The fourth edition of the prestigious ETPrime Women Leadership Awards ETPWLA 2023 programme, IAS, Additional Municipal Commissioner, BMC and Managing Director, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, was recognized as the winner of the category. Keynote speaker Mithali Raj, former captain of Indian Women's Cricket Team, and jury member Abha Singh congratulated the award winner of the Woman Leader of the Year category at the Grand Felicitation Ceremony, which marked the culmination of the six-month-long ETPWLA 2023 programme, with 19 winners felicitated across 15 award categories. When asked what it takes to get things done in administrative positions that necessitate multiple stakeholders management, Bhide cited transparency and straightforwardness as key strategies while sharing her playbook. I think the strategy is very simple. It's all about being transparent and straightforward. It is being firm without being rigid or inflexible. It's about being adaptable without actually being compromising. So, the formula is to be open-minded, to be having dialogues with all stakeholders, all the time, being consistent in it but at the same time having the courage to say no to those demands which are beyond law and logic, Bhide said. It marks their individual performance of resilience, innovation and adaptability, and their collective impact in shattering the glass ceiling, achieving significant milestones and paving the way for women-led transformation in their respective industries and spheres of work. Thank you so much ETPrime and members of the jury for creating this category and selecting me as the awardee, Bhide said, referring to one of the three newly introduced categories of this year ETPWLA programme, including DEI Ally of the Year, Woman Leader of the Year Services, and Woman Leader of the Year Governance. While the past three editions of ETPrime Women Leadership Awards have recognized and celebrated leaders who have inspired millions of women and girls to break barriers, storm into male-dominated bastions and aspire for leadership roles, the 2023 edition expanded the initiative's scope beyond India Inc into the realms of services, social advocacy, and governance. These additions were made based on feedback and recommendations from past jury members, participants of previous editions, and industry leaders. The ETPWLA jury panel was chaired by chairperson, Rothschild Co., India and included prominent leaders and changemakers from various industries, such as - whole-time director, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd.; chairperson and Managing Director, First Global; chairperson Karthik Reddy, Managing Partner, Blume Ventures; Former Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh; Chief Operating Officer, Times Internet; Advocate and Womens Rights Activist, and Co-Founder Chairperson, Sustainability, Renew; Founding Chair, Renew Foundation. 1 xsffbm 9 klAn Indian Administrative Service IAS Additional Municipal Commissioner, BMC and Managing Director MD Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, India's Woman Leader of the Year award for Governance category, Ashwini Bhide is renowned for her knack in overcoming hurdles to implement urban infrastructure projects, particularly Mumbai Metro Line 3. Bhide has held important positions in his career such as Chief Executive Officer CEO in Zilla Parishad, Additional Divisional Commissioner, Joint Secretary to Governor of Maharashtra, Additional Metropolitan Commissioner in MMRDA Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority Secretary in School Education and Sports and MD of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. Bhide is an IAS officer from the batch of 1995 of Maharashtra and secured the first rank among women candidates in the Civil Services Examination in 1995. Bhide, who serves as the MD of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, is in charge of the Mumbai Metro Line 3. The railway corridor of Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ is expected to carry 17 lakh passengers per day. The project is expected to be completed in the year 2023 - 24. Bhide has helmed some of the most complex and massive urban infrastructure projects in Mumbai, such as the Coastal Road project as AMC of BMC, Eastern Freeway, the elevated road to International Airport, several flyovers on major arterial roads and rail over bridges including MilanROB and the first phase of Mumbai Monorail in her tenure with MMRDA. She was also the head of the COVID-19 Response War Room, where several digital initiatives were rapidly implemented, including the daily dashboards that earned both national and international recognition. In a true celebration of women's power, industry leaders in India Inc, governance, defence and civil services, ETPWLA jury members, DEI diversity, equity and inclusion champions, and renowned personalities gathered at the awards night to salute 19 women leaders in India Inc, governance, defence and civil services, social advocacy, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and beyond, in a true celebration of women power. These winners, chosen from a pool of 76 profiles shortlisted across 15 award categories from a record-breaking number of over 5,000 applications, were selected as part of an extensive evaluation process, which included detailed research, deliberations, and shortlisting by ET Editors and the Knowledge Partner, Accord India, after which the shortlisted profiles were presented to the jury for a rigorous jury examination and selection process. The ETPWLA program is dedicated to acknowledging women's diverse achievements, as celebrating women's achievements can be a significant step in establishing a support system and solidarity network for women across the workforce. With Accord India as its knowledge partner, the latest ETPrime Women Leadership Awards 2023 initiative was powered by Peak XV Partners and has Accrete Executive Search as associate partner, Hero MotoCorp as Mobility partner, GAIL and Siemens as bronze partners.