KOZHIKODE:
Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s PR & Digital Marketing National Council (WICCI) and Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIMK) have collaborated with a strategic ‘I Lead’ survey, tailor-made for women professionals in the communications segment in India. This online survey invites women in Journalism, Advertising, Public Relations, Digital Marketing, Content Writing and Corporate Communications to share their insights and experiences. The ‘I Lead’ survey attempts to decipher the roadblocks faced by women professionals in the vast communications industry as they climb the leadership ladder and thereafter, provide directional mentorship ahead.
Announcing the survey launch, Prof. Debashis Chatterjee, Director, IIM Kozhikode said, “IIMK has a formidable legacy of affirmative and socially conscientious actions championing gender diversity, inclusivity and promoting women in leadership roles. More than 54% students of our current flagship programme, 50% PhD candidates, 30% faculty members and 40% Board of Governors members are women – the highest ever at IITs/IIMs. With the ‘I Lead’ survey IIMK & WICCI embark on a journey to unravel the hidden biases and the key gaps that act as barriers for women traversing the leadership ladder. The results of the survey will be a learning for the communication industry’s needs to discover, introduce and acknowledge the ‘women of future’.”
Kavita Lakhani, National President of WICCI PR & Digital Marketing Council stated that the ‘I Lead’ survey is absolutely need-of-the-hour. She affirmed the timely collaboration of WICCI with IIMK and announced, “Women must feel encouraged to take the first step with their participation with ‘I Lead’ survey as we are ready to hold their hand to bolster their leadership aspirations. As a step to welcome diversity of opinions, all responses recorded will be kept strictly confidential and anonymous. We are reaching out to every aspiring woman professional working in the communications industry (PR, Digital, Advertising, Journalism, Content, Media), in the age group of 28 to 50 years to participate wholeheartedly in the ‘I Lead’ study. We are hopeful to find ample support from apex bodies, media houses and senior communications practitioners to promote this survey.”
Interestingly, Prof. Chatterjee and Prof. Deepa Sethi, Chairperson (PGP-LSM) and the Project Coordinator of the WICCI-IIMK ‘I Lead’ survey will be authoring a whitepaper on the findings of the ‘I Lead’ survey which will be released in end March 2021. Adding further, Prof. Sethi said “Through this survey, we are seeking to drive transformation by understanding issues and roadblocks for women on the leadership ladder, and to communicate an action plan going ahead.”
