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Top 100 Best Companies for Women to work in India in 2017

• By Shalini Sengupta
Top 100 Best Companies for Women to work in India in 2017

Does your organization get the coveted listing in the Top 100 Best Companies for Women in India study? 

Working Mother, a division of Bonnier Corporation (US) that works to advocate the cause of working women and AVTAR, joined hands to launch a first-of-its kind study in India to honour companies that help women have sustainable careers. This study was launched in the United States in 1986 by Working Mother. Working Mother’s annual list of 100 Best Companies for Women to work just celebrated its 31st anniversary and is one of the most prestigious lists that has been setting the standards for work/life practices for companies in the US. AVTAR group brought yet another first to India in 2016 – the Working Mother and AVTAR Best Companies for Women in India study.

“Corporate India’s focus on recruiting and expanding their women employee base is laudable. Going by the data (a 5% increase in women’s representation in one year), the Best Companies for Women in India may get to their goal of gender balance in another 5-6 years’ time! Whilst it is encouraging to note that many companies have introduced new policies to retain valuable women talent, this trend still remains nascent in traditional services industry and there is a need for industries such as manufacturing and infrastructure to leverage the opportunity of an increase in employable women talent. In the years to come, BCWI will further strengthen the ecosystem for women professionals in India Inc., raising the bar each year and catalyzing its journey to gender balance”, commented Dr. Saundarya Rajesh, Founder – President, AVTAR Group on the BCWI study.

The 2017 BCWI – the second edition of the study is set on a bigger canvas and aims to identify, share, showcase and celebrate best practices from India’s best employers to foster women’s career advancement. The study was launched on the occasion of International Women’s Day, March 8, 2017. Through this initiative, Working Mother & AVTAR will continue to catalyse the journey to gender balance for discerning organisations in Corporate India!

“We are delighted that BCWI has set a benchmark among companies to initiate more women inclusive polices. The impact that BCWI has created in the Indian market, where companies have recognized the need for having women in the workforce and have diligently worked towards introducing best practices is truly remarkable. We have noticed that this is not just at an entry level but across all levels, which is very encouraging for women employees in the company. I congratulate all the winning companies and hope to see a continued expansion of inclusive and women-friendly policies”, added Ms. Subha Barry, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Working Mother Media.

The Study also released the Top 10 Companies for Women in India in 2017. The organizations are: Accenture, Deloitte, EY, IBM, Northern Trust, People Combine, P&G, Scheider Electric, Shell India Markets Pvt Ltd, Tata Consultancy Services.

"EY has been featured among the top 10 companies in the Working Mother 100 best companies list for ten years in a row. We are glad that Working Mother in partnership with AVTAR is bringing the list to India. It will provide a platform for us who are committed to and focused on strengthening our diversity and inclusiveness agenda in India to showcase our policies and best practices that sustain an inclusive environment for working parents to thrive and succeed in,” Giridhar G.V., Chief Operating Officer, EY Global Delivery Network, India.

The winning companies, listed alphabetically, are: 

** Owing to a tie in one of the positions, the 2017-100 Best Companies for Women in India Listing features 101 companies.

“At Sodexo, we are proud to claim that Gender Balance is our business. We deliver on this promise by empowering women to create stronger teams, families, and communities. When women do better, we all do better. Be it through our Leadership Development Programs, flexible work culture or our corporate responsibility initiatives, we offer the right platform, access, and opportunities to women in the communities we operate in. Getting recognized for these efforts is truly encouraging”, said Rishi Gour, Country President & Country Segment Director Corporate Services – India, Sodexo India On-Site Services.

"Gender diversity is a top priority at Kellogg's and a proud legacy of our founder W.K. Kellogg, who was a pioneer in employing women in the workplace and reaching across cultural boundaries. My American counterparts made it to the Working Mother 100 Best Companies list five times this decade. Our India operations, too, have consciously emulated those values and we are excited about benchmarking our practices with a trustworthy, transparent and equally motivated company such as AVTAR. We look forward to our very first participation in the Working Mother and AVTAR Best Companies for Women list in India,” Sangeeta Pendurkar, MD, Kellogg India.