New Delhi, Delhi, India:  Women have made great strides in the world and invaluable contributions in the workplace. Yet, they are a minority in positions of leadership and remain, more often than not, under-recognised and under-rewarded. V-WA 50, launched by the Vedica Women’s Alliance (V-WA) and sponsored by Western Digital, is an initiative to make women visible by recognising, rewarding, and amplifying their accomplishments.

“At Vedica, we have graduated over 250 scholars, and I have personally witnessed the impact that a female leader can have on a young woman’s confidence and aspirations. Research from Harvard Kennedy School shows that even subtle exposure to female role models can greatly increase women’s performance as leaders. Recognising women’s accomplishments is more than a matter of correcting a past wrong; it is a proactive step towards a more equal future,” said Anuradha Das Mathur, Founder of the Vedica Women’s Alliance and the Vedica Scholars Programme for Women, as she welcomed the audience to the felicitation ceremony of the first V-WA 50 on Friday, 30th July 2021.

The Vedica Women’s Alliance (V-WA) is a first-of-its-kind membership-based peer network, built to aggregate and amplify the voices of women leaders from across the country and advocate for an ecosystem that helps women professionals thrive.

“Western Digital is actively working to encourage women leadership in the workforce to lay the foundation for a strong, equal and balanced world. Through V-WA 50, we strive to honour some of the brightest minds among women leaders while also unleashing the creativity and imagination of future generations of thinkers. The empowered presence of women in the workforce at all levels is critical to developing an inclusive culture and equity in the workplace. We hope to instil and foster an ecosystem of forward-thinking role models through these awards and help share their powerful stories,” said Supria Dhanda, Country Manager, India and Vice President of Western Digital.

V-WA 50 awarded high-achieving senior women professionals across technology, the government, law, social impact, academia, manufacturing, finance, marketing and sales, and human resources. A unique category, Men of Impact, was introduced to celebrate men who have advocated for gender diversity and inclusion.

The awardees were selected by a panel of 20 jurors, comprising eminent industry leaders, who evaluated approximately 200 nominations across 10 categories. A special category, the V-WA 50 Lifetime Achievement Award, honoured women whose vision and contributions have left a unique legacy in their fields.

In bringing together these exemplary women, V-WA 50 aims to create a community of leaders that is a force for change and contributes towards building a more gender-balanced world, and most definitely, workplaces.

To view the full programme, please visit: https://bit.ly/watchV-WA50