✓ Ms. Pooja Srinivasa Raja, Founder, Love Hope Company (first from left)
✓ Dr. D. Sowmya, Dean, Guru Nanak Centre for Consultancy and Outreach Initiatives (second from left)
✓ Dr. R. M. Ezhilarasi, Principal, Guru Nanak College (third from left)
✓ Dr. Saundarya Rajesh, Managing Trustee, AVTAR Human Capital Trust (AHCT) (fourth from left)
✓ Ms. Ramadevi Thotathil, CHRO, LatentView Analytics (second from right)
✓ Mr. Umasanker Kandaswamy, Trustee, AHCT (first from right)
✓ Others in the photograph are Puthri Scholars.
Udyog Utsav 2026 Opens New Career Pathways for Hundreds of Project Puthri Scholars
Chennai, 10th October 2026: Avtar Human Capital Trust (AHCT), through its flagship initiative Project Puthri, hosted the 20th edition of Udyog Utsav 2026, its annual Career Visioning Conference for Project Puthri scholars, on 10 October 2026 at Guru Nanak Educational Society, Chennai. As part of Project Puthri’s efforts to equip girls from underserved communities with the skills, confidence and exposure they need to pursue higher education and meaningful careers, the conference brought together leaders from the education and industry sectors to help young schoolgirls learn about different career possibilities and make informed choices about their futures. Over the years, Udyog Utsav has become an important platform for this effort, with previous editions bringing together 10,100+ scholars and 200+ corporates and offering more than 150 hours of learning and engagement.
Speaking at the event, Dr Saundarya Rajesh, Managing Director of Avtar Career Creators Limited and Managing Trustee of Avtar Human Capital Trust, said, “A girl cannot choose a future she has never had the chance to see. For many of our Puthri scholars, Udyog Utsav is that first glimpse of what could be possible. When they meet professionals & hear about careers they may never have considered, they start to see themselves differently; they begin to believe that the world of work has a place for them too. That is the heart of Udyog Utsav. It is about creating that moment of possibility and helping a young girl turn it into career intentionality. As we celebrate the 20th edition, what gives me the greatest joy is knowing that this platform continues to widen the horizon for every girl who walks through its doors. And when our girls learn & aspire, their progress becomes our country’s progress.”
The conference featured addresses by corporate leaders including Ms Remadevi Thotathil, CHRO, Latentview Analytics; Mr K.R. Sriram, Vice President – Head of Automation Corporate IT, Worldline; Ms Daisy Leela, Senior Specialist – CSR, Harman; and Ms Jasleen K. Makker, Senior Director – Corporate Communications & Public Affairs, Harman. Dr R.M. Ezhilarasi, Principal, Guru Nanak College (Autonomous), delivered the opening keynote address, while Dr. D. Sowmya Dean, Guru Nanak Centre for Consultancy and Outreach Initiatives, Ms Pooja Srinivasa Raja, Executive Leader at A2B and Founder of Love Hope Company, and Mr Raja, Former Senior Scientific Officer, Ministry of Defence (VRS) and Founder of Raja IAS Academy, delivered special addresses. Their participation gave scholars an opportunity to hear directly from professionals across different areas of the academic and corporate world and gain a broader understanding of the opportunities available to them.
The conference also featured scholar testimonials, talent search awards, scholarship distribution for beneficiaries, cultural performances and a self-defense workshop, along with interactions between Puthri scholars and corporate and institutional representatives. A key highlight of the programme was the Corporate and Institutional stall visits, which allowed scholars to engage directly with organisations and institutions and learn more about different educational and career pathways. The scholars also took the Puthri Pledge, making a commitment to approach their education and careers with purpose and intentionality.
The conference concluded on an inspiring note, reaffirming the importance of creating spaces where young girls can gain exposure, build confidence and begin to see new possibilities for their futures.
About Avtar:
Avtar Career Creators Limited, founded in 2000 by Dr Saundarya Rajesh, is one of India’s leading workplace culture consulting firms, supporting hundreds of companies in creating diverse and supportive workplaces. Avtar is also the country’s largest provider of second career opportunities for women.
An ISO 20700 certified firm, Avtar’s biggest research projects are its annual benchmarking studies – the Best Companies for Women in India (BCWI) and the Most Inclusive Companies Index (MICI). Done in partnership with Seramount, BCWI and MICI, India’s largest workplace inclusion benchmarking studies have paved the way for the employment of more women and other underrepresented groups. Avtar also promotes inclusive hiring through MyAvtar, India’s first job portal for underrepresented professionals.
A snapshot of Avtar’s work in the last 25 years:
• Provided advisory services in inclusive practices to 800+ organizations
• Conducted 5000+ workshops and training programs in companies of different sizes, spanning industries and locations
• Facilitated the re-entry of 100,000 second-career women into the workforce through MyAvtar.com
• Engaged with 200,000+ women through career enablement programs
• Offered unique skilling programs such as DigiPivot (a prestigious course in digital marketing, conducted in partnership with Google, HUL, and ISB) to hundreds of women
• Provided career intentionality training, employment guidance, and access to industry leaders every year to 10,000+ girls from underprivileged backgrounds through Project Puthri, an initiative of the Avtar Human Capital Trust (AHCT)
• Impacted 4000+ schoolboys through MITR (Men Impacting Trust and Respect), an initiative by AHCT that mentors boys to be advocates for women
For its transformational impact in the realm of DEI, Avtar Group was listed in the prestigious Steward Leadership 25 Listing by Straits Times & INSEAD in Singapore in 2022. In 2025, Avtar won the Times Business Awards and was recognized as the ‘Leading Women’s Employment Organization’.
To know more, visit www.avtarcc.com | www.myavtar.com | www.puthri.org | www.ahct.org.in
