Breakthrough Announces Dyamic Speaker Line-Up for Reframe 2026, its flagship annual Summit on Women’s Workforce Participation. Over 60 speakers including policymakers, industry leaders, and changemakers will come together to address the invisible gender norms shaping women’s economic participation.
New Delhi — September 01, 2026: Breakthrough today announced the full speaker line-up for Reframe 2026: Reimagining India’s Future – Equal Participation of Women in the Workforce, taking place from 8–10 September 2026 at the India International Centre (IIC), New Delhi.
Reframe is Breakthrough’s flagship annual summit that convenes leaders from government, business, philanthropy, civil society, academia and media to examine the structural barriers that limit women’s economic participation. The 2026 edition focuses on the role of gender norms in shaping women’s workforce participation and advancing solutions that contribute to India’s vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.
Building on the summit’s theme that unlocking India’s growth requires transforming the invisible gender norms that shape who enters, stays and succeeds in the workforce, Reframe 2026 brings together over 60 speakers from policy, industry, philanthropy, civil society, academia, media and youth movements across seven panel discussions and interactive workshops.
More information about Reframe 2026, can be found at: https://inbreakthrough.org/breakthrough-reframe-2026/
A LINE-UP SPANNING POLICY, INDUSTRY AND GRASSROOTS CHANGE
Leading the conversation across the three days is a cross-sector group of speakers working on the ground and towards policies, systems and narratives that shape women’s economic participation including:
- Dr Fauzia Khan, Former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
- Dr. Renu Swarup, Former Secretary, Department of Bio Technology, Government of India
- Saachi Bhalla, Deputy Director, Gender Equality, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Vandana Chavan, Former Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and Former Mayor, Pune and Founder, Pune Climate Warriors
- Priya Ramani, Journalist
- Namita Bhandare, Senior Journalist
- Shrayana Bhattacharya, Senior Economist, World Bank and Author
- Rathish Balakrishnan, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Sattva Consulting
- Nisha Dhawan, President & CEO, EMpower
- Vandana Bahri, Director, Women’s Economic Empowerment, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation
- Dr. Aparna Hegde, Founder, ARMMAN
- Dolon Ganguly, Chief Functionary, Azad Foundation
- Dr. Ajay Khera, Country Representative, EngenderHealth
and more to be announced soon on the website.
A QUESTION OF ECONOMIC URGENCY
“India has spent decades preparing women for work. Reframe 2026 is about preparing the workplace and society for women. We are bringing together the people who shape policy, culture and opportunity because gender norms aren’t a side conversation to economic growth, they are the growth story,” said Nayana Chowdhury, CEO, Breakthrough.
“Reframe 2026 is poised to be a meaningful forum for engaging in conversations around women’s workforce participation. As an organisation working with marginalised women to enable them to enter and sustain non-traditional professions, Azad sees this as a natural space for collaboration.Together, we hope to create a society where women can choose, enter and sustain their professions with dignity and free will,” said Dolon Ganguly, Chief Functionary, Azad Foundation a Reframe Partner.
THREE DAYS, SEVEN THEMES
Reframe 2026 opens with insights from its survey, ‘What Makes Work, Work for Her,’ presenting insights into women’s aspirations, workplace experiences, retention challenges and the invisible barriers shaping workforce participation across sectors.
Across the three days, sessions will explore:
- Digital influence and changing public narratives
- Gender-transformative education
- Philanthropy as a catalyst for systems change
- Safe public spaces and mobility
- Maternal and child health as an economic imperative
- Masculinities and the care economy
- Workplace leadership, investing in equality, and the future of inclusive work
The final day moves from dialogue to action through collaborative workshops on building inclusive workplaces, scaling gender-transformative education, evaluating gender norm change, engaging young people, advancing innovative storytelling, and strengthening the role of men as allies in women’s economic empowerment.
REFRAME 2026 AT A GLANCE
Reframe 2026: Reimagining India’s Future – Equal Participation of Women in the Workforce
8–10 September 2026
India International Centre (IIC)
40, Max Mueller Marg, Lodhi Gardens, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi, India
To register:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfpEsC0Bo1ov8tdU0xP1w9WFEmvYKzlGcVFcoaFtvZajOC07w/viewform
About Breakthrough
Breakthrough is a non-profit organisation working to transform the culture and systems that prevent women and girls from living free, equal and empowered lives. For over 26 years, Breakthrough has partnered with communities, schools, governments, media and institutions to shift harmful gender norms through behaviour change programmes, research, advocacy and large-scale public engagement. Its work spans education, early marriage, safety, leadership and women’s economic empowerment, with the belief that lasting change happens when both mindsets and systems change together.
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