Women to Watch Award Juries applaud the initiative

The Jury members concurred that the event was organised beautifully. Says Shormishtha Mukherjee, director of Flying Cursor Interactive, “The timings, the ease of going through the entries, the way information was arranged and presented was remarkable.”

Bhavika Shah, founder and creative director of Beyondesign, concurs: “The Jury Day was a phenomenal experience. It was interesting to see how more and more women are looking to make their mark in a male-dominated industry. The day was well managed and I enjoyed the process of a collective decision.”

For Divya Subramaniam, consulting senior copy editor at Haymarket SAC Publishing, the experience on Jury Day was excellent. “It was great to meet other women who do so much for the industry as well as to further the cause of getting women a seat at any table. In terms of organisation, the team did an excellent job. The process went off smoothly and it was a revelation to study the achievements of nominated women,” she says.

Aashika Sadh, founder of #ASHTAG, agrees. “Jury Day was an insightful experience, an opportunity to learn about women across the country doing exceptional work with mostly no pomp and show.
Benita Paul, head of marketing, Asia at Siegwerk, was especially impressed with the volume and quality of the entries. The jury members evaluated 70 entries received in 12 categories. “My fellow jury members were also highly qualified and fun to work with. All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable and gratifying experience,” she adds.

Women to Watch Awards Jury Day
The printing industry has been a male-dominated industry. But the situation is changing, with women excelling. This was more than evident during the jury day of the first edition of the Women to Watch Awards 2023.

Charmiane Alexander, digital editor at PrintWeek and WhatPackaging? said, “The Women to Watch Awards is all about celebrating the clout of women in the industry, who have not only achieved excellence but have been unwavering in their efforts to encourage and boost the standards within the industry.”

The Women to Watch Awards honours women who excel in printing and packaging.

The jury examined 70 entries across categories such as educator of the year, business leader of the year, factory champion of the year, R&D captain, rising star of the year, fintech leader, designer of the year, mentor of the year, sales champion of the year, young business leader, packaging person of the year and publishing person of the year.

Naheed Sorabjee, director at Haymarket SAC Publishing, who welcomed the jury members said, “The Women to Watch Awards seeks to honour the women who lead and inspire excellence in the printing and packaging sectors. The Awards reflect PrintWeek’s commitment to promoting gender equality in the industry.”

Nita Dhote, associate professor and HoD, English of Nagindas Khandwala College (University of Mumbai) and part of the pan-India Dhote print family was happy to work with a team of diverse friends.

She explains, “As an individual from academia, the practical world of my fellow Jury members was a new experience for me. I saw how, what I have been imparting by way of theory, could be translated into action by women who have made it to the fore in their individual corporate worlds. Similarly, the women who had applied for the awards opened a new world for me. Individuals from remote parts of India — some hailing from rather simple backgrounds — have a passion to make such stellar contributions to their company and to the society at large. They sure are an inspiration for urban sophisticates. That impressed me immensely.”

The relevance of gender
Has the relevance of gender changed since the Jury members started their careers?

Dhote agrees with an emphatic yes. “The fact that there are more women principals and vice-principals in my field over the three decades that I have been in teaching, is evidence of how the second gender has become increasingly visible and is making a difference to the education field.”

She says society is now more accepting of women and their rise to power. The fact that this award is being given is also evidence of this.

Paul is a marketing leader with over 20 years of experience in marketing with a mix of B2B and B2C brands in Asia. She says the conversation around gender has greatly evolved over the last 20-25 years.

“I remember when I started, I would invariably be the only woman on most teams and also, there were usually only some functions where we would see women. I feel they were kind of the door openers who paved the way. Now, women are in every possible field and are ambitious, vocal and fearless. The relevance of gender is now well acknowledged and most corporations are committed to improving diversity, having women-friendly policies,” she explains.

Sadh is an advocate by qualification. She takes pride in being an integral part of establishing an apparel brand, which is made in India. She says in the fashion segment especially, some of the most important positions are held by women. “I can safely say that women as entrepreneurs are running the show in fashion,” she says, adding, “However, the employment disparity is the same across all industries.”

Subramaniam agrees, as she says, “The dynamics of gender have certainly changed in the past few decades in the newsroom. Many more women journalists and they are simply fabulous at their job. But progress is unequal and there are still miles to go to reach where we should be.”

Shah, founder and creative director of Beyondesign, an all-girls design company with be your own design as its slogan, knows more about gender disparity in the industry than most. She explains, “The relevance of gender has changed significantly over the last two-and-a-half decades. During this time, the awareness of diversity, the acknowledgement, the roles offered, and the openness to accept women in leadership roles — the change has been incredible. I hope to see it grow as the years go by.”

