At Samsung, empowering women in leadership is not just about representation but about driving meaningful impact. With this commitment, Samsung India has been fostering future women leaders through its flagship SheLEADS program—a dedicated leadership development initiative designed to equip women employees with the skills, confidence, and network to step into leadership roles.

After the successful launch of SheLEADS last year, Samsung has now introduced SheLEADS 2.0, expanding the program to a new cohort of 16 high-potential women professionals across multiple functions. This 14-week leadership journey provides immersive learning experiences, mentorship from senior leaders, and opportunities to develop strategic decision-making and managerial skills.

Building Women Leaders, One Step at a Time

As a global technology leader, Samsung recognizes that workplaces that excel in crafting an inclusive environment also achieve stronger business outcomes—including enhanced employee engagement, talent retention, and overall financial success. SheLEADS 2.0 is a testament to this belief, ensuring that women at Samsung have access to leadership pathways and the support to break barriers.

For participants, the program is not just about professional growth but also about building a community of women who uplift and inspire each other.

“SheLEADS helped me to enhance my core leadership skills. Be it strategic thinking, assertive communication, effective decision making or negotiation but the biggest takeaway from SheLEADS has been the power of networking and shared experiences,” said RS Annapoorna, General Manager, Legal Management. “It’s empowering to be in a room full of talented women, all striving for excellence and breaking stereotypes in the corporate world.”

Nurturing Talent across Diverse Functions

This year’s cohort of SheLEADS 2.0 includes professionals from various business verticals such as legal, marketing, supply chain, product planning, and HR. Each participant brings unique expertise, contributing to a richer, more diverse leadership pipeline within Samsung.

A Future of Inclusive Leadership

Samsung is committed to fostering a work environment where employees, regardless of gender, can thrive, grow, and lead. The company continues to build a culture where women are supported at every stage of their careers, and SheLEADS is just one of the many steps toward this goal.

As Rajni Chaudhry, Deputy General Manager, Supply Chain, Digital Appliances, puts it, “The whole program has been beautifully designed to equip the leadership competence to navigate through personal and professional environment. Overall, it has been an impactful, empowering and transformative experience.”

With programs like SheLEADS, Samsung India is shaping the future of leadership—one that is diverse, dynamic, and truly inclusive.

The national education and innovation competition challenges young innovators to use STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) to solve real-world problems for a chance to win corpus funding of INR 1.5 crores to build their prototypes.

Last year in SFT, the participants took up the challenge of solving real-world problems in areas concerning education, environment, healthcare, and agriculture. This year, Samsung India has broadened the scope of these interest areas with the vital addition of ‘Diversity & Inclusion’, apart from expanding the rest of the key areas- Education and Learning, Environment and Sustainability, Health and Wellness.

Strengthening its’s commitment to India, Samsung has aligned SFT 2023 themes with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for India to drive a culture of nation-specific innovation among the youth.

If this one-of-a-kind nationwide innovation challenge has caught your interest, then it’s important to understand these 4 key themes and their need in the Indian context.

Education and Learning

It is estimated that nearly 80% of jobs around the globe are going to be in the STEM field within the next decade. India has been at the forefront of preparing its youth for the STEM-based global future with its various ‘Digital Education’ initiatives and becoming the first country to introduce ‘Design Thinking’ in its school curriculum. However, the Covid pandemic showed us the importance of being prepared for unprecedented times.

Samsung realizes the need for innovative solutions to tackle such challenges and prepare our country’s youth to be ready on a global scale. That’s why ‘Education & Learning’ has been kept as a core theme for SFT 2023.

Environment and Sustainability

Last year, SFT saw a significant trend among India’s youth toward solving problems related to the environment and sustainability, with 50% of the entries addressing the issue.  India also aims to become a net-zero carbon emission nation by 2070. As a key theme for SFT, we are inviting innovative ideas that can help India achieve its goals towards ‘Environment and Sustainability’.

Health and Wellness

The government of India seeks to achieve Universal Healthcare for all by 2030 by ensuring access to a healthy lifestyle and well-being. However, issues like proper infrastructure and technology in remote areas need innovative solutions to ensure healthcare access for all in the country. SFT seeks to support the Indian government in achieving this goal by supporting innovations in ‘Healthcare and Wellness’ by the nation’s young innovators.

Diversity and Inclusion

An inclusive and equitable India will help the nation enable the full potential of its human resources and eliminate distinction and discrimination based on gender, sexuality, disability, language, and more.  Giving more power to the rising consciousness, Samsung has introduced Diversity and Inclusion as a new theme for SFT 2023 so that innovative, tech-based solutions can be explored in the area.