CELEBRATING OUR
WOMEN OF WORTH (WOW)
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
– Mother Teresa
At L&T Construction, women have begun creating many ripples by rising to positions of importance, purely on their merit, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the men to solve complex organizational and project-related challenges, and inspiring more women to find their voice and place in the sun. While the United Nations–designated theme for 2024’s International Women’s Day was ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’ with a focus on addressing economic disempowerment, happily we, at L&T, have been living this theme for long.
March 8th is International Women’s Day. What about the other 364?
To answer this oft-posed question, celebrations began earlier than usual on Valentine’s Day (February 14th) with the launch of the aptly themed ‘I Love’ campaign, featuring short videos of women from across businesses and levels, demonstrating why they love challenges and why they love their jobs.
“Challenges are not obstacles, and I am always ready for new challenges, for they give me the chance to upskill myself to be better prepared to face them,” declared Purnima Tripathi, Assistant Manager – Planning, B&F IC, while Sudesna Biswas, DGM – Design, TI IC, reminded us, “My journey at L&T has been about facing a multitude of challenges on which I thrive and passionately work towards overcoming them.” Principal Architect, Ira Ahuja. working with EDRC, B&F IC, enthused about the unique perspective she has gained working in the realm of construction that few other fields can offer: “It is where vision begins to take shape and where design concepts come to life.” For Jayanthi Anilkumar, Head – HR, Shared Services Centre, challenges were wonderful opportunities to rediscover herself while for Nandita Sujitkumar Chuckerbutty, Senior Manager – QA/QC, Heavy Civil Infrastructure IC, challenges are essential to keep her creative juices flowing and stay relevant in her chosen field of Quality.
Through the eyes and voices of these and more women of worth, the messages that they are mistresses of their own destinies, focused and relentless in the pursuit of their goals and enjoying a sense of purpose and belonging, were delivered loud and clear.
Leading up to W-Day
To keep the fire and fervour burning and keep the idea of Women’s Day top of mind, the Women & Child Committee of the ECC Recreation Club organized weeklong events at Manapakkam HQ from March 5th onwards that saw an exceptional surge in participation, with the added attraction of a few of the males pitching in too. The activities were a mix of fun, creative thinking, and problem solving.
Celebrating W-Day
All roads on March 8th led to the Main Hall of the Convention Centre at the Manapakkam Campus as droves of women, shimmering in multiple shades of blue, gathered with overwhelming gusto to celebrate the International Women’s Day. Our Chairman & Managing Director, Mr. S N Subrahmanyan, set the tone by launching the ‘I Build the World, I Power the World’ music video, choreographed and sung by L&T-ites, featuring women from across L&T (click here to watch). After swaying to its pulsating beat, the full house, including SNS and Mrs. Meena Subrahmanyan, President – Prayas Trust, were brought to their feet as the video rose in a crescendo for its finale.
“It is always so much better to give than to receive both in your personal and professional lives,” advised SNS in his address, which was embellished with several slices from his life. “We certainly need to celebrate and honour our ‘Women of Worth’ for their dedication, incredible contributions and achievements and for the impact they have created,” he emphasized. “It is important to support them and strive to create a world where their talents are recognized, to become role models for future generations.”
“Prayas Trust has, over the past few years, created a marked difference in the lives of women, by spreading the light of happiness and creating smiles,” remarked Mrs. Meena Subrahmanyan, proudly sharing several remarkable stories of change and women empowerment that the Trust has been scripting across the country. She showcased Prayas Trust’s newest initiative, an L&T-branded women apparel website, which was launched with a huge hurrah.
“It is important to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace where unique perspectives and talents are valued,” pointed out Dr C Jayakumar, Executive Vice President & Head – Corporate HR, insightfully. “Women truly demonstrate strength, courage, resilience, and compassion in their work and daily lives; they inspire and empower others, paving the way for progress and equality,” he added rousingly.
The Prayas team
The team behind ‘I Build the World, I Power the World’
Tracing their unique journeys
An entertaining panel discussion featuring K Bhavani, Executive Vice President & Head – Urban Transit SBG, Heavy Civil Infra IC; C Niranjana, Vice President & Head – Finance, Accounts, & Admin, PT&D IC; M F Febin, Head – CollegeConnect Business, L&T EduTech; Vaishali Koparkar, Vice President & Head – Finance, Accounts, and Admin, TI IC; Poonam Chandok, Vice President & Head – HR, L&T Energy – L&T Hydrocarbon; and Chetana Patnaik, General Manager & Head – HR, TI IC, moderated by Jayanthi Anilkumar lifted a veil on their long and meaningful journeys with L&T, highlighting their perseverance, ability to overcome challenges, work collaboratively, and enjoy their successes. A rapid-fire session saw some quick & smart responses. Later in the evening, C Niranjana moderated another panel discussion featuring our Whole-Time Directors, M V Satish, S V Desai, and T Madhava Das, that gave glimpses into their personal lives.
SNS & Mrs. SNS launch the new women apparel website
Recognizing efforts to drive DEI
‘DEI Showcase’, a virtual platform to spread awareness of our work in the four pillars of DEI – Induct, Engage, Develop, and Enable – was unveiled by Dr CJK and the HR Heads (click here to visit). Another highlight was the launch of the Allyship Awards, which was based on voting by women employees. The 8 top-voted allies, including a few men, were honoured.
The HR Heads launch the DEI Showcase
Although the curtain came down on the event, the fervour and verve created by the near month-long celebrations will resonate across the Company as our incredible Women of Worth continue to make their presence felt and make a telling difference.
A HISTORIC SIGNING FOR INDIA’S LARGEST EPC MANDATE TILL DATE
November 26th 2020 was a red letter day both for the Indian infrastructure sector and for us as the contract for the largest EPC order awarded in the country till date was signed between L&T and the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited. As our CEO & Managing Director, Mr S N Subrahmanyan described, “this order reflects an inflection point in the revival of India’s infrastructure sector and the first sure shot indication that our economy is up and running.” For L&T, it represents a great opportunity to make up for lost ground due to the pandemic and reaffirm our status as India’s foremost construction organization.
The mandate is for the design and construction of 237 km of viaduct between Vapi and Vadodara in Gujarat, four stations, a depot at Surat, 14 river, 6 railway & 42 road crossings and a 350 M long mountain tunnel.
“This project will give a huge thrust to economic and social development,” declared Whole Time Director & Senior Executive Vice
President (Civil Infrastructure), S V Desai, for whom and his team, the mandate is not only a huge win but an even bigger responsibility. “The project will generate employment for professionals like engineers, technicians, designers, architects and create livelihoods for skilled and semi-skilled workforce and construction workers. It will boost demand for construction material and machinery and even ancillary industries like hospitality, entertainment, health, tourism, real estate & housing and education will flourish during the construction phase,” he elaborated.