging girls to see science, technology, engineering, and digital innovation as exciting, creative, and accessible careers from a young age.
Once women enter the workforce, representation and retention become key. Initiatives like mentorship programs, sponsorship by senior leaders, equal pay audits, and transparent promotion pathways can make a huge difference. But equally important is building inclusive workplace cultures where women feel heard, respected, and empowered to lead.”
We also need to confront the ‘only woman in the room’ reality. Creating stronger networks and peer communities for women in STEM can help counter isolation and foster a sense of belonging.
Finally, visibility matters. When we celebrate the stories of women leaders in tech, engineering, and digital innovation, we shift cultural perceptions of who belongs in these fields. Every time we highlight a woman breaking barriers in STEM, we inspire the next generation to follow in her footsteps.
What steps can individuals and businesses take to empower women towards greater financial literacy and independence?
Financial independence is a cornerstone of true empowerment, yet many women still face barriers when it comes to accessing financial knowledge, tools, and confidence. Changing this requires action at both an individual and organizational level.”
Individuals:
· Encourage open conversations about money from budgeting and investing to negotiating salaries.
· Normalize seeking financial advice and ensuring women have access to female financial mentors who understand their unique realities.
· Advocate for equal pay because financial literacy only matters when pay equity exists.
Businesses:
· Offer financial literacy workshops as part of employee development tailored for different life stages like early career, maternity, caregiving breaks, and retirement planning.
· Ensure pay transparency and regularly audit gender pay gaps.
· Partner with banks, fintechs, or financial platforms to offer tools designed for women, including easier access to savings plans, investment products, and wealth management services.
· Most importantly, model financial empowerment at leadership levels when women see female leaders confidently managing finances, negotiating deals, and making investment decisions; it reinforces that financial power belongs to women too.
· When women become financially literate and independent, they don’t just uplift themselves they uplift their families, their communities, and the economy. This isn’t just about empowerment; it’s about unlocking economic potential at scale.”
