YES Bank, India’s fifth-largest private sector bank with a presence across India, is headquartered in the Lower Parel Innovation District of Mumbai. The bank is the outcome of the professional and entrepreneurial commitment of founder Rana Kapoor and his top management team to establish a high-quality, customer-centric, service-driven, private Indian bank catering to the future businesses of the country. The Bank has adopted international best practices and the highest standards of service quality and operational excellence, and offers comprehensive banking and financial solutions to all its valued customers. It has a knowledge-driven approach to banking, and offers a superior customer experience to retail, corporate and emerging corporate banking clients. It is steadily evolving as the “India Professionals’ Bank” with the long-term mission of “building India’s finest quality big bank by 2020”. The bank salutes the indomitable spirit of India that echoes…India bole YES!
With nearly 30 years of experience in finance & accounting, thought leadership, mentoring & running multiple businesses, Raju Chadha has an impeccable record of delivering value and scaling large businesses by leading multi-disciplinary business projects and industry growth initiatives. Recently, he was in the news for restoring & re-releasing the iconic Punjabi film Nanak Nam Jahaz Hai which explored the tenets of Sikhism. The process was expensive and painful as every frame had to be restored meticulously but Chadha wanted today’s youth to reconnect with these values and the film was released to rave reviews. This selfless move by him prompted the Indian Institute of Oriental Heritage to confer Honorary Doctorate on Chadha for his selfless contribution towards promoting Indian values & ethos. As Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the wave Group, Chadha is in charge of the following businesses: Sugar Manufacturing (Wave Industries at Dhanaura, UP and AB Sugars at Dasuya Punjab; Paper Manufacturing at Chadha Papers Limited in Bilaspur, UP; Wave Infratech; WestEnd Malls; Wave Cinemas; and Delhi Waveriders, a Hockey India League. In addition, the businessman takes active interest in Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan, a school for the differently-abled which has transformed the lives of over 800 students till date, and the Ponty Chadha Foundation which channelizes its capabilities towards social welfare and economic development of society at large.
Air India’s history is synonymous with the history of civil aviation in India. It is a multi-faceted organization that transports passengers, baggage and cargo, services its aircraft in-house with its own engineering facilities, and provides ground handling services to other airlines in many cities. It flies to 67 locations in India and 38 global destinations. The airline has one of the youngest, state-of-the-art, fleet of aircraft comprising Boeing B777s, B747s, the B787 Dreamliner and Airbus A321s, A320s, A319s & Boeing B737s apart from CRJs and ATR aircraft. The 256-seater Dreamliner redefines passenger experience. With its sophisticated design, it is the most advanced aircraft in the sky. Its wing, tail, nose and flight deck windows are engineered for maximum aerodynamic efficiency reducing fuel burn.
Guided by the motto ‘Transforming Lives’, the VLCC Group sparks self-transformation, spreads happiness and imbibes every individual with wellness for life. Founded by Vandana Luthra in 1989, it is widely recognized for its weight loss solutions and therapeutic approach to beauty. It serves consumers across 11 countries in South Asia, South East Asia, the GCC Region and East Africa. The VLCC Institutes of Beauty & Nutrition are India’s largest chain of vocational education academies in the beauty & nutrition segment and train 10,000 students annually. The Personal Care division markets over 169 skincare, haircare, bodycare, functional foods and fortified foods products under the VLCC Natural Science, SkinMTX, BelleWave and Enavose brands.
SHEROES is world’s largest growth network for women delivered via growth channels of community, content, champions, conversations, commerce, and companies. A safe and trusted, #takecharge space for women, SHEROES is home to 3 million women, who find value in work, play and support via the SHEROES ecosystem.
The Sunday Standard hosted the 11th edition of the Devi Awards in Mumbai on November 13, 2017. This was the first time that the Awards travelled to Maharashtra. Twelve women achievers, from diverse fields, were selected from across the state for the Awards, which were presented by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. In his address, Fadnavis praised the Devi initiative for the public recognition of women's efforts around the country and the role it was playing in bringing about gender equity in society.
Our winners have been chosen through a rating process conducted by the senior editorial team of The Sunday Standard and an independent jury, using transparent methodology. The rating process runs true to the Group motto of 'Favour None, Fear None'.
