New Delhi: Godrej Industries Group has launched Gateway, a returnship programme designed to help experienced women professionals re-enter the workforce after career breaks linked to motherhood, caregiving, marriage or other life transitions.
The programme, launched by the group’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) arm, Godrej DEI Lab, aims to provide a structured route back to employment through onboarding, coaching and cohort-based learning. It will work with human resources and business teams across the group to integrate returnship candidates into mainstream hiring.
The initiative comes amid persistent challenges in bringing women back into employment after career breaks. According to the 2026 study- The Missing Half*-, 74% of educated women in India have taken a career break at some point in their careers.
Women currently account for 30% of Godrej Industries Group’s workforce. The group has committed to achieving 40% representation of women, LGBTQIA+ people and persons with disabilities by 2031.
“A career break can change the course of a career, but it should not determine its end. Organisations lose valuable experience when capable professionals are unable to find a credible path back into the workforce,” said Sumit Mitra, Group Head, Human Resources and Corporate Services, Godrej Industries.
“Women continue to be disproportionately impacted by career breaks, particularly at mid-management, and with Gateway, we want to make returning to work a more viable and visible pathway for women, and over time, make returnship talent part of mainstream hiring,” he added.
Gateway was announced at the finale of the second edition of *India Included on Campus*, the group’s DEI-focused case study competition for leading business schools. This year’s challenge asked students to develop solutions to a central workforce question: how can organisations bring more women back into employment?
The competition covered eight campuses: IIM Lucknow, IIT Delhi, XIM Bhubaneswar, the Indian School of Business, IIT Bombay, SIBM Pune, TISS Mumbai and IIM Tiruchirappalli. Four teams from IIM Lucknow, IIT Delhi, XIM Bhubaneswar and SIBM Pune advanced to the grand finale to present their recommendations to a jury of senior Godrej executives.
XIM Bhubaneswar won the competition for its proposed structured returnship pathway for women professionals. The team received a cash prize of ₹1 lakh and an opportunity to interact with senior Godrej leadership.
The winning team comprised Kamalpreet Singh, Anushka Duttagupta, Soumya Yadav and Peehu Deshwal, representing Godrej Agrovet.
The other finalists represented Godrej Consumer Products (IIM Lucknow), Godrej Capital (IIT Delhi) and Godrej Properties (SIBM Pune).
Parmesh Shahani, Head of Godrej DEI Lab, said the competition was intended to bring inclusion into discussions shaping the next generation of business leaders.
“The ideas we saw demonstrated that the next generation is ready to look at this as a structural workforce issue, not simply an individual challenge,” Shahani said.
“Gateway takes that conversation a step further by creating a tangible pathway back, with the support, learning and peer network that can make re-entry more sustainable,” he added.
The competition, first held in 2025, is designed to engage management students with workplace inclusion challenges through business case studies. This year’s finalists presented their solutions to a jury comprising senior leaders from across Godrej businesses, including representatives from human resources, sustainability, corporate leadership and sales strategy.
