Women at the Helm – Women’s Day Leadership Dialogue March 2026

On the occasion of Women’s Day, ASPIRE – IIT Bombay Research Park Foundation hosted a leadership dialogue titled “Women at the Helm – Leadership in Action: Women Shaping Research, Industry & Institutional Strategy.” The session brought together leaders from academia, venture capital, industry, and institutional governance to reflect on leadership within complex research and innovation ecosystems. Moderated by Dr. Aishwarya Ramachandran, a researcher working at the intersection of technology, policy, and innovation ecosystems, the dialogue featured: Speakers: Prof. Leena Vachhani – Associate Dean (R&D), IIT Bombay Ms. Vandana Rajadhyaksha – Co-founder, Colossa Ventures LLP Ms. Poyni Bhatt – Chairperson, SEDEMAC | Former CEO, SINE – IIT Bombay Ms. Juili Limaye – Fragrance Innovation Lead, Unilever South Asia Ms. Priyanka Jain Atal – Chief Legal Officer, IIT Bombay The discussion explored the realities of decision-making within multi-stakeholder institutional environments, where leaders must balance research priorities, industry engagement, governance frameworks, and long-term organisational strategy. Key Highlights Leadership in complex institutional systems Speakers reflected on how leadership in research-intensive organizations often requires navigating diverse stakeholder expectations while grounding decisions in structured analysis and long-term institutional thinking. Institution-building and research translation Panelists emphasized the importance of institutional processes, documentation, and collaborative frameworks that enable research to translate into deployable technologies and industry partnerships. Evolving professional environments The dialogue also touched on the changing nature of professional ecosystems, including the growing influence of digitalization, sustainability priorities, and evolving organizational cultures. Participation The session saw participation from IIT Bombay, internal teams, and representatives from companies within the Research Park ecosystem, enabling a focused exchange across academia, industry, and the broader innovation community. The dialogue reinforced the importance of thoughtful leadership, strong institutional frameworks, and sustained collaboration between research and industry in advancing innovation and technology translation,