About the Summit
- The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is organising the CII Women in STEM Leadership Summit 2026 under the theme "Powering Inclusive Innovation for India's Technology Future," scheduled for 29 July 2026 at Silver Oak, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The Summit will serve as a premier platform to advance dialogue and action towards strengthening women's leadership and participation across Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
- Aligned with the Government of India's vision of transitioning from women's development to women-led development, the Summit seeks to promote women as key drivers of innovation, scientific research, technology development, and economic growth. It aims to foster an inclusive ecosystem that supports equal opportunities, leadership, and self-reliance while enhancing India's global competitiveness.
- The CII Women in STEM Leadership Summit 2026 aims to create meaningful partnerships, facilitate knowledge exchange, and inspire collaborative action towards building a more diverse, inclusive, and innovation-driven STEM ecosystem for India's future.
Key Themes
Advancing women's leadership across STEM sectors
Showcasing best practices and successful industry initiatives
Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusive innovation
Building future-ready STEM talent, leadership, and skills
Strengthening industry-academia-government collaboration for innovation
Who Will Attend
- The event will bring together senior policymakers, industry leaders, women professionals in STEM, academia, researchers, innovators, startups, and multilateral organisations to deliberate on actionable strategies for increasing women's participation and leadership in STEM and driving innovation-led economic growth.
CHIEF GUEST
Dr Jitendra Singh
Hon’ble Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Government of India
Dr. Parvinder Maini
Scientific Secretary, Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India
H.E. Dr. Philipp Ackermann
Ambassador of Germany to Indiaand Bhutan
Speakers
Mr. Stefan Priesner
Head, United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC)
Dr. Vandana Kalia
Scientist-F/Director, Industrial Research & Development Program, DSIR, Ministry of Science & Technology
Ms. Bhawna Kirpal Mittal
CHRO and Head – Admin, CSR & Corporate Communication, Hero Future Energies
Ms. Leena Arora Kukreja
Science and Technology Counsellor, Embassy of Switzerland in India
Ms. Simran Babbar
Senior Correspondent, CNN-News18
Ms. Pranati Kohli
Head of Public Affairs, LOHUM
Dr. Atul Chauhan
President, Amity Education Group
Dr. Sangita Garg
Vice President and Head of R&D, IHFC (Technology Innovation Hub), IIT Delhi
Ms. Smriti Sakhamuri
Executive Director, HHV Advanced Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
Dr. Hafsa Ahmad
Scientist 'D', Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India
Dr. Sandhya H
Global Delivery Unit Head, Digital Manufacturing Services, L&T Technology Services
Prof. Akshay Dwivedi
Professor & Head, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, IIT Roorkee
Dr Nagahanumaiah
Director, Central Manufacturing Technology Institute (CMTI)
Dr Saundarya Rajesh
Founder, AVTAR
Ms Candace Johnson
Founder, SES (Société Européenne des Satellites)
Ms Smitha Rao
Founder, Ojas
Ms Soni Kaul
Principal Expert, Anusandhan National, Research Foundation (ANRF)
Vaishali Nigam Sinha
Chairperson, CII Women in STEM Initiatives & Co-Founder, Renew
Ms. Anandi Iyer
Director, Fraunhofer Office India Member, India and Germany CEO Forum: A G2G Initiative Member, Vision Group, Government of Karnataka
Dr. Kusumita Arora
Director, IGSTC (Indo-German Science & Technology Centre)
Ms Shaveta W Jain
Managing Partner, Boston Consulting GroupOur Partners & Sponsors
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For Further Details
Ms. Divya Arya
divya.arya@cii.in
+91 90154 58552
Mr. Ayush Singh
ayush.singh@cii.in
+91 98713 30042