New Delhi, October 10, 2026: Good Business Lab (GBL), a non-profit labour innovation and research organisation, brought together automotive industry leaders, women shopfloor workers and ecosystem representatives in New Delhi to discuss ways to increase women’s participation in India’s automotive workforce.

The convening at Le Méridien focused on translating research findings into practical measures to improve women’s recruitment, retention and career progression in automotive manufacturing. The discussions followed GBL’s report, Powering India’s Automotive Sector: Unlocking Women’s Talent for Industry Growth, launched at the 66th ACMA Annual Session in September.

According to the report, women account for just 8.7% of the combined workforce of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and component manufacturers. The three-year study covered more than 55 automotive firms, 400 stakeholders and 1,900 individuals, identifying and testing workplace solutions to help companies attract and retain more women.

The discussions highlighted the need to address barriers such as access to skilled training, night-shift participation, last-mile transport and childcare. Participants also emphasised that hiring alone is insufficient without career pathways, supportive workplace conditions and performance measures that encourage managers to retain women employees.

The event opened with remarks from Achyuta Adhvaryu, Co-founder, Good Business Lab, and Krishna Thacker, Senior Programme Officer, Gates Foundation. Shradha Suri Marwah, Past President, ACMA and CMD, Subros Ltd., delivered the keynote address.

Three panels examined the business case for inclusion, women’s experiences on the shopfloor and measures needed to make inclusion more widespread. Industry representatives included Suman Mishra, CEO & MD, Mahindra Last Mile Mobility Ltd.; Viveka Bhandari, COO, Padmini VNA Mechatronics Limited; Sunil Arora, MD, Abilities India Pistons & Rings (AIP); Satyaprakash Patil, CHRO, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI); and Vinkesh Gulati, Chairperson, Automotive Skills Development Council.

A separate discussion brought women shopfloor associates from Abilities India Pistons & Rings, Asahi India Glass, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India and Sansera Engineering into the conversation to share their experiences of building skills and careers.

The final panel brought together industry and ecosystem representatives to discuss sector-wide adoption of inclusive workplace practices. Participants included leaders from JSW MG Motor India, Sansera Engineering, Gabriel India and Asahi India Glass, alongside representatives from Gates Foundation, Udaiti Foundation and FSG Advisory Services Private Limited.

Mr. Nirmal Deshpande, Managing Director, Good Business Lab, called for greater collaboration between businesses and philanthropy, investment in safety and transport infrastructure, and the co-design of practical solutions with companies.

He said, “The evidence increasingly mirrors what we are hearing from industry: women’s participation is no longer just an inclusion imperative, but a business necessity. Several leading firms are already showing what is possible; the challenge now is scale. We brought business leaders, women workers and the wider ecosystem together to chart the path ahead. The opportunity is clear: now we need to turn what works into action across the sector.”

GBL said its next phase of work will focus on helping automotive businesses implement practical measures to increase women’s participation and support their long-term careers in the sector.