ETPWLA 2023: Pratibha Priyadarshini wins in the HR Leader of the Year category at ETPrime Women Leadership Awards 2023
Synopsis
Introducing Pratibha Priyadarshini, VP and Head of HR, Shell India, who won in the HR Leader of the Year award category at the ETPrime Women Leadership Awards 2023.
In the fourth edition of the prestigious ETPrime Women Leadership Awards (ETPWLA) 2023 programme, Pratibha Priyadarshini, VP and Head of HR, Shell India, was recognised as the winner in the HR Leader of the Year award category.
In the inaugural segment of the awards night at the Grand Felicitation Ceremony held in Mumbai on August 4 — which marked the culmination of the six-month-long ETPrime Women Leadership Awards (ETPWLA) 2023 programme — jury member and Managing Partner, Blume Ventures, Karthik Reddy felicitated Pratibha Priyadarshini, VP and Head of HR, Shell India, as the winner in the HR Leader of the Year award category.
Esteemed personalities, ETPWLA jury members, veteran leaders from India Inc and dignitaries from across the realms of services, governance and social advocacy and beyond were present at the awards night, which celebrated 19 winners across 15 award categories.
The ETPWLA awards recognise and celebrate women leaders who have redefined the very essence of leadership, adopting a new lens of women empowerment, championing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) principles and goals, and demonstrating resilience, adaptability and agility in surmounting odds and setting benchmarks within their organisations and for their respective industries at large. At the heart of ETPWLA 2023 is the theme of women power, calling for a sustained call to action integrating the core values of DEI and sustainability, and celebrating the passion, courage and determination of women who have broken barriers to pave the way for women-led transformation in their spheres of work. The human resources (HR) industry is seen as pivotal for fostering an inclusive and equitable work culture, adapting to the ever-evolving ethos of the future of work, and for working relentlessly to achieve gender parity and closing the gender gap especially in leadership positions. Increasingly seen as critical to achieve organisational transformation and paving the way for business success in a technologically-driven business landscape, an HR leader brings in the nuances of diversity hiring, building commitment to nurturing and retaining female talent in the workplace and enabling women to thrive in organisations.
Enabling and championing women across the leaky pipeline, the 4 Ms
“A business leader famously said that it’s not a HR problem but a business problem,” said Pratibha Priyadarshini, VP and Head of HR, Shell India, while receiving the award for the HR Leader of the Year category at ETPWLA 2023. Priyadarshini was responding to the dilemma of solving the problem of achieving 50-50 gender parity in leadership positions.
Indeed, while saluting the immensely talented fellow nominees, she acknowledged the insightful remarks of jury member and Whole-time Director, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd, Shanti Ekambaram, who astutely highlighted various phases of the leaky pipeline phenomenon, which strikes a chord with women in the workforce. Adding to this, Priyadarshini emphasises a crucial addition, the fourth ‘M’: menopause. “Thus, we have marriage, mobility, maternity and menopause. Corporate India must address the entire spectrum to mend the leaky pipeline,” said Priyadarshini.
“At Shell, 85% of women continue to stay back (despite the obstacles imposed by the multifaceted leaky pipeline),” she added.
She mentioned that neither mobility nor the evolving landscape of work and its flexibility are hindrances. Nonetheless, despite all of these concerted measures and progressive policies, the message is clear: further action is imperative. “What does this signify? It underscores the necessity to bring women into our fold. One of the ways in which we have addressed entry-level barriers (at Shell) is to recruit women through (our) freshers’ programmes,” she added.
The ETPWLA HR Leader of the Year also left a parting message for women, urging them to help themselves and not shy away from making the difficult choices as there are brilliant opportunities awaiting them especially in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers.
The 19 ETPWLA 2023 winners — chosen from the pool of 76 profiles shortlisted across 15 award categories from a record-breaking number of over 5,000 applications — embody the spirit of excellence, passion and persistence, whether in the corporate or social sector. The ETPWLA 2023 shortlisted profiles are the result of an extensive evaluation process that included detailed research, deliberations, and shortlisting by ET Editors and the Knowledge Partner, Accord India, following which the shortlisted profiles were presented to the jury for a rigorous jury evaluation and selection process.
With Naina Lal Kidwai – Chairperson, India Sanitation Coalition & Chairperson, Rothschild & Co, India, as Jury Chair, – Chairperson, India Sanitation Coalition & Chairperson, Rothschild & Co, India, as Jury Chair, the ETPWLA 2023 nine-member jury comprises influential leaders and changemakers from various fields, including Shanti Ekambaram – Whole-time Director, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd; Devina Mehra – Chairperson and Managing Director, First Global; Amit Chandra – Chairperson, Bain Capital Advisors; Karthik Reddy – Managing Partner, Blume Ventures; Dr (Prof) Vikram Singh – Former Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh; Puneet Gupt – Chief Operating Officer, Times Internet; Abha Singh – Advocate and Women’s Rights Activist; and Vaishali Nigam Sinha – Co-Founder & Chairperson, Sustainability, ReNew; Founding Chair, ReNew Foundation.
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