The Indian Women Network (IWN) Coimbatore Chapter was launched on the occasion of Women’s Day during the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Coimbatore Zone Annual Day.
Gowri Kailasam, Vice Chairperson of CII IWN Southern Region and Chief Executive Officer of Rane (Madras) Ltd, during her special address at the launch event, mentioned that while women’s participation in tertiary education is high, their participation in the workforce needs to be improved. IWN Southern Region, with the vision of transforming women at India@100, positions the women workforce as a strategic imperative and aims to reshape the economy with an innovative ecosystem and socio-economic success.
Srivats Ram, Chairman of CII Tamil Nadu State Council and Managing Director of Wheels India Ltd, mentioned that at the start of his chairmanship, the Indian Women Network had three chapters in Tamil Nadu. Today, it has almost doubled with six chapters across the state. He noted that Tamil Nadu has a women workforce contribution of 43%, which is excellent, but the longevity of women in the workforce is a concern.
Women over 35 years and above have a very low contribution to the workforce, which needs to be addressed seriously. Women in manufacturing are also increasing, and more women-friendly work environments in manufacturing are growing, with Coimbatore being a strong force in this transformation.
Malarvizhi, Past Chairwoman of CII-IWN Tamil Nadu and Managing Trustee of Sri Krishna Institutions, who relaunched the Indian Women Network chapter, mentioned that the network Coimbatore chapter initially had strong support and participation from the industries of Coimbatore. Talking about women in leadership positions, she emphasized the importance of skilling and health literacy, which are crucial to increasing longevity and participation in decision-making positions. She also urged all member companies to support this chapter and nominate their women workforce.
Nandini, Chairperson of CII Southern Region and Managing Director, Chandra Textiles, announced the new office bearers as per the recommendation of Indian Women Network office bearers at the State and Regional levels.
Kesica Jayapalan, Director of Lands and Lands, was appointed as the Convenor for the year 2025-26 and Preetha Priyadharshini Naidu, Founder and CEO of Richmond Talent Solutions, was appointed as the Co-Convenor for the year 2025-26.
Kirthika Shivkumar, Immediate Past Chairwoman of CII-IWN Tamil Nadu and Executive Director, The Indian Public School mentioned that the thought behind the formation of the Indian Women Network was that Career women require a structured network to meet like-minded women to discuss and overcome challenges they might face at the workplace.
The Indian Women Network is currently present in all Southern States and Tamil Nadu. In Tamil Nadu IWN has 5 zones including Coimbatore, making it one of the largest and most impactful women’s networks in the country.
Amudhavalli Ranganathan, Vice Chairwoman of CII-IWN Tamil Nadu, Director of New Initiatives & E-commerce, and Executive Director of CK Group of Educational Institutions, mentioned that Indian Women Network Leadership, policy and advocacy, health and wellbeing, mentorship, and C2C organize programs related to each vertical throughout the year, enabling women to become better professionals and achievers in their respective fields.
Kesica Jayapalan, Convenor of Indian Women Network Coimbatore Chapter and Director of Lands and Lands, thanked the CII and IWN leadership and members for this opportunity. She mentioned that with the collective strength of CII and Yi, they have the power to drive meaningful change, especially to provide women with equal opportunities to lead, innovate, and shape industries. Looking forward, she mentioned introducing new verticals within IWN, hosting an exclusive women’s leadership conference, and launching career guidance initiatives for students to ensure they are well-equipped for the future.
The relaunch of IWN Coimbatore took place during the CII Coimbatore Annual Day, with over 150 participants from top management across industries in Coimbatore.
