IIM Sambalpur, one of India’s premier management institutions, enthusiastically hosted the Women’s Day programme, honouring the remarkable achievements of women across diverse fields. With the theme ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’, the event aimed to recognize the pivotal importance of empowering and supporting women in all aspects of life. The event also served as a powerful call to action for collective efforts towards creating a more equitable, inclusive, and prosperous world.  IIM Sambalpur stood as the first management institute to initiate conversations about gender-diverse classrooms, for which it has taken many initiatives. The institute also has administrative staff with significant female participation, promoting inclusive thought processes in leadership.

Director IIM Sambalpur along with faculty, staff and students were present on the occasion. The event commenced with a heartfelt acknowledgement of the contributions made by the women to society.

In his address, Prof. Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director of IIM Sambalpur, highlighted the institution’s commitment to gender equality, with both students and faculty comprising an equal gender ratio and said, “IIM Sambalpur has taken a positive step in improving gender equality on its campus, where both students and faculty comprising 50 per cent male and 50 per cent female. As a management institute, it is our responsibility to bring this gender equality subject to the national agenda.” Prof. Jaiswal also underscored the significance of promoting gender equality at a national level, citing the potential economic benefits referring to the highlights made in the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF’s) Gender Inequality Index (GII) report and advocating for equal opportunities and better accessibility for women and said, “That India needs to improve the GII by taking steps to bring higher percentage of women in work force, education, and political leadership in order to become developed nation progress in terms of gender gap, as highlighted in the IMF report.”