Godrej Industries Group launches Gateway, a programme for women professionals returning to work, at the finale of India Included on Campus 2026

 

Mumbai, Oct 09: Godrej DEI Lab, the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) arm of the Godrej Industries group, today launched Gateway, a returnship programme designed to create a structured pathway back to work for experienced women professionals after they break for marriage, motherhood, caregiving or other life transitions. Gateway will renew and deepen Godrej’s existing efforts to retain and promote skilled women in its workforce. Women currently represent 30% of Godrej Industries’ workforce, and the group has publicly committed to 40% inclusion of women, LGBTQIA+ people, and people with disabilities by 2031.

Gateway was announced at the finale India Included on Campus. This is the second edition of the Group’s prestigious inclusion-focused case study competition for India’s leading B-schools. Following the success of its inaugural edition in 2025, India Included on Campus travelled to eight leading B-school campuses this year. They included IIM Lucknow, IIT Delhi, XIM Bhubaneswar, Indian School of Business, IIT Bombay, SIBM Pune, TISS Mumbai and IIM Trichy. Hundreds of students engaged with the challenge of improving women's workforce participation, developing solutions to address the barriers women face when returning to work. Four finalist teams - IIM Lucknow, IIT Delhi, XIM Bhubaneswar, SIBM Pune - subsequently presented their recommendations at the Grand Finale.  XIM Bhubaneswar emerged as the winner for its solution on a structured returnship pathway that helps women professionals re-enter the workforce after a career break. The team received a cash prize of INR 1,00,000 and the opportunity to interact with senior Godrej leadership.

According to a recent study, “The Missing Half,” (2026), 74% of educated women in India have taken a career break at some point in their careers. Many aspire to return but often face challenges navigating the path back. Gateway seeks to address this gap through structured onboarding, coaching and a cohort-based learning experience that supports professionals as they transition back into the workplace. Led by Godrej DEI Lab in partnership with HR and business teams across Godrej Industries, the programme aims to integrate returnship talent into mainstream hiring and strengthen pathways for women to re-enter and thrive in the workforce.

Sumit Mitra, Group Head, Human Resources and Corporate Services, Godrej Industries, said: "A career break can change the course of a career, but it should not determine its end. Organisations lose valuable experience when capable professionals are unable to find a credible path back into the workforce. Returnships can help close that gap by giving experienced professionals the structure and support needed to re-enter with confidence, while giving organisations access to talent that is often overlooked. Women continue to be disproportionately impacted by career breaks, particularly at mid-management, and with Gateway, we want to make returning to work a more viable and visible pathway for women, and over time, make returnship talent part of mainstream hiring.”

This year, India Included on Campus, the Group's DEI-focused case study competition for India's leading B-schools, centred on a critical workforce question: How can we bring more women back into the workforce? Representing Godrej Consumer Products, IIM Lucknow's team comprised Harshit Malpani, Dhaarna Gupta, Anshuman Nayak and Tanmay Bhatt. Vaddadi Jaya Kumar and Amrith Kumar AS of IIT Delhi represented Godrej Capital. XIMB's Kamalpreet Singh, Anushka Duttagupta, Soumya Yadav and Peehu Deshwal represented Godrej Agrovet, while Shaun Vazifdar and Vishesh Hemani of SIBM, Pune represented Godrej Properties.

The teams presented their solutions to a jury of senior leaders from across Godrej businesses, including Burjis Godrej, Chairperson, Godrej Agrovet; Bhavya Misra, Chief Human Resources Officer, Godrej Capital; Pakzan Dastoor, Head, Sustainability and CSR, Godrej Industries; Sumit Mitra, Group Head, Human Resources and Corporate Services, Godrej Industries; Poonam Burman, Chief Human Resource Officer, Godrej Industries (Chemicals); Vaibhav Ram, Global Head, Human Resources, Godrej Consumer Products; and Sonali Mitra, Head - Sales Strategy, Godrej Properties Limited.

Parmesh Shahani, Head, Godrej DEI Lab, said: "India Included on Campus was created to bring inclusion into the rooms where tomorrow's business leaders are being shaped. This year, we asked students to tackle a question that has implications well beyond the workplace: how do we make it easier for women to return to work after a career break? The ideas we saw demonstrated that the next generation is ready to look at this as a structural workforce issue, not simply an individual challenge. Gateway takes that conversation a step further by creating a tangible pathway back, with the support, learning and peer network that can make re-entry more sustainable. The goal is not simply to bring women back, but to ensure that returning talent becomes a meaningful part of how organisations build their workforce."

The winning team from XIM Bhubaneswar, said “This challenge helped us recognise that a career break should not mean a permanent step back from professional life. Our solution focused on how organisations can make returning to work easier and more sustainable for women. Winning India Included on Campus is incredibly rewarding, and we are glad to contribute to a conversation that impacts so many talented women.”