10th March 2025, New Delhi: Leher Sethi (Secretary – ICUNR & Founder – Something Creative) & Neeraj Kumar (CEO – Le Magnifique Events) hosted an afternoon to celebrate International Women’s Day on Friday, 7th March 2025 at Le Meridien, New Delhi in the presence of Chief Guest, Hon’ble Former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Mr. Harish Rawat.
The panelists Ms. Diane Jegam, Ms. Elena Barman, Ms. Roopam Gupta, and Ms. Priya Hingorani held up discussions on “Women and the Burden of Unpaid Labour,” moderated by Ms. Sanjukta Basu.
UN delegates, Embassy Heads, Select Diplomats, and esteemed guests graced the event with their presence. Women achievers from all walks of life were felicitated with praise and accolades for their exceptional contributions in their respective domains.
The event’s Associate Partners were Aruna Abhey Oswal Trust and Nuthin while Le Meridien was the Hospitality Partner. The awardees were gifted with products by Kairali, Pink-Knots, and 9 Muses.
The guests were greeted with a Welcome address by Mr. K.L. Malhotra, Secretary General, ICUNR, followed by a keynote address by Ms. Madhuruchi Lamba, CEO, of Aruna Abhey Oswal Trust. The speeches were followed by the panel discussion and awards ceremony. The soiree witnessed some powerful acceptance speeches by the Awardees, followed by inspiring and encouraging words from the Chief Guest. Abha Singh, in her acceptance speech, stressed the need for the media to focus on the public’s issues instead of focusing on lifestyles and wedding-related reporting of the rich and famous.
Abha Singh, Activist & Advocate, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. The other awardees of the ICUNR International Women’s Day Awards included:
- Adyasha Mohanty for Public Policy & Strategy
- Anika Sarin for Design Research & Practice
- Diane Jegam for Indo-French Relations
- Elena Barman for India-Russia Relations
- Dr. Geeta Grewal for Beauty & Wellness
- H.E.Ambassador Harisoa Lalatiana Accouche for Public Diplomacy
- Kaveri Rana for Animal Rights Activism
- Khushbu Sharma for Art
- SI Kiran Sethi (Delhi Police) for Law Enforcement
- Neera Sareen for Spiritual Transformation
- Preeti Gupta for Real Estate Management
- Priya Hingorani for Law
- Ruhi Ganguly for Entrepreneurship
- Saru Sharma for Human Resources
- Shilpi Gupta for Craft Revivalism
- Sujata Sengupta for Customer Service in Hospitality
Beyond He & She Awardee: Naaz Joshi
In the words of Mrs. Leher Sethi, Secretary – of ICUNR, “Empowered women empower the societies. We should appreciate their success and achievements while addressing the need for equal opportunities. We should consistently work to encourage a positive change for a more inclusive and equitable environment.”
Mr Neeraj Kumar of Le Magnifique Events said, “Women are not just resilient but beautiful souls who efficiently balance both personal and professional responsibilities. This Women’s Day lets us come together to celebrate every woman who has made sacrifices to bring a meaningful change in society.”