Mukherjee, a storyteller, creative strategist, problem solver, connection maker, team builder and entrepreneur, agrees that there has been a marked change in the attitudes towards women in the workforce.

She says, “I joined the advertising industry as a summer intern in 1993. The change and acceptance have been massive since then. Women are no longer timid, and I appreciate the men who supported and gave the opportunity to these opinionated women.”

Women in industry
While the Jury members agree that there has been a gradual change for women in the industry, there is still a lot to be done to achieve a balanced workforce. It is especially hard for those starting their career.

Mukherjee says, “I would appreciate it if organisations sensitise the entry of women in this industry; sensitise to a level that women don’t have to fight at every stage. This will definitely motivate people to join the industry, not only in the pre-press and makeready areas but in press and post-press too, as advanced countries have.”

Dhote says the industry is evolving with the times and as it adapts to the changes, there is a change in approach to the treatment of women employees. “As I stated earlier, there is a need to embrace gender inclusivity and create more opportunities for women within the industry. Traditionally, the print industry is male-dominated and the change is not going to happen instantly. What is required is a lot of sensitisation coming from the leaders which in turn will percolate to the lower levels. So, the change needs to start from the top.

And her suggestion to women planning to enter the industry? “I would only say that one should rely on one’s capabilities. If you have confidence in yourself, and are sure of your talent and skill, opportunities will definitely show up, irrespective of your gender. In the end, all that matters is what you can contribute to your company’s progress.”

Paul would like to see those starting off to come in with fresh perspectives. “Flexibility, meritocracy, freedom to explore and growth — all these need to be given to those starting off. The future is going to be uncertain and we need to retain the lessons we learnt during Covid which include adapting, evolving and being resilient. That way, we will create organisations that will be agile and allow them to contribute positively to the future,” she says.

Subramaniam agrees. “I would like workers in the industry to be judged on their merit alone,” she says.

Sadh wants to see the industry be a safer space for women, without judgments with regard to their physical restrictions, and misuse of power by senior-level men and employers should widen their horizons while making employment decisions.

Shah adds, “I would love to see more emphasis on collaboration, teamwork and innovation.”

Women-only-networking opportunities
Is it a good idea to have women-only networking opportunities?

Mukherjee says, “It has been an all-boys club for quite some time now and I hope to see some women here too. The ratio is improving and with the technology in place heavy lifting is not the problem anymore.”
Shah says it is a necessity, and adds that with healthy outcomes, it can help motivate other women to take bolder steps.

Subramaniam too believes that it is a useful idea. “These are spaces that are relatively safer and therefore allow women to be themselves. Even today, in a room full of men or a mixed crowd, women have to make more of an effort to hold their own. I would not say that this is the rule, but it does happen frequently enough for women-only networking opportunities to be necessary for industry women to interact in a relatively relaxed and yet stimulating environment,” she explains.

Sadh agrees, and says that women-only networking opportunities are a must. “They are necessary for creating awareness, exposure and upliftment of women,” she argues.

Paul says women still find it hard to get mentors and champions in the organisation and in the industry. “I think women need opportunities to get together and find mentors, discuss issues, get inspired by others who have walked the path before and build their networks. This is usually very powerful,” she says.

Dhote, however, doesn’t agree with women-only networking opportunities. She says the borders should be fluid rather than demarking based on gender. “What is required is a change in approach and in our thinking where women are considered to be equal and not the weaker sex,” she adds.

Women in printing
And what about the print and packaging industry in particular? Has the industry become more balanced?

Bhavika Shah does not see it happening in the print and packaging world as much as she would like to see it yet. “The balance will surely come. Or maybe it’s there, but it needs to be brought to the forefront and spoken about a lot more,” she says.

Subramaniam is more hopeful. “On Jury Day, I learnt that women in the industry are making a difference. Things are getting better than before,” she says.

Sadh echoes the same sentiments: “After having judged the entries, I felt that there is definitely a lot of untapped potential. Hence, we have a long way to go to achieve a balance.”

Paul says the industry has been slow to adopt changes but is now surely changing. “I see it in our own organisation and with our customers. The representation is much more balanced and some functions like marketing, HR, and finance are more so. But R&D, sales, and production are now getting more inclusive and we have some fantastic talent entering the industry. We still have a long way to go, but at least now we are aware and consciously want to be more diverse and are taking steps to nurture and build diversity,” she explains.

In the same vein, Dhote says while it is heartening to note that there are many more women joining the print and packaging industry, it cannot be denied that women occupying leadership positions in the print industry are still low. “On the other hand, the number of women occupying the middle-level position is on the rise and it can be safely predicted that these women will go on to achieve a significantly higher position in the industry and we may even see some of them occupying a leadership role in the future. So, even though the balance may appear skewed now, there is hope for the future,” she explains.

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