Haworth India Champions Inclusive Leadership with ‘Give to Gain’ Roundtable Series

(L – R) Manish Khandelwal – Managing Director, Haworth India, Payal Kapoor – Design Director, Office Banao, Ramya – Space Matrix, Koheli – Studio xp, Shweta – Adrienc

New Delhi / Mumbai, March 7, 2026: To commemorate International Women’s Day 2026, Haworth India has launched ‘Give to Gain,’ a prestigious four-city leadership roundtable series designed to examine the intersection of workplace design, mentorship, and organizational performance. The initiative brought together high-profile women leaders from architecture and design (A&D) firms, project management consultancies, and major corporates for deep-dive discussions in Delhi and Mumbai on March 6. The series, which moves next to Bangalore and Hyderabad on March 27, reframes inclusion not merely as a social goal but as a critical driver of business success and innovation, the company said in a press release.

The moderated sessions explored a comprehensive narrative arc, beginning with personal professional breakthroughs and transitioning into the structural elements that allow women to excel. Discussions centered on how mentorship, robust professional networks, and dedicated return-to-work programs strengthen leadership capabilities. 

Manish Khandelwal, Managing Director of Haworth India, emphasized the strategic nature of the initiative, stating: “When women lead with intention, progress accelerates. Through ‘Give to Gain’, Haworth brought together diverse industry perspectives to examine how inclusive leadership and workplace design can move beyond social intent to become performance drivers for organisations. Conversations around mentorship, collaboration and return-to-work pathways are critical to building workplaces where women can contribute meaningfully across different stages of their professional journeys.”

In Mumbai, the panel featured prominent figures including Zainab Mukadam of Cushman & Wakefield, Soumya Vajpayee of Billboard India, and Kalpana Shankar of WPP. The dialogue highlighted how the physical work environment influences the human experience of labor. 

Reflecting on her own career, Zainab Mukadam, Senior Director and Head of Design, India, Cushman & Wakefield, noted: “Workplace design sits at the intersection of creativity and leadership because it allows designers to influence how organisations and people experience work. Over the years, mentorship has shaped my journey…sometimes through direct guidance and sometimes through small moments of learning. I strongly believe that when teams support and learn from each other, that collective growth becomes the most meaningful outcome of leadership.”

The Delhi NCR edition, hosted at Haworth’s Gurugram Experience Center, featured a panel of experts including Ramya Iyer of Space Matrix, Koheli J Puri of Studio XP, Shweta Grover of Adrianse, and Payal Kapoor of Office Banao. The speakers addressed the necessity of evolving both office culture and urban infrastructure to support sustained female participation in the workforce. 

Shweta Grover, Executive Director at Adrianse, added: “The journey through one’s career is rarely linear. If you stay engaged, focused and open to opportunities, you will continue to evolve and grow. At the same time, as workplaces evolve, our cities and infrastructure must also improve to enable more people, especially women, to participate fully in the workforce.” By fostering these cross-sector dialogues, Haworth India continues to position inclusive design as a vital catalyst for productivity and long-term organizational growth.