Anita Dongre has been at the forefront of fashion for over 20 years, having created one of the most successful fashion houses in India. Launched in 1995, the House of Anita Dongre (formerly And Designs India Ltd.) comprises a portfolio of five brands. A connoisseur of craftsmanship, Dongre’s designs showcase Indian aesthetics for the global woman of today. Inspired by Rajasthan and India’s rich craft tradition, her handcrafted bridal gotapatti lehengas and heritage Benarasi creations are coveted by brides across the world including Bollywood celebrities for their representation of ‘relaxed luxury’. Her commitment to revive, sustain and empower Indian crafts and textiles led her to launch Grassroot, a sustainable and eco-conscious label with a presence in New York. Dongre collaborates with independent artisans and NGOs across India to empower artisans with fair wages and pride, helping create better livelihoods. She works with artisans in rural India to bring employment back, and reverse the effects of labour migration by embracing design that is good and craft traditions that go back generations. A vegetarian and animal-lover, she lives her personal philosophy through conscious efforts as a fashion designer. She designs cruelty-free clothing and accessories, thereby representing fashion with a conscience.
Passionate about retaining the soul of Indian culture in the contemporary, Divya Thakur is a designer on a quest to use her intuitive and skills to create, curate and educate. In 1999, she founded Design Temple, a multi-disciplinary design practice, which speedily garnered a portfolio of award-winning projects in Identity and Publication Design, Motion Graphics, and Spatial Design. In 2006, she shifted the studio’s focus from services to retail, and launched everyday products with a witty take on contemporary India. Redefining it over the decade as a luxurious brand for exceptional home objects. Along the way, it became apparent that little was known of India’s equation with design, both within and outside the country. Empowered with the belief that museums are eternal mediums of education, Thakur began curating design exhibits to create awareness and empathy. Her first show, in 2004, was ‘India Indigenous’ at Loggia dei Mercanti, an ancient marketplace in Milan. It showcased Indian ingenuity through indigenous examples of product, graphics and fashion design. In 2007, V&A Museum, London commissioned her to do a show on ‘Urban India’. Here, Thakur put the spotlight on the five ‘Soft Powers’ of contemporary India that are playing a pivotal role in redefining Indian identity—IT, Food, Film, Fashion and Design. Some years later, she did another show at Millesgarden Museum, Stockholm where she presented India’s own history with design, working with objects from the past and present. Meanwhile, the desire to do something on home ground kept growing and, in 2016, she curated two shows. ‘Objects Through Time’, at the Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vaastu Sanghralaya, explored the domestic design landscape over the last 100 years, while ‘Ideas Through Time’, presented eight concepts culled from Ancient Indian scriptures that can be considered for the world of design even today. The two shows became the first of their kind on Indian soil and attracted over two lakh people from all walks of life.
Kirti Kulhari’s is a well-known face. After all, she’s acted in three plays, been the face of Nivea Visage for two years and modelled for 20-plus brands. But it’s her acting in Shaitan (2011) and Pink (2016) that really brought Kulhari’s talent into the spotlight. Her strong portrayal of the character of Falak Ali (one of the three women involved in a sexual assault case) in Pink, in fact, landed her the lead role in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Indu Sarkar, a film set in the Emergency. The film didn’t do particularly well at the box office but Kulhari made an impact. Plus, as she says, “it’s an important film as it opens a window for many people today who don’t know what happened during that time.”
A troubled childhood and an early abusive marriage notwithstanding, Mumtaz Shaikh has not allowed her past to define her. A mother at sixteen, she secretly attended lectures on family violence organised by the Committee of Resource Organizations (CORO). Over her husband’s objections, she became a volunteer for the organization, filed for divorce and started working on preventing other women from becoming victims of violence. When CORO created the Mahila Mandal Federation, Mumtaz was made its executive president. As part of CORO’s sanitary mission, in 2013, she began a campaign targeting the issue of unequal access to toilet facilities for women in Mumbai. As spokesperson for the ‘Right to Pee’ Campaign, she focused on the fact that though women account for half the workforce in urban areas, they have little access to free toilets. The initiative was widely acknowledged, and resulted in the government mandating that a toilet block for women be constructed every 20 km throughout Mumbai. In 2015, Mumtaz was selected by the BBC as one of its inspirational 100 Women campaign.
Founder & CEO of ART Capital, a financial services holding company, Raakhe Kapoor Tandon’s mission is to evolve as an independent financial entrepreneur and to build organisations driven by innovation and creativity. Under ART Capital, Raakhe has founded two ventures—RAAS Housing Finance, a company providing long-term mortgage finance to retail customers, and Rural Agri Ventures, an incubation/project development firm that’s focused on creating verticals in the rural and agricultural domain. Tandon’s latest venture is the Indian School of Management & Entrepreneurship, Mumbai. It’s built on the foundation of forward-thinking and innovative curriculum to develop human capital for the future. Tandon has an MBA with a major in Entrepreneurial Management from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a B.Sc in Economics diploma with concentrations in Finance and Management, also from Wharton. She is the Chapter Chair on the YPO Next Generation board and a Member on the Committee of YFLO, New Delhi.
