CNBC-TV18 Future Female Forward Season 4 heads to Mumbai

MUMBAI: The room is set, but this time the question is who gets to shape it. CNBC-TV18’s Future. Female. Forward. (FFF) – The Women’s Collective Season 4 will bring its Mumbai Mega Summit on 30 September, putting the spotlight on the next step in the women-at-work conversation: moving from representation to real access to opportunity.

Presented by HSBC India, co-presented by Cognizant and powered by Reliance Industries Limited, the fourth season is built around #PowerOfEquity. The Mumbai summit will examine how organisations can turn equity from a workplace aspiration into part of their business strategy, leadership and growth.

The evening will open with Shereen Bhan, Managing Editor, CNBC-TV18, setting the context, followed by a keynote from Ajay Sharma, Managing Director & Head of Banking, HSBC India. His address will focus on equity as a growth imperative and the role of equitable access to opportunity, leadership and decision-making in building resilient and future-ready organisations.

The centrepiece will be a CEO session and townhall titled ‘The Opportunity Architecture’. The discussion will bring together Priya Nair, CEO & MD, Hindustan Unilever; Roma Datta Chobey, Managing Director – Connected Consumer & Commerce, Google India; Zia Mody, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, AZB & Partners; Rajesh Varrier, President, Global Operations and Chairman & MD, Cognizant India; and Archana Chadha, Head of People, HSBC India, among others.

The conversation will look beyond hiring numbers to the mechanics of career progression, from hidden bias in promotions and access to leadership roles to sponsorship, mentorship and career continuity. It will also examine how companies can open more doors to high-growth roles, networks and capital while making leadership accountable for measurable progress.

That focus on opportunity will be paired with recognition. The FFF ICONS – ‘Women Who Define the New India’ will honour women across business, law, technology, sport, public service, the armed forces, social impact and the environment.

The 2026 FFF ICONS include Priya Nair, CEO & MD, HUL; Arundhati Bhattacharya, President & CEO, Salesforce South Asia; Roma Datta Chobey; Zia Mody; Manisha Girotra, CEO, Moelis India; Rucha Nanavati, Chief of Advanced Technologies – Farm Equipment Business, M&M; Vibha Padalkar, MD & CEO, HDFC Life; Latika Padalkar, pioneering civil servant; T.A. Thaaragai Aarathana, young environmentalist; Puja Tomar, India’s first female UFC fighter; Akira Bansal, youngest multi-record-holding athlete; Dr Ebha Patel, Founder & Chairman, Ghar Ayee Nanhi Pari Foundation; Havildar Arundhati Choudhary, Indian boxer and Non-Commissioned Officer; and Jaismine Lamboria, Naib Subedar, Indian Army.

Adding a musical note to the evening will be a performance by artist Dot., bringing a cultural dimension to a summit centred on women’s voices, ambition and agency.

Bhan said the conversation around women’s advancement has moved beyond asking whether women are “in the room” to examining whether they have the opportunity, agency and influence to shape what happens there. She said FFF Season 4 aims to move the discussion from representation to opportunity and from intent to action.

Sharma said equitable access to opportunities, regardless of gender, can help organisations draw from a broader talent pool, support career progression and contribute to sustainable growth. Varrier similarly highlighted the importance of equitable access to skills, opportunities and leadership pathways as businesses navigate their next phase of transformation.

For Smriti Mehra, CEO, English & Business News, Network18, the conversation extends beyond women and work to the future of India itself. She said Season 4 focuses on the “architecture of opportunity” — the systems, cultures and choices that influence who gets to progress.

The Mumbai Mega Summit will take place on 30 September 2026 from 5.30 pm onwards and will be broadcast live on CNBC-TV18, CNBCTV18.com and the CNBC-TV18 YouTube channel.