Commemorating International Women’s Day 2026, Haworth India hosted a curated leadership roundtable under the theme ‘Give to Gain’, bringing together senior women leaders from architecture and design (A&D) firms, corporates and project management consultancies (PMCs). The series has been hosted in Delhi and Mumbai, and will next be held in Bangalore and Hyderabad on March 27, 2026. Structured as a moderated panel discussion followed by audience interaction with senior architects, design leaders and project stakeholders, the session focused on the business impact of women’s leadership.
The four-city series explored how thoughtfully designed workplaces, mentorship, collaboration, and return-to-work support enable women to thrive, while positioning inclusion as a key driver of organisational performance rather than a social initiative.
The Mumbai and Delhi NCR editions of the series were held on March 6. These events brought together senior women leaders from across disciplines for a structured 55-minute moderated panel discussion, followed by an open interaction session with attending media and invited guests.
Commenting on the initiative, Manish Khandelwal, Managing Director, Haworth India, said, “When women lead with intention, progress accelerates. Through ‘Give to Gain’, Haworth brought together diverse industry perspectives to examine how inclusive leadership and workplace design can move beyond social intent to become performance drivers for organisations. Conversations around mentorship, collaboration and return-to-work pathways are critical to building workplaces where women can contribute meaningfully across different stages of their professional journeys.”
Opening with reflections on Personal Journeys and Turning Points, speakers discussed early influences, defining breakthrough moments and professional challenges that informed their leadership approach.
The discussion then progressed to Winning in the Workplace, focusing on how mentorship, collaboration, professional networks and structured support systems such as return-to-work programmes and knowledge sharing strengthen leadership capability and business performance.
In the third arc, Workplaces That Help Women Thrive, the panel explored how inclusive policies, leadership culture and supportive workplace solutions enable creativity, trust, innovation and sustained participation.
The final segment, How Workplaces Can Actively Support Women, focused on tangible actions such as inclusive decision-making, balanced policy frameworks and leadership behaviours that drive measurable impact.
The Mumbai panel, hosted at Haworth India’s Powai showroom, featured Zainab Mukadam, Senior Director and Head of Design, India – Cushman and Wakefield; Soumya Vajpayee, Editor-in-Chief, Billboard India; and Kalpana Shankar, Regional Head – Real Estate and Workplace Services, MEIA WPP.
Commenting during the discussion, Zainab Mukadam, Senior Director and Head of Design, India, Cushman & Wakefield, said, “Workplace design sits at the intersection of creativity and leadership because it allows designers to influence how organisations and people experience work. Over the years, mentorship has shaped my journey…sometimes through direct guidance and sometimes through small moments of learning. I strongly believe that when teams support and learn from each other, that collective growth becomes the most meaningful outcome of leadership.”
The Delhi NCR panel, hosted at Haworth India’s Gurugram Experience Center, featured Ramya Iyer, Senior Director, Space Matrix; Koheli J Puri, Founder and Managing Director, Studio XP Management Consultants Pvt. Ltd.; Shweta Grover, Executive Director, Adrianse; and Payal Kapoor, Design Director, Office Banao.
Shweta Grover, Executive Director, Adrianse, added,“The journey through one’s career is rarely linear. If you stay engaged, focused and open to opportunities, you will continue to evolve and grow. At the same time, as workplaces evolve, our cities and infrastructure must also improve to enable more people, especially women, to participate fully in the workforce.”
The ‘Give to Gain’ theme positioned inclusive workplace design as a strategic driver of productivity and innovation, while reinforcing Haworth India’s role in advancing cross-sector leadership dialogue across the architecture and corporate real estate ecosystem.