A philosophy post-graduate, Renu Gavaskar’s life changed completely after she lost both her parents in quick succession. She became sensitive to the helplessness of orphans and neglected children and decided to do something to alleviate their pain. Ekalavya Nyasa, which she set up in 1999 and registered as a trust in 2002, looks after over 100 children of sex workers and alcoholics who often go hungry and rarely get a chance to go to school. ‘Renutai’, as the kids call the founder, ensures that all the kids get a basic education and learn skills that can help them earn a living. A great believer in alternative learning, she uses stories, music and language therapy to get through to the children and to their parents, whom she tries to sensitize to the needs of their offspring. An avid reader and writer, she has authored the books Amacha Kay Gunha, Nishabd Zunj, Goshti Janmantarichya and Aflatoon Goshti. She also counsels alcoholics and their families through Muktangan & Kripa Foundation.
Robin Chaurasiya came into the limelight when she helped organise a successful campaign to change US armed forces policy after being forced to quit as a US Air Force officer because of her sexuality. The experience inspired her to return to India and set up an NGO called Kranti to help marginalised girls become agents of social change. Six years later, Kranti provides a healing home, education and personalized opportunities to 12- to 20-year-old victims of trafficking and daughters of Mumbai’s sex workers. The intent is to empower and equip the ‘Krantikaries,’ as Charasiya calls them, with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to build fulfilling futures. In addition to their regular studies, the girls are also exposed to a social justice curriculum (devised by Robin) that covers the key issues that affect their lives and which they use to design and implement projects. In 2013, for instance, they convinced an MP to help them register sex workers to vote.
Winner of the ‘Nutrition award’ from Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Rujuta Diwekar is India’s most qualified and sought-after nutrition and sports science expert. In the plethora of diet fads and fears, her voice rings loud and clear, urging us to use our common sense and uncomplicate the act of eating. She favours a blend of traditional food wisdom and modern nutritional science for a healthy body and mind, best reflected through the mantra, Eat local, think global. No wonder, her five books and DVD have together sold over 10 lakh copies. Her latest book “Pregnancy notes- before, during & after” is out now. In a career spanning more than 15 years, Rujuta has worked with clients from all walks of life, from industrialists like Anil Ambani to homemakers, students and filmstars such as Kareena Kapoor, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt.
Shubhangi Gokhale can switch from Marathi to Hindi at the blink of an eye. And why not? This 49-year-old is a proficient performer who is as comfortable on stage as she is acting for television or films, in different languages. Gokhale’s first exposure to the performing arts was in Sangvai College in Aurangabad, where she studied natyashastra. Some of her most memorable on-screen appearances are as Mishri Mausi in Lapataganj and Shyamla in Shriyut Gangadhar Tipre. Seeing the elan with which she performs, no one would guess that she took a 10-year break when she married the late Mohan Gokhale and returned to acting only after his demise in the late 90s. She’s currently working on the Marathi TV series Kahe Diya Pardes. Gokhale is a writer too and has penned many short stories and articles
There is not a house in Melghat, an impoverished tribal area in Maharashtra, that doesn’t know the name of Smita Kolhe. With reason. Born and brought up in Nagpur, she left behind a comfortable life there to marry Dr Ravi Kolhe and work him in Bairagarh, a village in Melghat, that could then be accessed only by walking for 40 km and crossing a river. In the village, she learnt how to deliver babies, diagnose illnesses and treat patients without any facilities. It’s not just humans the Kolhes helped. They even had to treat the villagers’ cattle. Today, 30 years later, Melghat’s health situation is better, largely owing to the doctor couple. Now, Smita has a new mission: to get electricity to all the small villages of the region.
Parliamentarian Supriya S. Sule believes that it is the responsibility of the present generation to create leaders with the right values for tomorrow. This is a person for whom education at every level is a passion. In the cities, Sule’s focus is on providing quality education at affordable prices, while in tribal area her emphasis is on education aimed at instilling self-confidence and self-reliance. She also believes in including differently-able children into mainstream educational institutes. Sule is a trustee of prestigious bodies like Nehru Centre, Mumbai; Indian Institute of Research and Development of Nomadic and Denotified Tribes, Satara; and Rayat Shikshan Sanstha. She is also Chairperson of the NAB, Committee for Advancement of the Status of Blind Women, and is involved in the project to promote Education through Mobile Vans with Yashwantrao Chavan Open University in rural Maharashtra. Sule oversees the Pawar Public Schools in various locations in Mumbai and Pune, which provide all-round, transformative education to children of both sexes, as well as the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalay Adivasi Ashramshala, in Talasari, Palghar, which runs residential schools with boarding facilities at the elementary level. Like the name suggests, the Ashramshala caters only to girls from lower disadvantaged sections of society.
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