Alka Raza brings with her 35 years of experience to the Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusive Leadership (CGEIL) at XLRI, Jamshedpur. SOURCE: XLRI
Media professional and author Alka Raza has been appointed chairperson of the Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusive Leadership (CGEIL) at XLRI - Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur.
The centre was set up in March 2021 to encourage inclusion of women in economically gainful activities.
“The trigger for the centre’s genesis is the alarming escalation of gender gap in India. The country ranks 140 out of 156 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index (GGI) 2021 by the World Economic Forum. It was ranked 98th in GGI 2006. According to the Survival Gender Inequality Index (GII), introduced in 2010 by the UN Human Development Report, India ranks 155 among 156 countries in the domain of health and survival,” an XLRI spokesperson said.
CGEIL was set up at the initiative of XLRI alumni passionate about enhancing women’s participation in the workforce and leadership. A formal body of XLRI Alumni, XL4W, was instituted to support the initiative.
XLRI director Father Paul Fernandes welcomed the new chairperson. “It is an honour and privilege to welcome Alka Raza, an accomplished media professional and academic, to the XLRI family. We are delighted to have Alka Raza as part of the Centre with her 35-plus years of experience, which has spanned across continents. She brings vast experience to the institution from covering major socio-political and economic crises around the world. Her significant contributions to addressing human development and women’s issues are bound to add value to our teachings. We look forward to learning more from her extensive work which has previously reverberated in Latin America, Europe, West Asia, Africa, and South-East Asia among other places,” Fernandes said.
Raza will take over from Shreyashi Chakraborty, assistant professor in organisational behaviour at XLRI and the first chairperson of the centre.
“CGEIL has an ambitious goal, which is to significantly increase the participation of women in the workforce within the next five to 10 years through strategic and broad-based interventions. As a first step, we have set up this centre and we aim to build a world-class centre of excellence in years to come,” the XLRI director said.
Raza thanked XLRI for the trust and confidence it has shown in her. “I am honoured to be a part of the oldest and a leading management institute in the country. My experience over the years has taught me that it is our need and duty to reach out to those who live in underprivileged circumstances. We must recognize women for their role and contribution they have been making for centuries,” she said.
In the coming months, the centre will intensify its networking with students, women in the industry, corporate sector, other employers, policymakers and others to generate and accelerate momentum for change including a lecture series and a pilot study on Women and Employment in Delhi NCR.