The CII Indian Women Network (IWN) Southern Region Annual Regional Meeting 2025-26 held on 24th April 2026 in Chennai brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and women professionals to deliberate on accelerating women's leadership across sectors in southern India. The keynote address delivered by Mr Ravichandran Purushothaman, Chairman, CII Southern Region, framed women's workforce participation as central to India's vision of becoming a 30-trillion-dollar economy by 2047, calling on IWN to continue as a leadership launchpad and a voice for evidence-based policy. The Business Session featured a Spotlight Session on 'Legacy to Leadership: Women Shaping the Next Chapter of Family Businesses'. The session brought forth rich insights on ground-up leadership development, empathetic management, and the importance of building learning cultures within family enterprises.

"The most difficult jobs - selling on the field, working in salons — that exposure builds empathy. And empathy is what enables you to have difficult conversations and still find the right path forward." — Mr C K Ranganathan, Past Chairman, CII Southern Region & Chairman and Managing Director, CavinKare.

"The right attitude is what we demand - if you have that and the appetite to learn, you will scale the ladder. On-ground experience is what teaches you to spot that attitude in others." — Ms. Amudhavalli Ranganathan, Chairperson, IWN Tamil Nadu & Director, E-Commerce and Special Projects, CavinKare.

The session was moderated by Ms Rajani Seshadri, Past Chairperson, IWN SR & Co-Founder and Director, IndePenn Connections Pvt Ltd

Followed by that was a panel discussion on 'Women Driving India's Next Economic Leap' underscored the systemic and personal barriers women face in advancing to leadership roles, drawing from the lived experiences of industry leaders across sectors. The session was moderated by Ms. Hema Mani, Past Chairperson, IWN Tamil Nadu & Senior Director, Leadership & OD; Learning Culture & Globalization, Bosch Global Software Technologies

"Intentionality is the foundation of a career. Women must also overcome the hesitation to seek help and build the right support systems around them." — Ms. Gangapriya Chakraverti, Site Leader & Managing Director, Ford Business Solutions, India

"Increasing the representation of women in senior and managerial positions is not the responsibility of one individual rather it requires collective and sustained effort across organisations." — Mr. Mathew Thomas, CEO & Managing Director, Siemens Industry Software (India) Pvt Ltd
"Ambition and self-belief are non-negotiable. Women must own their career trajectory and be prepared to compete, without seeking exception." — Ms. Subhasri Sriram, Managing Director & CEO, Shriram Capital Pvt Ltd