Ahmedabad, April 25, 2023. The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) is conducting a leadership training workshop for visually challenged women professionals. Titled ‘Leadership and Strategic Thinking for Social Sector’, the programme is being organised from April 25th to April 27th, 2023 at the IIMA campus. There are twenty-five participants in the programme hailing from various organisations in Delhi, Gujarat, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
The programme has been conceptualized by Professor Rajesh Chandwani, IIMA faculty member and the Dr Lal PathLabs Chair in Healthcare at IIMA. It aims to equip the participants with knowledge and skills that can help them to take on leadership roles. Eleven other faculty members from IIMA and the Blind People’s Association (BPA) with expertise in different academic areas will be taking sessions on a wide range of subjects for the participants.
The programme has taken shape with the joint support of Lal PathLabs Foundation in association with the IIMA Endowment Fund. The Dr Lal PathLabs Chair in Healthcare was instituted by Lal PathLabs Foundation in 2022 with the core objective of carrying out cutting-edge research that can further strengthen the collaboration between academia and industry, optimize the forward and backward linkages in the healthcare ecosystem and promote thought leadership in this domain.
Speaking at the opening session of the special training programme, Professor Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIMA said, “IIMA has taken an impressive lead in addressing social issues, particularly around inclusivity and disability. Through this programme, we are taking a crucial step to understand and mitigate the challenges faced by visually challenged women who aspire to take on leadership positions, an area where there is a significant under-representation. Overall, this initiative highlights IIMA's progressive vision and we are confident that the programme will go a long way in helping us contribute significantly to the creation of a more inclusive and equitable society.”
Speaking about the objective and details of the programme, Professor Rajesh Chandwani said, “This programme stems from our observations from a one-day interactive workshop we had conducted last year with a group of visually challenged women. Based on our understanding, we have created this course, where we will not only help the participants get an in-depth view of the diverse aspects of leadership in the social sector but we will also learn ways to enhance our pedagogical innovation and towards building inclusive classrooms. We plan to engage in meaningful interactions with the participants during the program and develop policy briefs on these aspects.”
The participants will be taught concepts and trends in multiple subjects including Strategic Thinking for the Social Sector, Governance and Compliance Issues in NGOs, Financial Literacy: Issues Challenges and Opportunities, Managing Negotiations and Leading Self in the Social Sector. Keeping in mind the special requirements of the participants, IIMA faculty members have made modifications in the course content and teaching that will keep the teaching-learning process simple, student-friendly, and effective.
The programme commenced with an opening session attended by the participants, Professor Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIMA; Dr. Om Manchanda, IIMA alumnus and Managing Director, Dr Lal PathLabs; Mr. Bhushan Punani, General Secretary, BPA; Ms Chhavi Moodgal, CEO, IIMA Endowment Fund; Professor Rajesh Chandwani, Faculty Chair, Programme on Leadership and Strategic Thinking for Social Sector and Mr. Tarun Vashishth, PhD student at IIMA along with other faculty members.
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 through Santhwana Trust.JPG)
