2016: The Year It Has Been !!

It’s hard to believe, but 2016 is coming to an end. It’s been a fantastic year, full of inspiring achievements, feel-good news stories and moments of genuine hope for humanity. Sure, we’ve had a couple of controversial stuff ~ Brexit, US Elections, Demonetization, Syrian refugee crisis, and other wars of terrorism – but what about all the good stuff that happened? Believe it or not, there were plenty of good stuff.

Olympics 2016 saw the celebration of the spirit of diversity and solidarity, which was unprecedented. This is definitely a moment to cherish as it gives us the message of hope and cheer. While many countries shut their borders, there were many who opened their homes and hearts to refugees. While demonetization has created inconvenience for many especially in the marginalized sections, it has also seen many people reaching out to help & support others during these tough times. Indian forest officials reported that volunteers planted almost 50 million trees earlier this month. According to reports, some 800,000 volunteers worked 24 hours to get the job done as part of the commitment India made at the Paris Climate Conference last year.

This year saw women taking charge of their destiny. Women were seen in more prominent roles in boardrooms, business ventures and politics. Even though Hillary Clinton didn’t win, but her running for the Presidential campaign has given many women to hope for future.

It also marked the 5-year anniversary of Biz Divas Foundation. And what a year it’s been! We’re so proud of the progress we’ve made. Of course, we want to extend a huge thank you to all who have supported our efforts, and a big congrats to those who have chosen to be part of Biz Divas extended network.

Here are some Biz Divas highlights from the year:

• Featured in Global Diversity List of Top 10 Global Diversity Consultants published by The Economist; 2 years in a row
• Trained & consulted with 30+ corporates with more than 5000 employees creating awareness on Diversity & Inclusion.
• Women Leadership Mentoring program saw 75+ women leaders being mentored by 50+ CXO leaders.
• I Inspire 2016 saw 250 delegates participating from 70+ corporates.
• We had 250+ members join in Women on Boards Network.
• Ongoing Research on Women on Boards, Inclusion Toolkit to create thought leadership on Inclusion agenda in Corporate Inc.
• Launch of Biz Divas Impact Fund with first crowdfunding which will aims to support 100+ girls’ education.
• Launch of India’s first Diversity & Inclusion index which will help to benchmark best practices. The report would be launched in year end 2017.

It is so important to remember the positive and keep moving ahead. With your support we continue to promote an inclusive world and support women to own their rightful positions by mentoring and creating visibility for them.