CII Foundation

Congratulations to all the winners of the CII Foundation Woman Exemplar Award 2026 and to every inspiring grassroots leader recognised at the CII Annual Business Summit 2026.
Your work across , , and
reflects the power of community-led change and the extraordinary impact of women’s leadership at the grassroots.
We look forward to working together to deepen social impact, strengthen communities, and continue building pathways for inclusive and sustainable development across India.

At the CII Annual Business Summit 2026, 20 inspiring grassroots women leaders were recognised for their contribution to social development.

Four outstanding women received the prestigious CII Foundation Woman Exemplar Award for their work in the areas of Health, Education, Community Strengthening and Micro-Enterprise, presented by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon'ble Minister of Education.

The CII Foundation Woman Exemplar Program identifies, recognises and empowers grassroots women leaders who have risen above challenges to create meaningful impact through leadership, resilience, and innovation at the grassroots level.
These woman exemplars are collectively impacting the lives of over 2 million people each year through empowerment models implemented across some of the most vulnerable sections of our society.

Dharmendra Pradhan

Over the past weeks, we’ve witnessed 20 powerful stories of resilience, leadership, and , women who are not just building livelihoods, enabling education, improving health and well-being, and strengthening communities, but truly 'Transforming villages, empowering communities'.

From challenging deep-rooted barriers to creating scalable, community-led solutions, each Woman Exemplar Award finalist represents the strength and spirit of change across India.

Now, it’s time for the next big moment. The begins to celebrate these extraordinary changemakers, the women who are driving real, lasting where it matters the most.

Stay tuned as we gear up to announce the winners of the CII Foundation Woman Exemplar Award 2026—honouring leaders who are redefining possibilities for and communities across the country.
Confederation of Indian Industry Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India Sunil Misra Shivani Kumar Chetna Gala Sinha Gazala Shaikh khan

From intent to measurable impact—empowering NGOs to lead the future of CSR.
📍 Pune | 🗓️ 27, 29–30 April 2026

The 1st CII NGO Capacity Building Program 2026 was successfully launched in Pune, bringing together 23 NGOs from the western region. Organized under the aegis of the CII National CSR Committee and curated by CSR Heads and ISDM, the 3-day program combined online and classroom sessions.

It focused on strengthening NGOs in CSR compliance, result-based project design, implementation & monitoring, budgeting, reporting, and stakeholder engagement.

The program featured engaging interactions with industry leaders, including Ms. Smita Vaish Agarwal and Mr. Rajan Navani, who highlighted the critical role of NGOs as partners in India’s development journey.

A key highlight was the Mock Pitch Session, where NGOs presented their projects and received practical feedback from CSR leaders.

Special thanks to Bharat Forge and JetSynthesys for supporting this pilot, and to all participants for enabling us to scale this initiative across the country.

Sunil Misra Confederation of Indian Industry Sarbani Chakravarty